Anger

Listen to a lot of posts on Facebook or other social media and what do you hear? Especially if two sides are talking about a current issue like the confederate flag, or same sex marriage. Or listen to post that are anti police. Or listen to people talking about their least favorite political candidate. How often do you hear angry words creep into the conversation?  Luke 6:45 "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." Remember the story of Jonah? God sent Jonah to Nineveh. Nineveh was known to be an evil place. Jonah knew this. One person compared Nineveh to our modern day ISIS. Who would want to go and preach God's word to those people? Jonah certainly didn't, but after his 3 days in the belly of a great fish, Jonah went reluctantly. He warned Nineveh and the people of Nineveh repented. Jonah was angry, he wanted these evil people to suffer God's judgement. He had anger in his heart towards these people. He spoke what God wanted him to speak, but he wanted God to send judgement upon these people like God said. God relented, when they repented, and did not send judgement. Instead God extended grace. Sometimes when I listen to face book, I wonder if I and others have the same condition as Jonah did? Jonah forgot that these evil people were also made in the image of God. God extended grace to me. I think of this and realize neither I,  nor the people of Nineveh or the many people I do not see eye to eye with today,  do not deserve the grace God gives. He could have destroyed Nineveh as he warned them through his prophet Jonah. What about the peoples today? We warn them of the impending doom. Some day we too shall face a sovereign God. Do we think of the people we interact with as People made in the image of God? I have thought about this when I think of ex's. They are God's children too.  In fact sometime back I believe I wrote in a blog about God being my father-in-law. Yes there were some hurtful times in divorce. But I need to remember, these are God's children, made in his image. I need to remember when I have a discourse about same sex marriage, these people are made in the image of God. Help me not to be like Jonah, who wanted judgement and not repentance. What comes out of our hearts? Is it anger, if so why? Do we wish for judgement or grace?  Why should we receive grace, and not these we disagree with? Help me to be like Jesus with the woman caught in Adultery, and not like Jonah. Yes we may live in evil times. We may not like sin being made a National Sin, but God who forgave Nineveh, perhaps he wishes to forgive many today.  Judgement or Grace, what do we prefer? Help me to receive grace and extent it towards others. Let not anger be what comes out of my mouth, but Love.  God bless, LVZ.