The Heart of God

As I feared, it is getting hard to keep up on Bible reading and blogging as the wedding approaches. I am running a day or two behind in reading, but God has graciously been providing time to catch up here and there. I was also sick for about a week, ended the school year, and flew to Texas, so life has been crazy. I am back in Washington now, feeling better, and just trying to use my time efficiently each and every day as there are many wedding details and decisions to sort out over the next two and half weeks.

My Bible reading has been difficult for the past few weeks because each day the reading jumps back and forth between Kings and Chronicles, as I read about the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, their many kings (all of whom have the same two names it seems... either a variation of Joash or Asa or something like that...some of them even have two different spellings for their own name...very confusing if you ask me), and both the obedience and apostasy of the people during different kings' reigns. Basically, as I read, instead of  trying to figure out which king is which, what year it is, what city is being discussed, I narrow it down to two questions: is this a king of Judah or Israel? and is this a good king, who "did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord" (2 Chronicles 14:2) or is this a king that "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord" (2 Kings 13:2). As confusing as it has been at times, watching Israel's inconsistent obedience is a reminder to remain faithful and obedient to Lord at all times. To stray from Him ultimiately leads to destruction in so many ways.

Today though, I got to detour from Kings and Chronicles, and read through Jonah, one of the first minor prophets. The introduction to the book of Jonah asked a great question that I have been pondering all day...do I have a heart that is like the heart of God? Pretty much anyone who attended Sunday school in their youth knows that story of Jonah and the "great fish." Jonah was being disobedient to God and because of that got swallowed by a big fish. He spent three days inside praying and then the fish "vomited" him out onto dry land. He then reluctantly followed God's plan for him. However, today I realized a deeper theme than just simple obedience versus disobedience. The reason behind Jonah's foolishness in thinking he could flee from God's presence and His plan was because Jonah's heart was not after the heart of God. God wanted Jonah to go to Ninevah, which was not even a city of Israel, but a pagan city of Assyria. God wanted Jonah to prophesy of warning to the people of Ninevah. God wanted the people of that city to repent. God wanted to show the people there mercy and compassion. That was what God wanted to do. That was His heart for both Jonah and the people of Ninevah. Jonah's heart was opposed to this. He didn't want to travel all the way to Ninevah. He didn't want to preach repentace to these people and he really didn't want to see them repent and receive God's mercy. Although he was eventually faithful to the call, he was still irritated that God's plan was to show mercy to these sinful people. The book ends with God's reprimand toward Jonah. It is God's right and for God's glory that He might pity a spiritually unaware people and call them unto Himself (Jonah 4:11).

So question of the day... is my heart like the heart of God? Is your heart like the heart of God? How often do I not chase after the things of God because to stop and help someone, to share a loving rebuke with a friend, to preach the Gospel boldly, to watch someone that has wronged me find forgiveness, would be inconvenient, uncomfortable, or unfair according to my sinful nature? Although my sinful self often wants to be like Jonah, because I find it uncomfortable, scary, or just downright unjust to follow God's will, which pretty much always includes serving others, loving those who wrong you, and preaching and showing grace and forgiveness to everyone because of Christ, I know that the heart of God is perfect. I hope that day by day, by the grace and help of the Holy Spirit, I can conquer the Jonah in me, and be Christ to those around me. Because, ultimately, I am just like the people of Ninevah. I was sinful and spiritual unaware, but I was important to God. He sent His Word to me, loved me, and called me to repenatace. He showed me compassion, mercy, and grace that I do not deserve. I love Him because He first loved me.