Dr LM Murry
The cry of clean, fair and free election in Nagaland is nothing new. Since the beginning of the Second Assembly Election, we hear from every establishment, telling people to maintain the model code of conduct. We all know our present condition. Corruption has reached to its peak. Christian voters casting proxy votes and boasting of their performances. Christian leaders, in search of some pecuniary benefit for their individual gain, openly campaign for their own candidates. Some of them do it in the name of church development. What an excuse! Christian thanks giving and praise of God for what He is are used by unbelievers for election rallies. They had replaced God by the candidates.
Superficial sermons abound from the pulpits but nothing has changed, if not worse. Why? Because our hearts are not changed. Nothing will change unless our hearts are changed. For this, we need to be born again in Christ.
At the bottom of our mind and thinking, we believe that God is love, forgiving, and full of grace. So we can do anything because God is love. We only concentrate on the judgement of the last day. We easily forget that God is an angry God.
He hates sin. He is angry on any sin. Anger is not a sin all by itself. It is neutral. Only on our response to anger make us commit sin. There is a righteous anger. Sin or not sin by anger, can only be determined by our action.
In the Old Testament, God was angry with His people Israel. The Israelites, made idols, the golden calf, and started worshiping it. They exchanged God by the idol and started to worship men made images. They worship the creature and not the Creator. Exo.32.31-35. God was angry.
Yet, in another incident, we see God’s anger. The Ark of God was captured by the Philistines and was with them. But because of the calamities they faced, decided to return the Ark of God to the Israelites. When the Ark of God reached Beth-Shemite, while the people were harvesting and they gladly received it. But some of the men of Bet-Shemesh looked into the Ark of God, so 50,070 of them were struck down. They were all frightened, so they sent word to the people of Kiriath-jearim to come and take it.
The people of Kiriath-Shemesh came and took it into the house of Abinadab and his son Eleazar was consecrated to keep it. The Ark of God lay there for 20 years. 1 Sam.7:2.When David became king, he decided to bring the Ark to his city, Jerusalem, the city of David. While bringing the Ark, on reaching the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen slipped and Uzzah stretched out his hand to steady the Ark, and the anger of God burned and he was struck down. II Sam.6:6-7.
The king therefore kept the Ark in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. It was there for three months. II Sam.6:10-11.
In the New Testament, we see again, Jesus Christ getting angry in the temple in Jerusalem. He saw in the Temple premises, traders using unethical business practices. He turned the tables of the money changers and driving away the sacrificial animals and birds. Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, “Be angry; and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” Eph.4:26.
Yes, God is angry with us. We claimed ourselves to believe in Him but we do not obey Him. He can give us up so that we can do what we like. Our hard heartedness has compelled God to give us up. In Romans, we are told that God made their mind “reprobate”. The people exchanged the truth of God with a lie. We are exactly like the people which Paul was speaking in Romans Chapter 1. My Naga friends, let us consider where we are. It is time to repent and go to Him. It is not enough to say “we are Christians”. God can give us up!
