As we come to the end of our study it is important for us to consider the most important aspect of dealing with anger; forgiveness. There are two main concepts behind the words for forgiveness in the New Testament. The first is found in the word that is the primary word for forgiveness and is found in verses like Eph. 4:32. Take time to read that verse. The word forgive in this verse comes from a root that means “to release” or “to let go.” So to forgive someone is to let it go.
Think for a minute about your own experience of anger. How much of it is connected to issues that are just tough to let go?
The Bible is not advocating sweeping things that need to be dealt with under the rug, but rather encouraging us to not let them simmer and take root. Our mindset has to move away from revenge and to seeking reconciliation.
The second word is found in Col. 3:13. Take time to read that verse as well. The idea behind this word is to extend grace. The very act of forgiving means that we must show grace to others as God has toward us.
Who are the people in your life that you need to extend grace to? What steps are you willing to take to do this?
Anger, like all of the issues we have been studying, is something that is difficult to overcome. If you need help dealing with it, get help from a trusted friend, pastor, or counselor.
Finally, this whole study over the last few weeks began with asking God to give us the heart of Psalm 139:23-24. Take time to read those verses again and make them your prayer. Let’s trust God for the life change we all need as we seek to serve Him together.
In dealing with anger, the Scriptures give us several principles to guide us. The first of these is found in Jas. 1:19-20. Read through these verses now. James encourages us to be quick to listen. Many times our relational problems can be traced to misunderstandings. Many of these come out of our insistence on having our say rather than a willingness to listen.
Think through some recent situations in your life where you have been angry.
Was the communication poor? Do you ever start talking before the other person is finished?
How could your ability to listen have helped?
Our willingness to listen is in the end a matter of respect for others. As a first step, commit to being a good listener to someone today.
As we bring this current series to a close we focus on anger the last of our heart issues that we are seeking God’s help for. Anger is something that is familiar to us all as we experience some level of it almost every day. Looking at anger is complicated by the fact that there is both good and bad anger, righteous and unrighteous expressions of it. The word anger in Scripture is used far more times in conjunction with God than anyone else.
However, the Scriptures also paint a vivid picture of the destructiveness of anger in its darker forms. Take a minute to read the following verses: Prov. 22:24; Prov. 29:22; Prov. 30:33
Have you ever been the object of someone’s anger? How did it make you feel?
Can you think of some times when your anger affected others negatively? How did it affect those relationships?
Anger is indeed a destructive force and we have to deal with it. Over the next few days we look at some biblical principles that are designed to help us deal with it.
For today, spend sometime asking God to show you your anger and ask Him to help you begin to deal with it and move toward healing.
This final look at the subject of greed and generosity takes us to Paul’s instructions of what to do with what we have. In 1 Tim. 6:17-19 he gives instructions for those who are rich in this present world. Now, I do not consider myself rich, but in all honesty, with some important exceptions, we in the US have far more than most people in the world. Almost all of us have some measure of abundance and many have quite a lot. About all this Paul says some very simple, but pointed things,
Don’t put your hope in money, but in God.
Do good. And by this he means be rich in good deeds and to be generous.
That’s it. That’s how to manage our stuff. If we move away from being consumers and hoarders toward being investors in others we will protect ourselves from the traps that the pursuit of material things bring.
Take time to think through all the ways you give to others. What would help you do more?
What would you have to change about your life in order to be freer to be generous?
Make a commitment to change one thing in your life this week that would allow you to be a blessing to others.
Can you imagine the difference we could make if we all moved toward these goals?
In all areas of life, God tries to teach us to trust Him. How we handle possession, what we have and what we don’t have, is one of the areas that God uses most to build this trust. In 2 Cor. 9:6-8 Paul reminds us that giving is tied to trust. Take a few moments to read through the passage and consider these principles:
The size of our blessing is related to the size of our trust.
Giving must come out of a joyful heart, not because you are being forced to.
God is not only the supplier of what we need, but what we give.
Now think through your own giving patterns. Do you calculate what you give according to what you think you can afford or according to what you think God is leading you to give?
Do you give because you feel like you have to, or does it come out of a joyful desire to help?
How does the way you give reflect the level of your trust in God?
As we have been saying, God is not interested in our money. He cares about our hearts. He invites us to develop hearts of trust, because in trusting Him we find the real life we are looking for.
