Monday, March 10, 2008

Revisiting Earlier Writings

Did you ever go back to something you wrote and wonder at yourself that you wrote it? Here, for example is something I wrote ages ago and have to revisit:

I think this is dated sometime in 2006? Maybe?




I re-read some of my earlier postings and oh,
my, some of them are pretty poignant and moving . . to me, at least. I always,
as I said, have the radio on a Christian station and every morning there is a
stream of half hour ministries that get me up and moving. I haven't written
about them for some time but having re-read the older posts where I did write
about them, and having the need for the messages, I thought I would share this
morning's experience which was really on point, with me at least.The message is
from Ligonier Ministries Renewing Your Mind with Dr. J. C. Sproul. I love that
show. It is so cerebral, it makes you stretch and isn't that wonderful in the
morning. This morning the discussion was about Jonah. He was sent by God to
Ninevah and ran away, fell into the ocean, swallowed by a great fish, up chucked
onto dry land and told again to go to Nineveh which he hastily did. Once there
he said they had 40 days before destruction, repent or die and they repented.
Jonah was furious and went off to sulk in the sun of the desert. God sent a
plant to shade him followed by a worm which ate the plant and then dry heat
blasting wind. God spoke to Jonah and pretty much wondered how Jonah could feel
bad for the plant which he never created or nurtured and had no feelings for all
of the people of Nineveh who would have died.Jonah hated the people of Nineveh,
they were the enemies of the Israelites. He wanted justice not mercy for them. I
used to be so angry when I caught the message of God's grace...a person could be
rotten and mean and cruel and abusive and do unspeakable acts and yet. . . when
hearing the message of the Gospel and taking it to heart could claim Jesus as
his savior, repent and be forgiven of everything and then, a new man in Christ
go on with life, a servant of God. I always thought justice would not be served
that way. I wanted that for me but not for people who were mean to me and those
I loved. I have been gradually worked on and know that my way is not God's way
(boy is that for sure and am I glad of that) and I know that as each of the
sin's for which we are forgiven is pulled out of our baggage, confessed to and
repented for, I know each of those sin's is forgiven and forgotten by God. I
also know that each of them rolls through our heads and humbles us in enormous
ways...there is regret and that in my mind sometimes is the justice. To see
ourselves as God did when we were committing those sins is so
painful......

1 comment:

Diane Mandy said...

Oh yeah. DO it all the time. :-)