Jonah 3:10
“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”
There is always hope with God. It does not matter to what depths of sin you have sunk or the shame that your sin has caused, God is always willing to forgive and rebuild a life. God’s mercy can reach to any depth and pull someone out of sin.
Nineveh found this out first hand. God had pronounced judgment against this city because of their wickedness. God sent Jonah to preach against the city and give them one last chance to get right with Him. As we can see from the verse above, they listened to the preaching of the prophet and repented of their sin. The verse says, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil…” Nineveh’s actions caused God to exercise mercy upon this city. Just as Nineveh saw God’s mercy, any person who has sinned can see God’s mercy. Let me give you several thoughts that we can glean from this verse.
First, God always gives a last chance to repent before He sends His judgment. God had already determined His judgment, but wanted to give them one more chance to get right. I have found that God always gives a last chance before sending His judgment. What you must be careful of is that you don’t always know when it is God’s last chance. This is why we must get right the first time God gives us a chance. God is not obligated to give a chance, and He is not obligated to give us more than one chance to get right, so when He gives a chance you should take advantage of it.
Second, words of repentance are not good enough. Notice the verse says, “And God saw their works…” It didn’t say that God heard their words of repentance, but He “saw their works.” You can go to God a thousand times and ask God to forgive you, but God’s mercy is exercised because of actions and not because of words. Many Christians live on a false assurance of confession when God wants actions to follow up confession. Notice that Proverbs 28:13 says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” God’s mercy does not go into action until you take action about your sin.
Third, your actions will always speak louder than your words. God desires action more than He requires words. Yes, God wants to hear you admit that you are sorry for your sin, but His greatest desire is that you back up your words with actions. God is looking to see if you meant what you said. Friend, you cannot fool God. You can tell God that you are sorry, but He looks to see if you change your ways. We can easily fall into the trap of thinking we can pull the wool over God’s eyes like we do with mankind, but God knows your heart and sees your action. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can fool God like you have everyone else.
Let me ask you, what are your works saying to God? Do your works compel God to be merciful to you? Every Christian needs God’s mercy on a daily basis. Daily live your life showing God through your works that you are serious about doing right. Always remember that it is not always the best Christians who receive God’s mercy, but it is those who back up their words of confession with works. Let God see your works of righteousness, and you will experience the mercy of God.