And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27
During the weekend message, we were reminded that anger is a God-given emotion. The anger we feel is not a sin. It is our response to our anger that can lead to sin if we are not careful. Some of the anger we feel is righteous anger. Righteous anger, we also learned during the weekend message, is directed against sin and pain in the world that breaks God’s heart. God places righteous anger in our hearts so that we will do something about the circumstances and sins that break God’s heart. If we ignore the righteous anger that we feel, we will miss the opportunity to be a part of making a difference in those areas where we feel righteous anger.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians chapter 4 that anger is not a sinful emotion, but what we do with that emotion can lead to sin. In this passage of Scripture, he wrote, "Don't sin by letting anger control you" (verse 26). When we feel angry, we can control our anger or let anger control us. When we let anger control us, we often sin. When we control our anger, we can take steps to fight against the things that we feel angry about. After all, there are many things that we may feel righteous anger about. We might feel righteous anger when people are mistreated, when we see others suffering, or when relationships are broken. All of these things break God's heart and should break our hearts too. Our anger should compel us to act. It should compel us to do something about the things we feel angry about so that we can play a part in making things right.
During His ministry on earth, Jesus gave an example of what it looks like to show righteous anger. In John 2, Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem and found Himself deeply angry at what He found. He saw “merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; He also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money” (verse 14). The merchants and tax collectors whom Jesus saw were taking advantage of people and turning the temple into a marketplace, and this produced righteous anger in Him. As a result, He "made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the temple" (verse 15). Jesus made it clear that this activity was wrong and He did something about it. He got rid of all of the money changers and merchants and told them to leave the temple.
Jesus' righteous anger led Him to act, and our righteous anger is also meant to compel us to action. As His followers, we get to play a role in making things right when we witness injustice, sin, and suffering. May we all be people who honor God by the way we respond to the righteous anger He places on our hearts.
What righteous anger has God placed on your heart? Maybe you are heartbroken at the poverty you have seen around you. Perhaps you are burdened by the people around you who do not know Christ. Perhaps you are burdened by conflict that has occurred in your life. Whatever righteous anger God has placed in your heart, take a step today to be a part of making things right. Ask God to help you as you take steps to make a difference in the brokenness you see around you.
John 2:13-22
13 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. 14 In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
17 Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.”
18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”
19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” 21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.
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