Righteous ANGER, Worldly SORROW...

(Was inspired to pen down some thoughts today. Ended up driving a little faster (just a little) than normal so that I can quickly come home and get started to record my thoughts in my blog. There were so many scriptural passages racing through my mind as I drove along the PIE. Now, I'm having difficulty recalling them. Will try my best.)

"How do you know if God is real?"
"I mean...how could Noah's Ark been real?"
"How could Jonas be swallowed by a whale and then later survive?"

We all experience those occasional doubts, where God doesn't feel real. It seems as though everything (well, at least many of the so-called biblical truths we grew up believing) don't seem so believable anymore. We start to question; we start to doubt. Soon, that purpose we once struggled to live for just slips out of our hands, our minds...and our heart just begins to grow cold--to God and to His mission. Have you felt like this before?

A special someone to me (nope I'm not attached--guys out there please do not be mistaken :) Girls out there, I've got loads of time to hang out so call me ya?), asked questions similar to those above--about Noak and his ark, about Jonah, etc. Her queries boiled down to whether God was real. "How can these biblical truths be so far-fetched? And the concepts of miracles? It's just so impossible in the world we live in today. Where is the manifestation of God to prove that He IS real?"

She wasn't the only one. Many of us go through that phase of questioning once in a while. (What does this got to do with my title? Sorry haven't came to the main point yet; let me beat around the bush for a while.) So we assured her that it was perfectly normal to have such questions, but it wasn't alright to allow any indifference and coldness to God's word dominate her life. The answer the rest of us gave was that we knew God was real from the goodness we experience in our lives, which can be derived from Him--the good things he had done for us.

(Few days later I found a great answer in the bible to that question as well. In Exodus 33:18, Moses said to God, "Now show me Your glory". And the Lord said this, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But, you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Soon after, God's glory passed Moses by, and He revealed His back to Moses. Moses' prayer was to see the manifest glory of God. He wanted the assurance of God's presence with him, and also desired to know that presence experientially--just like how we often desire to so that we know that He is real and that He is truly with us. But we are infinite and worse still, morally imperfect, so we cannot exist and see God as He is. To see God's back means we can only see where God has passed by. We can only know Him by what He does and how He acts. So what is God's glory? God's glory is revealed in His Mercy, Grace, Compassion, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, and Justice. Those are the manifestations of God in our life!)

Today, as we went Christmas carolling, I found another answer to it! God is in our lives when we experience that RIGHTEOUS ANGER and GODLY SORROW in our lives--when you feel that you are no longer 'part of this world': When you start to dislike things of the world, and feel angry about the human deeds that conflict that of the Word; when you feel that deep sadness when things are not right in your life, and feel a sense of repentance and need for God's forgiveness. That is another form of God's manifestation in your life, when we start to feel that we are "strangers in the world' like what Peter writes in the bible (1 Peter 1:1). Righteous anger can help drive ideals (not idealism) and the compassion to act. Godly sorrow in contrary to worldly sorrow, which encompasses a lot of self-pity and regret, directs us to repentance and change. Sad to say, the Christian walk is a challenging road lined with the awareness that people around you may not hold the same values as you do; the tension you feel when you need to stick to your own; and the need for boldness to be able to act on them. It's a tough road that gets even tougher as you know more and more about God because you become even more sensitive to minor wrongdoings that those spiritually younger may not be aware of.

So here are some bible verses of encouragement to those who are like me, still seeking God for the courage to stand firm and be bold in the face of such a challenge--to conform to the ways of the world or allow oneself to waver during such testing situations. It's hard especially when people will poke fun at that "holier than thou" image you appear to them to be putting on. That's the toughest part to overcome and conquer. And that's when you need to have a lot of self-esteem and confidence not only in yourself as an individual but also in the Lord.

1. The Beautitudes: Matthew Chapter 5, verse 10 says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

2. Matthew 5: 14-16 says "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

3. Romans 12:1-2 says "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

4. For those who are aware that they could be vulnerable during testing moments, and may potentially succumb to conformity, remember this: Proverbs 12:26 says "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray." Don't subject yourself to temptation when you know you are weak, just like how you won't walk into Ben and Jerry's when you are on a diet (a weight-loss diet that is; perfectly okay if you are out to gain weight or feast on comfort food)! Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14); evil company corrupts good habits (1 Corinthians 15:33)!

5. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Isn't this verse so empowering!

Rely on these verses in times of righteous anger and challenging times when you face that tension of whether or not you should give in to circumstances. Knowing is one thing, acting on it is another issue altogether. I go through life with that difficulty. However, I know it's something I must overcome to become stronger in Christ. And I know that being aware of it represents a new level of spiritual maturity in my life--the love for God and His word, a yearning to become Holy and pure like Jesus is.

Lord, I want to be more like you. And that means sometimes doing the unpopular, or at times being the wet blanket. That takes courage, Lord. And I need it from You. For blessed are those who are persecuted in Your name. Help me focus on that goal as I run the race for You. I want to follow Your ways for You are holy.

Dear Lord, I want to be that light that shines for You and not for my pride or my friends. Help me to act on my righteous anger and godly sorrow. Give me the wisdom to know how to react in such testing moments; to know how to find the balance in holding my ground yet making my Christian values known without offending others. Challenge me and strengthen me as you help me overcome these testing moments. Thank You, Lord. Amen!