Daily Inspirational...

[Ambassador4Christ]

THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

Some three thousand years ago, and about one thousand years before Christ, the Psal-mist said:

"If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord who shall stand? But there is forgive-ness with Thee..." (Psa. 130:3,4).

The Psalmist did not explain, however, upon what basis a just and holy God could forgive a guilty sinner. This was to be proclaimed one thousand years later by the Apostle
Paul, himself once "a blasphemer, and a persecutor and injurious"; the "chief" of sinners, but forgiven and saved by the infin-ite grace of God (Tim. 1:13-15).

Preaching Christ at Antioch, in the province of Pisidia, Paul declared:

"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that THROUGH THIS MAN IS PREACHED UNTO YOU THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, AND BY HIM ALL THAT BELIEVE ARE JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS, FROM WHICH YE COULD NOT BE JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW OF MOSES" (Acts 13:38,39).

But even this does not fully answer our question, for we must still ask: On what basis does God forgive sins through "this Man"? The answer is: on the basis of His payment for our sins on Calvary’s cross. Thus the Apostle wrote to the Romans, explaining  how we may be...

"...justified freely by His [God’s] grace, THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS" (Rom. 3:24).

Now, thank God, through Christ’s finished work, there is not a sinner who needs to remain unforgiven, for:

"In [Christ] we have redemption, through His blood, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS ACCORD-ING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE" (Eph. 1:7).

By C.R. Stam
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Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Daily Inspirational

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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  

[Ambassador4Christ]

OUR ONLY BOAST


"God forbid that I should boast, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Gal. 6:14).

St. Paul was once a proud Pharisee, smug in his self-righteousness. In Phil. 3:5,6 he lists some of the things in which he took great pride:

"Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless."

But everything was changed since that day when the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus. Suddenly he had seen himself a lost, condemned sinner in the sight of a holy God and had tasted the matchless grace that could reach down from heaven and save even him. He knew now that he could not stand before God in himself, or "on his own two feet," as we say. His only safety, before the bar of God, was to take refuge in Christ, as he says in Verse 9:

"And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. "

Now he knew, as we all should know, that he really had nothing to boast of as far as his own standing before God was concerned. For the rest of his life, however, he did con-
stantly boast of one thing: the cross, where the Christ whom he had so bitterly persecut-ed had died for his sins that he (Paul) might be justified before God. All else of which Paul boasted was embraced in the cross of Christ.
This too, is really the only thing we have to boast of and the most godly saint will enthusiastically join Paul in saying:

"But God forbid that I should boast, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world."

By C. R. Stam
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Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Daily Inspirational

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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  

[Ambassador4Christ]

GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE





Have you ever considered carefully the opening words of the Bible? "In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth." Why doesn’t it simply say that God created the universe? Why the heaven and the earth?

As we go on reading we find the answer to this question, for the Bible clearly teaches that God has a twofold purpose; one having to do with the earth and the other with
heaven. The former is the subject of prophecy, while the latter is the subject of "the mystery," or secret, revealed to and through St. Paul. (See Acts 3:21; and cf. Rom. 16:25). The former concerns Israel and the nations, the latter "the Body of Christ," the Church of the heavenly calling.

Some people are surprised to learn that there is not one promise in the whole Old    Testament about going to heaven. There the whole outlook is earthly, with Messiah reigning as King (Jer. 23:5, et al). When our Lord appeared in the flesh the angels proclaimed "peace on earth" (Luke 2:14).
He Himself said that "the meek" should "inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5). He taught His disciples to pray: "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10). Even at Pen-
tecost Peter declared that after "the restitution of all things" God would send Jesus back to earth and the times of refreshing would "come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19-21).

Not until the raising up of Paul do we learn that now all believers in Christ are "baptized into one body" (1 Cor. 12:13), and Col. 1:5 and many other Pauline passages speak
of "the hope which is laid up for you in heaven." Indeed, before God believers are already given a position "in heavenly places" and are "blessed with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3; 2:4-7).

The prophecies regarding the kingdom, however, will still be fulfilled and Christ will reign on earth and bring the promised "times of refreshing." Thank God, this world will
not forever be a place of war and bloodshed, sickness and death, misery and woe. Indeed, at that time, heaven and earth will be opened to each other, and thus will be fulfilled God’s twofold purpose: "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him" (Eph. 1:10).

