Fishy Vans, or is it... Soccar Whales?

Isn't it easy to put people into groups? Oh, they are the ones who...

I even found myself doing this today. I sat in our van with several of my siblings waiting on my mom to come out of the grocery store. As we sat there, we began categorizing the people who typically drive Monster SUVs. (I began the conversation) Well, the kind of people who drive those cars are the "private school people" or the "soccer moms" or the drivers of those vehicles are the ones who speed, run up behind you, etc. Not all of the above were said, but I'm fleshing it out a bit.

While some of those things may be true, it struck me how easy it is to classify entire groups of people based on any one thing, the car they drive or the place they live or work. We so often begin speculating on other issues, instead of simply making an observation or giving an opinion and moving on.

Why do I bring this up? Because it is a good segway into another topic brought up earlier by my pastor in his sermon on Jonah.

He asked the question, "Who do you think is least likely to be saved?" (I may not have the quote exact.) Take a sec to think about who in your life might be "that person."
Here is what he went on to say.

Is God's arm too short for them?

It was an interesting question to me because of course when asked, I would promptly answer that no, God can save whomever he will, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how easy it is to act like God won't choose to save "that person." How can we know the mind of the Lord? Yet, don't we kind of make up our minds that some people are just not likely to be saved? We just kind of go about our lives with the attitude that they are just probably not the ones that will change.

How proud we are!
How LIKE Jonah we are!

We sometimes act as if we do not want the Good News to go forth. I mean, those people are misinformed. (wrong, bad, proud, etc. fill in your own word) They surely wouldn't repent or anything. They are the ones who deserve punishment.

But my friends, do not forget that so did we.

We deserve hell and condemnation.
We do NOT deserve mercy.

Yet God has plucked us from our sin and chosen to change us.

His arm is not too short!

He changed the hearts of the people in an entire city. He can change that one person you know. Have faith in the God we serve and do not put your limitations on Him. Remember that He is compassionate and He does not change.