Tag: Slow to anger

Wisdom For Today

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Righteousness, Wisdom, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, September 20, 2023, and I was blessed to be at Dowling Park, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Amplified Bible (AMP) IS FOUND IN Proverbs 14:29-31;34;

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: 29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding [and profits from his self-control],
But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness [for all to see].
30 A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body,
But passion and envy are like rottenness to the bones.
31 He who oppresses the poor taunts and insults his Maker,
But he who is kind and merciful and gracious to the needy honors Him.
34 Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: Many turn to horoscopes, while some depend on positive thoughts of uplifting words from well-known speakers in their inbox to help inspire them to have a positive impact on others each day. But for the child of God, our Creator gave us a Book of Instruction to meet our every need in life. Few pastors and teachers tend to share the Proverbs, which leads me to think that many may tend to feel they are unimportant. But in providing His Word, I believe that God had us front and foremost in His mind for complete encouragement, healing and the kind of wisdom that only our Maker could give us as and when needed. Think on the Words inspired by our Master as we study these few verses from Proverbs today!

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: How often have you heard, or been guilty of saying, ‘where did he get that anger from’? Or perhaps you have gone on to liken a foolish or angry person to a relative who was also short-tempered, because you knew them to also act foolishly in stressful times! Some Bible translations used the word ‘stupid’ instead of ‘foolish’ in verse 29, but in either case I believe we can see more clearly why, when someone acts so irrational, they have allowed their anger to get the best of them. Friends, to correct this and help prevent this, I believe it would benefit us to stop and think about the source of peace in our lives. Surely it doesn’t come from the local bar, nor the crowds that hang out there. Nor does it come from the television where we tend to sit and ‘relax’ in front of at the end of our day, for it is obvious that movie producers are convinced that they must add violence, sex or sinful acts to a movie in order for it to be successful. Why even news channels seem to succeed from the hatred they spark from their one-sided reporting and repeating it constantly throughout the day by every reporter who has his/her own twist on what authorities must have intended by what they said or did. Verses 29 and 30 speak to the individual who has peace in their heart and is therefore able to control their emotions and reactions to life events. As already indicated, that peace comes from knowing God; being regularly reminded of how blessed we are to be a child of the King of all kings; and reenacting the love shown by Jesus when He willingly sacrificed His own life for our sin to enable our eternal destination in Heaven because of our submission to Him as Lord and Savior of our lives. After reading verse 31 in several translations, I better understood how the Holy Spirit is reminding us through Solomon that God created ALL mankind, so unless we treat EVERYONE like our Master’s son or daughter, we are insulting our Master. So many parents get hurt, angry, and are ready to fight if you say anything bad about their child – someone God created through them. Aren’t we really upsetting God when we push aside, ignore, and refuse to help one of His little ones in need of a hand-up? Friends, I am well aware of the abuse by many in trying to beg their way through life on a street corner, but let’s not use that for a crutch. There are many legitimate cases where people are suffering because of certain circumstances that have devoured their lifesavings and they just need help to make it through one more day. As a child of God, let us see the poor man or woman that God caused our path to cross with, also as a child created by our God. I believe I would be spot on if I predicted how most who meditate on this devotional today would respond to an individual who questioned us about the sinful state of our country. Wouldn’t we fault the bad politicians; or those with addictive drug or alcohol abuse; or those who commit other sinful acts, as the cause of our country’s downfall? But I believe the question I would end with today may sum up the last verse above: If every ‘Christian’ we know was to live as righteous as God expects of us, wouldn’t our country be exalted, just as the proverb says? Let’s not point fingers dear friends, until the one whose finger is pointed back at them, is truly living a noble and obedient life that is pleasing to Almighty God.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: There’s no need to purchase another inspirational book, or join another Bible study, or change churches in order to hear the Word preached more clearly. It’s all in the Book – God’s Word – the Bible; let’s just increase our desire to know Him better, and through meditating on His Word more regularly, let’s make every effort to draw closer to God, so that He would draw even closer to us. Let’s aim at mirroring all that our Master did so that we might look and sound like Him to a lost world!

