Monday Reading: Proverbs 29 11
Key Verse: Proverbs 29 11
11 A fool speaks all his mind; but a wise one keeps it in until afterwards.
Devotion:
Have you ever wished that you had not said something out of the heat of the moment? I am sure that we have all done or said something stupid just because we were angered by someone or something and then regretted what we had done. People talk about having self control and being able to avoid those problems, but it truth be told, it is not self control. What happens to all of us when we get pushed too far is probably going to be much the same. The difference comes in what we have been exposed to in our lives beforehand and also how much we are willing to have God in control.
Key Verse: Proverbs 29 11
11 A fool speaks all his mind; but a wise one keeps it in until afterwards.
Devotion:
Have you ever wished that you had not said something out of the heat of the moment? I am sure that we have all done or said something stupid just because we were angered by someone or something and then regretted what we had done. People talk about having self control and being able to avoid those problems, but it truth be told, it is not self control. What happens to all of us when we get pushed too far is probably going to be much the same. The difference comes in what we have been exposed to in our lives beforehand and also how much we are willing to have God in control.
If we have been exposed to all manner of violence in our lives, then we will be more willing to allow violence to become part of our solution. Whatever has been a major part of our life, whether we have agreed with it or not, is most likely to come out at the time when we are least in control – when we are angry, tired or frustrated. If we are going to purely rely on our own emotions and past, you can see that what we do is not going to be in our best interests. All you have to do is to look back into your own past and come up with some pretty wild ideas of what could happen!
However, if we are willing to allow God into our lives, then we should also be willing to allow Him in in those times of angst. When we do allow Him in, we will find that our anger will no longer be raised to the levels that we previously allowed it to go. We will find that we are no longer quite as frustrated as we used to be. We will never get rid of those feelings because we are still human, but by listening to God in time, we will learn how to side step many issues to start with. When it gets time to face up to those frustrations, we will also have Him in front of us guiding us through the mess to a solutions where He will still be able to be glorified rather than us putting our feet in out mouths!
Points to Ponder:
How often does anger get the better of you?
How often does anger get the better of you?
How often do you actually allow God to be in control?