God’s Heart For His Creation

In meditating on the holiness of God, it’s easy to imagine God is always angry at our sins. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, God cursed them. But even as they were cast out, He showed them mercy. He made clothing to cover their nakedness. That clothing today is Christ. Because God is holy, he cannot ignore our sin, but through the sacrificial death of the Beloved, He has us clothed in righteousness and covered our sins. For our sakes, He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might be the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). There are plenty of examples in the Bible where a holy God judges sin. There are countless more times that the gracious heart of God is revealed to His people.

Jonah in Joppa and Nineveh
In the book of Jonah, Lord came to Jonah saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” Instead, Jonah fled to Joppa as if God were only in one place! When Jonah tried to escape on a ship to Tarshish, a mighty storm threatened to break the vessel into pieces. The crew cried out to their gods and threw the cargo overboard to keep it from sinking. The fear among the men was so great they cast lots to determine who caused this dire situation. The finger pointed to Jonah—who was asleep in the hull.

They asked him who he was, his occupation, and his origin. When he told them he served the God who made the sea and land, their fear turned to terror. Jonah suggested they throw him into the sea, but they refused and tried to row back to Joppa. The storm got worse. They cried out to the One who made the sea, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” Eventually, they threw Jonah overboard, and immediately the seas calmed (Jonah 1:14-16).

A large fish came and swallowed Jonah. He spent three days in the fish’s belly before being spit out on dry land. Again, the command came to go to Nineveh and preach. This time Jonah obeyed. “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” the prophet proclaimed. The people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, repented, and were spared. That has got to be the shortest sermon to save so many!

Besides the parallels between Jesus and Jonah and their peace in the midsts of storms, what’s impressive about this narrative is the men on the ship became believers. After they threw Jonah into the sea, they offered sacrifices and made vows to God. Despite Jonah’s disobedience, God was gracious, and men were saved. After three days in the belly of a fish, Jonah rose and preached at Nineveh. The people repented and were saved. After three days in a tomb, Christ rose. Because of His obedience, the ones who are being saved are unquantifiable!

Christ Consciousness is Grace Consciousness
There was a time in my journey that I received false teaching, and I believed Father God was angry with me because of my sin. I know now He’s not mad; He loves me without measure and, through grace, has given me the righteousness of Christ. It is God’s goodness that leads men to repentance, not His wrath. God is good, and He wants you to come to Him with your sin to be cleansed. God is not angry with you, child of God. I venture to say He’s madly in love with you. He gave His only son Jesus for you! Is that love or anger?