Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

Beginning of Nineveh fast: Repentance
Jonah 1:1-7
Vs 17 “Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.”
This passage teaches us that the act of repentance comes from God and is an active participant in it. This passage teaches us specifically three things:
  1. Repentance: Your past doesn’t matter–According to the Table of Nations (Gen 10), Nimrod the mighty hunter founded the city of Nineveh (Gen 10:8-12). Prophet Zephaniah condemned it for arrogance and forecast its destruction. Nahum assailed it as the ‘city of bloodshed’ (Nah 3:1) described its evil in great detail and rejoiced in its destruction. The historical Nineveh was evil incarnate; it justly deserved doom. Nineveh was also the capital city of Assyrian Empire which had demolished Israel in 721BCE. Nineveh had such a sinful past that Jonah couldn’t imagine that God could forgive people with such a gravity of sin. But what human thinks, God goes beyond that. God loves the whole humankind. His love and forgiveness is for all.
  2. Repentance: Your IDs doesn’t matter-Our Bible tells us that God chose Jonah to proclaim the message of repentance to the people of Nineveh who worshipped idols. But the whole story also shows how this whole episode not just touched the people of Nineveh, but in the early stages, the act of repentance was also seen on those who were in the ship to Tarsus, making them fear the LORD, offering sacrifice and make a vow to the LORD. God’s love and forgiveness extends beyond your IDs. It depends on if you yearn to be saved.
  3. Repentance: Your work doesn’t matter – Repentance is a gift of God and from God. This is purely the gift of God. And when God decides to renew you, He will do everything so that you may reach that position of repentance. The people on the ship, the storm, the wind and all that you could imagine, came in line to lead Jonah to Nineveh so that the people of Nineveh could repent. The LORD is an active participant in our act of repentance.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, please renew my heart. Help me LORD to return to you with all of me. In Jesus’ name I pray – Amen.
 
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
It’s never too late to return to the LORD who loves us immensely.

Rev Christy Abraham, Asst Missionary, Orissa Mission, Khariar Road

Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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