From Pity to Praise

There is something that takes a hold of every one’s lives at sometime in life. Some experiences are worse than others -it’s anger.

Anger itself isn’t the problem. It’s the natural emotional response that often signals something feels unfair, threatening, or wrong. Anger in a sense gives one power -it can energize us, sharpen our focus, and push us to act.

But it also takes away power when it goes unchecked. It can hijack our decisions, and cause reactions we wouldn’t choose when we are calm.

It can narrow out thinking, and make everything feel more extreme or personal. It can damage relationships or opportunities that we actually care about.

When we have unmanaged anger it comes as a cost. It gives control to the emotion instead of to us.

Let’s balance it out this way:

• Feel the anger > that’s honest
• Understand it > what triggered it, what’s it pointing to
• Choose your response > that’s where our power stays intact

Some people say anger is sinful, but according to Ephesians 4:26-27, feeling anger is not inherently sinful, it’s the consequences of that anger us that are sinful.

“Be angry, and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath, and don’t give place to the devil“ -Ephesians 4:26-27

Anger allows for negative spiritual influence and steals our personal peace.

Persistent anger almost always provides a place for Satan to gain influence in our lives.

When we are angry There is no peace, because of frustration, and negativity opens doors for Satan to steal our peace.

There is also unresolved anger often leads to sin, such as vengeful thoughts or destructive actions, which can hurt relationships, marriages, and sometimes even churches.

So many times we hang on to anger too long, it can often feel like we have a huge weight on us. But rather than feeding our anger, James 1:19-20 urges us, “To be quick to hear and slow to speak.” maintaining control over our emotions to avoid giving any enemy an opening to cause destruction in our lives.

“Anger acts like a “bloodsucker“ or a parasite by draining our energy, joy, and health while feeding on resentment.”

“Now In a large house, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay. Some are for honor, and some for dishonor. If anyone therefore purges himself from these, he will be a vessel on honor, sanctified, and suitable for the master’s use, prepared for every good work” -2 Timothy 2:20-21

Of all the verses that explain becoming honorable, this verse summarizes it best. Paul tells us that if we desire to serve God, we must cleanse ourselves from everything dishonourable in our lives. It is then that we will be honorable vessels, set apart and holy, ready to be useful for God’s call on our lives. There are no shortcuts for this.

The world and sadly churches today have made many to believe it’s okay, to be half-hearted for God. It’s okay to be happy with the “average.” But, God is so much bigger than average. He wants us to live for Him. And if we become a vessel of honor He can use us for extraordinary purposes.

He sent His Son to die for our sins and reconcile us to God. But I think few realize that when Jesus died He wasn’t just killed, He was slaughtered for us.

We are called to pursue holiness. And that requires being passionate, aggressive, intentional, and eager to honor Him above all else. It requires allowing God to shape us like clay and yielding to His will rather than resisting His molding process. We need to be like pliable clay not silly putty.

There are some things in life I don’t know much about. My husband is a master of machines for example. I can nod when he starts telling me about different kinds of metals and how heat affects each one. I just nod and smile. But I don’t know what he’s talking about.

It can be the same in relationships. I might know a pastor’s name, their church, or more details about their ministry. I could even throw out a few facts to make it seem like I know them. But if I found myself in a room with him and he turned to me and said, “Hi, I’m Steve, what’s your name?” the awkward truth would be exposed.

Jesus says there will be people on Judgement Day who will face something that’s sobering. They will stand before God and hear the words:

“I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who work iniquity” -Matthew 7:23

These stakes are not embarrassment but it means eternity. This is a heaven or hell issue. It’s something most people will learn too late. The life-defining question becomes:

Do I know who Jesus is?

Does Jesus know me?

There’s a danger of self-deception. Of thinking I’m a good person so God will welcome me into heaven.

Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us that “the heart is deceitfully wicked.” We not only face the blinding influence of satan, “the god of this world,” but we also carry within us a capacity for self-deception.

Jesus describes two kinds of people who will be shocked on Judgment Day -not because others deceived them, but because they deceived themselves.

1. The people who say the right things.

In Matthew 7:21, Jesus warns:

“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

The people who have the correct language. They call Jesus “Lord,” acknowledging His divinity, and even claim Him as their Messiah. They may even quote Acts 2:21, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

But Jesus says it isn’t enough, because they lacked obedience to the Father’s will.

Scripture gives us a clear picture of what God’s will is:

• Believe in Jesus

“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in Him will have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up at the last day” – John 6:40

• Obey His Word:

“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken Him to a wise man, who built His house on a rock” -Matthew 7:24

• Follow His specific leading: God gives us an example of this in Matthew. 12:38-40.

Jesus tells us in John 16:13, that “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.”

2. The people who do the right things

This kind is even more shocking:

“Many will tell me in that day, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophecy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works? Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who work iniquity” -Matthew 7:22-23

These people aren’t just talking the talk -they do the right work. Prophecy, Miracles, and casting out demons. Things that look like unmistakable signs of God’s power.

They too are rejected.

Judas was the poster child for empty works.

The Bible gives us a living example of someone who can do God’s work and still not know God -Judas Iscariot.

Judas was personally called by Jesus to be one of the 12 disciples.

He was empowered to preach and cast out demons (Matthew 10:1-8).

