James 1:19

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak {and} slow to anger;

     While there are many different approaches and ideas to the world of parenting, there seems to be one chorus that is heard throughout: Be careful about punishing your children while you are angry. The reasoning behind this advice is simple. When we are angry, it can cause us to lose control. When a child does something that makes you angry, you can be unnecessarily (and even cruelly) harsh. Many parents lament punishments they have dished out in anger.

     This idea of anger controlling us is in no way relegated only to the parenting world. Most fist fights start because anger takes hold  and rules over our peaceful and perserving instincts. The things that I regret saying the most came from periods where I allowed my emotions to overwhelm me. I would say things that were intentionally hurtful. I wanted to punish them for making me angry. That is what is most dangerous. We want to find some way, any way to hurt them. That is what they deserve, is it not?

     As Christians we have to be careful about letting anger control us. Like our Father in Heaven, we must control our anger. There are two things that God does with His anger. First of all, He is  extremely patient, suffering with even the most vile of sinners before He executes judgment. Secondly, He tries to make amends with those who have wronged Him. That was why He sent His Son down on the cross. Finally, if it is necessary to act in anger, He does so according to righteousness. We need to make sure that our anger is not our fault rather than theirs. We also need to make sure that our level of anger is proportional to the level of offense. By following our Father’s example, we control  our anger rather than let our anger control us.

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak {and} slow to anger;

Hebrews 12:15

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

     One of the easiest ways to sin in our anger is to allow ourselves to become bitter. The Bible warns us about bitterness on several occasions. Bitterness is really unresolved anger. When someone wrongs us, we have two choices: we can harbor angry feelings or we can choose to let it go. When we harbor and feed those angry feelings, we allow bitterness to creep into our lives. Like mold, once it seeps in, it is very hard to remove.

     One of the major problems with bitterness is that it actually hurts us more than it hurts the other person. While we can make the other person uncomfortable around us, they can leave the room if they get tired of it. We, however, are stuck with ourselves. We find ourselves thinking about it all the time. It can even get to the point that it consumes us. There is an underlying unhappiness that almost defines who we are. Often times, because our anger at these other people is always opened anew, we will lash out at those around us for a minor offense, or even no offense at all. Meanwhile, the object of our wrath continues their life unmolested.

     Even worse, it is an ungodly attitude. As Christians we need to be ready to forgive. And when we forgive, we need to forgive truly and fully. Sometimes we respond as if we have forgiven the person when we really have not. But God calls us to be forgiving as He is forgiving. How terrible would it be if God were bitter toward us? We also need to be of the mindset that is ready to forgive, even if it has not been asked of us. Jesus commands us to go and search our brother out so that he may ask to forgive us. Yet if we harbor bitterness, and relish the chance to remain angry, we will sin by not giving our brother the chance to do so.

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

Ephesians 4:26

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

America’s representation of Jesus often a far cry from who He actually is. Many times we view Jesus as an incredibly soft individual. Always with a sweet word, never a negative thing to say. Many people would even argue that He accepted everyone. Surely this Jesus was kind and friendly to all. If anything, He bordered on being a walking mat for people to stomp all over.

The problem with this image is that it is not at all accurate. Jesus was a person who could and would get angry. On two occasions He cleared the Temple of money changers (John 2:13-17; Matthew 21:12-13). This was not with a polite request, but by turning over their tables and literally chasing them out. He even used a whip! When talking to the hard hearted of the Jewish people, Jesus would use strong, condemning language (Matthew 23). Yet Jesus was without sin. Because of that we can conclude that there are times when it is appropriate, even righteous, to be angry.

There are things that we see that should anger us. Jesus clearing out the temple was not because He was having a bad day. He was irate with them because they dared defile the Temple of God. When he criticized those with a hard heart, it was because the refused to see the serious consequences to their actions. Their stubborn pride was hurtful, both to God and to themselves. Jesus also hated it when people took advantage of others. He felt that such unrighteous behavior deserved a rebuke (Matthew 23:14). While we must heed the warning to not sin, we can know by Jesus’ own example that there are times when we should be angry.

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Philippians 4:11

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

     Paul is an amazing character. The man who once persecuted the church found himself being persecuted. Many times he found himself in jail. He was whipped many times. Sometimes he did not have the support he needed to devote himself fully to the gospel, so he made tents. He was always traveling, not able to own many nice possessions. Paul’s life, from those who do not understand his thinking, is a life of deprivation.

