Anger Management

One Year Bible
New Testament passage for Sun., Nov. 18, 2012: James 1:19-2:17

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20 (NIV)

Do you have an anger problem?  Do you have a temper?  What gets under your skin and makes you angry?  Perhaps it's traffic or slow check-out lines.  Perhaps it's the way everything seems to get in your way when your time is limited.  Perhaps it's the attitudes of people.  Arrogance just burns you up.  Disrespect or cockiness really irritate you.  Maybe it's the attitude of entitlement that a co-worker seems to get away with.

Then there other kinds of anger.  It might be child abuse, or dishonesty in government.  It might be the rise of crime in your good city.

There are two kinds of anger: GOOD ANGER and BAD ANGER.  The Bible describes them as RIGHTEOUS ANGER and HUMAN ANGER.  The first is good.  The second is bad.  The first (good anger) is the result of seeing the situation from God's perspective -- seeing it clearly -- seeing it as it truly is.  The second (bad anger) is the result of a distorted vision.  When we get riled up and raging, our anger DISTORTS reality.  We say things we don't mean.  We make a bad situation worse.

Anger is not always bad.  There are times when even Jesus grew irritated with the way people acted.  Ephesians 4:26-27 says, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil."  Anger is a normal human emotion, but it must be held under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Anger is like a FIRE.  We often refer to it like that.  Someone might say, "That just burned me up."  Or, if someone releases their anger at someone, we say, "they scorched them!"  But, fire can be either good or bad.  The same fire than can bring you needed warmth and comfort if it is under control, or it can burn your house down if it is out of control.

James says "slow down."  Don't let your anger carry you places you shouldn't go.  Take a deep breath and refuse to let your anger control your tongue.  This is wise advice.  Let me conclude by giving you some direction if you are dealing with anger issues.

1.  Find out why you're always so angry.  Dig a little deeper.  It's not really the traffic or the neighbors.  There may be something deeper eating on you.  Deal with that.
2.  Refuse to succumb to impulse anger.  Walk away.  Don't take the bait.  Get some fresh air.  It is not cowardly to walk away from no-win anger trap.
3.  Realize who is the one really in danger.  You may be angry at situations that warrant concern, but your anger is eating YOU alive.  The situation may not change.  You may be the one in real trouble.
4.  Bring your anger to Jesus.  Get it under the influence of the Holy Spirit.  Let God deal with it.  Yield your emotions to Him and let Him regulate your internal thermostat.
5.  If you have bad anger, repent of it.  Put that fire OUT.  It will burn your house down.
6.  If you have good anger, allow it to direct you into redemptive action.  Allow God to channel your anger toward solutions rather than just sitting there stewing about it.

Many social commentators of our day have said that ANGER IS EPIDEMIC.  From road rage to heart attacks, anger is taking a toll.  Make a commitment to God today to handle your God-given emotions in a way that will lead you into a new day of peace.  "Be angry and sin not."

Desires and Double-Mindedness

One Year Bible
New Testament passage (for Sat., Nov. 17, 2012): James 1:1-18

 ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.  James 1:6-8 (NKJV)

14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1:14-15 (NKJV)

DESIRE is a basic human characteristic. We have needs, we long for better days, we lust, we feel lack - we seek to be in a better place - a better life. It has been said that our hearts are literally "a factory of desires."  The Bible has much to say about how we should respond to these emotions of desire.

One the one hand, the Bible says that we can live a fulfilled and satisfied life. Psalm 103:4-5 says:   who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  (NIV). Conversely, the condition of many is very different. They are like the leech spoken of in Proverbs 30:15.  The leech has two daughters: Give and Give.  Three things are never satisfied;  four never  say, “Enough”.  This is the picture of a life lived in unfulfilled desire.  Sadly, many believers are in this boat. Here's a lesson:  Desire can lead to FULFILLMENT or it can lead to DESTRUCTION. The difference is how you handle these huge, pulsing desires that run through your being.  

We can direct our desires toward the only One who can fulfill them, or we can settle for less.  C.S. Lewis said:


“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”  In The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses

Our problem is DOUBLE-MINDEDNESS. We want what is good, but we settle for that which is convenient. So, here are three steps toward a life of fulfillment:

1. Acknowledge your chronic dissatisfaction as what it is.  It is a symptom of a deeper vacuum in your heart.

2. Repent of double-mindedness that allowed desire to lead you to compromise, compromise to sin, and sin to death. 

3. Allow Jesus to make you whole. He fills you with good things. He satisfies the soul. He heals our brokenness. 

This is the promise of life lived in Jesus. He will give you living water that will quench your thirst and bring rest to your weary soul!

