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Slow to Anger (May 22, 2024)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Living to honor and glorify Jesus Christ is an extremely demanding, but eternally rewarding lifestyle that is well worth the self-sacrifice that it takes. Walking daily in harmony with our Savior and portraying the love of Christ to other people requires, among other godly qualities, peace, patience, and self-control. One of the most challenging aspects of answering our call to be Jesus’ earthly ambassadors is the management of the inborn human emotion of anger. Living in a world of extreme conflict and strife, it is often difficult to suppress our tendency to erupt emotionally into wrathful words and unforgiving actions when we feel wronged or threatened by others, even our dearest friends and loved ones. But as believers, we must allow “the peace of God that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), rather than anger, to guard our hearts.

Anger is a part of our human emotional constitution that must be corralled if we are to carry out our responsibilities as joyful representatives of Jesus in a volatile world seemingly gone mad. In our own strength, we are incapable of being “slow to wrath,” but, as contemporary disciples of Christ, we have the power of Almighty God living inside us to aid our spiritual growth and gradually lead us toward Christian maturity. When we put away human pride and humble ourselves before our heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit is enabled to begin the ongoing divine work of cultivating within us peace, patience, gentleness, temperance or self-control, and other Christlike virtues that allow us to be peacemakers in a satanically-influenced society that thrives on anger, dissension, and wrath!

Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ” (John 14:25-27)



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