“It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:5
Yesterday the international news was basically about people getting angry!
Love was missing. It often is in the news items.
Genuine love demonstrates restraint. It does not flare-up with the slightest provocation. It has created space for human mistakes. Moreover love can forget and if it cannot it resists bringing up past mistakes.
There are some incredible examples of love that are huge lessons for us all. If they can do this then surely we can also:-
- Eva Mozes Kor had forgiven the Angel of Death, Josef Mengele. However her adoption of the grandson of Rudolf Hoss, the SS Commander of Auschwitz, revealed genuine, extreme and sincere love. “I’m proud to be his grandmother. I admire and love him. He had the need of love from a family he never had.”
- Jung Jin-Wook and her husband had been Korean missionaries in Turkey since 2015, they were great evangelists. Then one day her husband, Kim, was attacked in the street whilst evangelising, he was fatally stabbed twice in the chest and once in the back. He was 41 years old. Later she wrote to her husband’s killer facing court: “I do not understand why you did this, but I cannot be angry at you. Many people want the court to give you a heavy punishment. But I and my husband don’t want this. We pray that you become worthy of heaven, because we believe in the worth of people. God sent his Son Jesus, who forgave those who persecuted him. We also believe in that and we pray that you would also repent of your sin.” It revealed genuine, extreme and sincere love.
- The horrendous picture of the naked girl in 1972 running for her life with the other children from the napalm bombs dropped in the Vietnam War went global. But so did her genuine, extreme and sincere love in 1996 at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C when she forgave the pilot who dropped the bomb.
These stories reveal:-
- Love conquering anger.
- Love letting go of the record keeping of wrongs.
Are you angry?
Remember this …
“Moses take the staff, speak to the rock and water will come out for the people.” That was the instruction but Moses was thoroughly tired of the people of God. He had justification to be angry. If only the Apostle could have told Moses beforehand that when angry, make sure you do not sin.
Moses took the staff and gathered the people at the rock. He looked at the people and something happened … anger came to the surface and he said “must we do this?” Of course the answer was “Yes because God told you to do this!” But Moses turned his attention from God and focused on the people. In anger he raised his arm and struck the rock twice.
This outburst of anger, of playing God, ended his destiny.
- Anger will keep you locked up until justice is done.
- Anger can lay undetected for a long period of time.
- Anger nullifies your position of being right.
Are you angry?
The Academy Award-winning movie Forrest Gump has been viewed by millions. There is a line worth noting. The scene has one of the central characters, Jenny, returning to her old home after her father has died. The old farm house is dilapidated and abandoned. As she reflects on the sexual abuse that she endured as a child, she is overcome by rage and begins throwing rocks at the house. The photography is powerful as it shows her rapidly reaching for rocks and then violently throwing them at the house. Jenny finally falls to the ground in exhaustion and the scene closes with Forrest Gump sympathizing, “Sometimes there just aren’t enough rocks.” Many of us struggle with anger. It can stem from a variety of reasons, and some anger seems very justifiable. Yet, unresolved anger leaves us reaching and crying out for more rocks. The rage is never satisfied, and contentment is never found. Through the power of Christ we can find the strength to speak into the solution and not strike the problem. Moses struck the rock as if he was striking the people.
How you get your results is very important. Did you do it God’s way or your own way?
Some leaders bully their congregations and berate them from the pulpit for all kinds of reasons. Little do they know that their people may arrive in the promises of God but they themselves may not.
How is always more important.
Are you angry? Let it go today.
It’s not worth it.
It’s far better to not be angry because sin and stupid decisions are not far behind. The tie seller in the desert is the best example of this.
A man was dying in the desert. As he stumbled over a sand dune he was greeted by a man selling ties. The dehydrated man begged for water, but the salesman said he only had ties. In frustration and anger the weakened man continued on his journey for survival. In an hour he reached an isolated restaurant in the middle of the desert. Was it a mirage? As he drew closer, he saw it was real. He was ecstatic. With renewed energy he ran for the door. He was stopped at the entrance by a security guard who denied him entry. The guard said, “I’m sorry, sir, but you need to wear a tie to eat here.”
Be careful: what you may be angry at today could make perfect sense tomorrow.
Missions Paul 