Tuesday, July 16th, 2019

Anger is a drug; it is both addictive and corrosive to our hearts, minds, and spirits. Even though harboring anger is harmful to us, when we allow it to live within us, we crave more. There is a sustained level of anger across the nation today that was formed because of political differences, and that anger is now given full vent in the media and online. We all are guilty of allowing anger to rule us at times in our lives, and when that happens, God sees us as unable to truly worship Him as we are too busy worshipping our anger. We’ve all been taught that worship of our Father should be the central goal of our lives, but there is something more important in the eyes of the Lord than worship: forgiveness. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ {an Aramaic term of contempt} is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” Jesus preached that if we are coming to worship while still angry at someone, we should leave worship immediately, reconcile with that person, and then return to worship. Thus, it is more important to God that you forgive those who anger you than to worship Him. Today, if you are harboring anger against others, as far as it depends on you, forgive them and let go of that anger. If you are guilty of wronging others, go apologize and seek forgiveness. Then, give praise to the Lord for his forgiveness of you.

“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ {an Aramaic term of contempt} is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” – Matthew 5:22-24 NIV