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The Origin of Love
On a day when people celebrate love, let us be reminded of the true origin of love.
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约拿书 第三章（英文）
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:3-4). Jonah Chapter 3 records a classic example of this exact sentiment. It records the story of prophet Jonah preaching to the people of Nineveh, and the repentance of Nineveh. When looking at the story of Nineveh’s repentance, there is a sense of comfort that we can find for ourselves. Just as God forgave the people of Nineveh when they were sincerely repentant, we also have confidence that God has the mercy to forgive us for our sins today if we repent with a sincere heart. We however should not grow complacent just because we think God will be merciful with us. Within this chapter, we see the lengths that the people went to in order to seek forgiveness from God. First, verse 6 records that the king himself mourned in sackcloth and sat in ashes. Verse 7 to 9 then record the decree made by the king, mandating fasting and mourning for all his people, driving them all to repentance before God. Take a moment to reflect on this, is this the state we want to reach before we finally turn to God? Although the people of Nineveh were ultimately spared, let us not be deceived, it was a sorry state that they were in. Furthermore, the Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:26 that “if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins”. God’s love abounds and His mercy is plentiful, but let us be careful never to take advantage of this love and mercy. Jonah’s story also teaches us about how we should treat others who we ourselves may deem as sinful. The narrative of the Book of Jonah centers around Jonah refusing to preach to Nineveh due to his hatred for the city and his skepticism that its people would change. When we read the story of Jonah, we are quick to say that Jonah’s attitude was not right. However, when we look at our peers around us, do we also unknowingly adopt Jonah’s mindset? Are we quick to judge people? To fit them into certain labels and refrain from helping them in their faith? Something we must remember is that God desires all men to be saved. Every soul is precious in the sight of God. If this is the case, as servants of God, we must fulfill his will and try to save every soul regardless of our perception of them. All in all, we have received this gift of love and mercy from God. We ought to share this wonderful gift with others.
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Good Comparison, Or Bad Comparison?
It is human nature to compare ourselves with others. Whether it is with our friends, our family, or even people who we see on the internet. Some may argue that comparison is good because it allows us to see our weaknesses and motivates us to improve ourselves. However, oftentimes comparison stems from our own pride and can lead us to feel discontented, resentful towards others and towards God. We can learn the difference between good and bad comparisons through the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14. In the parable, we can look into the comparisons each character made. The Pharisee compared himself to the tax collector. He measured his good works against the tax collector’s lack of such. And he really did do many good works! Not many of us are able to fast twice a week on our own accord. But because of this he grew to be self-righteous and despised others (Luke 18:11). On the other hand, the tax collector compared himself to God. Just as how even the smallest speck of dust is revealed when put under light, measuring himself against the standard of God highlighted his many sins. But because of this he was humble and sincerely repented for his sins (Luke 18:13). We should not compare ourselves with others. When we compare ourselves with others, our underlying intention is that we hope to feel better about ourselves. Exalting ourselves above others. To which Jesus actually notes in Matthew 23:12, that our comparing has the adverse effect of lowering ourselves for “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled”. Paul also reminds that such comparisons are unwise (2 Corinthians 10:12). Our comparisons should be done against the standard of God. In doing so, it is like putting a white garment under bright light to examine whether it is spotless. It may feel counter intuitive. Because such comparisons won’t bring out feelings of self-confidence or pride. Instead, just like the tax collector, we are likely to feel unworthy of God and disheartened when we realise the multitude of our sins. This uncomfortable feeling is part of the process of being humbled. And how we react to that process will determine our growth as a Christian. We can choose to lift our heads high and pat ourselves on the back saying that we have done many good works, more so than the average person. Or we can bow our heads and cry out to God in remorse, asking for forgiveness.
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