Right now, you most probably have this thought – “Did I read that right?” We’ve been told – ‘Be meek. Be still. Righteousness is the way to go’. We have read that we must behave like Jesus. Well, look at Jesus’ example – Jesus also got angry as it says in the Bible (see Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, John 2). Read the section on ‘Jesus cleanses the temple’. “Ah! Ok”. You recollect now. It was when Jesus came to the temple and saw shops set up in the temple. Jesus got angry because it was His Father’s place and the people were treating it like a marketplace than going in with the fear of the Lord (which means in love with God).
We, Christians, need to be angry and abhorrent at the evil around us that abounds. We ought to abhor evil thoughts, words, actions. Here are some of the relevant Bible quotes:
– Romans 12:9—”[Behave Like a Christian] Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil…”
– Proverbs 8:13—”The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way …”.
– Psalm 97:10—”You who love the Lord, hate evil! …”
Hate all evil and seek righteousness through Christ.
Yes, the world around us has no dearth of sin and evil so we can flare up abhorrently, flame up with anger and then what? That’s where it stops – the anger. (James 1:20—”For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”) Anger fuels us; it should motivate us to do something. Action? Let’s go back to the Bible for our ‘then what?’:
– Ephesians 4:26—“Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,”
– Psalm 4:4—”Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and still”
Getting angry is not a sin, but what we do when we are angry can cause us to sin. This is why we need to be very careful to channelize our anger to productive things for God’s kingdom.
If we are angry at some evil thought, word, or interaction, it’s simple; pray, pray and then pray some more for the places or individuals involved. Prayer is the answer. We do not help if we stay but we help when we pray. (Psalm 26:5—”I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked.”)
Yes, we must get angry. Yes, we must get on our knees and bring the situation, the people and the world to Jesus. Bring it all to Jesus. Through Jesus we are made whole, through Jesus we have the victory. Through Jesus we are co-heirs and can ask God for anything, in the name of Jesus. For with God all things are possible. He created them…He knows the blueprint to rectify and to make whole. Bring it all to Jesus.
