What's GOT You?

What's GOT you? Your comfort or His compassion?

Jonah 4:6-7 Todays English Version Then the Lord God made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him shade, so that he would be more comfortable. Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant. But at dawn the next day, at God's command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died.

Jonah 4:9-11 Todays English Version But God said to him, "What right do you have to be angry about the plant? ... This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it and you didn't make it grow - yet you feel sorry for it! How much more, then, should you have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as animals."

Not long ago, a gentleman asked me to come out to his garage to see all his collector cars. He was mighty proud of them. By the looks of the shiny chrome and the rust free car body, I could tell, he he must have spent a lot of time and money on these babies. This is where his heart was.

All of his time was consumed in restoring these cars. There was no balance. By spending so much time on these cars; his home and family suffered. But he claimed that doing this made him happy.

Then one day he decided to take one of the cars out for a spin. While driving, he hit a raccoon and tore off the exhaust system. Was he still so proud of his car? His disposition was changed in just those few moments.

This little scenario reminded me about Jonah and how a little gourd brought him such comfort and happiness. He had no compassion on the people of Nineveh, but he had set his affection on a measly plant.

The plant makes a good subject lesson for us. Jonah felt bad about the plant, but never thought about the city of Nineveh. Is that what happens to us?

Do we get caught up with our material things, so much that we forget about the people around us? Are our lives so wrapped up in 'stuff' that we forget about God and His people?

Is time consumed by our pleasures and we forget about serving God? Do we have a compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves?

God is loving, kind, merciful and always patient. We don't always get what we deserve. We deserve His wrath, but He gives us His forgiveness and an over abundance of compassion.

What we need is to have a heart like Christ. He loves us so very much! He even died to save us from damnation.

If God didn't love us so much, He could have destroyed and eliminated this world, years ago!

He has the power to do so! We would be nonexistent. Think about it!