By C. R. Stam
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method,  and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people.

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Daily Inspirational

WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com

E-Mail GracentheTruth@aol.com

2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Ambassador4Christ]

That Precious Deposit

Scripture Reading:
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."
-- II Corinthians 4:7

The story is told of how a wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art.  They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael.  They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.  When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war.  He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing
another soldier.  The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.  About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door.  A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.  He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier
for whom your son gave his life.  He saved many lives that day, and he  was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly.  He often talked about you, and your love for art."

The young man held out his package.  "I know this isn't very much, I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."  The father opened the package.  It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man.  He stared in awe at the way the
soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting.  The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears.  He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.  "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."  The father hung the portrait over his mantle.  Every
time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the great works of art he had collected.

The man died a few months later.  Shortly thereafter, there was to be a great auction of his paintings.  Many influential people gathered,  excited over seeing the great paintings and having the opportunity to purchase one for their collection.  On the platform sat the painting
of the son.  The auctioneer pounded his gavel.  "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son.  Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence.  Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings.  Skip this one."  But the auctioneer persisted.  "Will someone bid for this painting?  Who will start the
bidding? $100, $200?"  Another voice shouted angrily.  "We didn't come to see this painting.  We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts.  Get on with the real bids!"  But still the auctioneer continued.  "The son!  The son!  Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room.  It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son.  "I'll give $10 for the painting."  Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.  "We have $10, who will bid $20?"  "Give it to him for $10.  Let's see the masters."  The crowd was becoming angry.  They didn't want the picture of the son.  They wanted the more worthy investments for their
collections.  The auctioneer pounded the gavel.  "Going once, going  twice, SOLD for $10!"  A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection."

The auctioneer laid down his gavel.  "I'm sorry, the auction is over."   "What about the paintings?"  "I am sorry.  When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.  Only the painting of the son would be auctioned.  Whoever bought that
painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.  The man who took the son gets every thing!"

God gave His Son 2000 years ago to die on a cruel Cross.  Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?"  Because, you see, whoever takes the Son inherits everything!

EARTHEN VESSELS

In biblical times earthen vessels were clay pots that had been thoroughly baked in an oven.  They were fraught with imperfections, which meant that no two were exactly alike.  Archeologists have discovered that those who lived during that period secretly buried their treasures in clay pots for safekeeping.  As we shall see, the master illustrator uses this facet of everyday life to illustrate a grand spiritual truth.

Those who have taken the Son are heirs, joint-heirs with Him.  As members of the Body of Christ, we are partakers of His glory, His  power, and His reign.  In short, we are the recipients of the wealth of heaven!  While the believing Gentiles will partake of the blessings of the kingdom, they were never promised to be heirs.  In the kingdom, heirship is a question of nationality.  In the present dispensation of Grace, heirship is based upon relationship.  We are one in Him.  Therefore, we have come into possession of what rightfully belongs to Him, and will share it mutually with Him for eternity (Rom. 8:17 cf. Eph. 3:6).

Today when men want to safeguard their riches they place them in vaults made of steel and concrete.  But God's ways are not man's ways. God has deposited the riches of His grace in earthen vessels.  We need not wait until we arrive in heaven to learn what we presently possess in Christ.  We have this treasure, that is, the gospel of the grace of God in earthen vessels.  Those who have been saved by grace are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies.  But what we
positionally enjoy in Christ must become a practical reality in the Christian experience if we ever hope to maintain a godly testimony among men.  For example, we are forgiven in Christ, but grace teaches us that we are to forgive others even as Christ has forgiven us.

But why would God place these unspeakable riches in such an unsecure place?  We are unworthy sinners, weak and frail, who have the sentence of death within us.  Perhaps the hymn-writer, Robert Robinson, has expressed it best, "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,  prone to leave the God I love."  The answer to the question is found in the latter part of our passage.  "That the excellency [exceeding greatness] of the power may be of God, and not of us."  While others usually think more highly of us than they should, essentially it is the power of God working through us that produces results in the
Lord's work.

