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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

“When anger rises, think of the consequences.”

– Confucius

 

God created you on purpose and with a purpose; you are here to do something specific and unique. You are unlike anyone else. God wants to use a combination of the good, bad, and yes even the ugly stuff, and weave it in such a way that it blesses the lives of many people. For this reason, there is nothing more satisfying than walking in God’s divine purpose for our lives. Having said this, it is also true, that there is nothing more gut wrenching, emotionally charged, or challenging as walking in God’s purpose for our lives.

 

Take a moment and imagine what it must have been like for Nehemiah. He gave up his plush and luxurious position as one of the King of Persia’s most important men and risked it all to go to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls. Envision Nehemiah casting his vision to the people of Jerusalem. Think of all those people sacrificing their very livelihood by temporarily putting on hold all their duties and responsibilities just to volunteer and become part of the project to rebuild the city walls. They even set their businesses aside to engage in this endeavor. Can you imagine what it must have felt like to Nehemiah when he discovered that these volunteers were being robbed of their properties, their businesses, and even their children? Can you imagine the anger Nehemiah must have felt when he discovered the abuse came from the officials and noblemen of Jerusalem? These were the ones who were supposed to watch out for the people of Jerusalem.

 

Nehemiah 5:6-7 NLT

When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials.

 

I believe most of us would agree, that some of the most regrettable words we have ever spoken, were spoken in anger. Likewise, some of our most regrettable actions more than likely resulted from a moment of anger. One seldom hears the words “anger” and “thinking” in the same sentence. What one usually hears is: I was angry and acted without thinking. Or, I was so angry, I did not know what I was thinking. Nehemiah was so angry that he decided to think before speaking or taking action. I believe that James the brother of Jesus said it best when he wrote the following words: “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” – James 1:19-20 NLT