By Outreach Minister, Virginia Garrett
Restrain from getting angry, you stand to lose a lot.
“9 Do not be hastily upset, for anger lingers in the bosom of fools” Ecclesiastes 7:9.∗
“31 All bitterness, and impulsive anger, and wrath, and clamour, and blasphemy, let it be removed from you, with all malice:” Ephesians 4:31.°
“8 But now you also put off all these things: wrath, impulsive anger, malice, blasphemy, (and) foul language out of your mouth” Colossians 3:8.°
“19 … my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 for man’s wrath does not work out God’s righteousness” James 1:19,20.º
Family and friends may both love you, but they’ll avoid your company. Now I understand when you’re angry, you don’t care. You WANT them to go away and leave you alone. Yet, it has been said, No man is an island. We all need family and friends. YaHVaH (God) noticed this in the beginning: “18 YaHVaH Elohiym said, ‘It is not good that man remain alone; I will make him a helper as his counterpart” Genesis 2:18.∗ Someone to talk to, when times are good or bad. Someone to share with, to expand on new ideas; or just someone to “hang out” with.
Our Heavenly Father, YaHVaH, is mentioned in Scripture multiple times as slow to anger. Two examples are: “17 … But you are the God of forgiveness, Gracious and Compassionate, Slow to anger and Abundant in Kindness” Nehemiah 9:17.∗ Because “8 Compassionate and Gracous is YaHVaH, Slow to Anger, and Abundant of Kindness” Psalm 103:8.∗
∗ALL Old Testament Scriptures are from the Tanach, Stone edition published by Mesorah Publications, 2001.
°ALL New Testament Scriptures are from direct translation from the Greek text published by George Ricker Berry and Baker Book House Company, 1981.
