[pull_quote_center]”But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” Matthew5:22 NKJV[/pull_quote_center]
It’s frightening when you realize that Jesus was talking about murder, and that He put anger and murder in the same category! Here’s what He said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” Same punishment for anger and murder! So when you harbour anger in your heart against anyone, in the sight of God you’ve murdered that person in your heart!
Listen to me, anger is very costly. You really don’t want to pay the cost of anger. The Bible says that it went ill with Moses because of the Israelites; God asked him to speak to the rock so that water would gush out, but Moses spoke rashly with his mouth, and struck the rock twice: that singular act made Moses die prematurely and he did not enter the Promised Land.
Don’t let people determine your reaction! Take control of your feelings. Choose how you respond to whatever is said or done to you. Proverbs 25:28 says, “Like a city that is broken down and without a wall, so is a person who cannot control his temper.” James 1:19-20 says, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
Follow @pastorchinae (Twitter), Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim (Facebook), Chinaemerem Ibezim (Google+), PIN: 568E2E56, www.facebook.com/spiritandlifedevotional, Join our BBM Channel, PIN: C004F1183
