By Pastor Greg
A man was relaxing on the sofa watching TV when he heard his wife's voice from the kitchen: "Oh sweetheart, what would you like for dinner, my love? Chicken, beef or lamb?" Calling out to the kitchen, the man replied, "Thank you, darling. I think I'll have chicken." Angrily, the wife snapped, "You're havin' a peanut butter sandwich. I was talking to the dog!"
Okay. Someone has anger issues. Did you know the Bible addresses this sort of behavior?
Speaking through a man named James, the Lord says, “blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!”[1] (James 3:10). Why are some people so short and cross with others? Why do they act this way? Well, over the years I have observed two things: some people are angry because they either don’t know they are loved, or they feel unlovable. Yes, it’s true; people have anger issues because they have not learned of God’s promise of love. And over the years I have learned that a deep relationship with God can help you overcome anger.
Speaking of love, John the Apostle wrote, 7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him” [2] (1 John 4:7-9).
These words from John take on a deeper meaning when we learn that at one point in his life, John the Apostle had a difficult time loving others. According to Luke’s gospel, John once displayed his anger issues when a small village did not want Jesus in their town. And John – good grief, did this man have a temper – he turns to Jesus and says, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up”[3] (Luke 9:54)? Jesus called him a “son of thunder” (Mark 3:17). John wasn’t always such a nice guy. However, once John knew the fullness of God’s love, he was finally able to love those around him – even those who were quite difficult to love. When John knew he was loved, he was finally able to truly love others.
John was not the only person changed by the love of God. I confess that this was once a very accurate description of me. I didn’t love myself, and I found it difficult to love those around me. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I said I loved others, but it was mostly for selfish reasons. I loved other people because of what they could do for me. I wasn’t able to model Christian love until I came to terms with God’s love for me.
I understand if you struggle with this whole idea of God’s love. You open your Bible to Isaiah 59, and it’s like looking at yourself in a mirror. As Isaiah confesses, “12 We have done many wrong things against our God; our sins show we are wrong. We know we have turned against God; we know the evil things we have done: 13 sinning and rejecting the Lord, turning away from our God, planning to hurt others and to disobey God, planning and speaking lies. 14 So we have driven away justice, and we have kept away from what is right. Truth is not spoken in the streets; what is honest is not allowed to enter the city. 15 Truth cannot be found anywhere, and people who refuse to do evil are attacked. The Lord looked and could not find any justice, and he was displeased. 16 He could not find anyone to help the people, and he was surprised that there was no one to help. But despite the sin and the absence of morality, God decides to step in and take matters into His own hands. He, “used his own power to save the people; his own goodness gave him strength”[4] (Isaiah 59:12-16). Yes, the answer to our sinfulness and immorality was addressed by God. Even though our sins were piled up between us, God stepped in to solve the problem; He sent Jesus to pay the ransom that sets us free. His holiness rains down upon us, washing away our wickedness and our worldliness. The moment we take the outstretched hand of Jesus, we are washed and made new. Christ pulls us out of the waters of sin, clothes us with garments of salvation and wraps us with a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). “I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins,” [5] says the Lord (Jeremiah 31:34).
God has promised that He will never stop loving you. You cannot do anything that will make Him love you more, or less. If you feel you are beyond the reach of God’s love, then you need to hear what the Apostle Paul has said about the love of God. 6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God[6] (Romans 5:6-11). Paul says Jesus died for the powerless and the ungodly (Romans 5:6), for sinners (Romans 5:8), and even for His enemies (Romans 5:10). God’s hand is not too short to reach you and save (Isaiah 59:1).And, according to John the Apostle, once we fully grasp the concept of God’s love for us, we can then learn to fully love others.
When our relationship with God is restored, and we begin to accept that He does indeed love us, His love should flow from us into the lives of those around us. This is what it means when we say, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Those who know God know of His love. And those who know of His love learn to love others… even their enemies.
This hate-filled world doesn’t need sensitivity training; people need to learn that they are loved. They need to grasp the depth of God’s love for them; they need to realize that God’s hand reaches through their sinfulness and their immorality; His fingers touch the muck and mire of their life… of your life. You struggle to love because you feel unlovable. Hate fills your heart because you feel hated, not loved. But, you are loved. The God of all creation chooses to reach past your sin and offer to save you… to love you. And the moment you realize this, your life begins to change. Moment by moment, bit by bit, God washes the hate and anger from your heart and fills it with love.
The promise of God’s love is this: you learn to love when you finally realize you are loved. Love flows from a heart that knows it is loved. And by this love, the world will know that you are one of God’s children (John 13:35).It is my prayer that God’s promise of love would wash away the anger and hate in your heart.
[1]
Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation
(Jas 3:10). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[2]
New American Standard Bible: 1995 update.
(1995). (1 Jn 4:7–9). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]
Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation
(Lk 9:54). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[4]
The Everyday Bible: New Century Version.
(2005). (Is 59:12–16). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
[5]
Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation
(Je 31:34). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[6]
Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation
(Ro 5:6–11). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
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