Many years ago I was invited to minister the gospel at a Bible camp in the Rocky Mountains.  On the last evening, I spoke on "The Danger of Falling Into the Hands of An Angry God."  Earlier that day I hadn't been feeling well, due to altitude sickness.  In addition to being exhausted that night, I was short of breath.  At ten thousand feet it
doesn't take much to get winded.  I now understand why it took Moses so long to return from Mount Sinai with the tablets of stone.  He undoubtedly had to keep stopping on his way down to catch his breath!  As I arose to speak that evening I thought to myself, this is going to be an absolute disaster.  It was, or at least I thought it was, until
I learned two months later that an entire family was saved that night. Brethren, the gospel is the "power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Rom 1:16).
 
By Paul M. Sadler,
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method,  and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people.

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Daily Inspirational

WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com

E-Mail GracentheTruth@aol.com

2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Ambassador4Christ]

THE SAVIOUR SUPPLIES



“But my God shall supply all need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  (Phil. 4:19)


            There is no doubt that God knows everything.  This is hard for us to understand when we know so little. We think that God must attend to such large matters that pertain to this vast universe that He couldn’t be too concerned with our everyday needs.  The beautiful passage of Scripture in Matthew 6:25-34 shows the Lord’s deep concern and compassion for even the smallest detail of life.  He uses as examples, birds, flowers, and even the grass of the field.  Three times in these ten verses, He said, “be not anxious” and in another He asks the question, “Why are ye anxious?”  Why should we be anxious when He knows our needs?      

    When we see that God can provide our needs without our help, if He desires, it should make us thankful, trustful, and grateful.  Some have shown that the “toil not” and “spin not” of verse 28 could refer to the work of men and women, however, we could see that God can perform in anyone’s life that will trust Him.  Also, it must be seen that He knows our needs before they occur and before we know them!  God not only knows the future of Israel, the future of the nations, the future of the Body of Christ (the Church), the future of the devil, and the future of the heavens and the earth, He also knows the immediate need of every individual!        

   In order to let us know just how much He loves us, God send His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to this earth to live for us, die for us, and ascend to heaven for us.  It is wonderful to see that He showed Himself in the most common places—a stable, a wedding feast, the marketplace, the home, and in other places that were of common interest to people.  Today, though not here on earth in person, the Lord is with us in our work, our places of business, school, the home, the supermarket, and other places of interest to people.  He is with us in Church and Sunday School, but not there only.      

       Being with us in common places, He ministers to our common needs.  He considers the “outward man” and provides clothing for warmth and protection.  Everything we wear, including man-made materials, came originally from God’s provision in nature.  He knows that the stomach needs food.  Think of the vast amount of foodstuff there is in this earth!  The problem of hungry people is not in God providing, but in man’s distribution and misuse.  Above all, God provides for the “inward man” the spiritual food so necessary.  His wonderful Word is sufficient to provide for everything the believer needs!        

    The Lord Jesus, having been “tempted (tested) in all points like as we are, yet without sin,” can be with us in our common disappointments.  Hebrews 2:18 says,      
      “For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.”      

      The familiar account in John 21 of Peter and the disciples going fishing provides a remarkable example of the Lord’s interest in everyday affairs  Peter said, “I go a fishing.”  The others said,  “We also go with thee.”  The Bible tells us “that night they caught nothing.” What a common occurrence, but what a common disappointment.      

      Was the resurrected Christ interested?  Definitely and positively.  We are told that, “when the morning came, Jesus stood on the shore.”  He was interested and He was there.  He also understood that their common disappointment and satisfied their common need.  When they came to land they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.  Also, He said, “bring of the fish that ye caught.”  The net was full of 153 great fish and was not broken!      

      In conclusion, one more thing should be considered.  Why does God often provide more than we need?  We probably will never know the full answer here on earth, but some things are evident.  First of all, it is to show His great love for us.  It is an abundant love.  God loves us beyond our utmost comprehension.  That love cannot be measured. Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:17-19 that all saints may be able “to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge.”        

     Second, God wants us to share what we have with others.  Someone has aptly said, “If you want to be good to yourself, try being good to others.”  Not only should we have a good disposition to others, but there should be a good distribution to others.      

