"The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm” (NIV) Luke 8:24

It is not uncommon to see how people are entreated to calm down during an outburst of anger. Sometimes we witness scenes of anger and hostile exchanges on streets and other public settings.

Jesus in revealing who we are from inside out declares that the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart. (Luke 6:45). Thus the challenge lies in what we have accumulated within us.

Again, the sources of certain angry acts sometimes put us in utter bewilderment, forgetting that only God is always perfect in anger. We all fall short in dealing with anger one time or the other and thus the need to be guided by our perfect Master.

It was one busy day when Jesus was with His disciples in a boat (evening had already caught up with them). Initially, all seem to be well until the Master went into a very sound sleep. From nowhere came an impertinent swelling storm against them. Screams for rescue woke the Lord from sleep who instantly ‘sat the raging waters down’, leading to order and stillness.

Many of us may be battling with our hearts against the tempests of anger and inner rage as well. Let us allow the Lord and He will shout for stillness to prevail in our hearts. But if stormy waters posed such danger to life then, must we not be even much alarmed at what an angry and raging heart is capable of now?

There is hope to experience still waters in our hearts. Let us let the Master in and we shall obtain a life of calmness; peace shall be still.

  Angry words, o let them never… || More

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another… " (NKJV) Ephesians 4:31-32

This beautiful hymn (Angry words, o let them never) was composed by Horatio Richmond Palmer in the year 1867 from a poem that was written by an unknown author. The words from the hymn are simple, but a precise sermon for our journey in this world. It goes:

Stanza 1

Angry words, oh, let them never

From the tongue unbridled slip; (Matt. 12:36)

May the heart’s best impulse ever

Check them before they soil the lip. (Proverbs 13:3)

Chorus

“Love one another,” thus saith the Savior;

Children obey the father’s blest command;

“Love one another,” thus saith the Savior;

Children obey His blest command. (John 15:12)

Stanza 2

Love is much too pure and holy,

Friendship is too sacred far, (John 15:13)

For a moment’s reckless folly

Thus, to desolate and mar. (James 1:26)

Stanza 3

Angry words are lightly spoken,

Bitterest thoughts are rashly stirred, (Proverbs 15:1)

Brightest links of life are broken

By a single angry word (Proverbs 15:4)

The tongue, though a little member of the body, can put the whole body and that of others in a mess. After ranting mean words, your anger will pass but your mean words can scar someone for life. As Christians, we cannot prevent anger in our daily lives (Ephesians 4:26) but we can control the way we react when we are angry. Self-control is a virtue we should all possess as it helps restrain thoughts, emotions and behaviors that are negative. Remember we are competing to get a crown that will last forever, heaven is the goal hence the need to have strict training to get there (I Corinthians 9:25). If there be any virtue or anything of praiseworthy, let’s meditate on these things (faith, hope, love, … (Phil. 4: 8)). Communicate with God in your anger and rely on His WORD so you do not sin when angry.

Be encouraged!! Be inspired!!!

Reference: The Leah Journal

  Photobomber || More

"You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but I am sent ahead of him. The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends to the bridegroom waits and listens for him and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all." (NIV) John 3: 28-31

The women’s ministry at my church organized a quiz competition among women of various churches participating in the annual women’s conference. Two ladies were nominated to represent my church, and I was one of them. I knew I was good at memorizing scripture and wanted to show off. Of course, I had been reading the book for the quiz, and I knew it, so I wanted everyone to know I knew it and take credit for the win.

A few days before the competition, doubt started to set in, I feared making mistakes, and I began to wonder; what if I forgot answers, blacked out or worse of all failed. I was overcome by these fears, so I eventually did not compete.

Reading about John the Baptist’s attitude towards the coming of Christ took me right back to my bible quiz with key differences. John had enjoyed being in the spotlight. John knew that a day would come when Christ would come in His glory and the spotlight would no longer be on him. Rather than being anxious about his followers leaving him for Christ, John was delighted. John knew that the aim of his existence was Christ. All glory, fame, honour, and adoration belonged to Christ only.

When we photobomb Christ’s fame and glory by drawing attention to ourselves, we tend to shift the spotlight from God to us. Others should know God through us. The focus is God, not us. The joy of being in the spotlight is tempting, but as John the Baptist did, let us resolve to unceasingly pray for the understanding that our role is to draw attention to Christ; it is His picture frame. He must increase, and we must decrease.

Freedom from forgiveness || More

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (NIV) Romans 12:19-20

One of the most impressive autobiographies I have read is Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom.

This was a man who was tagged as a terrorist by the colonialist of his country because he adopted guerrilla warfare to exact vengeance on the people who were trying to take over his beloved country.

Having been incarcerated for 27 years, one might think he will come out of prison a worse version of himself but to the utmost surprise of his countrymen and the world, he preached forgiveness.

Just take a moment and ponder on the words of this preacher of forgiveness.

“You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution.”

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. They must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Long Walk to Freedom (1995)

May God help us all to develop the spirit of forgiveness. Amen!

 True forgiveness || More

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (NIV) Colossians 3:13

Old Joe was dying. For years he had been at odds with Jim, formerly one of his best friends. Wanting to straighten things out, he sent word for Jim to come and see him.

When Jim arrived, Joe told him that he was afraid to go into eternity with such a bad feeling between them. Then, very reluctantly and with great effort, Joe apologized for things he had said and done. He also assured Jim that he forgave him for his offences. Everything seemed fine until Jim turned to go. As he walked out of the room, Joe called out after him, "But, remember, if I get better, this doesn't count!"

What a picture of the way we often treat one another! The forgiveness we offer is superficial, and it is given with a selfish motive. We say that we forgive, but when the least little friction arises, how quick we are to resurrect past grievances. We like to "bury the hatchet" with the handle sticking out. That way we can easily pick it up again and use it to our advantage.

If our sinless Lord is willing to forgive us--with all our faults--how can we withhold pardon from those who have sinned against us? True Christlike forgiveness buries the hatchet completely. Forgiveness is the glue that repairs broken relationships.

The joy of forgiveness || More

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