I have, on multiple occasions, had a splinter in my finger, hand, foot, or some other part of my body. In those instances I have chosen to either deal with the splinter or let it alone hoping that it would work itself out.

Where, there were times, when the splinter did indeed work itself out, it took a very long time and thankfully it was small enough that it caused manageable discomfort. In those times I took the time to remove the splinter, I was able to get relief and move on with everything else in very short order. Yes, there may have been some discomfort at the moment, but relief was quick. And then there were the times when the splinter did not work itself out, and whoa was it difficult to deal with. That splinter festered and became swollen and tender to the touch, so much so that any light graze caused sharp pains. It got so bad that I eventually had to deal with it and in doing so, there was a lot of hesitation, pain, and regret that it seemed to take for ever just to dig it out. And then, there was the time for healing. There was continued pain, and discomfort and picking with it that it took days for the healing process to complete, and I still remember it all.

“⁹Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.” — Ecclesiastes 7:9 (ESV)

Anger will eat at you until it is dealt with. I may be inclined to deal with it by allowing it to subside on its own or I can take action and get it out now. I may have some discomfort with the situation and dealing with the anger, but I will be able to get it out and move on. When the anger is not dealt with, I experience continued pain and swelling and it just seems to fester. I finally have enough and work to deal with it and experience that hesitation and regret to that I had not done anything to that point. And then, once the anger is gone, there is still this feeling that lingers for a good while, sometimes it seems to not subside at all. And then there are the reminders around that show what the anger did to me and others, further extending the discomfort.

I have to remember that anger should be dealt with now and in a very deliberate way. I also have to remember that my anger needs to be directed at the situation and not the person. I have to silently work through it and find the reason that can be worked to relieve the anger. Yes, there will be discomfort in the moment and it will not be a fun experience to work through, but the anger will be gone and likely will be forgotten.

It is easy to be angry, and for sure it is a part of our character as human. It is how I deal with that anger that give me the opportunity to demonstrate the love afforded to me from God. I have a choice to act out or hold back. I have the choice to get it out or allow it to work out. I have to take stock in the degree of discomfort I am will encounter with each.

What anger are you dealing with? Are you allowing it to work itself out and what discomfort are you dealing with? What if you were to deal with it and not let it fester to the point of continued pain and discomfort that lasts well beyond the release?

“⁴Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.” — Psalm 4:4 (ESV)

There is a part of me and likely everyone that when anger comes on, there is the tendency to lash out and let it be known that the wrong has occurred. Am I wrong for having this tendency? I do not believe I am wrong. Humans are emotional beings and we are will lead with emotion in many if not all situations. The thing is that it is not in our or others best interest to allow emotion to take over.

Anger is a very powerful emotion and it should not be ignored. Even God has instances of anger with sin. I believe it is important to “get it out” so that I can somehow begin to deal in rational terms as opposed to the irrational.

In my work as a corporate trainer, I work with customer facing employees that are exposed to situations where the person they are working with are not the happiest of individuals. The people tend to lash out when things are not going their way and frankly I do not blame the employees for getting angry and wanting to defend themselves against attack, as I am sure that you would want to as well. The thing is, anger on both sides does little if anything to help the situation. Things will simply continue to escalate and no one will be heard as both are only listening to the sounds of their own voice.

Look again at verse four in Psalm 4 above. After the first two words, notice the approach that is recommended, do not sin, ponder things, and be silent. All of those recommendations are acts in control and rational thought. Without the rational, things only get worse. I have to be the one to begin the rational when I find myself angry.

Have you ever witnessed the angry person give up on their anger once they are heard. It is important to “get it out”, the trick is to not in front of the other person. Being angry is natural and you can see in verse four above that it is okay. What is done next is where the impact is made. Remember that we are to work on the problem and not the person. Be angry with what happened and work to fix it as opposed to fixing the person. Silence in the face of my anger will go a long way to resolving and avoiding any additional escalation.

