Though he was a prophet, Jonah never quite caught God’s heart. Could the same be said of us?
Tag: forgiveness
Jonah expected personal mercy for his bad behavior but not corporate mercy for a wayward community.
It is remarkable: some of the most amazing scriptures on joy, worry, prayer and thought life were written as a response to two godly women locked in conflict.
We apply the blood of our Savior to our personal ledger through repentance and we apply the blood to the ledger of others through forgiveness.
The Kingdom is built by forgiving people. Period. We ourselves have been forgiven of much. How could we be anything less?
I have limited opportunity to take my trash to the curb. The garbage guys, God bless ’em, only come by once a week. If we fail to roll out the bin, we’re out of luck for seven more days. This is not the case with our God. He is always, endlessly ready to receive our trash! He’s waiting, with forgiveness in hand, happy to exchange our sin for righteousness. Isn’t that amazing?
Peter instinctively understood what we all need to hear: confession draws us near to God where concealment pushes us further away. Peter’s heart posture of desperation set him up for restoration.
Real prayer is gritty and raw. Real prayer involves the give and take of forgiveness. Real prayer recognizes the audacity of the Creator communing with His creation.
Healthy, sustained relationships flow in forgiveness, in both the giving and the receiving, alike.