Directing Our Emotions
A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back. Proverbs 29:11.
God’s anger is always just. Even His anger is righteous because it is directed solely against evil. Jesus forcefully drove out from the temple those who were callously making money (Matthew 21:12– 13). In much the same way, when we see children abused, we should speak out and pray that righteous anger will lead to solutions to protect the helpless. We must be careful, however, that our anger is not a cover for lovelessness or self- righteousness. Anger and bitterness (as well as hatred, jealousy, and resentment) aren’t identical, but they are closely related. Bitterness is anger gone sour, an attitude of deep discontent that poisons our souls and destroys our peace. Paul’s anger against Christians was replaced with a burning passion to spread the gospel. Peter’s anger was channeled into boldness for Christ. Our goal should be to reflect Christ in all that we do. The heart is the center of our emotions and the seat of decisive action. Our emotions can lie to us, and we need to check our emotions against the Word of God. While we strive to live as Jesus would have us live, He will help us direct our emotions. His great, all- prevailing truth stands for time and eternity.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-04-29 20:54:27.