January 8, 2024
I Have Every Right to Be Angry!
Our lesson in Sunday school yesterday was about anger. Anger is something almost everyone struggles with. We get angry at other drivers, angry when our technology doesn't work, angry with friends and family members if they don't do what we think they should do. It's very easy to become angry. Jesus gave us an example of righteous anger in Matthew 21:12 when He overthrew the moneychangers. However, it is very rare that any of us have righteous anger. Most of our anger is sin.
God has been dealing with anger in my life for a long time. Over the years He has shown me that my anger is the result of my pride. In Proverbs 6:16-19 God lists the seven sins He hates the most. The first one listed is pride. So, if anger is a manifestation of pride, it means that God hates my anger.
When I become angry at other drivers, it's showing my pride. When I become angry at my computer, it's showing my pride. But wait! You may be asking yourself how becoming angry with my computer is prideful. It's because I think I know better than God does. You see, God is in control of everything. In Matthew 10:29-31 it tells us that God knows how many hairs are on our heads. I've always believed that if people in the Bible knew about molecules, the Bible would say that God knows and controls what every molecule in our bodies is doing at every moment. There is no limit to God's knowledge and power.
If He knows what everything is doing at every moment and controls it, it means He has complete control over my computer. So when something doesn't work right on my computer, He is in control of that. When I become angry about it, I'm actually angry with God, who is in control. When I'm angry because I'm stuck in traffic, I'm angry with God who controls it. Since God controls everything, whenever I'm angry, I'm angry with God.
Anger isn't just a minor sin; it's a manifestation of the sin that God hates most. Therefore we need to confess it as such and pray for God's victory over it. I still get angry many times when I shouldn't. However, God has helped me to be angry much less than I used to be. It helps if I remember that He's in control when something is frustrating me and causing me to be angry. When I remember He's in control I can put the anger aside and recognize that He is working in my life, to conform me to the image of His Son. Romans 8:28-29 says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Next time you are angry, remember that God is in control and is working in your life, to conform you into the image of His Son. Instead of becoming angry, thank Him for working in your life.
