DO YOU CARE FOR OTHERS?

Jonah 4:9-11

Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!"
 But the LORD said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.
 "And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left, and also much livestock?"

The story of Jonah is that of a prophet who was sent by God to warn Nineveh of impending destruction if they did not repent. Jonah after trying to run was diverted back to the city. He declared of the impending destruction. The city repented and God therefore did not destroy them. This caused Jonah to be annoyed.

God needed to show him, to teach him. He made a plant grow over his head, then when he began to enjoy it, He caused it to wither. Jonah became so depressed about the plant that he wanted to die. Then God made him know (see) how important the life of the people was.

Now what was Jonah's vex? Simple,  He knew something about God:

Jonah 4:2
So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.

We could be vindictive of Jonah and say "wetin be him own?".
Wait a minute . . . don't we narrow our thinking in that same line?

When was the last time we said, God why me?

*Why is this person or that person  successful and I am still where I am?

*Why am I passing through this temptation?

*Why have you refused to answer my prayers?

*Why have you not crushed that person who did me wrong?

We sometimes wail, complain and misbehave in our comfort zones.

We forgot to look around us.

Do we care about what matters, about the welfare of others?

Or like Jonah are we worried to death over a dying temporary plant neglecting thousands of souls about to perish.

* We may have both hands - some don't

* We may have both eyes functional - some don't

* We may have both legs - some don't

* We may be able to eat on our own - some can't

* we may feel our job pays little - some long to even get a job

* we may think we don't have enough money - some don' t have at all.

* we have salvation, we have believed in the only one who said:

" I am the way the way the truth and the life no one can come to the Father except through me"

- some still doubt and some have not received Him.

That which we are or those things which we possess and we are not grateful for, could yet be someone else's prayer request.

Still some of those who are thus disadvantaged compared to us, are yet doing great things to glorify God and bless people, while we may go on complaining.

Yet we cannot loose sight of the comfort we have in Christ Jesus, how He keeps blessings us day after day.

That someelse has erred does not mean we wish them immediate wrath, think like God thinks, what will you want to be your own repercussion - Mercy. Thus, pray for the other that is down. Don't join those who wish on and pray for the death of others, whose prayer is die, die and die!

What if you were to pay for your own wrongs?

Psalms 130:3
Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?

Imagine if the disciples at the beginning were praying for the death of Saul, how would he have become Paul, to do the great evangelical work without fear of death and releasing the Holy Spirit's revelations of God's word.

Listen, those who continually come against us are enemies of God, soon their wrath will come but those who err ignorantly will be caught and delivered from darkness to light to do God's work.

The man of wisdom said:

Proverbs 24:17
Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble.

Begin to care for others, it is Your Heavenly Father's nature to show mercy, show mercy too.

He calls us blessed.

(Don't forget to share with others)

Love
@the watcher.