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I Kings 20:1-21:29, Acts 12:24-13:15, Psalm 137:1-9, Proverbs 17:16
“No one else was so completely sold out to the devil as Ahab, for his wife, Jezebel, encouraged him to do every sort of evil…When Ahab heard these prophecies, he tore his clothing, put on rags, fasted, slept in sackcloth, and went about in deep humility. Then another message came to Elijah: ‘Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime; it will happen to his sons; I will destroy his descendants.'” I Kings 21:25, 27-29
God is such a great God. His heart is for people no matter how bad we have been, even to the point of forgiving people who have fallen into true evil. Ahab was a horrible person but even someone on that level found forgiveness and relief from sin when he reached out to God and exhibited true sorrow and a change of heart. I’ll bet God was even willing to defer punishment on Ahab’s children if they had the right heart as well. Ezekiel 18:3 tells us that God has no pleasure in the death of a sinner. He would much prefer that a person change and spare themselves the heartache of a bad life and a resulting death.
PRAYER: Lord, thank You for opening my eyes and helping me to see that You really are for people; You are pulling for us. I appreciate the patience and grace You have shown toward me and I pray to extend that grace to others and also to express how much You love them and desire for them to walk in peace and purpose. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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