Day 2: God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love

Short intro about this devo (that rhymed!) : So, I decided to go through the 40-DAY JOURNEY of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Devotional Book by Peter Scazzero. The devotional book already provides the verses, prayers and exhortations which are alreadyyyyyyy meaty and insightful in itself! But for someone who's willing to spend extra time to dig treasures of insights straight from context of the suggested verses, I'm going to dive head first and maximize this blog to capture my aha moments. Feel free to glean from these but I highly encourage you to go through the journey as well, buy the book (got mine from Shopee) or look it up online. Day 2/40

"When God saw what they (Ninevites) 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. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. "

- Jonah 3:10, 4:1

Jonah was the man inside the whale's stomach. He got there because God in His loving might disciplined him and rerouted him back to his mission field- Nineveh. Jonah simply did not want to go there because this city was one of the Assyrians'. Assyrians were idolatrous and they had long been a threat to the Israelites. They were their enemy.

Jonah so knew God - that He's gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and he realized that God sending him there meant not only His judgement but also their salvation if they repent. So even before they we're convicted to repent, Jonah attempted to rob them of the opportunity to hear about God's judgement because he would rather want them destroyed. Though Jonah's anger towards them was valid, his preference poisoned his soul.

Why would God still use Jonah when his heart wasn't right and ill reluctant? Maybe but simply because God had already foreseen that His grace and mercy towards Nineveh is the same grace and mercy that could heal Jonah's soul. God's message wasn't just for the Ninevites but for His messenger too. God's grace overflows that same to His people and enemy. His mercy triumphs over judgment!

May we deeply experience the grace, love and mercy of God first and always.

Let's spread the same grace, love and mercy to everyone. No biases, letting go of our preferences.

Truth: God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

How have I experienced the grace , love and mercy of God?

Am I reflecting the same godly traits towards others?

What preferences and biases does God want me to let go of?

#day2 #EmotionallyHealthySpirituality #daybyday #livingloved