Be Still - January 3, 2023

Ecclesiastes 7: 9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. (NIV)

God gave us emotions so we would use them, not bury them.*

There is scripture to back me up when I tell you that we can – and should – learn to take charge of how we act when our emotions – especially anger - are running high. God gave us emotions. That means we own them. They don’t own us. They are subject to our control. In theory.

Anger is the emotion that seems to have the most potential for leading us into destructive behavior. While we might not believe that we can help what makes us mad, in this passage, Solomon says, “Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,” implying that we have control over what pushes our buttons. How is that possible?

We can train our emotions by training our minds. The Psalms are full of admonitions to delight in the Lord and in his word. In Philippians chapter 4, Paul exhorts us to rejoice, followed by some very good advice on what kind of thoughts we should think. 

In the Old Testament we find example after example of God’s anger – but check out the things that made him angry. God did not become angry over frivolous things. 

In I Corinthians 2: 16, Paul tells us that we have the mind of Christ. When we begin to allow our minds to be filled with God’s thoughts, our emotions follow suit. The more we think like him, the more we feel like him. 

According to Psalm 103: 8, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” How do you feel about that?

Christians are not to be emotionally driven or even rationally driven but our behavior is to be determined by the Word of God.*