“Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” James 1:18-21
Devotional Thought For The Day
How’s your anger level doing? Everyone has anger, at least to some degree. It is a very normal and common aspect of human being. It is deeply related to sin, the sin in our own sinful hearts, and also the sin that we must endure every day in rubbing shoulders and working with other sinful human beings. I don’t know what “anger” Adam and Eve would have had before the fall into sin, or how they would have experienced it. We know well how anger affected them after the fall [read Gen. 3:12 and sense Adam’s anger], and what it brought into human existence [read Gen. 4:5-11]. We are still experiencing the same horrific effects of anger and hatred to this day. It is at the root and source of mass killings, of political rancor, of the carnage of war, of daily violence and murder, of divorce, of firings and the dissolution of partnerships, of pain inflicting language and behavior, of arguments and lost friendships. Where it is allowed to remain, or worse yet to grow and flourish, it compels separation, meanness, loss of communication, inflicting pain on others, and finally murder. So, it is quite important for us to keep tabs on the level of anger within us.
God warned Cain about anger. He has warned all of us about anger, throughout His Word, the Bible. Many passages tell us to “put away” anger, wrath, and malice. We are informed that “whoever hates his brother is a murderer.” [1 John 3:15] When does anger become hatred? Where is that line in our hearts when the anger that we refuse to “put away” hardens our hearts so that any real love is lost and hatred sets in? There is a place for “rightful” anger – all sin, wickedness, lack of love, care, and compassion, all lies and deceit, rightfully produce anger within us, and also in God. However, in view of sin and in view of God’s continuing love, and the gracious resolution of human sin that He has provided for us in Christ Jesus, we are encouraged, rather strongly warned, to be “slow to anger” and to “put away” all anger, wrath and malice. Remember, God warned Cain about his anger, and remember what happened to Cain’s heart, and what he was capable of doing, when he disregarded and ignored God’s warning. These things were written for our learning, and we had better heed them.
There is an alternative to anger and hatred. This alternative is found and experienced and unleashed in our hearts through God’s love, through faith in His love in Christ Jesus. James had it right: “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” The old condition of His creatures – fallen and enslaved in sin – is the infection of anger, wrath, malice, hatred, and murderous hearts. Those born again to faith in Christ, and the knowledge of God’s love, are now “firstfruits” of His new creation – the beginning of what will be forever in the new heavens and new earth, the home of righteousness. [2 Pet. 3:13] As with Cain, He calls us to repent of our anger and hatred, in sorrow and humility, and to receive His cleansing, forgiveness, and blessing. He calls us to consider His love, and His promises of what is to come, and to be part of the future, the only future mankind has. He brings us forth, gives new birth to us, by His “word of truth,” and urges us to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Yes, it is only this word, His word, His gracious word of forgiveness, mercy, love, and eternal life which is “able to save your souls,” and to renew them in love and newness of life.
The dynamic and power of His word implanted in our hearts and minds, received with meekness, compels the putting away of “all filthiness and rampant wickedness” – and this surely includes anger, malice, wrath, and hatred. So while anger increases in us with the greater recognition and understanding of the nature of the sin and wickedness inflicted upon us and those we love, the implanted word bearing the love of God is constantly neutralizing the anger [through humble repentance and faith] – if we allow it to do its work and have its influence. This enables us to remain firstfruits of His creatures, of the new world. On the other hand, if we are not allowing His word to remove anger and wrath from us, we remain part of the “old,” sinful humanity enslaved in “all filthiness and rampant wickedness.” If we allow this, we should not delude ourselves into thinking that we are any less capable of evil than Cain was – or than the other people we see who have allowed anger to build up within them until it explodes in grotesque violence and carnage. The people around us already have scars from smaller eruptions of our anger – and surely this is not what we want to do to others.
So, how is your anger level doing? Are you dealing with it? Are you allowing the implanted word to do God’s work within you? Obviously, this is important – for you, and for others, and for God. It is important for every Christian, for every pastor, and for the whole church – and our witness to the world.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, You know anger personally, and You know the perverse darkness of human anger and hatred. Forgive us, Lord, for allowing such filthy and rampant wickedness a place in our hearts. Remind us of the danger of this fire that we like to play with, and renew us through repentance and the experience of Your love for us. Help us to find our joy and our purpose in life in being Your firstfruits, witnesses to the coming kingdom of righteousness. Preserve and protect us also from the murderous anger of others. Amen.