New Testament Sacrifices

One Year Bible
New Testament Passage (for Fri., Nov. 16, 2012): Hebrews 13:1-25

¹⁴ For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.¹⁵ Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.  ¹⁶ But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.  Hebrews 13:14-16 (NKJV)

Today we bring to a close our reading of this great Letter to the Hebrews. Throughout this book a comparison is made between Old and New - between Law and Grace. A key word has been "better".  All the incredible things we find in the Old Testament are shadows and prefigurements of the better things in the New Testament. 

One of the central themes of Old Testament worship is sacrifice. Yearly, monthly, and even daily, priests would bring the offerings of God's people to an altar to be killed and/or burned. We find that those atoning sacrifices are fulfilled in the New Testament in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. Therefore, there is no longer any need for such regular slaughters. Praise God!  It is fulfilled and finished in the Cross!

So, we might ask the question, "Are there any New Testament sacrifices?" The answer may surprise some. It is "YES!"  But, let's be clear. These New Testament sacrifices are not for atonement. That has been accomplished and need never be repeated. They are the response of gratitude and allegiance to the One who paid the price. 

There are three basic New Testament sacrifices. Two of them are in our passage today.  The three are:
1. Your PERSON
2. Your PRAISE
3. Your PRACTICES

Romans 12:1 says that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. He bought you at Calvary. Now lay down your life for Him. He wants ALL OF YOU. This is your PERSON. 

Then, we bring "a sacrifice of PRAISE". He is delighted in our daily declaration of His goodness. This is not some simple recitation of religious phraseology. This is heartfelt gratitude released in words that bring Him glory. 

Lastly, there are daily PRACTICES (as we find in vs. 16). Practices of service and kindness. We go out of our way to show the love of God. We sacrifices our time, our talents, and our treasures to serve The Lord and others. 

Our New Testament sacrifices do not get us to Heaven. Jesus does that. But they do bring Heaven down to earth. So boldly enter a life of sacrifice. In so doing, you will really live. 

Unshakable Kingdom

One Year Bible
New Testament Passage (for Thurs., Nov. 15, 2012): Hebrews 12:14-29


²⁵ See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, ²⁶ whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” ²⁷ Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.  ²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.  Hebrews 12:25-28 (NKJV)

In the life of every congregation there is an interesting phenomenon.  No matter how large the church, it seems that there is never a week that goes by but that there is not some sort of shaking taking place.  It may be a marital breakup or a financial disaster -- a child in distress or a friend in the hospital.  It can range from that which is life-threatening (and sometimes life-taking) to that which by comparison seems trivial.  ...   But nothing is trivial.  The list is endless.  And each challenge feels bigger than the one before.

It seems that EVERYTHING IS BEING SHAKEN.  I can honestly say that after pastoring for over 40 years, I have heard it all.  I have walked through the darkest nights with the most precious people.  I have stood in the waiting room with folks when the doctor came out and shook his head.  Phone calls have come in the middle of the night and confessions have been heard.  We live in a world of full of hurt.  EVERYTHING IS BEING SHAKEN.

We are called to be ambassadors of an unshakable kingdom in the midst of a very breakable world.  John Piper in his classic book Desiring God, writes in the Preface: "My life (pastoring Bethlelem Baptist Church, Minneapolis) has been a mingling of heartache and happiness.  Can so much devastation and so much delight coexist in one community and one soul?  It can."  How can we be UNSHAKABLE  in the midst of so much SHAKING?  How can we be strong, when so much around us is falling apart?

The old hymn Solid Rock says, "When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay."  We need Kingdom People in our day.  They have enduring the shaking and have clung to the rock.  When all that is illusory proved to be but a failed promise, they rested on that which will never fail.  "His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood."

We come to a mountain that does not move -- to a rock that we can depend on.  Psalm 46 echoes this:

¹ God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  ² Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; ³ though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah.

The Psalmist goes on to say: ⁴ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. ⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

RUN TO THE ROCK.  DIVE IN THE RIVER OF GOD.  He is your refuge, your strong tower.  You can not only survive the shaking, but you can PREVAIL.  He will help you.  Even though it might be just "at the break of dawn", yet our God will be your constant help, comfort, and strength.

The Author and the Finisher

One Year Bible
New Testament Passage (for Wed., November 14, 2012):  Hebrews 11:32-12:13

² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)

Each one of us is a unique project designed by God Himself.  Like snowflakes, there may be millions of us, but no two are alike.  Only an awesome, unlimited God could do such a thing.  We are not some freak mutation from a random cosmos.  We, each one of us, is a hand-designed masterpiece created by God.

In Phil. 1:6, Paul says that He who began this great work will bring it to completion.  We read similar words here in Hebrews when it says that Jesus is "the author and finisher of our faith."  That means that He got you started and He will bring you to completion.  You are part of His handiwork.

But, consider this, it is the finishing that is the most exacting and particular part of this work.  In furniture building or carpentry, it is the "finish work" that is the hardest and most detailed.  It's relatively easy to nail the first two-by-fours together and frame things up.  But when it comes to the last steps, the craftsman's skill shines the most.

