Revelations 9-11

(September 5, 2013)
The rejoicing of the unrighteous at the death of the two servants of the Lord brought something to my attention.  There is a curious habit of the unrighteous (in which group I must include myself, unfortunately, from time to time).  It seems that the more unrighteous a person is, the less likely they are to tolerate anyone doing anything contrary to them.  For example, when I am living as I should and see someone living below what they should, I tend to be understanding of their weaknesses.  When I am failing to live as I should and I see someone setting a righteous example for me, I tend to become irrationally angry at that person.

I can think of two causes for this truism.  The first is that when I fall short, I know it and become my worst critic.  My inner voice has not been silenced, despite my best efforts from time to time.  When I see someone setting a better example for me, it awakens that voice within me.  If I have been studiously struggling to ignore that voice it painfully brings it back to my attention.

The other cause, of course, is a more simply one.  To the extent we fall short, we invite the Father of anger and contention into our hearts.  Is it any wonder, then, that we feel these feelings more acutely the further we fall from the Lord.

What is interesting, however, is how this truism can serve as an early warning detector for our lives.  When we feel anger towards someone that we know is doing something right, we should pause to remind ourselves that this is conclusive proof that we have fallen astray and opened ourselves up to misery.  If ever there was an invitation to repent, this would be it.