July - 23
A DEADLY SIN: ANGER
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. Ephesians 4:26
The Bible gives us permission to be angry. But it also suggests that anger can easily lead to sin—and we may not let that happen. Anger must be kept on a short leash.
Some anger is appropriate. I become angry if someone steals my car, hurts my child, or perverts justice. Like God himself, we grow angry at injustice, prejudice, and evil. But unlike God, our anger can quickly boil over and destroy relationships if we don’t deal with it appropriately and eliminate it promptly.
For one thing, anger can build barriers between me and someone else. When I’m angry with someone, it’s harder for me to be loving or fair or careful. So God counsels us to pay attention to the time limits he sets on anger and to deal with it by day’s end. That means I may not just become angry with you; I need to talk with the person I’m angry with and, “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), try to work things through.
In addition, anger is not just about my relationship with someone else; it’s about me. When I allow anger to become my default response to irritation, when I hold a grudge or nurse resentment, when in my anger I push people away, then I need to examine myself in light of what God has said in his Word. Unchecked anger that turns to bitterness and an unforgiving spirit gets between God and me.
PRAYER
Dear God, anger is a powerful but scary emotion. Please heal any wounds I may bear be¬cause of someone else’s anger, and help me to root out wrongful anger in my heart. Amen.
圣经允许我们生气，但同时指出，生气可能会很容易导致犯罪—— 我们切勿落到这个地步；我们必须谨慎驾驭怒气。
生气有时是合宜的；若有人偷了我的车，伤害了我的孩子，或歪曲了公义，我便会生气。像神一样，我们会因见到不公、偏见，和邪恶而生气，但我们与神不一样，我们若不小心处理怒气和及时消除它，转眼间我们便会怒气沸腾和破坏人际关系了。
怒气会在我和别人中间筑起一道墙，当我向某人发怒时，我很难再以爱心、公平，和谨慎待他。所以神劝戒我们，要留意生气是有时间限制的，我们要在日落之前处理及解决怒气。意思是说，我不可只是生气，我需要跟令我生气的人谈谈，「用爱心说诚实话」（以弗所书4:15），来尝试解决问题。
此外，生气不但影响我与别人的关系，生气更影响我自己。我若因感到不高兴而经常发怒，我若怀恨在心或不停抱怨，我若因发怒拒人千里，我便需要根据神在圣经所说的话来自我省察了。未经化解的怒气使我们变得苦毒和不饶恕，它会成为我们与神之间的障碍。
祷告
亲爱的神，愤怒是有力但却令人产生提心吊胆的情绪。我若因别人的怒气受创伤，求祢医治，又求祢帮助我根除心中不应有的怒气。阿们。