But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?" ~ Jonah 4:4
Jonah, according to the Scriptures, was greatly displeased that God did not bring about the promised judgment against the inhabitants of Nineveh. They had reacted to God's message, and repented; God accordingly withheld the punishment due to them.
I love the Lord's reply - Have you any right to be angry?
I've always had an anger problem. It's better now, but at times, especially when I am caught unawares, it bursts forth. Not a healthy thing, but I'm working on it.
Anyway, I get angry easily. And I have to admit, I can be pretty self-righteous too!!!
There was an instance where I came across some Christians who acted so selfishly and sullenly, you'd think they weren't Christians! I resented their attitude, the way they were so caught up in the rat race. I was indignant - how could they sully the image of Christ like that?! They were Christ's ambassadors, yet acted like the devil's minions!
Yes, I burned with righteous anger...but in fact, the way I reacted showed that I was no better than them. I lost my temper and complained about their attitude, not seeing that my attitude fit in exactly with theirs!
It was indeed a lesson in humility. I must remove the plank in my eye before I can rightly remove the speck in my brothers'. I had no right to be angry, because so often have I been less than perfect an ambassador myself!
Then there are the nonChristians, who love to use catastrophes and evil as evidence that God does not exist, or if He does, that He is not love, and Christians whose faith are shaken by some mishap and question God bitterly or worse, blame Him.
Have we any right to be angry?
None, whatsoever, if our anger is grounded in self-interest and based on pride. None, if it arises out of a sense of wounded ego. None, if it is based on human wisdom, on Man's idea of right and wrong, good and evil.
We have only righteous anger - a hatred of evil and sin, but a fine distinguishing line here; we are to hate sin, not the sinner. To erase this line is to cross the boundary between righteous anger and self-righteousness!
Jonah, according to the Scriptures, was greatly displeased that God did not bring about the promised judgment against the inhabitants of Nineveh. They had reacted to God's message, and repented; God accordingly withheld the punishment due to them.
I love the Lord's reply - Have you any right to be angry?
I've always had an anger problem. It's better now, but at times, especially when I am caught unawares, it bursts forth. Not a healthy thing, but I'm working on it.
Anyway, I get angry easily. And I have to admit, I can be pretty self-righteous too!!!
There was an instance where I came across some Christians who acted so selfishly and sullenly, you'd think they weren't Christians! I resented their attitude, the way they were so caught up in the rat race. I was indignant - how could they sully the image of Christ like that?! They were Christ's ambassadors, yet acted like the devil's minions!
Yes, I burned with righteous anger...but in fact, the way I reacted showed that I was no better than them. I lost my temper and complained about their attitude, not seeing that my attitude fit in exactly with theirs!
It was indeed a lesson in humility. I must remove the plank in my eye before I can rightly remove the speck in my brothers'. I had no right to be angry, because so often have I been less than perfect an ambassador myself!
Then there are the nonChristians, who love to use catastrophes and evil as evidence that God does not exist, or if He does, that He is not love, and Christians whose faith are shaken by some mishap and question God bitterly or worse, blame Him.
Have we any right to be angry?
None, whatsoever, if our anger is grounded in self-interest and based on pride. None, if it arises out of a sense of wounded ego. None, if it is based on human wisdom, on Man's idea of right and wrong, good and evil.
We have only righteous anger - a hatred of evil and sin, but a fine distinguishing line here; we are to hate sin, not the sinner. To erase this line is to cross the boundary between righteous anger and self-righteousness!
posted by sleepypurplepiglet at 2:01 PM
1 Comments:
that's what i'm learning too! together we learn :)
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