Jonah 4:9-10 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

Are you angry with God? Some people are and to that I say, good for you.

That reply may take some of you by surprise. Let me explain. You cannot be angry with someone who you do not believe exists. Believing there is a God is important in discovering that all important relationship. A love/hate relationship can only exist if there is a relationship. So if you hate God, you are half way there.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Believe that He is God, then come to a proper understanding about why you hate Him. I chose the passage about Jonah’s pity on something which provided him shade from the glaring sun, but the gourd was not a person, was not capable of loving Jonah, it wasn’t a real relationship.

Romans 1:25 New International Version (NIV)

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

New International Version (NIV)

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There is a wide variety of emotional attachments to nature, things, or institutions, which come before people. It is not meant to be that way.

Explore your anger with people who know God in truth. Hear what they have to say about the God they know. Maybe you just don’t understand God’s motivations.

Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Fast and furious is the only way I can describe my new birth, my born again experience. I was instantly changed and from the very beginning the Holy Spirit was actively seeking to correct my attitudes and impressions about God and my new relationship. It really was too much for me to comprehend. I needed help and a pastor and a teacher seemed like the right move. What church should I attend?

Luckily I had a boss who was an elder at a church. I knew nothing about the church, its history or its administration. I chose his church for one simple reason. He had shown me that he loved me and that his prayers had been instrumental in my being healed from drug addiction. He could have exposed me and have me fired but rather than that he showed mercy and grace. He prayed for me.

If you are going to start afresh in attending a church you cannot go wrong with seeing where that person who loves you attends church. Obviously what he did for me worked towards my salvation, so I could count on his guidance in my introduction to church life.

I’ve attended four different churches since my new birth. Each one provided me with a different aspect of my Christian growth. The first was responsible for training me to serve. The second church helped identify my primary gift and that hearing God is only the beginning of obedience. The third demonstrated that perfect knowledge of the Word and how preaching wasn’t sufficient for a healthy church life. It took more.

The fourth and current church showed me that grace isn’t restricted to God’s blessings. His grace flows from the body to each member from each member and grace is the bond that holds a church family together.