Grief and Anger

Grief and anger sometimes go together.  This connection is seen in the life of Jesus.  One of the only recorded times Jesus was angry it stemmed from grief in Mark 3:5:  "And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other."  Jesus was grieved, but continued to love, heal, and do good.  Though Jesus was angry because of grief over the hardness of heart in His critical observers, He remained without sin.  Feelings of anger are not sinful in themselves, but as human beings in a body of flesh nearly every time our anger remains unchecked it leads to sin.

Ephesians 4:26-27 says, "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil."  If we are angry for selfish reasons or if we justify our continued anger, we give opportunity for additional temptations to sin.  Grief can also tempt us to be angry with God, which I examined in greater detail in another post.  We live in a day where anger is expressed continually over all manner of things:  sports teams, red cups, perceived injustice, government legislation, or political candidates.  Anger can be an impetus to action, but without humility and submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit anger always causes infinitely greater harm than good.  During my life I have allowed grief over sin in others to fester into anger, and all it did was embitter and lead me into sin myself.  Had I examined and judged myself as severely as I judged others, my perspective would have been very different.  What used to make me mad and bluntly speak my mind now makes me sad and leads me to seek the LORD.  Knowing God remains in control in this crazy world enables grief over sin (mine and those flaunted by others) to not descend into anger fueled with pride - yes, pride.  Christians need to keep a careful watch for pride which lurks within all of us, for it has the ability to look so holy and justifiable in the heat of the battle - yet is everything but.

I am convinced there is currently no country which identifies as or is genuinely "Christian."  Even among Christians there are goats among the sheep and tares among the wheat!  The form of government in Australia is plainly "secular," though it does provide and protect the freedoms for people and groups of various beliefs.  One thing the left and an increasingly amount of those on the right cannot grasp is though I can accept the fact the world is secular, I must not accept what God calls sin into my life or agree with it as good or right.  I accept the rights of every person to exercise their God-given right to spit in His face and mock Him, but I will not cast my lot among them.  Christians ought not to be shocked or dismayed when we are hated, attacked, castigated, slandered, and marginalised.  Jesus was crucified for only doing what pleased the Father, and therefore we should not expect a world under Satan's sway to applaud our desire for God's glory.

Our battle is not against flesh and blood - governments, corporations, businesses, legislation, or people - but against the spiritual rulers of darkness which blind men to the truth.  Instead of becoming angry or using the world's methods to fight for our rights, how profitable it is to be casting our cares upon God.  No government advocacy group, no public relations team, no media outlet loves you or can help you like God can and will.  Vent on Facebook if you want or start a youtube channel, but those rants stir up wrath whilst the throne room of grace remains empty of those seeking an audience with the King of kings!  The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:20).  Can you see it?  While we are busy weighing in with our opinion, the Judge of All the earth is not sought for guidance.  We Christians are up in arms and sharing the latest viral videos, and could it be virtually no one is busy seeking the King of Glory?  Garnering support by men for our opinions is a dodgy foundation to be sure, but those who trust in the LORD Jesus Christ with all their heart and lean not on their own understanding find sure footing and clear direction for their steps.

Don't allow your grief to develop into bitterness and wrath towards others.  Vengeance is the LORD's, and He will repay.  In desiring to stand up for God, ensure you do not resist or oppose Him.  God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  1 Peter 5:6-10 reads, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. ⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. ¹⁰ But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

The LORD Knows and Does

"Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools, when will you be wise? ⁹ He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? ¹⁰ He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? ¹¹ The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile."

Psalm 94:8-11

When I read this scripture last night, it struck me how all things man can do are tiny glimpses of the infinite capacity and ability of God.  Man devises machines to do work he cannot do alone with pulleys, cables, engines, hydraulics, compressors, pipes, wires, and computers.  God does everything, and therefore has no need for any help.  When God created man in His own image, He created human beings which temporarily possess mere shadows of His own unique abilities.  My sense of hearing is average compared to other people, but God is able to hear all prayers with understanding at the same time.  It only takes a tiny bug, an illness, or some earwax to greatly reduce our ability to hear, but God has no such limitation.  God sees all things, yet He sovereignly placed eyes in the front of the skull with a limited range of vision.  Glasses, binoculars, and microscopes only marginally improve our vision in comparison to God who formed the eye, as He sees the distant future as well as the hidden thoughts and motives of men.  Our eyes grow increasingly dim, but God's sight continues undimmed for eternity.

People have various degrees of ability to learn and teach others.  We have been specially created with a thirst for knowledge and understanding unmatched in the animal or plant kingdoms.  We have within us a conscience, the knowledge of right and wrong which is in agreement with God's Laws.  When Jesus walked the earth, He used many examples in nature in parables to instruct and teach men God's ways.  He is the God of all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and has become wisdom for all who trust in Him (1 Cor. 1:30-31).  God has given men the ability to think and reason, yet God's capacity for thoughts are eternal and infinite.  Men must search and research, but God knows all.  David instructed his son in 1 Chronicles 28:9, "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."

