By Michael
(A) Verses quoted in our discussion:
Ephesians 4:26-27 "In your anger, do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."
James 1:19-20 "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."
Matthew 5: 43-45 + 48 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [48] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Mark 7: 20-23 "He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "
James 3: 13-18 "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
Philippians 4: 4-9 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
(B) Summary of Sharing:
1. Apart from surrendering the things we treasure most in this world and put God before all else, let us also look at other things that will separate us from God through sin. We need to examine our own emotional make-up which forms a large part of how we related to others. Being imperfect, we are saddled with many negative emotions.
2. The first thing that comes to mind is how do we cope with anger and hatred. Anger, if not surrendered, will often open the door to the devil. Worse still, it can lead to hatred which can eat into our souls. There is a need to surrender to God and seek His grace. We need to forgive others as He has forgiven us.
[Afternote by Michael] It is also important to realise that anger is actually a natural response to wrongful acts done unto us or others. It is reasonable and healthy to let out our frustrations at injustices - even Jesus became really angry when He saw how people were defiling the temple. The key is not to let it fester, but to quickly commit our ways, anxieties and hurt feelings to God (Eph 4:26-27, Matt 5:43-45, Phil 4:4-9).
3. Envy, greed & jealousy. These emotional baggages will never lead us to a life which brings peace and joy in the Lord. As we have seen, by surrendering these emotions to God, we gain very much in return. What can compare to the peace and joy that comes from being close to God?4. Fear & anxiety. We should live our lives without fear and anxiety and not be under the control of the devil. We can surrender all our fears and anxiety to God and trust the Lord to guard our hearts and minds. We can live a victorious life without fear if Christ is in us.
No comments:
Post a Comment