God didn't want to have to punish the people of Nineveh for their sins. He wanted to be merciful to them. Sin brings bad things in our lives. God wants to protect us, so He wants us to say we are sorry if we do something wrong. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9, "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." When we say we are sorry for our sin, God washes it away as if it never happened. God says through the prophet Micah, "Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!" (Micah 7:19). It's like God forgets that we have ever sinned. "'Come now, let's settle this,' says the LORD. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool'" (Isaiah 1:18). That is really Good News, isn't it!

God wants to have a relationship with us and to bless us. When we are obedient to Him, then He can bless us. But when we are disobedient, our sin blocks His blessings and makes Him sad. The Bible says in Galatians 6:7, "Don't be misled--you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant." If we "plant" disobedience, then we will "harvest" bad things in our lives. If we "plant" obedience, we will harvest blessings. God is our Heavenly Father, and He wants us to walk in obedience to Him so that He can pour out His blessings on us. He blesses us so that we can bless others.

The Bible describes love in 1 Corinthians, chapter 13. It says, "Love is patient and kind." If we hurt someone that we love, the kind thing to do is to say we are sorry. When we apologize and take responsibility for the things we do wrong, it heals the wounds and builds trust.

Everybody makes mistakes. The Bible tells us that, "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard" (Romans 3:23). God created everyone on the earth, and He loves every single person who has ever been born. He knew that the people of Nineveh had sinned. But He also knew that the people of Israel had sinned. His mercy for the people of Nineveh was as great as His mercy for the people of Israel -- that is why He sent Jonah to warn them. He wants everyone who does wrong to repent and say they are sorry, so that He can continue to bless them.

The wonderful promise from the book of Psalms tells us, "For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:11-12). So if you see someone doing wrong, don't judge or criticize them. Pray that they would do right and say they are sorry for their sin, just like the people of Nineveh did.

The Bible tells us that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Just think of that! He not only LOVES (the verb); He IS love (the noun). The Bible also tells us that God is full of mercy towards those who do wrong. The Psalm writers declares, "The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love" (Psalm 145:8). God doesn't just give us second chances. Sometimes He gives us third, fourth, fifth, and more chances to repent and make things right. God sent Jonah to tell the people of Nineveh to repent because of His love and mercy. He didn't want to harm the people of that ancient city just like He doesn't want to harm anyone today. God knows that our sin can bring harm to us, so He warns us to stop sinning, just like He did with the people of Nineveh.