The Bramble Bush

~~~ Jonah 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

Jonah was not a particularly important prophet,
 but God sends him to Nineveh with the message of repentance.
As we know Jonah was not excited about his mission.
He tried to ignore God through his actions.

You know the whole big fish story...

In the end God does win; Jonah
brings the message to the people of Nineveh.

“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,”

The prospect of being wiped off
 the face of the earth got their attention.

God went to great measures to save this whole city...
a city that no one really cared much about.

For some reason God thought it was necessary
 to give the Ninevites another chance to repent.
A chance to turn away from their sinful ways.

Here is the message for us.
We are no different than the Ninevites.
Wherever our sinfulness exits God cares
enough to put himself there too.

The Ninevites were known for their sinful ways.
It is even accentuated by the manner in which they repented.
They covered themselves in rough coarse fabric
 and smeared their bodies with burned ashes.

They did not eat or drink as a further sign of their repentance.

Lent is a time when we too can open
our eyes to the corruption that exists in our own heart.

This message of repentance is meant to be heard by us today.
This message is to let us know that God
 does not stay away just because we have sinned.

He comes to us in our darkest times.
He comes to us when temptation seems so appealing.
He comes to us even when we do not believe we can resist sin.

Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me. 

Whatever it takes for us to repent
 of our sinful ways God will be there.
He is not waiting on the sidelines
 for us to figure it out by ourselves.
He sends people. He puts them on our path.
He keeps trying to reach us...to save us.
The only way he knows is to keep loving
 us more with each passing day.

Sometimes it takes someone else
 to probe deep within our hearts.
Sin is like the blackberry bush...thorny
with far reaching hidden roots.
The blackberry is called the bramble fruit.
It is covered with tiny prickles that can penetrate most fabric.
Bramble, an impenetrable thicket...
Could this be our sinfulness?

The sins we hold on to the longest are the ones
 that appear to be ripe and juicy.
Clumped together, held tightly as one offense.
A single sin rarely stand alone...it has attachments.

...return to me with your whole heart
for I am gracious and merciful.

God is here with you...loving you...blessing you...
He wants your whole heart for himself.
Are you holding something back?

~~~Peace~~~