Daily Scripture
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,and give no opportunity to the devil.”
Ephesians 4:26-27
Daily Devotion
Anger is a dangerous and powerful motivator. Just look back in history and you can see the impact it has had. Wars fought over it, people groups attacked because of it, and empires destroyed all due to anger directed in one place or another. The wording of verse 26 is very telling to me. The NIV translation says, “in your anger do not sin.” Notice how it doesn’t say, “do not get angry.” Anger is an emotion that we all experience. Sometimes that anger can even be a good thing, but we have to remember the “do not sin” part.
We all get angry. Maybe someone does you wrong, and that harm they inflict angers you. Maybe you experience some form of injustice and that anger motivates you to pursue justice. Either way, we have to adhere to scripture as we move forward and not let that anger cause us to sin. No matter how much we wanna punch that person who wronged us or how bad we want to go burn down the system creating injustice, we have to live and love like Jesus did. At the last supper, Jesus knew that Judas had betrayed him and that Peter would deny him, but He didn’t lash out at them in anger. This is a great example for handling anger in our lives. It is going to happen and we can’t become consumed with it. If we hold onto it, it will control us aka “give the Devil a foothold in our life.” That is why we need to learn how to let go of it quickly, “before the sun goes down.”
There is a song I’ve been listening to a lot lately by Benjamin Hastings called “Anyway.” The song is all about seeing God for who He is no matter our circumstances. The chorus of the song says “in highlight or heartbreak,” “when the sky is blue when it pours with rain,” “in the promise and the pain,” “oh to me it’s all the same, I’m gonna praise you anyway.” Just like every other circumstance in life, anger is going to come our way. The sooner we learn how to deal with our anger and praise God anyway, the better off we will be and the better witness we will be for those around us.
Chris Stephens