Dealing With Anger In Light of God's Goodness--Day 240 Through The Bible

                        People are not unlike hummingbirds that continually engage in battle over their territory. 

Ecclesiastes 7:9, "Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools".  Dr. Stanley writes about the subject of anger in his Life's Lessons section of today's study.  In Ephesians 4:26, we are instructed to "Be angry, and sin not".  Anger and sin are separated in this passage, however there is a line we cross where anger changes into sin.  Dr. Stanley lists 4 red flags that tell us when we have crossed over into sin.  While it is obvious that verbal abuse and physical violence clearly cross the line, other sins related to anger may not be as recognizable. These include strife, bitterness, isolation, and retaliation.  Conflict can lead to contempt which can take root in our hearts in the form of bitterness. "Nursing our anger leads to people being separated from each other" (Dr. Stanley).  This can occur when we fail to address issues and resolve differences quickly.  The last part of Ephesians 4: 26, advocates dealing with anger the same day and not allowing it to be carried over into the next day--"let not the sun go down upon your wrath".  We are to leave repayment for evil up to God rather than having our hearts filled with vengeance. The longer we wait to address anger the more difficult it will be to root it out. God's wisdom is perfect and He will help us deal with our stuff if we will ask.

Psalm 103:1, "all that is within me, bless His holy name". We cannot set aside areas of our heart that are off limits to God.  If there's something we should become obsessed with, let it be praising God! David counts his blessings in this Psalm and tells his soul not to forget all God's benefits.  He proceeds to list them:
"Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things.
The results--So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's".

Foolishness is a recurring word in the book of Proverbs. It can mean "brainlessness" and "stupidity".  We will do stupid things when we act without thinking and unless we have a storehouse of knowledge and wisdom to draw upon. When we are in a relationship with God we have the option of asking God for wisdom and He not only promises He will give it to us, but He has a reputation of generosity--of giving liberally.  And, He doesn't scold us or reprove us (upbraid us) because we need His wisdom (James 1:5).  It's a wonderful experience to listen to someone speak who has godly wisdom. It is rare and grabs attention. In contrast, verse 7, says those devoid of wisdom do not open their mouths in the gate--the gate of the city was the place where business was carried out. Verse 9 says that "the devising of foolishness (dumb ideas) is sin".  Scoffers are those who mock, ridicule, and belittle others. Verse 9, says such people "are an abomination to men".

The Old Testament is often devalued and not considered as applicable as the New Testament for modern day Christians.  In I Corinthians 10, Paul reminds us of (or perhaps reveals) the fact that the God of Israel who took care of them in the wilderness was none other than Christ--the spiritual Rock.  We miss a great deal when we blindly accept what we hear about the Bible as truth without reading it for ourselves. Paul continues expounding upon the importance of Israel's history for us, "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come"!  Examples help us get the point and God wants us to learn from their mistakes and sins so that we can avoid experiencing the related consequences and penalties.

Paul writes in verse 14 of I Corinthians 10, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry"!  Just as we are to deal with anger quickly, we are also admonished to "run" from idolatry (and other sins). Joseph left us with the perfect example of getting away from sin in Genesis 39, when he fled from Pharoah's wife and her attempt to seduce him. Our communion is with Christ and not sin and idolatry.  Our relationship with Christ is truly "the cup of blessing" and all who are part of the body of Christ partake of the same "bread".  Even so, we should be found putting away anger and being careful not to allow it to take root, especially in the Church, the body of Christ.

Waiting for God---Day 238 Through The Bible

                                    A little mushroom requires the right conditions for it to spring up.
                                Even so, patience is required in waiting for God to make everything beautiful in its time.
                                    


We begin in Ecclesiastes today with the familiar passage, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" (chapter 3:1).  Songs have been written from these verses and this passage is often read at funerals. Dr. Stanley encourages us not to run ahead of God's timing.  He says, "In His wisdom and sovereignty, God sets an appropriate time for everything".  He mentions that "Christ was born at the right time". We might add that Christ will also return at God's appointed time. When we are young, we wish we were older; when we are older, we sometimes long for our younger days.  Being content with our immediate situation is a valuable lesson for us as this is the point where we either take matters into our own hands or wait for God.

"What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?" Solomon says he has seen the "God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied" and points out in verse 13, that enjoying the fruit of our labor is a gift from God. Without a proper education and a strong work ethic, this gift may remain unopened resulting in "boredom" and a life lacking in satisfaction. In too many situations, people trade the opportunity for a productive life for trivial pursuits that lack specific goals and thus never experience the satisfaction that accomplishment brings.

Verse 11: "He has made everything beautiful in its time".  Many things do not start out as "beautiful", but take time as well as patience to progress to beauty.  Isaiah 61:3, adds to our understanding of this concept. Here, God promises a time when He will "give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness".  This encourages us to be patient and to trust God to bring about a beautiful outcome whether in this life or in eternity.  In verse 11, (speaking of eternity), Solomon writes, "He has put eternity in their hearts". There is an emptiness in everyone that can only be filled by God. Few recognize this need for what it is and thus we see an unending pursuit of pleasure, relationships, and the acquiring of "stuff". Some do recognize is as a spiritual need and attempt to find a religion or religious practices that will fill this void. However, there is no substitute for a relationship with God.  (We were created to have a relationship with Him, but until we recognize we are separated from God by our sins, repent of our sins, and accept Christ's sacrifice as payment for them, we cannot enter into this relationship.)

It is interesting that our scriptures in Psalm continues the same theme we saw in Ecclesiastes of a "time for every purpose". It speaks of a time of mercy for Zion: "a time to favor (Zion), yes, the set time has come". We need to wait and hope in God's time for whatever we need.  Remember the idolatry of Aaron and the Israelites and the tragedy of King Saul? Moses was on the mountain with God and his return to camp was delayed (Exodus 32).  The people became impatient and convinced Aaron to fashion a golden calf for them to worship. Without Moses' appeal to God, Israel in its entirety may have been destroyed by God. Saul failed to wait for the prophet Samuel to come and offer the sacrifice to God.  In his impatience, Saul also took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice himself. God was not pleased with Saul's impatience and presumptuousness and He removed Saul as King of Israel. There is a tremendous lesson for us in these examples that teach the importance of waiting for God instead of doing what we think is right.

Proverbs 24:3-4: "Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."  We previously read about the riches of Solomon that resulted from his request to God for wisdom. There is no reason for us to be "stupid" in any situation. God instructs us that if we lack wisdom, to ask Him for it and He will give it (James 1:5). The key is taking time to recognize that we are less than wise and that we need God's help, then ask Him for it.  These two verses paint a beautiful picture of the results we can enjoy when we depend on God.

What we know is not as important to God as our consideration for others. Paul stresses this in I Corinthians 8:1-13, and cautions us about allowing our "liberty" to be a "stumbling block" to those who are weak. He begins this passage by making clear the difference in knowledge and love. "Knowledge puffs up"--and, "if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know".  Paul contrasts knowledge with love.  He says, "we know that we all have knowledge".  We all know stuff, however, Paul reminds us that being known by God because we love Him is much more important than feeling proud about what we know (being puffed up). And if we love God, we will also love one another and therefore show consideration for others rather than flaunting a freedom in Christ that may cause our brother or sister to feel the need to do something contrary to their conscience. (How embarrassing for us to be bragging about "our understanding" of something when God has perfect understanding about everything!) Dr. Stanley brings this passage into perspective by saying that "Knowledge plus love equals a powerful team!"  Once again, I see that it is appropriate and that there are many times when I need to "cover my mouth with my hand", seek God's wisdom and wait for Him!