Do You Have a Worship Disorder?

Do you have a worship disorder?  Let me answer that question for you – yes you do.  So do I.  Every human who has ever walked the planet (apart from Jesus Christ) has a worship disorder.  We regularly find ourselves in awe of the wrong things.

 

Paul David Tripp, in his book Awe:  Why it Matters for Everything we Think, Say and Do, suggests that every one of us fights a war of awe in our hearts.  Every day we experience a battle over who or what will rule and control our hearts.  You see, God created all of us with an awe capacity.  We were designed to worship.  We gravitate to the things we find awe in.  It is awe that stimulates our greatest joys and our deepest sorrows.  And the world around us is awe-some – God created an awesome world for us to live in.  He intended us to be amazed on a daily basis.

The problem, of course, is that all too often the awe that directs our hearts is directed at and limited to the things of this created world.  This world captures our hearts, and we struggle to look past this world to the truly awe-inspiring Creator that stands behind it and over it.  Sin causes us to be spiritual amnesiacs, men and women who can look at the awesomeness of the created world and completely miss the creator God.

The reason this problem is serious is that misplaced awe keeps us perennially dissatisfied.  Why do I say that?  Because when we find the source of our awe in this world, somehow, in some way, that same source of awe will disappoint us.  Simply put, when we replace God with anything from the created world, at some point in our lives we will have to recognize that the particular created thing we love makes a poor god, an inadequate god, and ultimately a powerless god.  That is true for everything we find ourselves in awe of. 

Think about it how that might play out in your own life.  For example, sin is great at replacing our worship of God with worship of self.  If we replace awe of God with awe of self, what might that look like?  If we are in awe of ourselves, our own self-rule replaces submission to God.  Our insatiable demands for more will displace gratitude to God.  Self-reliance takes the place of faith.  A horizontal envy can become our primary emotion rather than a God-directed, God-given joy.  We embark on a continual quest for personal control rather than resting in God’s sovereignty.  What a miserable picture.  I don’t want to hang out with anyone that looks like that, and I surely don’t want to look like that myself.  When we live in awe of self, we quickly come to understand how limited that life is.  For example, while the idea of controlling our lives sounds great, how long will be it until we come face to face with something that is too big or too frightening or too powerful for us to control?  In those situations, we discover that are awe of self is awe aimed in the wrong direction.

So how do we find help?  Only grace can give us back our awe of God again.  You see, sin causes us to want for ourselves what God alone has.  We tend put ourselves in the center of the story.  As a result, not only do we become rebels against God, we become a danger to ourselves and others, and we are ultimately powerless to help ourselves.  The solution for our problem must come from outside of ourselves.

That is why Jesus came.  His sacrifice directs our attention off of ourselves, and onto the God who is holy and just and loving and all-powerful.  Jesus sacrifice reminds us that we have a sin problem we could never solve ourselves.  Jesus draws us to place our trust in what He accomplished for us – a gift of salvation we do not deserve and never could earn.  Through Jesus, we can get back our awe, so that we are enabled to see and remember the captivating majesty of the God who created us.  Only when we fix our eyes on God, only when we are captivated by the truths of the gospel of salvation, only when we recognize that He is God and we are not, only then can we begin to solve our worship disorder.

Best Books I read this year - Ministry and Faith

I had the privilege of reading many good ministry and faith books this year.  While I will highlight 8 of the best below, I probably could have easily had 12 books in that list.  These books have encouraged me and challenged me in many ways in my life and ministry.

Here are the best books I read this year (in no particular order), followed by the rest:

Holiness by Grace:  Delighting in the Joy that is our Strength by Bryan Chapell.  I read this book with my associate Chuck.  Chapell does a great joy exploring how God's command to holiness intersects with God's grace poured out into our life in Jesus.  A challenging and encouraging book.

What does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality by Kevin DeYoung.  Homosexuality and the Bible is a very controversial topic nowadays.  Christians have many divergent views on the topic.  Kevin DeYoung carefully goes through every mention of homosexuality in the Bible, giving the reader a balanced and sane interpretation.  He also provides answers to many of the arguments Christians hear from both believers and non-believers about why homosexuality should be accepted by Christians.  Written in a very gentle, understanding tone, it is worth a read to get a solid biblical perspective on this challenging topic.

