What Is God Calling You To Do?

Is God calling you to preach against wrongdoing or is He calling you to forgive yourself or others? The book of Jonah is a great reminder to all of us that when we turn away from our sinful ways God will show compassion towards us.

I for one am grateful for this reminder because it shows me that God is a loving & forgiving God who will remove my sins from me when I repent.

Jonah 3:10

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

Jonah however, became angry at the Lord's compassion he had for the people of Nineveh. And God said to him in Jonah 3:4 "But the Lord replied, "Have you any right to be angry?" Don't you wonder how many times God has said the very same thing to us? What right do we have to be angry? I'm guessing some of you might be thinking "but......" because we want to justify our anger.

How often have we reacted towards God in the way Jonah did?

Perhaps you have wished that God would vindicate you for the hardships you've experienced in your life, only to find out that God is blessing your enemy, it hurts doesn't it? We wonder how God can possibly bless them after they hurt us.

Let's take a moment to look at it from a different perspective, let's look at this from God's perspective. Think about a time when you repented of your sins, are you not grateful that God had mercy on you and showed you compassion? I believe we would all shout YES loudly wouldn't we?

Friends no matter what challenges or difficulties we face in life we have to keep the right perspective. God is a loving God, this means when we repent and turn away from our sins He will forgive our sins and show us mercy. We are not the judge and jury, God is. He knows our hearts and when we sincerely ask for his forgiveness.

So I would challenge you to think about your enemy differently. If God is blessing your enemy perhaps God has seen the sincerity in their repented heart and if this is the case wouldn't we be wise to forgive them as well and to let go of our ill thoughts towards them?

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

What a great Bible verse and reminder that God loves ALL of us, yes this includes our enemies! Don't allow the devil to control you with your past hurts, denounce his ways. As Psalm 51:10 says: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Matthew 5:43-48

You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Our challenge today is to thank God for his grace and mercy He showers on us daily and to ask God to help us to show the same grace and mercy to our enemies.

Written by: Jill Theriault

Crossroads Coaching - @crossroadscoachingongodstime