How is it that you react when you are faced with something that makes you angry? Are you allowing the emotion to take over and acting on the desire to lash out? What if you took a beat and sat back to avoid sinning, ponder the situation, and be silent?

This morning as I read and study the word “angry” I am reminded that actions taken are not where anger are or should be directed. It is the actions that go against that are where our anger should be directed. Even in the passages that I have written recently, I am not describing or talking about actions taken, but those actions that are against God or me for that matter.

“⁹And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice ¹⁰and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded.” — 1 Kings 11:9-10 (ESV)

See above, God is not angry with Solomon for actions taken, but for turning away from Him. God is concerned with the work that I am doing for Him. He cares for me, comforts me, protects me, and lifts me up so that I am able to do the work that He has for me. It is when I am destructive to those works that things get a bit messy and God may be come angry with me. He is angry that His work is not being carried out, not that I have done something, but that I have not done that which was asked of me.

Solomon’s actions as king were not in question and to even show that to him, God did not take anything from him during his reign. God vowed to take the kingdom away from the house of Solomon, but not during his reign, during the reign of his son.

“¹¹Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, ‘Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. ¹²Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.’” — 1 Kings 11:11-12 (ESV)

Here I see that the LORD was working to restore His kingdom. God was angry with the actions of Solomon for turning away from Him, and where He brought it to the attention of Solomon and afforded him the opportunity to correct his actions, the punishment for those actions was still going to take place. The rule of Solomon God allowed to continue and then the consequences were realized after his rule was completed. Again, God was angry with the actions against Him and not the other actions.

I take part in a lot of actions in my life. Some of them are great and others of them, not so much. It is all of my actions that I am accountable for, although those that create anger should be those that go against someone else, and not just my actions in general. No matter the actions of others, if those actions are not going against me, then my role is to love and forgive. And when the actions go against me, I am to be angry with the action against me and not the person or any other actions they happen to be involved. I am not in the business of being angry for the sake of others, unless those others are not able to fend for themselves.

Where is it that you are directing your anger? Are you angry at the actions of others? What if you directed you anger only in those instances when the actions are against you and in all other situations you just saw as actions?

I am of the belief that there is such a thing as justified anger. When there is a wrong committed against someone, then the anger felt is real and one is/should be allowed to be angry with the wrongdoing. God demonstrates this as He deals with the Israelite people as they were rescued from the bonds of slavery and Pharaoh. Moses had been speaking with God and was reminded that the people had turned away from God and began to worship idols, specifically a golden calf.

“¹²Then the LORD said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them; they have made themselves a metal image.’ ¹⁶And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God. You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you.” — Deuteronomy 9:12 & 16 (ESV)

God had removed the people from the rule of Pharaoh and the way they repaid Him was to worship idols and turned away from Him. If there is any justified reason to be angry, this was certainly one of them. God had every reason to be angry with the people and the actions they were undertaking to turn away from Him.

As I continue to read, there is more to it so that we are not confusing God’s justified anger at the people or individuals but His justified anger with the people and their actions.

“¹⁸Then I lay prostrate before the LORD as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke him to anger. ²⁰And the LORD was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.” — Deuteronomy 9:18 & 20 (ESV)

Notice the language used here. God was angry at the sin committed. He was angry with Aaron. He still loved them all and wanted them to experience all that He had committed to them, yet they would receive discipline for the sins they committed against Him.

I am no different than they. I am accountable for my sin and when I commit them, God is justified to be angry with me and my sin. I will be disciplined for my action or inaction. I have the same ability to be angry. And my anger can be justified. I am however held to be angry with the wrong and with the person for committing that wrong, but I must love them and not be angry at them.

What are some things that have happened in your life that you may be justified in your anger? Are you demonstrating anger at the wrong and at the person? What if you changed to be angry with the wrong and with the person and maintained your love of them?