The Enemy Within:  Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin by Kris Lundgaard.  This was a tough book to read.  It is difficult to be reminded how relentless our sin nature is in opposing the things of God in our life.  Lundgaard lays bare a tough truth - that each of us have an enemy within that will oppose every step we take toward obedience and holiness.  Thankfully Lundgaard does not leave us with just bad news, but gives good, theological teaching on countering the influence of the sin nature in our lives.

Closing the Window:  Steps to Living Porn Free by Tim Chester.  This fall I began teaching a men's Sunday School class on purity, especially in response to the plague of pornography that many men struggle with.  As a result, I read a number of books on the subject over the summer.  Chester's book was the best of them.  Theologically wise and spiritually challenging, my only disappointment with the book was that the long chapters did not set themselves up well for a Sunday School class.

Finally Free:  Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace by Heath Lambert.  Finally Free was the second best book I read on purity this summer.  Lambert starts with a great chapter on grace, and then gives a series of practical chapters on ways we can battle for purity in light of the grace of God poured out into our lives.  I recommend Chester and then Lambert for anyone struggling with purity issues in their life.

Gospel-Powered Humility by William Farley.  Bill Farley gave a seminar for men in Missoula this fall, so I sought out some of his books, even though I could not attend the seminar.  Gospel-Powered Humility is a wonderful exploration of how the gospel, accurately understood and preached, should counter our sinful pride and produce a God-honoring humility in our lives.

Extravagant Grace:  God's Glory Displayed in our Weakness by Barbara R. Duguid.  Extravagant Grace was easily the best book I read this year.  It was also easily the toughest book I read this year.  Duguid's book is full of straight talk about grace and sin.  Unmistakably honest, she lays bare her own struggles and victories, consistently reminding the reader that God's grace is indeed extravagant and transformational.

Outrageous Mercy:  Rediscovering the Radical Nature of the Cross by William P. Farley.  I just finished this book the other day.  Outrageous Mercy is a wonderful exploration of the many ways the cross bridges the gap between a holy God and sinful men and how its truths apply to every area of the Christian's life.

2nd Tier Books, very good but just short of great:

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper

On the Grace of God by Justin S. Holcomb

Your Jesus is Too Safe:  Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior by Jared Wilson

The Irresistible Church: 12 Traits of a Church Heaven Applauds by Wayne Cordeiro

Cries from the Cross: A Journey into the Heart of Jesus by Erwin Lutzer

Hide or Seek:  When Men Get Real with God about Sex by John Freeman

Expositional Preaching:  How We Speak God’s Word Today by David Helm

The Peacemaking Pastor:  A Biblical guide to Resolving Church Conflict by Alfred Poirier

Jesus on Trial:  A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel by David Limbaugh

They Smell Like Sheep, vol. 2 by Lynn Anderson

Burning Hearts:  Preaching to the Affections by Josh Moody and Robin Weekes

The Storytelling God:  Seeing the Glory of Jesus in His Parables by Jared Wilson

Trusting God, Even when Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges

Renaissance:  The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times by Os Guinness

8:28 – Unlocking God’s Promise by Bryan Hughes

What is Biblical Theology?  A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism and Patterns by James M. Hamilton Jr

Church History in Plain Language, 4th edition, by Bruce L. Shelley

You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity by Francis and Lisa Chan

The Grace of God by Andy Stanley

3rd Tier books, good but mildly disappointing:

Finding Hope in the Last Words of Jesus by Greg Laurie 

The Seven Last Words from the Cross by Fleming Rutledge

Wired For Intimacy:  How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain by William K. Struthers

4th Tier - very disappointing:

Cross-Shattered Christ:  Meditations on the Seven Last Words by Stanley Hauerwas

Best books I read in 2015 - Fiction

I would have to say that while I did not read any great fiction literature this year, I did have fun with the books I did read.  There was nothing classic, but it was all fun and well-written.    As in previous years, I read a lot of fantasy fiction, but also enjoyed a number of mysteries and thrillers.