      Thirdly, God gives us abundantly to meet the needs of the future.  The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that the needs of the fallen man were taken care of for the morrow as well as his immediate need of medical attention.  When Jesus fed the five thousand with the five loaves and two fishes, we are told that “they did eat, and were all filled; and there was taken up of fragments that remained, twelve baskets”  (Luke 9:17).    

        Many today are disappointed when they cannot find salvation, rest, and peace for their troubled souls.  Some try to work for their own redemption, some turn to religion and join churches, some turn to worldly pleasure, drugs, including drinking, and some give up completely in total despair, despondency, and disappointment.        

      Can God meet this need?  Definitely and positively.  That’s precisely why Christ came to earth, died on the cross, and came forth from the grave.  He did all this in order for all humanity to be saved—for you to be saved!  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

by Charles Wages
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method,  and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people.

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Daily Inspirational

WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com

E-Mail GracentheTruth@aol.com

2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Ambassador4Christ]

The Ministry of Comfort








Scripture Reading:
"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort."- II Corinthians 1:3

Since the entrance of sin into the world, the way of man has been anything but easy.  Job seemed to have his finger on the pulse of the matter when he wrote, "... man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward."  It is interesting though, that when calamity strikes, men are quick to blame God, or to ask why He allows such occurrences in their lives.  But shall we blame God for what man has brought upon  himself?  God forbid!  Man is a product of his own folly.  "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

Some claim that if they had been back in the garden everything would have been different.  I certainly have no reason to doubt them.  In  all probability, they would have pushed Adam aside to reach the forbidden fruit before he did!  You see, God saw the entire human race in Adam, as only He could do.  So when Adam stretched forth his hand
to partake of the forbidden fruit, each of us were reaching for it as  well -- we are his posterity, thus we share in his guilt.  God could have condemned the whole human race to the Lake of Fire and have been perfectly justified in so doing.  Thankfully, we did not receive what we justly deserved, for "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy" (Psa. 103:.

HOW GOD COMFORTS US

"Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (II Cor. 1:4).

Here, of course, the Apostle refers to believers.  Our heavenly Father knows that we are frail creatures of dust, overwhelmed with sorrow, sickness and even death; not to mention the spiritual upheavals that come our way.  Always sympathetic to our plight, He walks with us every step of life's journey comforting us in all our tribulations.  The tribulation cited here by the Apostle Paul is not a reference to the Tribulation Period known as The Time of Jacob's Trouble.  Paul is speaking of the personal tribulations he had encountered due to spiritual conflicts and poor health.  Personal trials come in all forms: criticism, rejection, financial setbacks, sickness, bereavement, etc.

When sorrow overwhelms us like an ocean tide the Lord in His goodness is always present to comfort us in our time of need.  But exactly how does God comfort us in the dispensation of Grace?  We know for instance that the heavens are silent and that neither the Lord nor any of His angelic host visibly appear to minister to the saints today. During the administration of Grace the Lord, first of all, comforts us through His Word.

For example, some years ago death took my great-grandmother.  She always held a very special place in my heart and even to this day I get choked up sometimes when I think of her.  My sense of loss would be difficult to bear except for the consolation I have received from the Word of God.  The Lord has shown me that I need not sorrow as
others who have no hope.  Some day soon the trump will sound and the dead in Christ will be raised.  Then we will be caught up together with all those departed loved ones who were saved, and so shall we ever be with the Lord!  Little wonder Paul says, Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

Another way the Lord comforts us is by bringing someone into our lives at just the right moment to encourage us in those times of despair.  Surely we have a precedent for this in the life of Paul himself.  The intensity of the spiritual warfare at Ephesus and Macedonia had taken its toll on the Apostle, both physically and spiritually.  "Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus" (II Cor. 7:5-7).  The arrival of Titus was a direct result of Divine intervention to not only encourage Paul, but also that he might lend assistance in the work.

Finally, God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but rather that we might comfort others.  It has been given to us to carry on a
ministry of encouragement to those who are in any trouble.  Think of it, having already been the recipients of God's consolation, He uses us to put our arm around that dear Christian friend who is perhaps facing his first surgery and tell him, "we too had this same surgery a few years ago and the Lord saw us through it."  With hope we can face
any thing.  That's why God has revealed to us the Blessed Hope that one day soon we shall be with Him.  Truly He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.  AMEN!

