Wickedness

God’s arm is not too short to save and He never changes.  Does His love ever change or His compassion or His mercy?  No, read what it says in Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

How long has it been since you read the book of Lamentations?  If you read it, you will see that those that disobey God will be corrected and that could be very harsh treatment, even disaster.  You will also learn that God suffers when His people suffer because He loves them, but He is also a just God and He will correct all of us if we are disobedient.  Many people look at God’s correction as a horrible thing, but if you think about it, it shows that He loves us.  When you have sinned against the Lord, don’t get angry at God when you are corrected, it shows that you are one of His children.  

Read what it says in Hebrews 12:5-13, “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”    

If you didn’t know this before, take it to heart and don’t get bitter and angry at God because it is only because He loves us that He corrects us.  God doesn’t want any spoiled children.  God even loves His enemies and that is why we are commanded to love our enemies also!!  

Let me give you one example of this, it is in the book of Jonah in His Word.  Jonah is sent to Nineveh, the City of the Assyrians who were a wicked people, because He was going to destroy it.  Jonah hated the people of Nineveh so he disobeyed God and headed for Tarshish but a devastating event took place and Jonah ended up in the belly of a large fish that may have been looking for lunch.  Read what his correction was in Jonah 2:1-10:

“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,

‘I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,

    and he answered me;

out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

    and you heard my voice.

For you cast me into the deep,

    into the heart of the seas,

    and the flood surrounded me;

all your waves and your billows

    passed over me.

Then I said, ‘I am driven away

    from your sight;

yet I shall again look

    upon your holy temple.’

The waters closed in over me to take my life;

    the deep surrounded me;

weeds were wrapped about my head

    at the roots of the mountains.

I went down to the land

    whose bars closed upon me forever;

yet you brought up my life from the pit,

    O Lord my God.

When my life was fainting away,

    I remembered the Lord,

and my prayer came to you,

    into your holy temple.

Those who pay regard to vain idols

    forsake their hope of steadfast love.

But I with the voice of thanksgiving

    will sacrifice to you;

what I have vowed I will pay.

    Salvation belongs to the Lord!’”

And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.”

I would say he was devastated, a man without hope, except for God’s mercy and grace.  God always seeks the humble and contrite heart, which He will not despise.  God not only showed love, mercy and grace to Jonah but when he went in and preached to the people of Nineveh they repented and the Lord relented and spared all the people and a great revival broke out in that city.  The only one that wasn’t happy, I would say, was Jonah.

This is what the King of Nineveh said read 3:4-10:

“Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.’

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”

If God spared these people, will He not spare you if you repent and turn from your sins?  If this is what you desire to do, tell Him you are sorry for your sins and ask Him to forgive you and to be the Lord of your life.  If you are sincere I believe it will happen, then let Him fill you with His peace, love and joy and start growing in your new found faith and share what He has done for you with others.  Pray about the church He would want you to attend and start fellowshipping with other believers.

Something to think about!  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!  And don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy!!