Love Puts On The Brakes

Day 4

Love Puts on the Brakes

Love puts the brakes on anger.

Anger itself is not a sin.  In Ephesians 4:26, Paul says, “In your anger do not sin.  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”  James told us to be “slow to become angry”  James 1:19.  Jesus himself was angry at least once.  Mark 3:5 says, “He (Jesus) looked around at them in anger, deeply distressed by their stubborn hearts.”  Of course he didn’t sin when he did this; he even healed a man’s hand in the process!  Psalm 86:15 says that God is “slow to anger, abounding in love.”

That being said, we’re on thin ice when we’re angry.  In Genesis 4:6, God said to Cain, “Why are you angry?  Why is your face downcast?… Sin is crouching at your door.  It desires to have you, but you must master it.”  Unfortunately, Cain did not master his anger and soon thereafter murdered his brother Abel.  Anger is serious business.  We shouldn’t downplay its significance by saying (either out loud or in the comfort of our own B-Boxes*) things like, “That’s just the way I am.”  Or, “That’s just the way I was brought up.”  Christians who are easily provoked to anger demonstrate a lack of self control and deficient trust in God.  Anger is incredibly contagious, possibly more so than any other emotion.  We’ve all seen situations where things quickly get out of hand when tempers start to flare. 

When we are controlled by love, it affects everything we do and say, even our mannerisms and body language.  Love-filled Christians aren’t touchy or oversensitive.  They genuinely try to understand other people and, with respect, try to “put themselves in the shoes” of others. 

*”B boxes” refer to our minds, our thought processes

Finally, when we do mess up and let anger get the best of us, it’s important to quickly ask for forgiveness.  Your B-Box* won’t like it but the truly humble apology of a previously angry person is a powerful thing.

Questions for Reflection

Have you found yourself saying things like “That’s just the way I am,” or “I can’t help it I’m Irish,” when facing your tendency to be irritable?

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Why are you angry?  Why is your face downcast?… Sin is crouching at your door.  It desires to have you, but you must master it.”  (Genesis 4:6)  How does what the Lord said to Cain apply to us today when we allow anger to fester? 

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Prayer: Reflecting specifically on this devotional, write out a prayer to God. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________