Here are the best books I read this year (in no particular order), followed by the others:

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King.  Take an aging Sherlock Holmes, introduce him to Mary Russell, a teenage girl who is as smart as he is, and send them out to solve mysteries.  Maybe it sounds corny to you, but these books are very well done.  They don't move fast, but they are immersive and a pleasure to read.  The Beekeeper's Apprentice kicks off a series that both my wife and I enjoyed this year.

Riptide by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.  I read a few Preston and Child novels many years ago and enjoyed them.  This year I gave their books another try and once again, thought they were great fun.  Although Riptide does not contain my favorite Preston and Child character, Agent Pendergast, it is a rollicking read with pirates, mystery and an island with buried treasure.   What is not to like about any of that?

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R. R. Martin.  I have been a big fan of George Martin's Game of Thrones books for many years.  While I love the intricacies of his plots, I do wish the books were cleaner.   (That said, the books are thankfully much cleaner than the TV show.)  A Knight of Seven Kingdoms is a collection of three prequel novellas set in the Game of Thrones world featuring Dunk, a poor hedge knight, and Egg, his sharp-tongued squire who is a prince of the realm in disguise.  I would love to see more stories with these characters.

Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson.  Brandon Sanderson's novels have made my "best of" lists for a number of years.  Shadows of Self is set in Sanderson's Mistborn world, but hundreds of years after the original series.  Set in a technological age similar to the late 19th or early 20th century, this series of novels is much funnier than the original Mistborn series, but still set in Sanderson’s unique fantasy world.

2nd Tier books - very good, but just shy of great:

The Shadow Lamp by Stephen R. Lawhead (Bright Empires series, #4)

The Fatal Tree by Stephen R. Lawhead (Bright Empires series, #5)

The Order War by L. E. Modesitt Jr. (Magic of Recluse series)

White Fire by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King (Mary Russell series)

Rhapsody by Elizabeth Hayden

A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King (Mary Russell series)

Wellspring of Chaos by L. E. Modesitt Jr. (Magic of Recluse series)

Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Still Life with Crows by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King (Mary Russell series)

Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

The Moor by Laurie R. King (Mary Russell series)

The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Best books I read in 2015 - History and Biography

For the third year in a row, I took the time to track the books I read over the past year.  This post and the two that will follow it will highlight the best books I read in the following categories:  History and Biography, Ministry and Faith, and Fiction.

As many of you know, I love a good history book.  And I read a number of great ones this year.  Here are 6 of the best, in no particular order, followed by the others I read this past year.

James Madison: A Life Reconsidered by Lynne Cheney.  James Madison is often considered the forgotten Founding Father of America.  Cheney's book does a good job revealing the real James Madison, his battles with chronic health problems and especially his tireless efforts in the making of the US Constitution.  It is worth the read to get to know someone nearly as important as Washington and Jefferson.

The Gothic Line: Canada’s Month of Hell in World War II Italy by Mark Zuehlke.  2015 was a year I read a lot of Canadian history.  Since that is the country of my birth, I thought it appropriate.  Zuehlke is quickly becoming the dean of modern Canadian military history.  This year I read 4 of his books on the Canadian army during World War 2 – The Gothic Line was the most obscure and the best.  Zuehlke puts the reader on the front line as Canadian troops seek to be break the last German defense line in Italy and end the war.

A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben MacIntyre.  This was easily the best history/biography book I read this year.  I had a hard time putting it down.  The book focused on Kim Philby, the Russian spy embedded in the MI6 in Britain and his best friend Nicholas Elliot.  Philby was a traitor, Elliot ever loyal to Britain.  The tale of their friendship and Philby's eventual betrayal is a powerful one and lays bare the price of living a double life.

Midnight in Peking:  How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China by Paul French.  True crime meets history in Paul French's book about a murder in China.  Set in China's capital in 1937, immediately before the Second World War, French lays bare the turmoil and the culture of foreigners living in China in the face of the Japanese menace.  Well-paced, French's book reads like a novel.

American Colossus:  The Triumph of Capitalism, 1865-1900 by H. W. Brands.  I anticipated this book to be a series of portraits of the giants of 19th century capitalism - Vanderbilt, Morgan, Carnegie, Rockefeller and so on.  While each of these men show up time and time again, Brands' book is a fascinating portrait of how unbridled capitalism affected the country (for good and ill) and how society eventually began to respond to its excesses.

