ANGER!
ANGER!
ANGER!
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The world is full of it. We're usually full of it too. We fly off the handle about the slightest things, let rage simmer in our big cauldrons, and wear offenses on our sleeves.
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Road rage, parent rage, teen rage, marital rage...Not a segment of society escapes it.
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The uncomfortable truth is that there are only 2 kinds of anger: righteous or selfish. Now I just heard every one of you rush to the righteous side and fold your arms, daring me to disagree. We usually consider our rage righteous. After all, that's why we're mad, right? Because we're right! Didn't Jesus get angry? So we're being just like Jesus.
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The Bible records several instances where Jesus was angry, but each time, it wasn't about him. He was angry at the hardness of people's hearts, at thieves making a mockery of his Father's house, and at the legalists trying to rewrite salvation.
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But for us... ?
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Anger flares when we perceive our needs are not being met by the people or situations that we believe should meet them. Your pride is trampled. You feel unloved, unappreciated, unwelcome.
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But anger left unresolved becomes a part of you. That's one reason Scripture advises us not to let the sun go down on our wrath. Who wants to try to go to sleep like that?
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Anger is God-given energy to resolve conflict. But if we can't resolve the conflict, what do we do with the anger?
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Humankind has come up with all kinds of things to do with it: violence, lying, cheating, abuse, depression. None of those has a good result. Angry responses breed more anger.
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Fortunately for us, God has a giant storage tank just for our anger. It's called Grace and He can't wait for you to dump all your fury in there. He'll stir it around, mix it with a little mercy, a sprinkle of forgiveness, and bake it until all the passion evaporates.
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"'Vengeance is mine. I will repay,' says the Lord." He does a much better job than we can at evening the score. And when He handles it, you don't have to suffer the fallout.
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But His way of handling it usually looks a lot different from ours. "Do good to them who despitefully use you." "Love your enemies."
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Doesn't look much like vengeance, does it? What about a little fire and brimstone, Lord?
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Giving your anger to God means you take your hands off of it. All of it. The right to see justice done. The right to have personal satisfaction. The right to tell God how He ought to resolve this. You're leaving it totally up to Him and walking away.
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Sound painful? Uncomfortable? Like leaving unfinished business behind?
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It is. The same way you leave unfinished business when you see a rattlesnake curled in the grass. The way you drive out of your way to avoid massive road construction just ahead. Might be a little out of your way, a little frustrating, but well worth the effort.
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As Joyce Meyer puts it, "Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die."
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Your reward is that peace returns to your spirit. The poison is gone. You have room in your heart for all the joyful things God has for you.
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When you let go of it, God goes to work---and that jerk is God's problem now!
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