Monday 6 Nov 2017

November 6: Daniel 3:13-20

Key Verse: Daniel 3:19
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual

Devotion:
When any of us get angry, we lose sight of all that is sensible... We may like to think we are in control, but we are typically not. We do stupid things, we don't think logically or rationally but simply follow our wrath and anger. Yet no matter how many times we read about it, or get told about it, or learn from other mistakes, we seem to go back there over and over again – this is one mistake in our lives we find hard to learn from because our anger consumes our spirits.

Just like a huge bush fire which gets to a forest of fir trees, there is nothing to stop it. Everyone around us takes a step back and has to ride it out whilst we lose it all and destroy things which we probably love... That has got to be the worst part, the fact we can lose control so much that we do things which we know are stupid and we know are wrong – yet we cannot stop ourselves, even with loved ones. We tear apart friendships, we break down trusts, we build up barriers, destroy hard work; and all in a few seconds... Things which may have taken us years to build up are torn asunder as we go on the rampage.

Nebuchadnezzar, I'm sure, knew all about furnaces and how dangerous fire was; yet when his fury got hold of him, he heated the furnace far beyond that which was safe. In doing so he endangered the lives of those around him just to try and placate his feelings. When the men pushed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego into the fire, they lost their own lives.

We need to be able to control our anger before we blow up. Wrath normally comes after pride is put down, greed is challenged, or jealousy is provoked. It follows on from bad situations and not from good. Following Christ's examples instead of our lustful eyes will help us to avoid those situations in the beginning rather than having to face the consequences of our outbursts!

Points to Ponder:
What makes you really mad?

How can we hope to follow God's Will if we let anger rules our lives?