If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry-get over it quickly; for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to the devil. – Ephesians 4:26-27
Ever found yourself upset at sunset? Or in other words have you ever found yourself being angry, especially at the end of the day? Well we’ve all been there and done that, haven’t we? But don’t think you’re alone when you have those feelings because they appear to be universal, as this illustration from Great Britain will reveal.
When you think about the British, what image comes to mind? Maybe polite tea parties and gentlemanly games of cricket perhaps? Or long hikes in the quiet countryside? Well, think again. According to a national survey by the RAC Foundation for Motoring in Great Britain, 80.4 percent of United Kingdom drivers report they’ve been the victims of road rage. Some 70 percent confess they’ve committed road-rage offenses-though only 14 percent indicate any remorse for their actions. In other words, the other guy deserved it!
An earlier survey published by the RAC concluded that 600,000 British drivers have been physically attacked in road-rage incidents. More than a million drivers have been rammed by another motorist. Wow. Talk about bumper cars! And we thought people got angry around here in America on our favorite route to work.
Now what’s so bad about anger? Well, anger can be a positive thing, especially if we get angry about injustice, abortion, crime, sin, lying, corruption, violence, perversion, terrorism, persecution and other evils in the world. That kind of anger can motivate us to do something about those issues.
When God expresses His anger in scripture it is always against things like that. But anger can also be very negative and the Bible warns us many times about anger that gets out of control. In fact the word used for anger is literally the same word for wrath which is “a state of mind that is bent on revenge or getting even or payback time.” Did you know that revenge, payback and the like are God’s job? This is what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman church in this regard:
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.”It is mine to avenge, I will repay, says the Lord.” – Romans 12:19-20
Here are some additional warnings about this kind of anger that we should heed: “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil” (Psalm 37:8). “Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger” (Proverbs 29:8). “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control” (Proverbs 29:11).
So, next time you get angry, and we all do more than we’d like to admit, let’s make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. God will help us calm our spirits if we’ll let Him. So turn down the heat saint, especially by the time the sun goes down.
A CLICK on the imp below will also help. I promise. You may even break out in a little dance. Enjoy!
To help us walk closer with God and to know Him better.
