What Makes God Angry?

Matthew 23:13 (NKJV)
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”
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What Makes God Angry?
As we examine righteous anger in Christ, we see that it only surfaces when He confronts those who defile God, not those who deny God. When He is personally beaten, insulted and attacked, there is no anger or retribution. Christ does not lash out. He is a man of integrity who is willing to take a stand for God’s kingdom and His truth while sacrificing His personal pride for the greater glory of the kingdom of God.

As opposed to the very mild reactions to personal attacks, Jesus becomes very angry when He encounters those who represent themselves as God’s people behaving in a way that is against His desires. These people who defile God are set aside for the harshest treatment. Our God hates hypocrisy.

In our daily lives this translates to holding ourselves, who call ourselves sons of the King, to God-inspired ideals. Just as Christ, we need to be men of integrity who are willing to take a stand for God’s kingdom and His truth while sacrificing our personal pride for the greater glory of the kingdom of God. Since true righteousness is the perfection of living this way without fail, we know that, in and of ourselves, it cannot be achieved. It is only possible for us to strive every day to this ideal through our relationship with Christ. If you call yourself a Christian man then you have been commanded to do just this.

Pray
Ask for the strength to pursue righteousness in yourself while being compassionate towards others and not condemning of their faults.

Ask Yourself
How do your actions stand up to the light? Do you back up your talk with proper action or do you present to the world an image that you don’t live up to when doors are closed? Do those who observe you get pointed towards Christ or does hypocrisy “shut up the kingdom of heaven” to them?

Take Action
Examine your public behavior this week. Take care to be holy without acting holy. Do not make a show of your obedience to God, simply be obedient.
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