The other day we had an awesome discussion about the old and the new “laws” from the old and New Testament. Maybe its not the right way to put it, maybe not Laws, but rather just the way of doing things?
Anywho… I have been thinking about this for a few days now, and it meditating on the word, and I come back to the same thing over and over: God is firstly our Father, and no rule or utterance was ever given without reason… ever. When He speaks, it is because of wanting to protect us, empower us, teach us, warn us…
I forget sometimes, but the apostels understood that God had a plan starting before Genesis and ending after Revelations, because they grew up with the Law & the Prophets and could easily connect the dots when Jesus quoted from there and taught from there.
…and secondly, God is not manipulated… BUT… God does have grace and mercy though… the life of Jonah is a perfect example:
God: go to Nineveh
Jonah: no
God: why?
Jonah: They are bad people, you are a good God… they will repent and you will have mercy. They do not deserve mercy!
“Jonah 4:2 (CEB): He prayed to the Lord, “Come on, Lord! Wasn’t this precisely my point when I was back in my own land? This is why I fled to Tarshish earlier! I know that you are a merciful and compassionate God, very patient, full of faithful love, and willing not to destroy…”
Jonah was a prophet and messenger, and evangelist. He heard God and acted and reacted to God’s voice. The unbelievers of Nineveh fasted for three days before the Lord in repentance and begging for mercy. And God gave it.
I often wonder if this event was to save Nineveh (from which missionaries were active in china as early as 700-1100AD) or to teach Jonah? Or was it for me? Almost 3,000 years later? To teach me about God’s amazing grace?!
1 Peter 1:23 says the seed that God planted in us can never be destroyed, and it will live and grow inside you forever.
1 Peter 2:2 says we must intensively crave the pure spiritual “milk” of God’s Word and in verse 4 he instructs to keep coming to God. ” So keep coming to Him who is the Living Stone” , but more importantly, he starts chapter 2 with these words:
“So abandon every form of evil, deceit, hypocrisy, feeling of jealousy and slander…”
Abandon evil, crave God, grow in an understanding of God, keep coming to God. And when God says… then do!
“So abandon every form of evil, deceit, hypocrisy, feelings of jealousy and slander. In the same way that nursing infants cry for milk, you must intensely crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word. For this “milk” will cause you to grow into maturity, fully nourished and strong for life — especially now that you have had a taste of the goodness of the Lord Jehovah and have experienced his kindness.
So keep coming to him who is the Living Stone—though he was rejected and discarded by men but chosen by God and is priceless in God’s sight. Come and be his “living stones” who are continually being assembled into a sanctuary for God. For now you serve as holy priests, offering up spiritual sacrifices that he readily accepts through Jesus Christ…”
