DEVOTION – DAY 498

Ephesians 4:26-27 “Do Not Sin In Your Anger”

Ephesians 4:26-27 “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

Christians keep their emotions even after they become Christians. This means that Christians do sometimes become angry. Anger, if it is righteous anger is acceptable. For example, we should be angry when we come across people who exploit the weak, the poor and the helpless. Jesus was angry at the traders who had defiled the Temple courtyard with their exploitative businesses. But clearly, not all anger is righteous. 

Christians sometimes lose their temper when they are provoked, or think they are misunderstood, or when they are impatient, or unhappy about something. When that happens, the above verses tell us that no anger should be allowed to remain beyond that day. This means that Christians are to make peace and reconcile with others after they have lost their temper with someone. They must do it quickly. Otherwise, the devil may use the hurt feelings and anger to worsen the situation causing greater divisions amongst everyone. 

We know someone who told us that in the initial months of marriage, he would sometimes have disagreements with his wife. When that happens and if he thinks his wife is in the wrong, he would give his wife the “silent” treatment so that she knew he was unhappy. He would avoid talking to her until she apologized. He was fortunate that his wife is an understanding and patient woman. This man now realized that he had been wrong. He now learnt to change the way he and his wife resolved their disagreements. They now always make it a point to resolve their differences and arguments within the same day. They will not go to bed until they have talked things over. This has helped and strengthened their marriage greatly. They have also shared their approach to help their friends resolve their differences with others. 

We also know of another couple who failed to resolve their differences and allowed their anger to grow against each other. In the end, it ruined their relationship to the extent that their marriage could not be saved. They divorced and parted ways. This was because they allowed their anger to become a foothold for the devil to destroy their relationship.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching us to value our relationships with others and to quickly resolve our differences arising from anger and disputes. Please help us to have grace, love, patience and a desire to make peace quickly with others. We humbly pray in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. Are you able to control your anger? How do you resolve matters when you are angry with others? Share. 
  2. If you had delayed resolving issues with others who have been hurt by what you have said or done, what was the impact? 
  3. Why is it hard for you to sometimes resolve differences and broken relationships quickly? 
  4. What changes must you make in your attitudes and behavior in order that you can resolve broken relationships quickly?