Polk: The Man who Transformed the Presidency and America by Walter R Borneman.  James K. Polk is one of the more obscure presidents in US history, but also one of the most successful.  Very few presidents could say they announced their goals prior to taking office and then achieved every one of them in a single four year presidential term.  In the process, he expanded the reach of the country and the power of the office of the presidency, paving the way for all modern presidents.

2nd Tier Reads - very good, not quite great:

The Whiskey Rebellion:  George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and the Frontier Rebels who Challenged America’s Newfound Sovereignty by William Hogeland

Operation Husky:  The Canadian Invasion of Sicily, July 10-August 7, 1943 by Mark Zuehlke

The Liri Valley:  Canada’s World War 2 Breakthrough to Rome by Mark Zuehlke

Enduring Courage:  Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed by John F. Ross

Bolivar:  American Liberator by Marie Arana

Don’t Tell the Newfoundlanders:  The True Story of Newfoundland’s Confederation with Canada by Greg Malone

The Boys in the Boat:  Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

Missoula:  Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer

River of Darkness:  Francisco Orellana’s Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon by Buddy Levy

Hunting Eichmann:  How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World’s Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

Mr. Hockey:  My Story by Gordie Howe

Marching as to War:  Canada’s Turbulent Years, 1899-1953 by Pierre Berton

The Ice Passage: A True Story of Ambition, Disaster, and Endurance in the Arctic Wilderness by Brian Payton

Lost to the West:  The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization by Lars Brownworth

Breakout from Juno:  First Canadian Army and the Normandy Campaign, July 4-August 21, 1944 by Mark Zuehlke

Operation Mincement:  How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben MacIntyre

A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War:  How J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918 by Joseph Loconte

The Boys of Pointe du Hoc by Douglas Brinkley

Honor in the Dust:  Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America’s Imperial Dream by Gregg Jones

Persian Fire:  The First World Empire and the Battle for the West by Tom Holland

The Maps of Chickamauga by David A. Powell

Columbus:  The Four Voyages by Laurence Bergreen

The Dark Defile:  Britain’s Catastrophic Invasion of Afghanistan, 1838-1842 by Diana Preston

Montrose by C. V. Wedgwood

The Savior Generals:  How Five Great Commanders saved Wars that were Lost – from Ancient Greece to Iraq by Victor Davis Hanson

Fortress Malta:  An Island under Siege, 1940-43 by James Holland

3rd Tier Reads - I finished them, but they were mildly disappointing:

The Trigger:  Hunting the Assassin who Brought the World to War by Tim Butcher

The Keeper: A Life of Saving Goals and Achieving Them by Tim Howard

The Year without Summer:  1816 and the Volcano that Darkened the World and Changed History by William K. and Nicholas P. Klingaman

Savage Harvest:  A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism and Michael Rockefeller’s Tragic Quest for Primitive Art by Carl Hoffman

Waterloo:  The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles by Bernard Cornwell

The Lost Spy:  An American in Stalin’s Secret Service by Andrew Meier

4th Tier reads - more than mildly disappointing:

17 Carnations:  the Royals, the Nazis and the Biggest Cover-up in History by Andrew Morton

Book Review - You and Me Forever

 Take a few minutes to think about the following quotes.     

            “Your relationship with God is far more critical than your marriage, and it is everlasting.”

            “Couples spend a lot of time looking at themselves and each other, but very little time staring at God.”

            “It should burden us deeply that many of our marriages paint the gospel in a bad light.”

            “Marriage is one of the most humbling, sanctifying journeys you will ever as a part of.”

            “Regardless of how satisfying your marriage is or isn’t, the real issue is how satisfied you are with God.”

Each of those statements – and many more – stopped me in my tracks when I read them and prompted me to put down my reading and think.  And that, I believe, is one of the things a good book should do – prompt someone to stop, to think and hopefully to adjust their perspective and/or actions as a result.

