Strong spirits: what makes you mad?
Some anger is legitimate. Much is not.
Do you ever get mad? I mean, blowing up kind of mad? Really losing it kind of mad? When? Why? What causes it?
If you do, it might encourage you to know that Jesus got mad, too. Really mad. But his anger wasn't like mine when someone cuts me off in traffic, or is a jerk. The one recorded instance of Jesus truly showing his anger is when he entered the Temple in Jerusalem and found cattle, and sheep, and pigeons, and people selling them, and people making change - and he lost it.
"So he made a whip of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!" (John 2: 15,16)
Why was he so mad? Because it dishonored his Father. The one driving force in Jesus' life was pleasing and honoring his Father. This is a legitimate cause for his anger. There are others: injustice, taking advantage of the poor; acts of hatred against another. Do these make you angry? If you are a follower of Jesus, they should.
Some anger is legitimate. Much is not. What makes you angry? What is the driving force in your life?
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Besides serving as pastor at Caledonia Congregational Church, Gary Schwerin is the Spiritual Development Minister for the YMCA of the Rock River Valley and Executive Director of Bridge Ministries of Rockford. Prior to launching Bridge Ministries, Gary spent many years in leadership with Young Life. His columns appear here every Sunday - to see them all, subscribe to our daily email.
