Jonah goes to Nineveh, and starts shouting, "Yet in forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the Bible says, "And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes." Jonah 3:4-6
The king even issued a proclamation to the people, telling them to fast because, "Who knows, God may turn and relent and turn from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish." Jonah 3:9
What always gets me here, is that their response was so immediate.
They knew that they had screwed up, done some serious crap, and had lived in total and complete sin. They knew they had lived their lives for only themselves. Sin ruled them. The God of the universe was sick of it, and He was calling them out on it.
And their response was immediate.
Now whether that had something to do with the imminent threat of fireballs careening into their homes, I don't know.
I imagine that would be a strong motivator for all of us though.
But despite all that, they turned from their wicked ways. And it touched God's heart.
There were no fireballs that day.
Point is: our response should be immediate.
I, personally, want to do better than the people of Nineveh. In all areas of life. And that includes repentance.
---Joy
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