WHAT MAKES GOD MAD (PART 2)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

Isaiah 13:11b

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today is the second devotion of a two part series on “What Makes God Mad,” taken from the 13th Chapter of Isaiah.

Yesterday, we saw where God hates sin and the evil manifested by it, concluding that the way to avoid falling into that anger and wrath despite the facts we are born sinners was to keep our hearts focused on Jesus, the One who will always lead from transgression and into the righteousness that God favors.

Looking at the second part of verse 11 in Chapter 13, we see God specifically mention one other thing He will not stand for. Look again at His words here:

I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. Isaiah 13:11b

  

It’s obvious that God will not tolerate arrogance and pride in anyone, not the haughty, not the ruthless, not anyone. To live in pride is to live in self reliance, to place the emphasis on ourselves and what we can do, not on what God can do in and through us. It places the focus on how intelligent and wise we are above others, not on how true intelligence and wisdom only comes from the One who created intelligence and wisdom. It serves to magnify and glorify us, to place us in the spotlight thus placing God in the background and He will never put up with that. Ever. Before He ever puts up with pride and haughtiness, He will put an end to them and He will do it through humbling those who opt for arrogance, bringing to life another important verse from the Proverbs, the book of wisdom:

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

Want to avoid God’s anger and the possibility of experiencing His destruction?

Turn away from pride.

Want to ensure God doesn’t bring you down and humble you to make a point that He despises a conceited attitude?

Refrain from arrogance.

How do you turn away from pride and refrain from arrogance?

The answer is the same one as we saw yesterday: Jesus.

For pride and arrogance are nothing but sins we commit and we know God hates sin. As Christians, we also know that we are to be Christ-like in the way we live, to live as the One who said “I am the way and the truth and the life” lived (John 14:6). And so when we know God hates sin and we know that by living like Jesus we can live sinless even though we are sinners, then we know what we need to do to keep Him from getting mad. We know how to live to avoid His wrath. And as a by-product of living as Jesus lived, we will be people of humility for if there was anything that defined the life of Jesus, it was humility. He came into this world under humble circumstances, born in a lowly manger, and He died in humility, innocent and yet allowing Himself to be crucified like a criminal, all to save us from the very sins we are expected by God to turn away from.

It was sin that placed Jesus, His only Son, on the cross to die the worst of deaths. Of course, God will be angered by anyone who chooses to live in sin over the righteousness He offers, the righteousness that we find when we live like Jesus.

Friends, God gets mad when we disobey Him and choose iniquity over living like Jesus, the Son He sent not only to die in order to save us but to show us how to live by the way He lived.

Live like Jesus and we will live in God’s favor, now and forever.

Choose to not live for Jesus and God will bring His judgment upon you.

It’s one way or another. I wouldn’t choose making God mad if I were you.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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