Our sermon this week that was about the vice or sin of anger. I was reminded that anger should be directed at the situation and that I should direct that anger at doing something about it. This is a stark contrast to where anger is generally directed in a lot of situations. There is a tendency to direct our anger at a person and lash out at them.

I have a good amount of anger when things do not work out and thereby creating more work for everyone involved. When something goes wrong or does not play out the way it should have or in a way that can be overcome quickly, there is a feeling that someone should have thought about that and taken care of it. That someone is usually deemed the one that caused the situation as they should have thought about it and had a plan beforehand. This is exactly the wrong approach with regard to directing anger.

Instead of directing anger at the person that should have or not thought of how to avoid a situation before the situation arose, there should be a direction of that anger at how to resolve the situation and overcome. This will be the more productive approach.

This morning as I study I am taken to the book of Genesis and the story of Cain and Abel. This part of the story is of the offering given by each the jealousy and pride in that situation.

“³In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, ⁴and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, ⁵but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.” — Genesis 4:3-5 (ESV)

Cain ends up taking his anger at the situation out on his brother Abel by killing him. Whereas for the moment, Cain may have felt some relief in that he would no longer be in the shadow of Abel, this did not solve the situation of Cain’s offering not being regarded by God. In fact, now God was angry at action taken by Cain and laid out punishment for those actions.

Notice that God was angry, not at Cain, but the situation and Cain was punished for the action, not for being Cain. Too often I believe and see with my own eyes that there is anger and punishment for the person for being the person and there is little looking at the situation and actions.

I have to remember that anger is okay to have and that anger can be used to change things, but only when directed at the actions and situation and not when directed at the person or individual. When directed at the situation, there is a chance to change things and adjust for the now and the future. We have the chance to make the adjustments and repair the situation we are currently in and learn from it to avoid the situation if and when it comes up another time.

Being angry is not a sin, nor should it be frowned upon. As long as that anger is directed correctly, it can be useful in overcoming situations. I have to remember to direct my anger at the situation and not at any person. When I do, I am able to refocus and take action to overcome and learn and impact in a positive way.

What situations do you find yourself angry? Where are you directing your anger? What if you focused you anger on the situation and not the people involved and allowed for the impact on that situation today as well as future instances?

Falsehood and destruction is everywhere around me and I have to be careful and keep a watchful eye out for the signs and then when discovered, do something to avoid destruction with them.

“¹But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” — 2 Peter 2:1 (ESV)

I am bombarded daily with falsehood. Those who are in authority as well as those who wish to be in authority. As see in the verse above, they are “secretly” bringing destruction. We do not even notice a lot of the time as the subtleties are so small. But, when we are aware of that which is going on around us and clued into the way of Christ and working to bring glory to Him, we will be able to notice all that is there.

“²And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” “¹⁴They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!” — 2 Peter 2:1-3 &14 (ESV)

Notice the approach of their falsehood. They “exploit” and “entice”. Look to see who they are targeting, the “unsteady”, and they are trained in the acts.

I have to be the “steady”. I have to be grounded in God and His word to avoid the trappings of the false. I should be knowing of God and His word. I am to be spreading the gospel and aware of the falsehood around me. I should be strong so I am not exploited or enticed.

In sports I hear the following saying often as a call to be aware, “keep your head on a swivel”. This is to remind that things are happening all around us and if we get too focused on one thing, we may miss that thing coming up behind us. These that are bring falsehood are looking for our focus on other things so that they are able to come up from behind in hopes that we are not even aware of their existence, let alone their motives. I have to be careful with all that are around and know that with my knowledge of God, I have the foundation to avoid the enticement and exploitation of those who wish me otherwise.

What is going on around you that you may not even be aware? Are you too focused on one thing that you may be missing that thing coming up from behind? What if you know of your knowledge of God and His word so that you could be careful of those around you and look out for the falsehoods that are there?

