Scripture
Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.
~Ephesians 4:26-27, NRSV
Quote
The only way to be angry and not sin is to be angry with sin.
~Matthew Henry
Anger is and of itself is not evil. Jesus got angry and on more than one occasion. He was angry when he cleansed the temple. He was angry when he saw the lack of compassion on the man with a withered hand; He even got angry at the tomb of Lazarus. God has anger. In scripture, this anger is defined by the word ‘wrath.’ In Romans 1:18 the scripture says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. The Greek word translated ‘wrath’ in the NASB is orgē which means to burn with passion. Anger is aroused when something or someone we love is maliciously injured. God has a perfect hatred for sin because of the damage it does to humankind. He could not love good if He did not hate evil. Yet His anger is always under control, always just, always holy and always for our good and His glory.
In sanctification, His will is not to destroy your passion or your anger but to get it under control. Anger is not the problem, uncontrolled anger is the problem. It creates an opening for Satan and trust me, he will take advantage. We do not need more passive Christians; we have a plenty. Nothing arouses them, nothing moves them: they are passive is worship and witness. Righteous indignation prompts us to act, to get involved and to do something rather than sit on our backside. It was our passive Christianity that allowed abortion to become an institution in America.
Beware, anger is a tricky emotion and if we get angry at anything other than sin, we give place to the devil. James said, “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your [mans] anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” It is OK to be angry if it is inspired. Actually Jesus did not get angry with the way people treated Him, He got angry at the way they treated others. Beware of selfish anger.
This is the last day of April which means one third of 2020 is history. It is the 42nd day of the Covid-19 Hoax. James Span and Big Mama tell me that warm weather is coming. I don’t necessarily love heat but I do want my garden to grow and it has been too cold. Another busy day planned with the CHEERFUL GIVERS delivering plate lunches to the shut-ins. We have a great team at GP and we had fun last night giving away free pizza. There is a lot of distrust in the community/world. Some would not stop if you were giving away $100 bills. They are afraid of Jesus and that is sad. They need Him desperately and He loves them like no other.
Remember: we have discontinued live streaming at GPBC. Our drive-in church begins at 10:15 and we are doing communion this Sunday. Our services will be online by 1:30 pm, a delayed taped broadcast. They will be on FACEBOOK and YouTube.
Got to run…grilling Halsey’s TNT burgers for the CHEERFUL GIVERS. It is fun being saved, amen! Have a great day!