The above statements are from a different type of marriage book.  As I have noted in this blog previously, it is my habit to try to read a marriage book every year, not only to benefit those I counsel, but to benefit my own marriage.  (You will have to ask my wife if it has made any difference…)  The marriage book I read this year was You and Me Forever by Francis and Lisa Chan.  Francis Chan is well-known as a speaker and writer.  Lisa is also a speaker as well as mother to their 5 children.

The book has a rather unique structure.  The first half of each chapter is written by Francis Chan.  Francis faithfully and relentlessly applies Scriptural truth to the reader’s marriage to help them see that their marriage priorities may not line up with God’s priorities for their relationship.  The second half of each chapter is written by Lisa Chan.  Lisa often repeats the same themes as her husband, but with a woman’s touch and perspective.  I found the structure very refreshing.  While my male brain responded to Francis’ exhortations, Lisa’s discussion of the same themes often brought out things I have not thought about.  It is almost like the reader is getting two good books in one.

Most of the marriage books I have read over the past 20 years or so, with a few notable exceptions, have focused on the typical, external marriage problems.  Communication.  Money matters.  Sex.  Compatibility.  Gender roles.  And those are all good topics to talk about.  The Chan’s book does not directly deal with any of those things.  Rather the focus of this book is very refreshing and to the point – a good marriage starts and ends with our relationship with God.  We put so much time and energy into our marriages – do we put that much time and energy into our walk with God?  Our marriages have a greater purpose – to point people to the love of Christ and the marriage between God’s son and God’s people.  Are we obsessed with our earthly marriage, or the eternal, heavenly marriage to come?  Humility before Christ by both the husband and wife are keys to a good marriage.  After all, what matters most – winning arguments or becoming more like Christ?  Our marriages are made for something bigger than ourselves, our happiness or our comfort.  They are made for God’s mission – to make disciples, to actively seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness.  When a couple is fighting spiritual battles together for God’s kingdom, they are less likely to fight each other.  Finally, are couples raising their children to love God far more than they love them?  That is a shocking question on the surface, yet is a necessary one to ask.  As Francis Chan asks, “What will break my heart more – if my kids don’t end up loving me or if they don’t end up loving Jesus?”

           

You and Me Forever is a different type of marriage book.  If you are looking for a book with practical, step by step tips on you and your spouse can communicate better, this is not the book you are looking for.  This is better.  This book will shake your marital assumptions, make you examine your marital and parenting priorities and cause you to gaze deeply into the grace and love of Jesus Christ.  This book will encourage you to direct your vision to Jesus, because when your eyes are on Jesus, your marriage and your family will be infinitely better for it.

P.S. – Francis and Lisa Chan have made this book available for free in electronic format for those who cannot afford to buy the book.  Check out the FAQ and the many resources they have provided at http://www.youandmeforever.org.

  

Marriage Isn't That Great

This afternoon I had the chance to start reading Francis and Lisa Chan’s book, You and Me Forever:  Marriage in Light of Eternity.  I try to make it my practice to read a book on marriage each year, not only for my personal benefit, but also for tools to care for married couples in the church.  I have appreciated Francis Chan’s books in the past and am looking forward to reading this one in its entirety.

The Chans start the book in a strange place.  Many marriage books start you off with some kind of reflection or analysis of your marriage.  They asked questions like: What are your struggles?  What are your joys?  Where you are united?  Where do you tend to fight?  Rather than starting their book off by reflecting on the state of a couple’s marriage, the Chans start by calling the couple to reflect on the state of their understanding and fear of God.  And as I think about it, that is exactly where any discussion of marriage should start.

The fact is, our relationship with God is far more important than our marriage.  Our relationship with God sets the tone for our marriage.  Our relationship with God is eternal, our marriages will not be. (Matt. 22:30)  And the problems in our marriages are actually often problems in our relationship with, understanding of or fear of God.  As the Chans note, most marriage problems are really God problems.