He was present for miracles, teachings, and private moments with Jesus.

And yet, Jesus said in Matthew 26:21, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

When Jesus says, “I never knew you,” He doesn’t mean He lacked awareness, it means He never had a relationship with you. He’s omnipresent -He knows every hair on our heads. This means He wants a covenant relationship with us.

In the Hebrew language “knowing’ someonemeans implied intimacy -like a deep bond. A shared life, not just shared facts.

Salvation is not about reciting a prayer or performing mighty works. It’s about entering into a covenant relationship with Jesus through faith and repentance.

Romans 10:9-13 makes it clear:

• Confess Jesus as Lord
• Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.
• Call on His name and be saved

It’s easy to point fingers at Judas, but the danger is closer to home. A modern-day deceiver could be someone who manipulates facts and emotions to gain personal advantage, such as a fraudulent telemarketer, making a fake online persona, to pretend they have excellent knowledge to sell worthless products. They gain trust through fake intimacy or small favors. Now imagine standing before God, having deceived yourself about your spiritual condition.

It would be like buying a safe to protect your valuables. You opted for a less expensive fire safe option over a more expensive model that looks just as good. Then a house fire reduced it to a puddle of melted metal. Everything inside -family heirlooms, legal documents are gone.

You thought you were secure. But you weren’t.

This is exactly what happens spiritually when we rest our eternal hope on the wrong foundation.

• An emotional response years ago without ongoing faith.
• Their family’s faith, as if salvation came with a “family plan.”
• A lifetime of good works, detached from genuine relationship.

When the fire of God’s judgment comes, only an authentic relationship with Jesus will stand.

We can’t just check off a few things and think we’re good to stand before God on judgement day.

So, how do we know if Jesus truly knows us? Ask yourself:

• Do I love the Lord and His ways?
• Am I convicted when I sin?
• Is there evidence of the Holy Spirits work in me?
• Does my life bear the fruit of obedience?

There aren’t a list to check off to earn salvation, they’re the overflow of knowing Jesus.

The words in Matthew 7:23 are meant to shake us, but not to strip assurance from those who truly belong to Him. There’s grace that saves and transforms when He promises in John 10:29, “No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”

The good news is that salvation is by grace through faith. Our works matter, but only as evidence of the root, not as the root itself. We are secure not because we said the right words or did the right deeds, but because Jesus died and rose again for us.

Today God calls us to action. Today is the day we need to examine ourselves.

If we realize we’ve only known about Jesus but don’t truly know Him we should delay.

After all the ultimate question is not simply whether we know Jesus -it’s whether He knows us.

On judgment day no amount of religious language or impressive works will substitute for a genuine relationship with Jesus. Saying Lord, Lord won’t be enough.

Only those who know Jesus and are known by Him will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Don’t settle for melted metal safes or false assurances. Don’t live under self-deception.

Understanding the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility is an intellectual pursuit for most people it’s a puzzle of ideas.

The bitter fruit of laziness, anxiety, and pride can creep into our lives whenever we get it wrong. And on the flip side, the beautiful fruit of a restful heart and selfless love can result from getting it right. This is no theoretical discussion. It’s the difference between living a full life or stagnation.

I’ve often wondered how our work relates to God’s work. There are three possibilities we can look at.

1. God does nothing, and we do everything

Some people live this way by conviction. Believing there is no God, they are compelled to take full responsibility. Others simply live this way in practice. Lots of people say they follow God but then instinctively try to fix it.

I have found myself trying so hard to fix it so many times that I stew and worry, and immediately go into problem-solving mode, rather than pray and surrender my problems to God and ask for help.

Psalm 127:1, explains. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who built it. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain.”

This doesn’t mean that people cannot build a house, or keep cities safe, but when we do, it’s because of the help of the very God, but they deny God. What’s the point of building a house or a secure city if you don’t have God? Life doesn’t flourish apart from Him. Life becomes blessed when we rely on God.

The second possibility is the opposite.

2. God does everything, and we do nothing

Sometimes people disguise passivity and laziness in spiritual garb. We love to “let go and let God.” God loves those people because they trust that He will meet every need.” When we say “I’ll pray for you,” instead of offering practical help that will cost us something. When we finally step in to help someone, they are worried, and anxious and are ready to walk away.

In Psalm 127:2 Solomon says, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating bread of toil, for he gives sleep to his loved one.” I noticed something important here. While it’s true that the Lord must build the house, there are still people building the house. And while the Lord must watch the city, there are still human beings guarding the city. It is not the will of the Lord that we should be like blocks of wood, or that we should keep our arms folded without doing anything.

God’s help isn’t meant to make us into couch potatoes. His work never undercuts ours. Philippians 2:2-3 tells us, “Make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself.” This implies that we should apply all our talents and advantages that God has given us.

The third possibility is,

3. God does everything, and we do something.

God calls us to do something in this world, to be active, even abounding, in good works. 1 Corinthians 15:58 states, “Therefore be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is vain in the Lord.” But even as we abound in activity, we are to recognize that were never doing as much as God does. It’s true that “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build labor in vain.

In every possibility we need God, but He never needs us because His us sovereign. Knowing God works in and through us should make us more, not less active in the good works He has planned for us.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:10 says,

“But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”