Here is the scenario.  You are in the grocery store and in a hurry with your five items.  You head to the check out lane that says, “20 items or less.”  You know where I am going with this don’t you?  In front of you in the 20 items or less lines is someone that is, well let’s be nice, “Over the limit.”  Has that ever got under your skin?  Here’s another one.  You are on the interstate and someone is in the left lane driving 68.  How does that make you feel?  There has been a lot of talk concerning cell phone etiquette lately and that is good, but what about common sense.  You are in the middle of an important conversation.  Perhaps it is a meeting, but it might not be.  A cell phone goes off and the individual opts to take the call rather than finish the conversation and you know it isn’t a life or death call they are receiving.  There are hundreds of scenarios that occur that set people off.  Some of them are silly, while others perhaps a little bit more justified.

Regardless, we have the potential to respond in anger, and your blood pressure goes up.  Let’s be honest anger problems don’t have anything to do with your family lineage!  One college professor from the University of Hawaii labeled the time in which we live as the “Age of Rage.”  I think we have to agree whether you are a Christian or not.  Whether you are a person easily angered or not, we all have to agree the “Age of Rage” is easily defined.

Years ago, in fact it was the late 300 AC.  A guy by the name of Imbragous of Pontus compiled a list of deadly sins.  He had eight of them.  Through the years the list dropped down to seven.  The idea of creating this list of sins was that if a person could focus their attention on these seven, and bring the power of God to bear in their life as it relates to these areas, and allow the Spirit of God to work out their counterpart virtue than a person would be on their way to living by the Spirit instead of satisfying their sinful nature.

Today, I want us to look at one of those sins that made the list.  I suppose you already figured out which one, but perhaps it was a long week and you need a little help.  The sin is that of anger.  The counterpart virtue to anger would be restraint. 

Frederick Buckner describes anger by using the metaphor of eating a meal.  “To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grieveness long passed, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter conversation still to come.  To saver to the last morsel both the pain you have been given and the pain you give.  In many ways it is a feast fit for a king!  The chief draw is that what you are wolfing down is yourself.  The feet at the end of the skeleton is you!”

Have you ever been there?  Proverbs 14:17 says, “A quick-tempered person does foolish things…”  You get mad, and it cost you big money to fix what you broke.  Proverbs 29:11, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”

Here is an interesting thought when looking at the list of 7 Deadly Sins.  Anger is the only one that can have a positive side to it.  You read Mark 3:1-6 and you see Jesus getting anger.  He is upset with the religious leaders of the day.  They talked the talk, but didn’t give a flip to those in need.  Some righteous indignation builds up within Jesus and He is compelled to do something.  It is anger that can compel you do make a difference in your situation, and in society.  In way that is healthy, and in a way that is life giving.

Here are some quick ways to move from anger to restraint.  First, realize that things won’t always go your way.  Anger is often associated with missed expectations.  But often our expectations are unrealistic.  We get upset because there is road work.  Let’s see how fast we can travel with no road!  We poke fun at some silly examples that are all true in life, but sometimes life is mean.  Sometimes we feel like God missed our expectations.  Are you going to respond in anger to that?  Don’t forget as good as Goodland may be it isn’t heaven.

Secondly, realize that no one else causes our anger.  I am sure that statement just won a lot of votes.  Have you ever said, “That person makes me so angry?”  Think about that statement.  Is that possible?  Is it possible for another person to make you mad?  I want to suggest that getting angry is a choice we make on our own.  If we don’t own it we won’t overcome it.  Anger is a heart problem (Luke 6:46).  Finally, we have to accept that we control our reaction.  I like what James 1:19 says, “…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry,” Here is what I know, when we control our reaction, we control our anger!  And when you do that friend, you win!

This isn’t about will power, this is about dying to yourself and submitting to the influence of God’s Spirit in your life and to create in you the heart that longs to respond the way He wants you to.  Praying for your victory!  

-Weekly Blog (posted every Wed. Morning) submitted by Pastor Steve Rains, Associate Pastor, Topeka First Assembly