Living Wisely With Our Anger - James 1:19-20.

What is it that makes you angry? What arouses a strong feeling of grievance, displeasure, irritation or resentment within you? From there, what do you do with your anger? Is there a way that we can work through our anger wisely so that it doesn’t control us and ruin our relationships and cause us to do and say some foolish things we may regret?

We live wisely with our anger by not allowing it to control our lives and ruin our relationships. From there we follow God’s example and use anger to execute justice, righteousness and reconciliation.

James' words concerning anger similar to Solomon's on the same subject (see Prov. 18:13).
James and Solomon however have more in common than just themes and a way with words. Both aim to get the people of God bring Him glory in everyday situations. Remember glorifying God in part means to live in such a way as to highlight, emphasize and demonstrate His goodness, character, nature, ways and attributes.
James therefore isn’t just giving us a biblical anger management course. He is once more giving clear direction on how to live wise so that we might live well by living to please and bring glory to God.

The key phrase in this passage is ‘the righteousness that God requires’. James uses that phrase to teach what God wants to accomplish through our anger. In scripture God's anger isn't a sudden flare and outburst of uncontrolled emotion. Rather it is His deliberate, settled, yet passionate response against wickedness, rebellion, sin and evil. God's anger also works to accomplish His purposes to execute justice, uphold righteousness and bring reconciliation.

With that in mind then in what ways can we live wisely with our anger?

We begin by using tried, tested and timely wisdom regarding anger. James urges us to take the time to listen first before jumping to conclusions. Hearing a person out may reveal that there is a misunderstanding or show that you misread someone's intentions. We might also find that someone who offended us knows they're wrong and genuinely wants to apologize. It’s never a good idea just to fly off the handle, jump to conclusions and set somebody straight.

Take the time to think before we speak and measure our words wisely. Speaking quickly usually means that we go into attack mode, while taking time to measure our words can quickly head off a confrontation.

Don’t sweat the small things. We get angry because we’re offended and there are times when that offense had to be dealt with. However, we must be careful for becoming angry too easily is a sing that we thing too much of ourselves. Remember that we live in a broken, fallen world which means that things aren’t going to go our way always.

Become angry. Not the kind of flare up of uncontrolled emotion. Rather, it is a decisive and a deliberate anger. It is an anger that comes from a thoughtful decision, an anger that comes from the mind because someone has done something evil and hurtful. It is an anger that judges and condemns sin and evil, violence and slaughter, immorality, injustice and oppression. It is an anger that hates sin and evil and that metes out justice and punishment for evil and sin. This is the kind of anger Jesus showed when He overthrew the merchants in God's temple. It is an anger that moves us to do something to see justice done, righteousness achieved and reconciliation accomplished.
It’s the kind of anger that God displayed when Christ went to the cross. At the cross God executed justice against my sin that had angered Him. At the cross Christ upheld the Father’s righteousness holiness by paying the exact and real cost of sin. At the cross Christ accomplished reconciliation between God and all those who trust in Christ by paying the cost of reconciliation.

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To Him Who Loves Us...
Pastor Lance