     Yet here, when talking to the Philippians, he assures them that he is able to be content in whatever condition he finds himself. He does not need their support in order to be at peace with his life. If his finances are stretched, or he has to find other work, he will manage. I also think Paul would have said this about anything in his life. As unpleasant as his beatings or his stints in prison might have been, he was able to be content. He tells us why in verse thirteen of the same chapter. It is because of his relationship with Christ that he is able to handle whatever life throws his way.

     Often times, if they would compare their lives to Paul’s people would see that Paul endured much more hardship than they have. Our difficulties often times pale in comparision. Yet we find ourselves being discontent with the slightest setback or difficulty that arises.  Others may have sufferings of similar pain to those of Paul’s. Either way we need to follow his example. when the going gets tough, the Christian gets Christ. In doing so, there is nothing life can throw at us that can unsettle our peace.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Acts 2:36

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.”

     In America’s society, the idea of lordship is often loss. Thanks to the constitution, our form of government, and the Bill of Rights, we have a lot more freedom than has often time been afforded in other cultures. Take Esther for example. She was made Queen. Yet she feared going before the King, because if he did not want to see her, she might very well be executed on the spot (Esther 4:11). Thankfully today we do not live in such a society.

     However, because of our decentralized government system, we can miss the implication of having Jesus as our Lord. It would be easy for us to think of Lord has a title or an inheritance, with no real authority behind it. To view Jesus in this way would be a mistake. Being Lord means to be the ruler, and to have ultimate say. There is no court of appeals, no amendments to be made to His word. Instead, He determines what the laws are. He determines what is right and what is wrong. And all who are in His kingdom need to abide by that.

     This means that when the Lord tells us to do something, we do it. We do not impose our will on Him. Instead, we need to submit ourselves to Him fully. Our attitude should be that of a lowly servant to his king. No matter how foolish or annoying the request might be, the servant obeys. Knowing that our God has all knowledge we should be all the more willing to obey all that He commands. And if the commands seem tiresome or frustrating, we must remember that we serve a benevolent master. While His word is final, it is for our benefit. Finally, while we need to obey our master out of an understanding of His position, it wonderful to know that our Lord will reward us for faithful service.

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.”

When I was younger, I loved cookies. It was my goal to eat as many cookies as possible. My mom, being worried about both my health and my hyperactivity, would limit the amount of cookies we could have. My mom was very active. Many times she would be sewing in the other room, and I just knew that I had found my chance. I would sneak into the other room and go to grab a cookie. Invariably, just as I opened the cookie jar lid, my mother would yell, “JOSH, get out of the cookie jar.” This always amazed me. Obviously not familiar with the concept of sound traveling, I could not believe that my mom knew what I was doing while she was in another room. Read the rest of this entry »

Just recently, I went to a viewing of a lady who had passed away. I had spent some time with her, but we were not all that close. Even with the emotional armor that distance can sometimes bring in such situations, it was a very sobering experience. I was amazed to look at her. She was almost unrecognizable. This was not due to some major injury, but because it was obvious that her spirit was no longer there. All that was left was just the physical encasing that had been carrying it. As I viewed her body, I realized I was not really looking at her at all. Read the rest of this entry »

In 1 Peter 1, Peter is trying to explain to his fellow brethren the amazing glory of the word of God. One of the best parts of the word of God is that it tells us about salvation. It explains to us how God was able to take away our sins and establish His kingdom. God’s plan of salvation was of great interest to those who came before us. The prophets would search to see what clues they could discern from the word of God. The angels too were longing to see how God would bring salvation to mankind. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick overview of the Old Testament shows us how foolish it is to be an enemy of God. Time and time again, we see people try to thwart God. Sometimes it is common men, but even the greatest kings of the time would try to resist God. We see the folly of their attempts recorded for us. Pharoah’s nation was ravished. Nebuchadnezzar was turned into a beast of the field. Belshazzar had his kindgom taken from him. Over and over again, God shows the consequences are dire for those who would oppose Him. Read the rest of this entry »

The other day, I went over to my cousin’s house to play a game of Sorry. The whole concept of the game is for each person to go around the board and enter their home base. They do this by moving a specific amount of spaces directed by the cards they draw. If you land on a space that your opponent already occupies, you move them all the way back to the beginning. If you are really ornery you yell, “SORRY!” as you do this. Of course you do not mean it. This is particularly obvious with me since I giggle in glee as I knock their piece out of the way with considerable force. I really do not regret it at all. Read the rest of this entry »