Today's Thought - Anger

Ephesians 4:26-27, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

An author for “Readers Digest” writes how he studied the Amish people in preparation for an article on them. In his observation at the school yard, he noted that the children never screamed or yelled. This amazed him. He spoke to the schoolmaster. He remarked how he had not once heard an Amish child yell, and asked why the schoolmaster thought that was so. The schoolmaster replied, “Well, have you ever heard an Amish adult yell?” (Source: “Counter Attack,” Jay Carty, Multnomah Press, 1988, p. 41ff).

Anger can often get the best of us at times. Things don’t go our way, we react harshly, and tempers rage. Sometimes we justify our anger too. We feel hurt, someone didn’t treat us right, we want revenge, and we let that anger soak into our heart and consume us. While it may feel right to hold onto anger, God commands us, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

Oftentimes, Ephesians 4:26 is applied to married couples in resolving disputes before the day is done, but God makes no specifications for who should let go of anger. This verse applies to everyone. God simply tells us to resolve our anger and not carry it over into the next day. Everything in you wants to throw the coal (make right the wrong) but the hot coal of anger is going to hurt you more than it hurts the one who wronged you.

Ask God to reveal any hurtful feelings and seek His help in offering forgiveness to those who wrong you. Giving forgiveness rather than getting revenge is only done through God’s help.