Listen

But the Lord said, “You ‘pitied’ the shrub, for which you didn’t work and which you didn’t raise; it grew in a night and perished in a night. Yet for my part, can’t I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than one hundred twenty thousand people who can’t tell their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

Jonah 4:10-11

Think

While Jonah waited to see the fate of the Ninevites, he sheltered from the sun under a plant, which later died. The withering away of his shady plant made him angry! Jonah seemed more concerned with his own comfort than the city of 120,000 people who did not seem to know God at all. God cared enough to send Jonah to help the people of Nineveh change their hearts and lives.

This is the same God who still reaches out to people of every tribe and nation today, offering love, grace, and care.

Are we generous to the people we meet and are in our lives, even those we would not classify as friends? Do we see that, just like us, they need the love, forgiveness, and understanding of God?

As we follow the example of Jesus, he changes us and gives us generous, caring hearts. May we continually pray that God will fill us with Jesus’ love for others.

Lynne Prosser

Question to Ponder:

How can I rise above my own likes and dislikes and work with God to show love and compassion to those around me?

Pray

God, help me to value people as you do and to have a heart that cares and reaches out to share your love. Please show me how to serve you in this way in my school, home, church, with my friends, and with those who are not my friends. Amen.

Go

Go in the strength God gives you. Be generous, not judgmental toward others, and in this way share God’s love and compassion as you live.