NO ONE BEYOND REDEMPTION

SIN runs rampant in society - daily headlines and overflowing prisons bear dramatic witness to this fact. With child abuse, pornography, serial killings, terrorism, anarchy, and ruthless dictatorships, the world seems to be filled to overflowing with violence, hatred and corruption. Reading, hearing, and perhaps even experiencing these tragedies, we begin to understand the necessity of God’s judgment. We may even find ourselves wishing for vengeance by any means upon the violent perpetrators. Surely they are beyond redemption! But suppose that in the midst of such thoughts, God tells you to take the Gospel to the worst of these offenders - how would you respond? Jonah was given such a task. Assyria - a great, but evil empire - was Israel’s most dreaded enemy. The Assyrians flaunted their power before God and the world through numerous acts of heartless cruelty. So when Jonah heard God tell him to go to Assyria and call the people to repentance, he ran in the opposite direction. The book of Jonah tells the story of this prophet’s flight and how God stopped him and turned him around. But it is much more than a story of a man and a great fish - Jonah’s story is a profound illustration of God’s mercy and grace. No one deserved God’s favour less than the people of Nineveh, Assyria’s capital. Jonah knew this. But he knew that God would forgive and bless them if they turned from their sin and worshipped Him. He also knew the power of God’s message, that even through his weak preaching, they would respond and be spared God’s judgment. But Jonah hated the Assyrians, and he wanted vengeance, not mercy, and so he ran. Eventually, Jonah obeyed and preached in the streets of Nineveh and the people repented and were delivered from judgment. Then Jonah sulked and complained to God, “I knew you were a gracious God, merciful, slow to get angry, and full of kindness; I knew how easily You could cancel Your plans for destroying these people” (Jonah 4:2). In the end, God confronted Jonah about his self-centered values and lack of compassion, saying, “Why shouldn’t I feel sorry for a great city like Nineveh with its 120 000 people in utter spiritual darkness?” (Jonah 4:11). As you read Jonah, see the full picture of God’s love and compassion, and realize that no one is beyond redemption. The Gospel is for all who will repent and believe. Begin to pray for those who seem to be farthest from God’s Kingdom, and look for ways to tell them about God. Learn from this story of the reluctant prophet and determine to obey God, doing whatever, and going wherever He leads! Rather than running from God, trust Him with your past, present, and future. Saying “no” to God quickly leads to disaster. Saying “yes” brings new understanding of God and His purpose in the world. God wants His people to proclaim His love in words and actions to the whole world. He wants us to be His missionaries wherever we are, wherever He sends us. He wants the sincere devotion of each person. It is not enough to share the privileges of Christianity; we must also ask God to forgive us and to remove our sin. Refusing to repent is the same as loving our sin. God loves each one of us, even when we fail Him. But He also loves other people, including those not of our group, background, race or denomination. When we accept His love, we must also learn to accept all those whom He loves. We will find it much easier to love others when we truly love God! [Life Application Bible, 1988, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, USA].