Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools. - Ecclesiastes 7:9 NKJV
Thomas Jefferson once gave this sage advice, "When angry, count to 10 before you speak. If very angry, a hundred." As children, we were told to count to 10; most of us could probably benefit from the extra ninety counts. Of course, the idea is to slow down and let the reasoning part of our brains take control before saying something we regret. As we all know, once our words are spoken, they can't be taken back.
As followers of Christ, we are expected not to be the fool. Although it's challenging at times, we need to find a way to turn that anger into love--and we cannot do that independently. Our basic instinct is to lash out; only with God's help can we have that change of heart.
Did Christ get angry? Yes, he did, but Man's abuses against each other riled Jesus's anger. We refer to this as righteous anger, anger for a good reason, like injustices, violence, greed, and poverty--things counter to God's original purpose for our creation. That is why we, as his body, need to speak up and take action when we see such things.
God, please help us as we struggle against our sinful nature of unjust anger. When those things happen during our days that are irksome, help us remain calm and turn that angry moment into one of love. Please help us discern those things that deserve your anger and help us as we take a stand. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