I believe this is a topic that I come across on a regular basis in my study. Maybe it is me in that I have to be constantly reminded that my reward is in heaven and not in this world, or it could be that it is such a vital topic that I have to continue to review. Seeking to do that which is in the interest of God and using Him as the example is the approach I should be taking each day. It is really easy to want the glory and be greedy as when I review things around me, I feel as though I am doing the work of God and others should be recognizing it and calling it out.

“⁵For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. ⁶Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.” — 1 Thessalonians 2:5-6 (ESV)

In this passage, Paul is reminding the church at Thessalonica that when he, Timothy, and Silvanus came to witness to them they came only to do the work of God and did not “require” anything of the people. Paul and team did not ask for to be placed on a pedestal are provided with any monetary gain in order to come. And when they arrived they did not proceed to require anything either. All they were interested in was bringing the gospel to the people. And as you look at the last part of verse six above, they could have based on their station in the name of Christ.

There is a time and a place for everything. I have to remember that I am here to “do God” and not to have gains in this world. In the mornings I use the Lord’s Prayer as an outline in my prayer and when you look at that example, we should open with glory to God and then thanks for provision. Beyond that what we ask for are ways to get by (more provision) and bring glory to God through our actions, repentance, and forgiveness. Nowhere are we asking for God to give us wealth, status, or any other of those societal desires.

“⁹Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread, ¹²and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’” — Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV)

All of what I do should be to “do God” and not do me. I am a servant of God and He will provide that which I need to bring glory to him. I “need” no more than He provides and should not be seeking it out.

What is there that you have been searching for either before you go or when you arrive? Are you looking for that which brings you something here in this world and are you looking for more? What if you simply sought to “do God” and allowed Him to provide all that you are needing in this world, knowing that your reward is really in heaven?

I listen to social warriors and notice that they are strongly against the Christian values. There is a constant use of scripture in sequestered and out of context ways. The denouncing of anything that is a part of what they hold dear is taken as hate speech and anti whatever platform they are interested in today.

This morning I am reading in 1 Corinthians and specifically Paul is addressing those that are in the church at Corinth and their need to deal with those in the church who are defiling it through sexual immorality. As I read, I am drawn to the greed referenced in the text as that is the word I am currently studying. Paul is referring to the act of disassociating with those that are sexually immoral and display greed and other undesirable characteristics of the Christian faith. That is just it, disassociate with those in the faith that are of those characteristics, not those that are outside the faith.

“⁹I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.” — 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 (ESV)

Paul makes it clear that those we should concern our holding accountable are those who are among us and claim to be like us in faith and belief. Those in our midst are those that we are closest to and know more about them and their hearts (at least we should). I am responsible for the accountability of fellow Christians and those who are outside the faith, as Paul notes in verse 13 below, God judges those.

“¹³God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.’” — 1 Corinthians 5:13 (ESV)

Too often I believe that we find ourselves “judging” everyone, when we are really not here to judge at all. We are here to hold accountable those that know. Those that do not know, it is our responsibility to teach them so that they have an opportunity to turn from those ways and turn to God and His ways. Until those are a member of the flock, who am I to hold them accountable to that which is outside of what they know. They find themselves doing and knowing what they know and as they know, they are not doing anything wrong. Their immorality, greed, idolatry are of the world they are in and not of the Christian world. It is simply my duty as a Christian to bring the Christian world to them and educate them so they have the chance to join us in the midst of God. Until they do, I am to only love and continue to educate and leave the accountability actions to God. I am to disassociate and hold accountable those that are of the faith in the world of God.

What have you held against someone that may be outside of the Christian world you are? Are you holding them to a standard that they may not be educated? What if you were to only hold accountable and disassociate with those in the Christian world and allowed God to judge those outside?