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord, I am thankful that You created me, died and rose again for my sin, and gave me Your Word to guide me while here on earth being bombarded by Satan and his court. Please give me the desire to make a daily diet of delving into Your Word so that I might behold all that You would say to me for correction, encouragement and for living a life that is pleasing to You. Thank You for placing me where I’m at, and meeting everyone that I do, even with their needs and quirks that may seem challenging to me. I accept this as my mission and ask that You work powerfully through me to bless others and help them see You more vividly each day. May my audience also be touched by Your Word, not just what I had to say. I ask that You draw us close to You Lord, so that our land might become more righteous, especially when Your children reveal their righteousness before those in need of a Savior. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home nearby your home and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Anger Does Not Promote Righteousness

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Righteous, Righteous Living, Righteousness, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-10-20
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: James 1:19-20
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

BIBLE TEXT: 19 Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry. 20 For man’s anger does not promote the righteousness God [wishes and requires].

OBSERVATION: In the Bible there is a challenge that states ‘the innocent should throw the first stone at a man being charged by them.’ That is a reminder today as we look at these verses, for we all become angry at some point in our lives, and we act in ways that later cause us shame. Anger is an emotion built into humans by God, but like with anything else in life, how we use that emotion makes all the difference in the world. Join me as we meditate on this as part of our devotional today.

APPLICATION: As we begin the study, let me encourage you to stop and ponder the times that you’ve seen others react to something in a state of rage, or anger. More than lightly it was ugly, and you probably wished several times that you would never embarrass yourself quite like that, correct? Why? Because it often brings out the worse in us, regardless of who we are, or what commitments we have made to God, to therapists, to family or to friends, that we would always try to deter anger before it controls us. What has been some of the results of anger? Fights, murder, not speaking to that person again, finding it impossible to show love towards that person, etc. So why do you think it was so important for God to have Paul share this word with us about this awful reaction? I believe that God draws us unto Himself, so that we might commune with Him; so that we might learn from His Word with our minds centered on Christ; so that we might imitate His reactions to life as recorded in His Word. Let’s remember, we were created in His image so that we might become like Him through faithful obedience to His teachings and commandments. Things that enable a close relationship is best for the believer. However, things that distract from our new desire to follow Jesus and be like Him, are often directed by the evil one so that our fellowship with God might be broken, or at least seriously fractured. Furthermore, God intended for us to show the world proof of who we believe in. When we do that, the world is comparing us to their image and not their expectations of a holy God. Although it is recorded of a time that Jesus became angry, it was considered a righteous anger, as He could not believe the neglect and disrespect as He saw what the merchants were doing in the temple courtyard. In our Scripture today we are told that this awful emotion does not promote the righteousness of God. So if we are trying to live a life that looks like our Master and Lord, we truly mess up when we allow anger to show its ugly head in our actions. I love how the Word tells us to accomplish a character that will promote our Lord: Be quick to listen – a ready listener. So many family and friends just need someone that they could talk to, without judging them or becoming angry at them; Slow to speak – We have two ears and just one mouth. It would make sense that we should listen twice as much as we speak. Waiting for the other person to have their full say on something might have a drastic influence on what we say in response to them; Slow to take offense – When someone is giving their opinion, it is exactly that. It may not be the same opinion to which we uphold, but they are sharing their mind with us. Take no offense to that, because everyone is entitled to their own opinion; Slow to become angry – Knowing that God knows the heart and mind of each person, should satisfy us. He will deal with that person in all righteousness – even in their unrighteous actions. It’s not our job to angrily react to what they believe. Remember, our job is to remain righteous, and promote the righteousness of God! The ‘other’ person may not even be a Christian. Will they see the righteousness of God in our reaction, or will they see that we are just as bad as the rest of their worldly friends?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, this is a topic that most of Your dear children battle with. I am definitely not exempt from showing my anger, and I apologize for failing to represent You well in those times. Unless the unsaved see the righteousness of God in our actions and reactions, they may struggle to see Jesus here on earth. Please Lord, promote within us a righteous mind, and cleanse our hearts so that our lips will only spew out the righteousness of our heart. May others be encouraged to accept You as Lord, because they had an encounter with us. Oh that You may be glorified today, even through Your saints on earth who strive to live like You taught us to. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!