The old song goes "Anything you can do I can do better," but the reality of God's character and power eclipses this song completely.  No man knows what God knows except God reveal it to Him, and without God man can do nothing - nor could he have even existed!  After being exposed to God's glorious wisdom and works, Job said in Job 42:2, "I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You."  How futile it is for man to speak against the glorious God, to charge Him with wrong, or to shake his puny fists toward Him.  God conceived in His mind and did what no man would have imagined had he been God:  God humbled himself, revealed Himself in the man Jesus Christ, and freely gave His life to save others.  Though His voice could boom like thunder and roar like waterfalls and burst our eardrums, He speaks in a still small voice to our hearts.  Everything you think you can do God does completely and infinitely, and this knowledge is a comfort to every believing, trusting soul.

Suffering and Riches

"By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, ²⁶ esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward."

Hebrews 11:24-27

Isn't the eternal perspective Moses maintained amazing?  He willingly chose suffering with the people of God rather than enjoying the passing pleasures of sin.  He saw reproach for God's sake - for Christ's sake - greater riches than the treasures of Egypt!  Moses had not received his heavenly reward in full when he obeyed God at great personal cost, yet faith in God enabled him to see beyond his own pains and to the goodness of God who called and empowered him.

I must be honest:  my flesh never holds reproach for any reason in high esteem!  Who rejoices when others disagree and express their strong disapproval of them or their beliefs?  If we have faith in God like Moses, Christians should.  This understanding will revolutionalise the life of a Christian and how we deal with suffering, trials, and persecution.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:10-12, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  The disciples filled with the Holy Spirit understood this.  When they had been beaten for doing good, they rejoiced to have been counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ's sake (Acts 5:41).  With their suffering God provided more abundant consolation.

Everyone in this world suffers, but only those whose suffering is mixed with faith in God benefit spiritually and are richly blessed.  Whilst in New Zealand, God brought to mind a person navigating a field of tall weeds.  Walking through weeds causes all manner of painful, prickly thorns and stickers to poke through socks and shoes.  When a person comes through the other side and feels the discomfort of the sharp plant matter clinging to socks and even piercing flesh, the person takes the time to pull out each one.  These stickers are a painful nuisance, and we would never think to place them carefully in a container as mementos of our journey.  No!  We throw them to the ground as rubbish, and the pain caused by them teaches us to avoid the tall grass in the future.  The painful irritation was only a waste of time, and no practical benefit or what could be conceived as blessing was received.

When our suffering for Christ is mixed with faith in Him, God redeems and makes precious even our pains we experience as we follow Him.  Those painful circumstances God can redeem as priceless spiritual gems which cling to us as we walk in obedience to Jesus.  Consider the great implications of this!  Instead of fearfully avoiding persecution or potential trials we can wade right in, knowing God has great treasures of grace for us to receive and enjoy.  Do you esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the gold and treasures of the nations?  Since God has set aside great rewards for you believer, are you willing and committed to endure trials of faith so you might receive your full reward to the glory of God?  Blessed and rich beyond measure are such who make God their refuge!  Upheld by God through faith we should not grit our teeth, but we can rejoice according to Christ's command.

Mixed with Faith

Faith is such an important part of our Christian life.  The scriptures tell us whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23), and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).  In the midst of trials our faith in God is tested, and it is this God-ordained tested process which brings us to spiritual maturity.  In the midst of suffering our lack of faith is often revealed to us, and we like the disciples can plead according to the will of God, "Increase our faith."  All people will suffer in this life, but only those who choose to trust God despite pain will discover the joy of the LORD is their strength.

Faith is also critical for us to receive the wisdom and benefits God provides through His Word.  Consider the passage in Hebrews 4:1-2:  "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. ² For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it."  The children of Israel heard the word of God from Moses in the desert after He delivered them from bondage in Egypt.  Though the Word of God never lacks power or sharpness, the unbelief in the hearts of the Hebrews rendered it unprofitable.  Unless the Word of God is mixed with faith, it provides no practical benefit.

Reading the Bible is never an end in itself.  If we refuse to believe or obey what God says to us, we will remain without hope in this world - despite our knowledge or grasp of doctrine.  If we believe what we read, our lives will be lived in obedience to the scripture.  For instance, if you believed your glass was filled with deadly poison, you would not drink it unless you wanted to die!  Reading God's Word without putting it into practice - without it being mixed with faith (and faith without works is dead) - it dulls us to the truth of God's message.  We can be steeped in truth without it ever permeating our souls, and this should be most concerning.

You've probably heard before what Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-28:  "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."  We all want to be the wise man, right?  The reality is, we aren't always who we want to be.  God made us to walk, but with walking comes the real potential of falling.  And fall we do.  And stay down and not know how to get back up again.

Thank the LORD that when we place our faith in Christ He is a Deliverer and Restorer.  A professional baseball player who is out of form does not need a new revelation or superhuman abilities:  he needs to go back to the basics and practice the fundamentals.  In our Christian walk it is much the same.  In our struggles, we don't need to search the world for new revelations.  God reveals Himself when we seek Him!  We should ask ourselves, am I trusting God?  Is faith being mixed with the truth of Bible I am reading?  Is this fact evident through me putting God's Word into practice?  Praise God for His Word, and for sending the Holy Spirit who helps us in our weakness.