It may sound arrogant to claim to understand something of God because of human experience (especially when my motives are uniformly ungodly and un-other-person-centred). But I was really struck as I watched someone walk in foolish ways.
Sin makes you mad.
It makes you angry because of the sheer audacity of it. The defiance against God! They are walking towards darkness and have turned their back on truth. The fool closes their eyes and renounces God's ways - because they have full knowledge the act makes them all the more foolish. They justify perversion in the name of good things. The abandonment of goodness, counsel and fellowship of friends fires the temper. Embracing evil is revolting. They exchange wisdom for folly, friends for deceivers, safety for peril, wholesomeness for twistedness and the fear of the Lord for disregard. How dare you slap God in the face, who gave you wonderful blessings, opportunities and the Spirit to help you discern and choose? What have you thrown away?
All the while, pretending to be grown-up and claiming Christian virtues. It's sickening, saddening and maddening.
Isn't the Lord returning soon?
I wanted to take the foolish person across my knee and have very stern words with them, because that's an effective way of dealing with a naughty child. But since they wouldn't listen, I am giving them up to their folly.
... It's embarrassing to think that I often don't take my own sin all that seriously. Think of all the times that I've defied him and infuriated him! God takes my sin very personally. And he's got good reasons to be seriously and very angry whenever I've shoved things back in his face. I've treated God with contempt. So I'm thankful that Jesus died for me. I could never drink the cup filled with God's burning anger. Jesus, thank you for drinking my portion.
2 comments:
Oh it's so easy to 'rate' sins. To think the person you are angry with for sinning has done a worse sin than you and that they deserve your judgment based on the severity of their sin.
Thanks Hon for this post - it puts a sticky situation in my life with a friend I'd like to very severely judge, into perspective.
Oh, I'm glad my hypocritical, condemnatory judgmentalism can help!
It's true what Jesus says about my log and their speck (Matt 7). It's not an exhortation to ignore sin. But rather, when you spot it in others, you see it in yourself and address that first. Then you see clearly enough to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Jesus is hilarious! Can you imagine a log poking out of someone's eye...? Hah! Ridiculous! That's how we look.
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