Trenton Bulletin 11 March 2001

Be Angry And Sin Not (Gene Frost)

Over the years, we have witnessed some short tempers in our busy traffic, and some wild and foolish driving as a result of it. Just this morning, as I stood by the side of the road, I saw a driver apparently irritated when the car in front of him slowed down. He floored the accelerator, his tires squealed, and as the car lunged forward it jumped a low curb. With one set of wheels on the pavement and the other off the road, the car passed the one ahead of him midst flying rocks and a cloud of smoke. The result: he reached the stop sign at the end of the block perhaps a second earlier.

We all see these things, and perhaps even find ourselves in the seat of the one who is irritated. And what does it profit? Perhaps we react in anger, and gain a second. Or, lose a life!

How foolish we feel when the emotion of the moment subsides and we realize how unkindly, and even dangerously, we have reacted. And foolish we should feel, because foolishly we reacted. This should tell us something. How well do I have myself under control? What does it tell others of my character and ability to cope with problems? Someone has observed, "The emptier the pot, the quicker it boils." So watch your temper.

Yes, anger makes of men what reasonably the would not want to be. No one can be reasonable and lose control in anger at the same time. Anger is a wind that blows out the light of the mind. In anger men do unreasonable and evil things. And so the Psalmist declares, "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil" (Psalms 37:8).

Certainly things occur which disturb us, things not to our liking, and a flush of anger is experienced. The problem is the second reaction. Do we control the emotion, or does the emotion control us?

"Be angry, and sin not," Paul advises the Ephesians; "Let not the sun do down upon your wrath" (Ephesians 5:26). Anger harbored is self-destructing. It is a work of the flesh which comes under condemnation of God (Galatians 5:19-21). "Wherefore," James writes, "let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God" (James 1:19,20).

It is better to keep a cool head and have a warm heart than to be a hot head and rob the heart of its love and concern and consideration of others. Think about it.

Biblical Passages On Anger

"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." Proverbs 15:1

"He that is slow to anger is better than the might; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city" Proverbs 16:32

"The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression." Proverbs 19:11

"Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools." Ecclesiastes 7:9

"The simple believeth every word: but the prudent [man] looketh well to his going. A wise [man] feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident. [He that is] soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated. The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge." Proverbs 14:15-18

"It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman." Proverbs 21:19

"Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul." Proverbs 22:24,25

"A stone is heavy, and the sand is weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than both." Proverbs 27:3

Other Thoughts On Anger

For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Anger blows out the lamp of the mind. (Robert G. Ingersoll)

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bend out of shape. (Michael McGriff)

Getting angry can sometimes be like leaping into a wonderfully responsive sports car, gunning the motor, taking off at high speed and then discovering that the brakes are out of order. (Maggie Scarf)

The greatest remedy for anger is delay. (Lucius A. Seneca)

Speak when you are angry ... and you will make the best speech you'll ever regret. (Unknown)

The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns yourself more than him. (Chinese proverb)

To rule one's anger is well; to prevent it still better. (Tryon Edwards)

He best keeps from anger who remembers that God is always looking on him. (Plato)

Closed Minds (E. Glen Barnhart)

Have you ever changed your life when you saw it needed changing? Suppose you had a bad habit that was ruining your healthy, so, you completely reversed your eating or smoking or drinking habits to save your life. This is what is called "conversion." It is a changing of your thinking and living.

And while a conversion of our lives is good in order to save our physical life, the most important conversion you can make is that of your spiritual life. Jesus talked to many people in His day who needed converting. For instance, when He spoke to the proud and stubborn Pharisees, He told them: "For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." (Matthew 13:15)

These people had closed their eyes, ears and hearts to seeing, hearing, and understanding the truth that Jesus was teaching. They were set in their religious traditions and refused to change or be converted. The Pharisees loved the religion they were in, and didn't want to be bothered. They were comfortable. The truth made them uncomfortable, so they just shut their eyes, ears and heart to it. In short, they refused to be converted. And the result? They lost their souls.

What about you, my friend? Are you comfortable in the knowledge you have about the truth of God? If you hear truth taught from God's word that you had not previously known or practiced, would you be willing to change? If not, then you are among that crowd that Jesus said would not be converted and saved. Please don't ever quite studying and learning and changing when you see you are wrong. Be converted to the truth by studying diligently your Bible each day.

"These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11)

 Time Is

Time is like a river made up of events which happen, and its current is strong; no sooner does anything appear than it is swept away, and another comes in its place, and will be swept away too. (Marcus Aurelius)

You will never FIND time for anything: If you want time you must make it (Charles R. Buxton)

As one scholar aptly put it, in many non-western cultures they don't tell you what time it is: they tell you what kind of time it is. (Thomas Cottle)

TIME IS: Too slow for those who wait, Too swift for those who fear, Too long for those who grieve, Too short for those who rejoice. But for those who love - time is not. (Henry Van Dyke)

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. (Rabindranath Tagore)

Take time to be holy, Speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, And feed on His word. Make friends of God's children; Help those who are weak, Forgetting in nothing His blessings to seek. (W. D. Longstaff)