Anger is an interesting emotion. I’m sure you can all relate to it. All of us have experienced anger at one time or another. Jesus speaks to us about it in the context of murder. While expounding on the law he says in Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, you fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”
The courts can only judge our actions. But God judges our hearts. There will be a heavenly court which looks beyond behavior to motive and thoughts. That’s a frightening thought for most of us. I’ve seen God’s court at work in my heart in the here and now also. I don’t know what you’ve learned about anger, but I’ve learned that there is a price to pay for feeding on anger.
Frederick Buechner wrote, “Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back—in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.”
I don’t know who said it, but I’d agree that “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
Chuck
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:3