But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. Matthew 5:22 (NIV)
I used to think I didn’t have a problem with anger. I remember seeing people red-faced or hear them yelling and thinking, “Why can’t they control themselves?” However, I knew that in the past I had experienced anger. I could remember the sensation of physical agitation, feeling hot and uncomfortable - but it had been many years since I had felt like that. With out exaggeration I think I went at least two years at some point without feeling the physiological sensations of anger. (Then I had children…but that is a whole other devotional.)
For years I taught happily on the anger passage in the Sermon on the Mount and thought it was an area I never struggled with. I don’t get angry. I don’t generally call people empty headed or other insults. I figured this represented at least one area of my spiritual life that I didn’t need to work on. Then I learned more about the Hebrew idea of what it means to call someone a fool.
Being wise or being foolish are contrasted against each other in the Old Testament. The book of Proverbs is full of contrasts:
The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
I used to think I didn’t have a problem with anger. I remember seeing people red-faced or hear them yelling and thinking, “Why can’t they control themselves?” However, I knew that in the past I had experienced anger. I could remember the sensation of physical agitation, feeling hot and uncomfortable - but it had been many years since I had felt like that. With out exaggeration I think I went at least two years at some point without feeling the physiological sensations of anger. (Then I had children…but that is a whole other devotional.)
For years I taught happily on the anger passage in the Sermon on the Mount and thought it was an area I never struggled with. I don’t get angry. I don’t generally call people empty headed or other insults. I figured this represented at least one area of my spiritual life that I didn’t need to work on. Then I learned more about the Hebrew idea of what it means to call someone a fool.
Being wise or being foolish are contrasted against each other in the Old Testament. The book of Proverbs is full of contrasts:
The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
Proverbs 10:8, 14, 12:15 (NIV)
The Biblical idea of being wise is to live well or to be of use. To be a fool means the opposite. Calling someone a fool is to call them useless or “a waste of space”.
This was very convicting to me. Though I never “blew up” at people or got visibly angry I had a tendency to write people off. I had so much pride that if someone did something annoying or that hurt me I didn’t get mad, I pitied them. I would think things like “Wow! I feel sorry for you. I can’t believe that you are the kind of person that would do that.” Or “Well, if they are that kind of person who cares what they think or do? They are not worth my time.”
“But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
God does not want us to write each other off. It is an area of unforgiveness. Who shouldn’t be worth our time? God after all thought them worthy of dying for.
There have been many cases where I have written someone off or formed a bad opinion of someone and through circumstances I was forced to continue interacting with them. (Family members, co-workers etc.) In almost every case I grew to know them better and see that opinion I had formed was not entirely correct. I learned their good points and their strengths. Sadly this only happened because circumstances forced me to see their value. How many great people have I written off that had so much to teach me and so many ways to bless me?
There are no worthless people. God demonstrated all our worth when he created us and died for us.
God should have written me off a long time ago. Thanks be to Him for never doing it.
This was very convicting to me. Though I never “blew up” at people or got visibly angry I had a tendency to write people off. I had so much pride that if someone did something annoying or that hurt me I didn’t get mad, I pitied them. I would think things like “Wow! I feel sorry for you. I can’t believe that you are the kind of person that would do that.” Or “Well, if they are that kind of person who cares what they think or do? They are not worth my time.”
“But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
God does not want us to write each other off. It is an area of unforgiveness. Who shouldn’t be worth our time? God after all thought them worthy of dying for.
There have been many cases where I have written someone off or formed a bad opinion of someone and through circumstances I was forced to continue interacting with them. (Family members, co-workers etc.) In almost every case I grew to know them better and see that opinion I had formed was not entirely correct. I learned their good points and their strengths. Sadly this only happened because circumstances forced me to see their value. How many great people have I written off that had so much to teach me and so many ways to bless me?
There are no worthless people. God demonstrated all our worth when he created us and died for us.
God should have written me off a long time ago. Thanks be to Him for never doing it.
Mark Wallace
1 comments:
How True!! How many have written off Team Members or others because something has not gone their way? Interesting concepts and truth to live by.
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