Be Angry
“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” Ephesians 4:26-27
Insight
What if I told you that the God of the universe allows you to be angry? Now, that doesn’t mean we should go and change our One Word for the year to anger. But instead, it’s an invitation to unpack our anger.
Anger is an incredible emotion. It influences the body and mind of a human being. Some people get angry without any effort while others seem to never even know anger. But ultimately, everyone has a capacity for anger.
Jesus recognizes our anger, and to a certain degree He can relate. Unfortunately, I have seen many Christ followers use anger as a justification for behavior that hurts others. So, to get an idea of justified anger as Christ followers, we should look at Jesus.
Jesus had a few moments of anger recorded by some well-known eyewitnesses. The most famous moment was when Jesus cleared the temple of moneychangers (John 2:13-22). There were some other moments that Jesus was recorded as being angry at the way Pharisees viewed and treated the people around them (Mark 2).
It is clear is that Jesus expressed anger when people were being mistreated and taken advantage of. Jesus looked at the injustices in the world and the mistreatment of others and it made Him furious because He loved every single person.
A staggering reality though is that while others being hurt made him angry, being crucified did not. Jesus was mocked, spit on, hit, and everything in-between, yet showed no rage or anger towards those causing him pain. So, that should make us reconsider what truly deserves our anger.
Jesus had an anger fueled by the love for His children. The way Jesus lived regarding anger demonstrated that no matter what bad things happened to Him, He would maintain composed, but the moment someone mistreated someone else, Jesus’ anger came alive. And even better, Jesus’ anger did not result in bloody lips and passive posts on social media; Jesus’ anger resulted in stepping towards the mistreatment and speaking out against the oppressors.
Jesus knew what you and I learn as we continue to go through life: unaddressed anger leads to someone getting hurt. Anger blocks our ability to operate logically and that often leads to hurting someone or ourselves. Hurting someone God loves, whether it is yourself or someone else, is sin. For clarity, a tough conversation to address someone causing you harm is not sin, that is relationship. But, if your anger leads you to belittling or attacking someone for what they have done, then as Paul says, you are giving the enemy an opportunity.
While we will all continue to wrestle with anger in our lives, our verses today should give us hope that we can surrender our anger to God. Paul wrote to not let the sun go down on our anger. God’s mercies are new every day. If we take anger to sleep with us, guess what will be waiting for us in the morning? That is right, anger. But, have you ever started your day off with mercy? Now, that is a great start to any day.
Jesus wants our healthy anger to fuel tough conversations so we can love people more than ever. And at the end of the day, let’s lay our anger down and exchange it for mercy.
Reflection
What relationship do you have with anger? Is anger in control of you, or do you have control of it?
Could you benefit from surrendering that anger to Jesus, and letting Him exchange it for mercy?
Prayer
Father, thank you for sending Jesus to be my Rescuer. I needed rescue from the things that try to take over my life, and anger can try to take over. Help me to fuel and see my anger as an avenue of relationship and love rather than destruction. May I model Your heart towards others and care for them when the tensions are high. Thank You for Your new and daily mercies Father, and I pray in Your name, Amen.
Port City writer Davy Nance wrote today’s devotional.