Eph 4: 26-27

"Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil." Eph. 4:26-27

"What do you mean? You spent the entire paycheck on a computer? But we already have three computers, and they all work FINE!"

Do you sense some animosity in the above paragraph? Try this one.

"Honey, you know I love you, but this meatloaf just doesn't taste like Mom's. Are you sure you followed her recipe?" asked the new husband.

"You don't love me, do you? I should never have married you. I can't compete with your MOTHER. Why didn't you just marry HER! I can't do anything to please you. I don't put enough starch in your shirts or I put too much in them. I buy the wrong kind of ketchup. I squeeze the toothpaste in the middle and you roll it from the end. I can't even put the toilet paper on to please you! I HATE YOU! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" and she slams the door, breaking its glass as she screams the last words so the whole world will know of her hatred.

Sound familiar? Sure. We have all had those moments. Are these outbursts "anger"? You bet. Do they spell the end of a relationship? Depends. Anger is a natural thing. If we don't vent it in some way or another, it seethes and boils and eventually destroys. Anger is not sin. It is not even a bad thing.

Sometimes anger drives us to do incredible feats. Anger can drive a grieving mother to launch an organization against drunk driving - and save hundreds of thousands of lives. Anger can cause a man to protest an abortion clinic and save the lives of innocent babies.

Anger can also destroy. Two angry boys vented their pent up anger in a destructive way in a school in Tuen Mun. Angry mobs destroyed millions of dollars worth of property in Los Angeles, California. Anger drives a man to murder his wife and children in Tin Shui Wai. Anger destroys.

But it is not the anger that does good or evil, it is our handling of anger that does the trick. Paul tells us that it is OK to be angry. But we should not allow that anger to drive us to sin. If Paul left us here, we could not understand this apparent oxymoron. But he does provide the answer "Do not let the sun set on your anger."

The principle is simple. Go ahead and vent that anger when it appears - but don't dwell on it. Get it over with and get on with life. The key to being angry and not sinning is simple. When the sun sets, let it go. If we carry our anger into the next twenty-four hours, we have allowed it to build pressure. If we carry it into the next week, that pressure approaches the danger level. If we carry that anger into the next year, the pressure exceeds the "manufacturers recommended safety levels" and we explode destructively.

Perhaps you are an "angry" person. It seems that everyone and everything is against you. hatred boils up in your soul like a volcano blowing up. You have no outlet, no release of the pressure. Now is the time to get rid of this disease that is seeking to destroy you and the people around you. I'll make one suggestion. Give your anger to God, asking Him to take it away. And, once your have let Him have it, don't let it build up. Lay it down at the end of each day. This will not only soothe the angered spirit, but helps you sleep at night as well! Amen and Amen.