“²⁵Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” — Matthew 23:25-26 (ESV)

My pastor is working through the seven sins and this weekend was on greed. I was moved to study that word this week and I was taken to the above sermon of Jesus. Here I see Jesus talking to the outward and inward conditions. He is pointing out the false outward actions as the hearts were of the opposite. The outward actions of the scribes and Pharisees (noted here) are those that should be looked upon with reverence as those actions were of the highest order for to be as the example. The problem was that they were all a false view of what was/is really going on in the heart.

Recently in American politics the optics of what is said is certainly not what is unfolding as the actions that were taken. Those in the public eye are paying lip service to what is right and working to only act, where we can see, in the interest of what is right. There are improprieties that are happening behind closed doors that are not exactly the example of what right looks like, and they are proving to be the true window into the actual goings on in the heart.

I am disenchanted with all of the hypocrisy being seen in the public. I am looking to those in “authority” as those that should be the example of what right looks like and finding that to be far from the truth. I am seeing the “scribes and Pharisees” all over again, or continually depending on how you look at it. There is little to be seen in the heart of others and we are being played for fools with optics that really not what is really happening for real.

I am looking for those, or at least actions, that are accountable to the heart and what is in line with what is right. I may not like the idea that everything is out in the open at truthful, but at least there will be less of the “do as I say” things coming out. I am looking for those that are honest with me and those that, where I may not like what they have to say, at least I can trust them to be true to their words with their actions.

There is too much greed and corruption on the inside to be trusted on the outside. I long for the time when I can trust that what I see is what I am getting. I long for that time when truth is displayed for all to see. I long for the time when I can see the character of someone’s heart and not have to tiptoe around the falsehood of their actions.

What actions are you taking that are less than in line with your heart? Are you even aware of those actions and their lack of truthful alignment with your heart? What if you were to act on the truth in your heart to display for all to see?

“⁴Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.” — Exodus 7:4 (ESV)

The LORD speaking to Moses here makes it clear that even with the LORD behind him, Pharaoh will still not listen to words coming from Moses. God knows that it will take “great acts” to impact Pharaoh. And notice that it will take “great acts” not just acts themselves.

Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and speak to him. They then, as instructed by God, Aaron cast a staff on the ground to turn into a serpent. Pharaoh was not impressed and had his team do the same thing. The staff of Aaron consumed the staffs Pharaoh’s team and yet Pharaoh was still not impressed and did not listen. So just acts did not do it. It was not until God began to plagues, yes plural, that the “great acts” begin to make a difference.

In my life, I have brought forth speech and works that seemed to fall on deaf ears and eyes. I look and do not see an impact that has been made until the acts become great. Even Jesus was ignored to some degree until He committed great acts to get the attention of others (water to wine, feeding 5000 from a lunch kit of one child, walking on water, turning over tables in the temple, and rising from the dead). What I have learned is that just speaking something is not really getting it done. I have to act and those acts have to be great to make an impact on the larger group.

My last couple of sentences above, I feel I have to explain a bit so as not to give the wrong impression. It is not that I should use the “great acts” to get everything done. It is that I must be willing to go to great lengths to do that which is right. I have to be willing to make a mess to to be heard, but that mess should be in line with the will of God and not in the interest of advancing my own agenda, thoughts, or feelings. Just because I may feel like we should do away with something or take on a new policy does not give me the right to act like a child throwing a temper tantrum. My “great acts” should be in the interest of advancing the gospel and the will of God.

Now, I come back to the idea of “great acts” and their impact on making a difference. In my personal life and for my own advancement, I still need take action as opposed to simply making statements and wanting them to come through. I have to be willing to act and not just wait. For the year 2023 I have chosen to live out the word “Act” to remind me to do so. I will have the full year and going forward (my 2022 word) to “Act”. I must remember to not just speak about things, I must take action. And with those actions, before taking the action, I have to review how those actions and work I am looking to commit to measures up with the advancement of the Gospel. When they align, I will take those “great acts”.

What experiences have you had as relates to speaking and not being heard? Are you then taking action? What if you aligned yourself with God and the advancement of the gospel and then take “great acts”?