My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.  James 1:19-20
 
 
When was the last time you lost your temper?  Did you say words that the minute they came out of your mouth, you wish you could take them back? Or have you done something damaging in anger that cannot be undone?
 
Anger is a human emotion.  The Bible doesn’t say “don’t be angry ever”, but rather, in Ephesians 4:26, it says “in your anger, do not sin”.  Letting anger control us incites us to say or do things that hurt other people.  That is wrong and what the Bible refers to as sin.  In James 1:20, we learn that anger doesn’t bring about the righteousness that God desires.  What does that mean?  It means that our anger stands in the way of being in right relationship with God.  Not only does our anger harm others, we impair our walk with God which ultimately hurts us.
 
So what do we do instead?  We need to stop and look at what is really going on inside of us.  Lack of self-control is most likely part of the anger issue.  Ironically, anger has a way of making us feel we’re in control, even when in fact we’re acting totally out of control.
 
But what is really behind our anger?  Oftentimes, anger is a secondary emotion, meaning that another emotion underlies that anger and drives our behavior.  What primary emotion hides behind anger?  Perhaps it is fear or self-doubt or some insecurity of sorts.  In our culture, particularly for men, showing up fearful is not socially acceptable.  Fear also generates feelings of vulnerability which may feel very uncomfortable.  Or perhaps the emotion behind the anger is pride.  When someone steps on our toes, we explode.  Peeling back the layers allows us to discover the hidden truth behind the anger that drives us to say and do unkind and hurtful words and deeds.  Stop and look at the underlying issues.
 
It’s no coincidence that in the verse before James 1:20, the Bible says we are to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  I’ve heard many times that “God gave us two ears and only one mouth for a reason!”  We need to listen more than speak, especially if we feel we’re getting angry.  Who should we listen to?  Obviously, we need to listen to the person with whom we are interacting, but I believe we are to stop and listen to that small still voice inside of us, to God Himself, before we proceed to open our mouths and speak.  His Spirit within us can guide us to say what is appropriate and if necessary, table the discussion until we can converse in a calm and kind manner.
 
If we stop, look, and listen to what’s going on inside of us, straining against all the clamor to hear those quiet words God impresses upon our hearts, then we can exercise self-control and bring about that beautiful righteousness that God so desires for us.  May it be so for each of us today.
 
  
Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for the hurtful words and deeds I have said and done in anger.  Help me to stop, look, and listen to Your voice when I feel angry.  Keep me from hurting others in anger and keep me always in a right relationship with You.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
 
 
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Copyright © 2016 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

Are you busy?  Overwhelmed?  Stressed?  If you slowed down long enough to reflect, would you admit that you find your worth in how much you accomplish?  Or are you afraid of what you will discover if you pause long enough to contemplate?  Busyness compels us to do too much at the expense of who we are becoming.  It’s “doing” rather than “being”.

Rest is not a valued commodity in our culture.  Our calendars are so full we have no time to relax.  We may even feel guilty if we take some downtime.  But what exactly is rest?  The word rest means tranquility, calmness, refreshment, and to be quiet or still.  There are four types of rest.  Sleep is one type of rest in the physical sense.  Experiencing peace instead of anxiety and worry generates emotional rest.  Harmony in our relationships with others is relational rest.  Spending uninterrupted time with God creates spiritual rest.

How do we begin to experience rest?  Our quest for rest starts with Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30 where He says, paraphrased, “Come to me all you who do too much, who have overburdened yourselves and overwhelmed your souls, and I will put you at rest when you take my yoke upon you.”  The word “yoke” may seem the opposite of rest as it conjures a picture in our minds of working oxen being yoked together.  Jesus’ audience would have understood that analogy as meaning yoking a stronger animal with a weaker one.  In the spiritual sense, being yoked with Jesus means letting Him carry us.  As He is joined with His Father in heaven, so we too are joined (yoked) with Jesus and enjoying the same intimate fellowship that He has with God the Father.  By abiding with Jesus throughout our busy day, we can find rest even amidst the chaos.  He is our strong shelter in the midst of a storm.

Finding calmness in the craziness involves surrender.  Again, in our key verse, Jesus tells us to learn from Him, to be like Him in that He is gentle and humble in heart.  When we surrender our striving and drivenness and become gentle and humble, we will experience rest as we abide in Jesus.  That same gentleness and humility will carry over into our other relationships bringing peace and harmony to feed our soul and theirs.

Rest involves silence and solitude.  Find a few minutes every day to spend with God, read His word, pray, meditate, reflect, and just “be” with God.  Jesus often retreated from the crowds to find a solitary place to pray.  He needed refreshment and renewal.  So do we.  Resting in His presence is a soul-satisfying way to start our day and to be intentional about our “being” before we begin our daily “doing”.  This refreshing time each day can help us set our priorities so that we do what is necessary and have some margin throughout our day.

When we take time to quiet our souls, becoming keenly aware of who we are and who God is, we can then begin to be intentional about who we are becoming.  Our “being” becomes more important than our “doing”.  We can find peace and joy in simple pleasures, like beautiful sunsets or a child’s laughter.  We can begin to let go of the striving and worry.  We can start living in the present moment, not the past or the future, knowing that the One who created us, who longs for fellowship with us, is pleased with our choices.  And we will indeed find that His yoke is easier than we thought and His burden is light after all.

Dear Jesus, I believe You when you say Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light.  Keep me yoked to You throughout each day as You create a sense of rest and peace in me.  Help me be intentional about “being” as I go about doing the tasks You would have me do.  In Your Precious Name I pray, Amen.


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Copyright © 2016 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™