And so, the Chans challenge couples to start staring deeply at God rather than spending a lot of time looking at each other and themselves as a couple.  Let’s face it, we are very guilty of looking at each other rather than looking at God.   I don’t mean looking at how we are aging or gaining a few pounds or sprouting some (or in my case, many) gray hairs.  I mean we get far too wrapped up in looking at our spouses in other ways.  Some look at their marriages as a competition – when one spouse gets something, the other needs something equivalent, whether they can afford it or not.  Others look at their marriages and just see the bad habits and the irritating things.  Sometimes we get very convinced of our own superiority or, dare I say it, “godliness” by dwelling on the failures of our spouses.  Still others wrap all their energy and focus into their earthly marriage relationship, becoming much too obsessed with their spouse and far too apathetic toward God.

All this goes away, the Chans suggest, when we start looking at God.  We need to stare deeply at Him.  We need to read and meditate on Him as He is described in the Scriptures.  We need to cultivate a healthy fear of Him as God Almighty, Creator, Sustainer and Lord of all.  We need to bow in awe of Him as we contemplate His salvation, His goodness and His grace poured out into our lives in Jesus Christ.  We need to find satisfaction in him.  And that means not just being satisfied with what God has done or is doing our lives or our circumstances, but being satisfied in Him.  Do we understand God as being the source of all our contentment?  Can we put aside our pursuit of personal satisfaction, even personal satisfaction in marriage, to gaze deeply at God and find real satisfaction in Him?

I have only read 1 chapter of the Chans book, but I am looking forward to the rest.  The chapter I read was entitled, “Marriage isn’t that Great.”  Doesn’t that sound like a strange chapter title for a book on marriage?  But it is true – marriage isn’t that great when we compare our earthly marriages to what our relationship with God should be like.  Our earthly marriage relationship does not ultimately hold a candle to our eternal, Godward relationship.  And the joy, the satisfaction and the contentment we find in a good marriage does not begin to compare to the joy, satisfaction and contentment we can find in God.

How do you Respond to the Sin of Others?

My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law. (Psalm 119:136, ESV)  This verse was part of the passage I read for my devotional time yesterday.  The verse and the accompanying devotional really made me think.  How do I react when people do not have the time of day for God’s law?

It is not hard to look around and see examples of people who want nothing to do with God and the way God wants us to live.  And, I have to admit it, those examples often make me angry.  I am angered by our culture’s sexualized state and how something like pornography has reached into the families in my church and wreaked its havoc.  I am angered at people’s rejection of God’s good plan for the family, even to the point of punishing those who do not agree with their perversion.  I am angered that even though Planned Parenthood officials admit selling fetal body parts, our government is powerless to do anything about it.  I am angered that my brothers and sisters in Christ in the Middle East face arrest, rape, torture and death, and yet those events don’t seem to be news.  I could go on.

Sometimes it is okay to be angry.  If we are angry at the things God is angry about, if we can practice a righteous anger, we do not sin in that. (Eph. 4:26)  But it is hard to be righteously angry, and it is even harder to stay righteously angry.  Our sin nature is very adept at taking anger that may have started righteously and twisting it into something ugly, prideful or self-centered.

We have to ask ourselves, is anger the Christian’s only right response to sin?  According to Psalm 119:136, mourning and tears is also a response that honors God.  Does our anger keep us from mourning the fact that sin is so prevalent in our lives and in the lives of others?  The psalmist weeps streams of tears in response to sin.  I am guessing that a more accurate rendering of that verse in most of our lives would be, “My blood is boiling, because people do not keep your law.”

The devotional I read this morning asked some important questions.  “Are we angry merely because the biblically informed traditions of Western culture in which we have become accustomed seem to be dying, or are we upset because God and His glory are not being honored?  Do we mourn over the world’s failure to respect the Creator’s good law because we know that those who are breaking it inflict much pain  upon themselves in the process, or do we relish in an unrighteous manner the judgment that they are bringing upon themselves?  If we are not grieving that our Maker is not being glorified and that people made in his image are callously throwing their lives away, we must return to God’s Word and reorient our priorities.” (Tabletalk, Sept. 14, 2015)

Friends, it is easy to lash out in anger at the sin against us.  And while there is a proper place for righteous anger, it is wrong to allow our anger to prevent us from shedding tears and mourning over sin.  Anger should never prevent us from praying for repentance.  And anger should never stand in the way of sharing the gospel with sinners with compassion. 

Let us ask the Lord to cultivate within us a heart that mourns for lost people and grieves over sin, both our sin and theirs.