Quick to Anger
“[Love] does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” -1Corinthians 13:5
Have you ever been quick to anger? We all have. We can be easily flustered, exasperated, and irritable, especially if the same sin is being committed against us for a second, third, or hundredth time. (Any parent knows exactly what this looks like.) Patience can be hard to offer to a repeat offender. “Again?!?” we sigh. Imagine if God said the same to us. But God is love, and love is not easily angered.
Have you ever held a grudge against someone? We all have. I still remember the first and last name of my junior high nemesis, the girl who made the 8th grade absolutely miserable for me. Grudges can be hard to let go. We’ll forgive, we say, but we won’t forget. Imagine if God said the same to us. But God is love, and love keeps no record of wrongs.
Psalm 103:8-12 says, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
How refreshing and humbling these words are. We don’t need to fear the anger and frustration of God, no matter how many times we’ve messed up, fallen short, or just plain rebelled. When we say, “God, I did it again,” He looks at us and says, “What do you mean, ‘again’?” He is not keeping a tally of how many times we fail. He won’t cut ties with us when we’ve reached our limit of offenses. He won’t treat us any differently on the thousandth time than He did on the first time. “He does not treat us as our sins deserve,” (v.10). Imagine if we did the same for others.
Study & Reflection: Read through these other verses speaking of God’s love, which is slow to anger and keeps no record of wrongs: Isaiah 43:25, Isaiah 44:22, Jeremiah 3:12. Read the story of when Jesus forgives a sinful woman, (Luke 7:36-50) and the Parable of the Lost Son, (Luke 15: 11-31). How do you relate to the people in these passages? What can you learn from them?
Prayer: Read Psalm 103:8-12 again. What convictions do these words bring up in your heart? What grudges do you need to release? Who do you need to extend more patience to? What do you need to be forgiven from, so that you can forgive others? Stop and take time to pray, repent, and sit in the freedom His forgiveness brings. May we be slow to anger. May we keep no record of wrongs. May we love as Christ loves us.