God taught me a lesson about mercy when I was in high school. At the time, I didn’t recognize it as one, but as the years passed, I did.
I invited a friend from school to go to church with me. My friend picked out the most elegant outfit in her closet. Since she didn’t attend church, her wardrobe choices were limited. Nevertheless, she chose the fanciest clothes she owned.
When my friend got up to go to the restroom at church, an elderly sister approached me and said: ” Your friend is not going to get a husband here dressed like that; she should look elsewhere.” I was speechless.
I don’t know whether she or someone else said something rude to my friend. What I do know is that my friend never came back.
For a long time, I thought ill about this church lady who thought my friend was not “good enough” for church. Then I realized that this lady, like me and my friend, needed Jesus too. Because if I judge the judger, what does that make me?
Running from the calling
Jonah thought the Ninevites weren’t good enough to receive God’s mercy. A little too unchristian for a prophet, you might think. So, guess what? God sent Him to preach to them. The Ninevites had forty days to repent from their evil ways; if they didn’t, they would be destroyed. That was the message.
Sounds simple to deliver, right? But Jonah knew God. And he knew that if they repented, God would show them mercy and let them live. Why did that bother Jonah? Because his word as a prophet would be discredited. His pride was getting in the way of their salvation. Has your pride ever gotten in the way of someone else’s salvation?
Your calling, your testimony
God knew Jonah needed to let Him in his heart as much as the Ninevites. So, he sent him on a mission to bring salvation to Nineveh. After rebelling, running away, and metaphorically dying and resuscitating after being stuck in the belly of a fish, Jonah answered the call, not knowing that he would encounter salvation for himself along the way. God was on a mission not only to save the Ninevites but also to save Jonah. When God sends us on a mission for others, it’s because we also need it.
How much is a soul worth?
Towards the end, God teaches Jonah a vital lesson: Mercy and salvation are for everyone equally. If you want to know the details of how the story ends, look in your Bible😊 reading the whole book of Jonah will only take five minutes!
Are you willing to share the good news of God’s mercy and let Him touch your heart in the process as well?
“… I knew that you are a God who is kind and shows mercy. You don’t become angry quickly, and you have a great love, I knew you would choose not to cause harm…”
Jonah 4:2
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