God’s grace never wears thin but human hearts do. Excusing our sinful behavior hardens our heart. It causes a loss of sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s prompting, making us vulnerable to deception. God rarely force feeds grace. It’s available to all and applied in our lives through repentance.
As I think back over my life, I’m grateful God, who created all things, is also the God who commanded that we forgive those who have wronged us, not seven times, but “…seventy-times-seven…” Matthew 18.22. It’s a beautiful picture of the heart of God. A Biblical prophet, Jonah, was called to extend grace to the unthinkable; their avowed enemies, the cruel Ninevites. He did, what most of us would actually want to do, and ran the other way.
Jonah knew God was gracious. Jonah wanted God’s judgement ax to fall on the wicked Ninevites, who had caused so much pain to his people. He laments “…for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4.2,3
The story of Jonah should give each of us hope. God pursued Jonah, despite his ardent desire to resist. Ultimately, God’s grace flowed to the Ninevites who heeded Jonah’s warnings and repented in sack cloth and ashes. Just as with the Ninevites, God desires for all of us to be made whole, in right relationship with him: To be forgiven of our sin and delivered from our propensity to keep sinning. God has weighted his grace in favor of forgiveness. It’s for us to swallow our pride and accept the most generous offer ever made: Repent and be forgiven.
“…God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
James 4:6-8
