Hey folks,
Today we're tackling something sobering - the difference between knowing truth and being transformed by it. Looking at Jonah's life shows us it's possible to know all the right things about God but completely miss His heart. Let's dial in.
"You can make a great proclamation of God's amazing grace and matchless mercy and not have your heart changed at all by that mercy or that grace." - Jonah Ardavanis
Jonah 4:2
"I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness..."
Picture this: Jonah is quoting Scripture perfectly. He knows exactly who God is - gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love. But he's saying it as a complaint! How crazy is that? He's basically saying, "God, I knew you'd do this. I knew you'd show mercy. That's exactly why I ran."
Here's what's wild - Jonah was saturated in God's Word. In fact, almost every word he speaks throughout the book is a reference to Scripture. But knowing truth isn't the same as being transformed by it. Jonah could recite God's character perfectly while resenting that very character being displayed to others.
This hits close to home for a lot of us. We can know our Bibles inside and out, quote verses, teach others, but still have hearts that haven't been shaped by the truth we know. We can be like Jonah - recipients of God's mercy but angry when that same mercy is extended to others we think don't deserve it.
In what areas of your life is there a gap between what you know about God and how you actually live?
How has God's mercy to you shaped your attitude toward extending mercy to others?
Knowledge of God's truth without transformation by God's truth is just religion.
Stay dialed in,
Jonny Ardavanis
