The Wrath of Man

So many in the world today are angry, and understandably so. There are a great many injustices not to mention heated disagreements over how to overcome them. Anger is not inherently bad. It's a useful emotion that alerts us when something is wrong, particularly when something could be a potential threat. It spurs us to take action. However, once we recognize that something must be done and are determined to take action, anger ceases to be as useful, except perhaps as a motivating force to keep striving when obstacles arise (though even then there are arguably much more powerful motivators for that purpose). While anger can cause us to take action, it doesn't help us to think rationally in order to determine what that action should be.

There are those who try to justify feelings and acts of hatred and even violence and even go so far as to use scripture to defend themselves. One of the most notable examples is the story of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple (see John 2:14-17). It seems clear that he was angered or at least indignant because of the way in which they had desecrated His Father's house. However, it should be remembered that Jesus was not like mortal men and women. He always demonstrated a prodigious level of control over His actions. How many of us can say the same? Noble as our intentions may be, our pride has a way of hampering our judgement and causing us to forget the things Jesus actually taught about how to treat those who have wronged us (see Luke 6:27, Mark 11:25, etc.).

We don't have to be ashamed of our anger. We just need to remember not to let it rule us.

Ask in Faith

Somewhat less well-known than the verse immediately preceding it, James 1:6 reminds us that when we ask God for wisdom, we must ask in faith. Remember that faith is a principle of action. In other words, to receive wisdom from God, we must be willing to act on the wisdom we receive. To do otherwise would be like asking an expert navigator for a map to get us through waters we've never traveled before, and then throwing the map away, instead allowing the ever changing winds and currents to take us wherever they will. God is not likely to answer a question asked out of mere curiosity, or motivated only by a desire to confirm what we already believe. But when we humble ourselves enough to acknowledge that He knows the correct path better than we do, and when we are willing to accept whatever answer He gives us (even if the answer is unexpected or unwanted), we may pray for wisdom, confident that the answer we receive will be His will.

This is the second in a series of Sour Peppers on personal revelation.

Without works

The relationship between faith and works is an oft debated topic in Christendom. My own understanding is that our good works do not save us. Strictly speaking, our faith doesn't save us either. But if we have faith in the Savior, we will be saved. However, if we do not good works (by keeping His commandments) we cannot truly say we have faith. James' words mean, in essence, that "faith without works is not faith," or "there is no such thing as faith without works."
One useful parable to illustrate this point is to think of two men lost at sea, far from any land. They pray to be rescued from drowning, and a ship happens to pass by and sees them. Those on board throw life preservers to the men. One of them grabs the preserver and is pulled to safety. The other however continues to pray rather than grabbing the preserver, claiming that he will be saved because he believes that those on the ship can save him.
It is, admittedly, not a perfect analogy, but I think it illustrates the important points. While the first man couldn't truthfully say to have saved himself, grabbing the preserver was required for him to be rescued. The second man could have been saved as well, but merely believing in the ability of the rescuers to save him wasn't sufficient.
We do not save ourselves by performing good works. To claim otherwise would be even more ridiculous than the first man claiming to have saved his own life. But we must do more than profess belief. Our Savior's grace is available to all; we have only to reach out.

Slow to Wrath

I can't think of any times when I reacted out of anger and didn't regret it later. On the other hand, the times when I've waited until my anger has passed to respond to something that upset me, it's been much easier to give a measured response and much more likely that all those involved will leave edified, even if we don't end up agreeing with one another.
When angry, take time to cool off, take time to listen, take time to think, and then respond.

Pure Religion