God is that way in your life.  When the furniture builder is bringing things to completion, he brings out the sandpaper.  He shapes things with a careful eye.  He takes extra care.  God has often brought out the sandpaper on me, too.  He gets particular.  He gets specific.  He starts rubbing me the wrong way getting all the rough places smoothed out.

I am not always a compliant disciple.  When things aren't going my way, I can get irritable.  I can get angry.  Actually, God is bringing these things my way to work on me!  He will actually allow someone to rub me the wrong way just so He can do a little "finish work."  He is polishing me up. 

There may be a particularly irritable person you work with.  It may be the way traffic seems to slow down just when you need to speed up.  I find that God always traps me in the slowest line at the grocery store.

He is working on me!  The result is going to be a work of beauty -- not because I am such a great prize -- but because the master craftsman is so good at what He does. 

So, allow the Lord to rub on you today.  He will bring a new and magnificent surface to your life.  It will be a testament to how good He is!

The Choices of Our Lives

One Year Bible
New Testament Passage (for Tues., November 13, 2012): Hebrews 11:17-31

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.  Hebrews 11:24-25 (NKJV)

Our lives are a succession of choices.  Moments come our way in which we make decisions that can last a lifetime.  They become our defining moments.  These decisions may seem so small at the time, but they add up to a lifelong pattern -- a way that we have lived our lives.  We think they are insignificant at the time, but they lead us either to a path of blessing or a path of penalty.

In the great movie Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) finally finds Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham (played by Burt Lancaster) and they talk about missed opportunities and lost dreams.  Dr. Graham, now in his 70's, tells young Ray Kinsella, "We just don't recognize life's most significant moments while they're happening. Back then I thought, "Well, there'll be other days". I didn't realize that that was the only day."

For so many people this is the story of our lives.  We don't recognize the significance of the "little decisions" we make each day.  Moses reached a point in life that he realized that he had to decide.  "What kind of person will I be?"  He could have taken the easy road and lived a life of sensual and societal pleasure.  But, he knew that he had a different destiny.  He was cut from a different cloth.

It takes faith and courage to take the right road.  It takes a solid belief in God in heaven and His truth on earth.  It has been said that "the path of least resistance makes men and rivers crooked."  God will meet us to help us, to bless us, to empower us, but we must make the right choices.  He will meet you in the path of faith and obedience.

One last word: someone might say that since they have made so many bad choices, there is no hope.  They have blown it so badly that there is no way out of the mess -- no way to regain lost dreams.  But, I would remind you that God is a REDEEMER.  If we will but give Him a chance, He will pick up our broken pieces and remold a new life -- a new beginning.  Begin today to choose life -- to choose the best -- to choose God's way.  And then be prepared for Him to show you a life beyond your wildest dreams.

The Life of Faith

One Year Bible
New Testament Passage (for Monday, November 12, 2012): Hebrews 11:1-16

⁸ By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; ¹⁰ for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.  Hebrews 11:8-10 (NASB)

Don Basham, the great Bible teacher of three decades ago, said that the life of faith is "walking in the midst of a miracle on the edge of disaster."  We get stretched.  We step out in new directions believing that God has spoken to us and we are to obey.  It is a life of adventure.

Abraham is our example.  He HEARD FROM GOD.  This is where the life of faith starts.  This is more than believing a faith statement.  This is more than a doctrinal position.  This is a direct sense from God of what He wants you to do.

Most of us like blueprints -- outlines -- full descriptions of the road ahead.  But that is not how faith works.  There must be a STEP OF FAITH -- a leap of faith.  Abraham left his home "not knowing where he was going" (vs. 8).  He just knew that God said "get moving."  This is difficult.  We do not want to be stupid and jump off a cliff.  But, there remains an important principle.  In the words of John Ortberg, "If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat."

The third aspect of the faith life is that period in which you are traveling -- you are on the journey.  You have not arrived, but you are moving toward God's objective.  This may mean that you endure certain privations, certain inconveniences -- like living in a tent.  The important thing however is to KEEP MOVING.

The Bible says that God has prepared a city for you.  It is a place that He has specifically designed with you in mind.  He is its "architect and building" -- the New King James says, "builder and maker."  One of the most important things for each of us to learn is that we must BELIEVE FOR THE BEST.  Don't settle for seconds.  Don't sell out for a half-way win.  Keep moving until you arrive at God's best plan for you. 

You might wonder, 'But what if I fail?"  "What if I don't succeed?"  The answer is simple.  Your success is a matter of who is evaluating that success.  Verse 16 says that when you move in faith "God is not ashamed to be called your God."  He considers you a success.  In the final analysis, that's all that matters.  THE LIFE OF FAITH -- the best way to live.