Tag Archives: Anger

Reaping God’s Crops

sowingseedLent
February 26, 2016

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. –1 Corinthians 10:12-13

As you sow, so shall you reap is an old proverb of unknown origin but perhaps based on Galatians 6:7 for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap in the King James Version. It is essentially what Paul says in our scripture today as he outlines incidents of folly people have brought on themselves. We do a lot of that.

How do we avoid sowing sorrow in our lives? So much of what we do that concludes with bad outcomes are misplaced anger or fear or other emotions. Somethings the anger or fear is merited but our reaction to it is not appropriate. Other times our emotions are based in investing ourselves in the lesser things of life, knowing full well that there is a better way. When we drink too much and drive is a good example. When we love our spouse and do not want that relationship to end but indulge in an extramarital affair because it just presented itself and seemed like a good thing to do at the time is another.

Curbing the beasts within us should be handled readily by applying a little common sense, a little self-restraint and yet we do not. When we let other things become our gods we invest the trust in them that is only real when invested in the one true God. Working out our relationship with God is the best way to order our whole lives.

Prayer: Lord forgive me when I let the lesser gods of the world entice me away from you. Hang in there with me, O God. Hold tight when I am tempted to fall. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Projected Anger

Love and masksAdvent
December 15, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 80:1-7

 Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
O Lord God of hosts,
   how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
   and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
   our enemies laugh among themselves.
Restore us, O God of hosts;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved. –Psalm 80:3-7

I wonder sometimes if God gets tired of me praying the same prayer over and over. I am not talking about daily prayers for loved ones or repeated prayers for persons who are ill. I am talking about the prayers for the things that I need to change in my life and just do not do it. I have never thought that they might make God angry as is described in our scripture for today. Why do you suppose that would be? Does God view my prayers as a lack of trust, perhaps?

I am reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 7:15, I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. It helps to know that I am not the only one struggling with this phenomenon, but it does not change anything.

Perhaps the problem lies in my centering my whole being on myself rather than being centered in God. The Psalmist, Paul, and I all may be projecting our own anger at ourselves onto God when all God ask of us is to still ourselves and rekindle our relationship with God rather than trying to make ourselves perfect ourselves.

Prayer: God of Grace and God of Glory, let your ever present love crowd out our ever present doubt, shame, fear, and all those other negatives that curtail our ability to love you and serve you more completely. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.