In 2 Cor. 8 & 9 Paul addresses the issue of having a generous heart. He begins by using some churches in the area that were really “getting it” as an example (2 Cor. 8:1-7). These were people who were themselves poor monetarily, but were eager to give to those in need. Paul describes them as people who:
Gave themselves first to the Lord
Gave what they could afford and even more
Begged to participate in giving
Did it all with great joy
What an amazing example. Take a few moments and look back over these qualities. For each, ask yourself if this reflects your heart as well. If not, what kinds of things make it hard?
Paul ends this paragraph with the words “see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” Giving is a grace, something God gives us the ability to do. How might looking at giving as a grace change your attitude and practice?
Let’s pray that God would form us into the kind of people who can be examples to others of what it means to give ourselves first to the Lord.
Jesus taught that the key to understanding a person’s heart was to “follow the money.” Whatever we invest in becomes the focus of our heart, thus how we think about and use our possessions is important. Jesus is not interested in our money, though, he is interested in our hearts.
The apostle Paul confronts this issue as well in several places, perhaps the most quoted (and misquoted, too) being 1 Tim. 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Take a few minutes to read the whole paragraph in which this verse is found, 1 Tim. 6:6-10.
Paul has been instructing Timothy on how to deal with some false teachers who have infiltrated the church and were leading people astray. One of the things they were doing was trying to get rich off their ministry. Into this Paul warns of the snare of making money our focus.
What does Paul say about contentment?
How is the pursuit of riches a temptation and a trap?
What are some of the ways people find “ruin and destruction” as they pursue money? Who and what are some of the collateral damage when we do?
Finally, think for a few moments about your own life. Would you describe yourself as content? Why or why not?
Can you think of examples in your own life where you are or have suffered consequences because of misplaced priorities in this area?
We live in a culture that is driven by consumption and fed by the constant notion that there are things and/or experiences tha,t if we can just get them, our lives will be better. Let’s pray that God will give us a new vision of what true contentment is and how to find it in him.
Most of us would not characterize ourselves as greedy, but in reality we all wrestle with that desire for more, that sense that if I just had a little more life would be better. We also struggle with protecting our “stuff,” thinking that if we don’t somehow we’ll lose it or someone will take advantage of us. All of this betrays our basic lack of faith that God is our provider.
The parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21 is the story of Jesus teaching an inquirer that life is not about his possessions. At the center of the parable the rich fool plans to build bigger and bigger barns so he can store his stuff. This hoarding reflects that all he cares about is himself and his own prosperity.
Our challenge for today is to think about how we store up stuff. Take a few minutes to walk around your house or office. What do the things that you have reflect about you and your priorities? If an outsider walked through your house what conclusions would they draw about you based on your possessions?
When you think about what you have do you think of it as things you have earned or things that God has blessed you with?
Re-thinking our stuff is an important step in getting a hold on greed and freeing ourselves up to bless others. Building on this, the next few days we will look at ways our attitude toward what we have can either bind us or free us to know and serve God better.
As we come to the end of our “week of thanksgiving,” we have been trying to move our focus away from our disappointments with our lives and onto the many ways God has and is blessing us. At the end of the day, we must trust in the goodness of God and his good and righteous intentions for us. He is committed to us and that makes all the difference.
Take a few moments to read Psalm 100. It is a wonderful summary of all we have been focusing on. Notice that the Psalmist encourages us to worship because:
Jehovah is God
He is our creator
We are his people
He is good
His love endures forever
His faithfulness lasts through all generations
With a God like this, we are truly blessed.
As continue our focus on thanksgiving this week, I want to encourage you to spend some time practicing by using a pattern found in Psalm 136. In that Psalm there is an ongoing list of things about God and what He had done for His people. Each statement is followed by the refrain his “love endures forever.” The word for love here points to God’s covenant love for His people. Take time to read through this Psalm, noting the things that the Psalmist is thankful for.
Now make a list of things you are thankful for with the refrain “his love for me endures forever” following each item.
This exercise in Psalm writing can help us focus on two important things. First, God is and has done amazing things for us. Second, he is committed to us with covenant love. As we compose our Psalms, my prayer is that we will grow in our thankfulness and in our faith. For the really bold, how about posting some of your thoughts on this blog for others to read!
RSS Feed