What upsets you the most, yourself or others, I do not mean today only, for we all know the frustration of both our own faults and inadequacies as well as those we see in others, but I refer here to a regular basis, what upsets you the most, you or them.
We live in a type of quasi-Christianity today, the love we are to show others, the love we perceive as the love of Christ is only shown in certain ways, at least in public, in private it can be a completely different matter. Those in the world around us we are many times, for lack of a better, more polite term, hypocritical with, as the world does, so do many who call Christ Lord. Those who are walking in sin we are to love, for we know their end if they die in their sins, yet this love often shows itself in the form of silence, releasing our frustrations with them only in the company of trusted friends or the imaginations of our minds. Love rarely helps anyone by remaining silent.
Frustration with others can lead to only one of two final paths, we will either lash out in any number of ways, or we will learn to love them. I do not know if you have ever thought about our Lord in this way while He was here amongst us for those short years in the flesh, but what do you think it was like for the Creator and Sustainer of all that is to be around people, those of His own making, those who could not even do the simplest thing like making themselves taller. (Matt. 6:27) It had to be extremely frustrating at times, knowing all things and trying to explain even the most basic concepts to individuals, if there ever was one with humility, it was our Lord.
Most generally our frustrations appear with others when they are not like we are, when they are acting in ways that are not representative of our nature, and so the cause of these frustrations are centered on self. Now multiply that exponentially and you will know the frustrations of God, knowing the truth, giving the truth, and then having that truth denied. I believe the closest representation we can have of this frustration is not in relation to the lost, but to those who call Jesus Lord but do not the works of a servant of Christ. But in reality, why are we frustrated with them, why would the attributes and actions that these “so-called” professing Christians disturb us, after all, they are not accountable to us, but to Almighty God. The answer is simple, because by their actions, or inactions, they are allowing the name of God to be dishonored.
A hypocrite in this area is one of the most despicable individuals on the planet, and our Lord was not withholding of His frustrations with the Pharisees, He spoke the truth to them of what they were doing, pretending to be religious and thereby dishonoring Almighty God. Not so with the majority of Christians today, spiritual hypocrisy is seen, but not acted upon, it is known as a lie, but not spoken against save but for the few. Have you ever considered the term used by not only millions of individuals, but instituted into the laws of many nations, the term “Religious Freedom.” It is one of those areas where I fight frustration within myself, for you will not see the words anywhere in heaven, or when our Lord reigns upon the earth. There is no such thing as religious freedom in the eyes of God, either you serve Him, or you do not, the only freedom you have is to obey or disobey God and His written word.
A lack of frustration, or better yet the lack of venting that frustration that lies within us, whether it be of an external nature or from within us, is a sin against God, for we are commanded to be angry, but not sin in that anger. (Eph. 4:26) To not release that anger in a righteous way is to invite Satan’s influence into our lives, or at the least to allow our sinful natures to gain control over us. Pressure cannot be contained forever, a slow, cautiously thought out plan is always better than an explosive discharge, and thus it is with our frustrations. They will slowly build up over time, and if not released, they will destroy us.
Our Lord is long-suffering beyond any thing that we can begin to imagine but His patience will someday run out, He calls it the Tribulation period, the great and terrible day of the Lord. (Joel 2:31) The generalized practice amongst many who profess Christ today is to let bygones be bygones, live and let live, “That is between God and them,” it is how they have decided to approach the matter of their own frustrations, deny them and they will just magically disappear. If you spend any amount of time with these individuals you will find just how shallow beneath the surface their frustrations are. Releasing of these built up pressures within them is not an option they will entertain, it is not a Christ-like attribute that they will express, hence the “God is only love” Christian society of today. My friends, when you are frustrated with another human being, you cannot let it become personal, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,” (Eph. 6:12) but if you hold in these frustrations, if you do not learn to release them when the circumstances demand a response for reasons concerning Christ, then you are no soldier of the Lord. He does not need you to defend Him, but He expects you to stand your ground, He did not give you that suit of armor (Eph. 6:11) because He knew you liked shiny things.
Spiritual discernment is a must here, but it takes very little discernment to know when to stand for Christ and when to not let your frustrations get the better of you. There is a world of sinners out there, an entire planet of people who detest the name of Jesus, if you are not frustrated with them occasionally, then you need to ask the Lord for a new set of ears, and a better pair of Spiritual glasses.
