God’s love is inclusive. If we were ever to doubt that God loves and desires every single person to come to Him and benefit from the gift of eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and blessings in this life and the next, then we only have to read the book of Jonah.
Jonah is referred to as a ‘minor prophet’ not because he isn’t important but because the book is a short one. In it, one of the prophets of Israel, a man named Jonah who is actively ‘prophet-ing’ to Israel is called to take the same message to the enemies of God. It is a classic ‘You the chosen Jewish people are to extend the same blessings of God to the Gentiles.’ It is the ‘apple of God’s eye is to the take the message to the group of people that will one day come and wipe you out and carry you off into captivity.’ It is a prime example of the Gospel being for all.
At the beginning of his time as a prophet, Jonah does what God calls him to do. He takes the messages to and directs the Israelites, that is, until he is told to go to the people of Nineveh. At that point Jonah hightails it to port, gets a ship going in the opposite direction and out of his own wages pays for passage to head 2,000 miles further away from the 500-mile journey he was called to take.
When Jonah finally relents and takes the message, we are told, “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’ Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.’ The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth…When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened…But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 3)
LOVE is not a respecter of persons. The message of God’s love is for all. It is not just for some, but for each and every person on this planet regardless of their race, beliefs, gender, orientation, lifestyle or any other factor. This was a lesson that Jonah himself had a hard time accepting.
Now note, that LOVE is offered to all, but God requires adherence to the truth of His Word as a result of that love: When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. It’s a love offered to all, and it’s a love based in the truth of the goodness of God.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
God’s love is inclusive. The message of love and forgiveness is freely given to all, and that is one of the truths of biblical or agape love: it is based in the goodness of the Giver; not the worthiness of the one receiving. It’s so much more than a Valentine date kind-of-love. It is so much greater. It is free, forgiving and life changing. It isn’t an excuse for actions but rather a freedom to live within the boundaries that a loving God has placed around us for our good.
So, Happy true Valentine’s Day! The God of the Universe loves YOU as if you were the only one!
Our song for today is Jesus Loves Me by Chris Tomlin.