Jonah 1:2-3a “Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord”
Jonah 4:11 “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”
The last major reason why American Christians have become ineffective salt and light in our land may be because we no longer consider our land worthy to be redeemed.
Jonah received a clear call from the Lord to be salt and light in the wicked land of Nineveh. Instead of arising to answer this call, he fled. At the time of his flight from the call of God, it was unclear why he did so. Yet, later in the Book of Jonah it became clear that he did not consider the Ninevites worthy of God’s mercy. In fact, when these previously wicked ones repented and avoided God’s wrath, “it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.” (Jonah 3:10).
Have we gotten to the point in America where we consider our nation’s path so deviant that we welcome God’s wrath? Have we gotten to the point where we consider our land so wicked that it is undeserving of God’s mercy? While we should be ashamed of an affirmative answer to the first question, we should be contemplative of an affirmative answer to the second question. Indeed, America is undeserving of God’s mercy. Yet, so was I and so were you. We were no more worthy of God’s grace at the moment of our salvation than the worst among us are now. As you consider the wickedest pockets of our land, you should also reminisce about God’s undeserved favor that saved you.
PLEASE PRAY THAT AS AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WE WOULD ARISE TO MEET GOD’S CALL TO REACH THE UNDESERVING. Instead of fleeing from God’s call, we should arise in a spirit of love and genuine concern. Remember that we were all once in the position of needing undeserved mercy to redeem us from deserved wrath.