4 More Signs You Are Growing Closer to Christ

Don’t you want to grow closer to Christ?  Here are 4 more signs that you are growing closer to Christ.

(This is a follow up to our popular article: 4 Signs You Are Growing Closer To Christ )

Righteous Anger

Ephesians 4:6 says “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” so it is apparently okay to be angry at the right things.  Paul gave this as an imperative.   Jesus got angry but never sinned so we know that being angry is not sin in itself but the difference is that Jesus got angry at sin…we can get angry about the wrong things and that is sin.  Remember Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple and turned over their tables but He had a very good reason for being angry because they were making the temple of God into a den of thieves (Matt 21:12).  Don’t you get angry when you hear about a child being abused or an elderly person being robbed?  What makes me angry?  When I see people distort the Word of God for their own personal, financial gain.  I get angry when people twist the Scriptures to make it say what they want it to say and in many cases they are trying to justify their own sin.  So when you get angry over sin, you are actually growing closer to Christ because what angers God, should anger you and that’s good…only don’t let the sun go down on your anger.  That means don’t let your anger linger very long because we must remember that vengeance is ultimately going to be served by God (Rom 12:19).

Compassion for the Downtrodden

I was in a store parking lot just waiting to go in when I noticed a man who had a torn coat, taped glasses, and holes in his jeans.  It just overwhelmed me and I started crying and I thought of Jesus who often had compassion on people who He knew were downtrodden.  In Matthew 9:36 it says “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  Do you ever feel that way?  Sometimes I get an overwhelming urge to go out and share the good news of Jesus Christ with people and sometimes I do.  Once, when Jesus saw two blind men, read what He felt and what he did; “Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him” (Matt 20:34).  That’s why I love to witness to people. I can’t heal them but I can offer them the way to eternal life. Do you feel compassion for the downtrodden? If so, you are growing are growing closer to Christ because He felt that way too.

When God’s Name is Blasphemed

God says that He will not hold him (or her) guiltless who blaspheme His holy name (Ex 20:7; Duet 5:11) and when I hear people do that, I’m sorry, but I get a little angry over that because God’s name is holy and should be spoken with reverence.  When people try to use “damn” as God’s last name, I can’t hardly stand it.  If you believe that God’s name is holy and should never be used carelessly, in vain, or as profanity, I believe you’re growing closer to Christ.

Making God’s Will Your Will

I know that Jesus showed the disciples how they should pray when they asked Him and Jesus said we should pray “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10). Don’t you seem to be seeking God’s will more often over your own will?  Jesus did.  Jesus always did the will of the Father. Jesus said “I always do the things that are pleasing to him” (John 8:29) and “My food…is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).  If you are seeking more and more to do the will of God at the cost of your own, you are growing closer to Christ for Jesus always sought to do and always did the will of the Father.

May God richly bless you,

Pastor Jack Wellman

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