Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9
This verse is not the only time in the Bible that we are warned about controlling our tempers and more specifically about not letting anger control us. Solomon wrote these words in Proverbs 16:32, “Patience is better than power, and controlling one’s emotions, than capturing a city.” Then he said this in Proverbs 17:14, “To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out.” Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians 13 (the chapter on love), “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). Paul also wrote these words in his letter to the Ephesians,
“Be angry and and do not sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity. Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God as also forgave you in Christ. Ephesians 4:26-32
And lastly James writes this, “My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:19-21). All of these verse are telling the exact same thing. They are all telling us that as followers of Christ we are to be different from those who are not. And the best way for us to show that difference is to control our anger. My challenge to you today is to look for ways to control your anger and to not react with anger but with love.