Today we read the story of Jonah. Jonah is very much like most of us. God has a plan and wants to use us to fulfill His plan, but many times we fight Him on it. We make excuses and find ways to avoid doing what we know He wants us to do. In the end, Jonah was finally obedient to God and when God blessed Jonah’s effort by turning the people of Nineveh from their evil way, Jonah became resentful of God for allowing the people of Nineveh to be forgiven. We can sometimes be like this too. There are people in our pasts who have hurt us or caused pain in our lives and God has blessed them. This is sometimes a hard pill to swallow, but it is God’s prerogative to forgive who he chooses to forgive. It helps to remember that God forgave us too. None of us is exempt from a sinful life and all of us need His mercy and grace to come into His presence.

We also read Psalm 84 today. The beginning of verse 10 is one of the most beautiful passages I have ever read, Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. We are nothing without God’s presence in our lives. If we could only be in God’s presence for a single moment, it would be enough. Thankfully God desires for us to be in His presence on a constant basis. It is up to us to take advantage of that desire and choose to be with Him.