Anger!

Anger - We have all been there, right? Is there anyone of us who has never been angry? 

Not too long ago, I was talking to a Christian who works for a public agency that deals with individuals of all sorts and kinds daily. I offered that her job sounded like it could be stressful. She said that she does not get angry, nor does she feel stressed. I asked her how does that work? She said that she just explains to persons what she is able to do for them and what she cannot do for them, and even if they balk, she says it doesn’t bother her. I blessed her, thanked God for that, and let her know that I was glad she was able to keep calm. I’m sure, though, that I scrunched up my eyebrows at some point in our conversation as I have been in places like where she works, and there are a lot of hurt persons and angry persons that pass through the doors. Desperate persons who feel cheated by the system and by life.

Some weeks later, I ran into her again for a few minutes. We began chatting and she mentioned that she was stressed out and tired of the challenges at work. I got her to talk about what she was facing, and tried to offer some comfort, suggestions, and prayer for her as much as I could in the short time span we had.

Every one at one time or another gets annoyed, upset by, or angry with others. Why do you think that is so?  

Perhaps explaining what Anger is can help us figure it out. Anger is a strong feeling or response to a circumstance - a very strong emotion that often fuels a physical response that can be mildly to extremely tense and even verbal. This is because anger happens when a person feels that: his or her convictions about a thing or person have been violated; that his or her trust has been violated; or, that one's person and/or personhood has been violated. 

Do you recall the very first demonstration of anger by a person in the Bible?

Two Masters

For economic reasons, many persons must take on a second job (or even a third!) to make ends meet. Even basic things, the necessities, come with a hefty price tag nowadays. The two jobs are scheduled so that both can be done without too much hassle. Then work picks up at the primary or main job, requiring longer hours. And the second job schedule goes haywire because someone is out sick for an extended time. What a challenge! Which job will the worker miss a day on to keep up with the other job? The worker continues to juggle them as long as he or she can because, well, housing and food security are costly needs.

However, when it comes to worship, two ways to the same place is a non-starter. Jesus, speaking to the leading religious leaders of His day warned them, recorded in Luke 16:13-14: “'No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.' The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus."

The Spirit would later expand on this statement in 1 Corinthians 10:21: "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons." Jesus affirmed that there was only one way to God, and that was through Him. John 14:6 quotes Jesus: "I Am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." There is no mystery or hidden message there; the statement is very clear.

Humans who do not know God find this statement of Jesus offensive, though, preferring the old proverb - "all paths lead to God," as their gospel. That gospel or good news appeases them now, and is nonthreatening to any lifestyles persons may choose to follow that comforts them and gives them the confidence that they are the 'masters of their souls.' But in the end, it will prove to be an empty trust, a misplaced faith. Jesus pleads for us to shun "the wide road that leads to destruction," that many are on, where self-will is the master. A time of judgment will come, whether we believe it or not. Jesus will tell those who chose to reject His Way, "Get away from Me, I never knew you!" (excerpted from Matthew 7:13-14, 21-23)

We cannot hobble from one god or idol to another and expect the Only True God to find this acceptable. We cannot partake of demon-influenced fortune-telling, astrology and horoscopes, numerology, Ouija boards, witchcraft, wicca, and Harry Potter-sorceries and magic, nor idolize material things or persons on the one hand, and then try praising Jehovah and seeking communion with Him on the other. In Isaiah 42:8 Almighty God declares: "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another, or my praise to idols."  (also see Deuteronomy 4:19) He does not consider worship a game or a half-hearted pastime, or the use of a person's mouth to utter both praise to Him and to curse His ways at the same time as acceptable worship. Those who try to play the one foot in, one foot out game with God are deceiving themselves. There is no such thing as a half-Christian.

I cannot sugar-coat this doctrine, or take the sting out of it by relating only part of the message so that you do not feel threatened or offended. To do so would be to give you a false gospel. Jesus did not soft-pedal the truth so that people's feelings would not be hurt. For Him to do that would be to compromise and negate His own mission, His first advent. He cannot be The Truth and lie like the devil, nor can those who proclaim His gospel give permission to the hearer - to advocate to him or her - to serve two masters.

So Christian, please take heed. "Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers. Examine yourselves [not me]! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit?" (2 Corinthians 13:10 AMP) In this world, there are only two masters. One is the Almighty Triune God. The other is the god of this system, satan the devil, who uses his world and its elements, and our own sin nature to entice into serving him even those who may acknowledge God. He tried that with Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 4: "Again, the devil took [Jesus] to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you,' [the devil] said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.' Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, satan! For it is written: "Worship the LORD your God, and serve Him only.”'" Jesus makes it very clear: You can serve only One Master. Whom will you choose?

"Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) "Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the Living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." -Hebrews 3:12-13