By Paul M. Sadler
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method,  and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people.

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Daily Inspirational

WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com

E-Mail GracentheTruth@aol.com

2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Ambassador4Christ]

NOTE This is my last day on ChristianUnite.

Grace & Peace

Anger Management

"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil." -- Ephesians 4:26,27

Around the turn of the century, the Church was graced with an array of great preachers, but none were more tenacious and outspo-ken than Billy Sunday.  He seemed to have a way of driving home a point.  It is said that a woman once approached him after one of his meetings who was well known for her bad temper.  She sought to defend her actions by saying: "But Mr. Sunday, although I blow up over the least little thing, it's all over in a minute."  The evangelist            looked her straight i

n the eye

and said, "So is a shotgun blast!!  It's over in seconds,

too, but look at the terrible damage it can do."

God created us with a wide range of emo-tions, each of which serves a purpose. Yes, even anger can be good.  Contrary to popular opinion, anger itself is not sinful.  Notice how the apostle words his above statement, "Be ye angry, and sin not."  In essence, Paul is saying that we are well within our rights to be angry over an in-justice or unrighteous circumstances.

The recent debate over "partial birth abortion" is a good example.  We should   be incensed by "abortion" in general and horrified by "partial birth abortions" in particular.  Any procedure (usually perform-ed at 7 or 8 months gestation) that allows the infant's head to remain in the birth canal while the abortionist forces a surgical instrument into the base of the skull to suction out the little one's brains is nothing             short of first degree murder.  Here a right-eous anger is perfectly justified. In fact, there are scores of times in the Old Testa-ment where the anger  of the Lord is said to be kindled against His enemies (Num. 25:1-9;  Jer.12:13).

Surely our Lord is a prime example that anger itself is not necessarily sinful, for


He knew no sin.  Thus the Lord was well         within the

boundaries  of godly behavior when He exhibited a righteous anger toward those who   had made His Father's house a den of thieves (John 2:13-17).  In the future Tribulation Period those who reject God's anointed and worship the beast  and his image, "the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which  is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indig-nation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone" (Rev. 14:10).

Carefully note, Paul adds to the phrase "be ye angry" a warning, "and sin not."  Unbridl-ed anger can easily turn into a fit of uncon-trollable rage which normally leaves a path of destruction in its wake.  Unchecked, anger that overflows into resentment almost always results in some form of retaliation.  This may take the form of verbal attacks, threats, or even physical abuse.

In a worst case scenario, it is much like a volcano that builds pressure over a period of time and finally erupts.  Whenever you watch a news report of a lone gunman who enters his former place of employment with a semi-automatic weapon and kills his supervisor and three other fellow workers, you are witnessing the eruption of pent-up anger.  Another example is the believer  who allowed his anger to get the better of him and shot an abortion doctor outside a clinic down south.  With one pull of the trigger, this young man disgraced the name of Christ, labeled all Christians as radicals in the eyes of the world, destroyed his personal testimony, and ended up with life in prison.  These are both cases where anger spun out of control with tragic results.

How to Deal with Anger

We are living in a day when philosophy says, "express yourself openly,"  "tell it like it is," "open up," "let it all hang out." How-ever, the Scriptures counsel us to exercise restraint.  

The fruit of the spirit is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22,23).  As we walk by grace through faith, temperance will enable us to keep our  anger under control.  But how does this work out in a practical sense?  Those who fly off in a fit of rage permit their anger to take control of them. Consequently, the energy emitted from this emotion is usually misdirected at someone or some-thing.  Sinful anger tears down.  Thus, in the heat of the moment things are often said and done which cause irreparable damage to relationships.

Paul adds here in Ephesians, "let not the sun go down upon your wrath."  We should never allow our anger to simmer overnight.  This will only cause it to become more deeply seated.  "Neither give place to the devil" (Eph. 4:27).  You see, if you fail to handle things in the proper manner, you may well be giving Satan an opportunity to drive a deeper wedge in your relationships with others.  Surely, we are not ignorant of his devices.  Always remember, Satan is an  opportunist.


By Paul M. Sadler,
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