Devotionals

Zechariah 8:6 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvelous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts."See Like God SeesWouldn't it be amazing if you could see what God sees? What if...

Zephaniah 1:12 "And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil."Great ExpectationsOne night after a...

Jonah 4:4 “Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?”

What Your Emotions Say

What is important to you? No matter your answer, notice what you hear, see, and feel! Whether it is a mother waking to answer a newborn’s cry (while dad is fast asleep), a shopper buying a certain product (because of a familiar label), or an athlete crying tears of joy after winning a championship trophy, what is important to a person and his emotions are closely intertwined.

The things that elicit your emotions expose your priorities. Consider Jonah. He was a man full of emotion, and you see a wide range of emotions in Jonah chapter 4. Let’s consider each emotion and apply it to our lives today.

First of all, what makes you glad? Jonah was “exceeding glad” about a gourd that provided shade for him (verses 5-6). In essence, he was happy about comfort. Happiness is the goal when happiness is the priority. What are your goals? Do your goals revolve around people or things? Only people last; only people matter. Thank the Lord that someone made you a priority before you were saved!

Second of all, what makes you angry? Jonah was angry “even unto death” because the Lord took away the gourd (verse 9). Ironically, Jonah was angry because God was slow to anger and showed mercy to others. He was upset that Nineveh received God’s mercy when, in fact, he had also received the same mercy in the belly of a big fish! Jonah was angry because he was disappointed. What does it take to make you angry?

Third of all, what makes you take pity? Jonah had pity on a silly gourd that meant nothing. Today, there are several charitable causes that seek your pity (world hunger, malaria, etc.), but I wonder how much money we are spending on the Gospel? How much time are we spending on spreading the Gospel? Jonah had pity on a plant that helped no one except himself. What is important to you?

Jonah was a man driven by emotion. He was happy, angry, and felt pity, all in the same chapter. The lesson to remember is what elicits your emotions exposes your priorities. What do your emotions say about your priorities?

Jonah 3:5-6 “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.”

Mercy and Humility

Who is the worst person you have ever known? Does he or she deserve God’s mercy? If so, why? If not, why not? Better yet, why do you deserve God’s mercy? If you don’t think you need it, you are in trouble! If you think you deserve it, you are in big trouble! By very definition, mercy is undeserved. Mercy is not getting what you do deserve.

If you would have known the king of Nineveh, you would’ve probably considered him the most evil and powerful person. He would be the man least deserving and the most unlikely candidate for God’s mercy!

Guess what? He received God’s mercy! Why? Because you don’t receive God’s mercy by being innocent; you receive God’s mercy by being humble. The Bible tells us that “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (James 4:6) In Jonah chapter 3, the wicked king of Nineveh responded to God’s message through the prophet Jonah. He didn’t see himself as good; he saw himself as needing mercy! The revival started with the king and spread “from the greatest of them even to the least of them.”

It amazes me that some people can be so proud of being good. Have you ever met someone who was proud of how honest they were? You won’t impress God by how good or deserving you are. Ironically, the one thing you can’t be proud of is being humble! Humility is submissively seeing yourself as God sees you. You will never come to the start of God’s mercy until you come to the end of yourself.

No one can receive mercy without being humble. You don’t receive God’s mercy by being innocent. You don’t receive God’s mercy by being good. You receive God’s mercy by being humble.