Overcomers of - Wrath

This is a day when we regretfully open the cupboard that hides our secrets. We glance at the shelves near the floor and sigh gratefully. After today, only two more secret sins, the kind we keep so close to our chests that sometimes we even refuse to admit them. 

The fifth shelf is almost empty, well then, we bend down. Stuffed against the wall at the back, there's this tiny object. It's like a kid's toy. You touch it, and it expands quickly, then touch it again, and it goes back to this small size. On the bottom, you look for where it's made. We read "Wrath - Made in Everywhere." 

Oh. It's so unfortunate that a word, a gesture, a letter through the mail, a phone call, or a social tweet can set off this emotion. Wrath colors the eyes red and makes the lungs work twice the normal rate with half the oxygen. Wrath even turns our affection for someone we love into a target of an insult, or worse yet, some kind of violence. 

Jesus spoke of anger and murder in the same breath. I'm reminded of Cain and Able, and the angry words exchanged before the first murder took place. So many of the brutal killings in the Old Testament can be traced back to raging emotions. Intense emotions are stirred when we perceive that our human rights have been trampled upon. Perceived provocations usually don't invite dialogue and a path to reconciliation. 

I love the instructions in Ephesians 4:31, 32 "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling, and slander, along with every kind of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you." Wow! What a different kind of world God's Word presents!

We take comfort in these wonderful verses, which I am referring to each day this week. (One day on each of the Seven Deadly Sins.) 

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness." I Corinthians 10:13; Romans 8:8-10 

 "Thank you, Loving Father, for such clear guidance in your Word. I don't want to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. I want you to control my emotions, and I thank you that in you, there is fullness of joy. In you, I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly places, and that is enough for me."