Taming Your Temper (Proverbs 15:18)

Taming Your Temper (Proverbs 15:18)

Proverbs 15:18, A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

In the spring of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles came to Boston to play a routine baseball game, but what happened that day was anything but routine. The Orioles' John McGraw got into a fight with the Boston third baseman. Within minutes all the players from both teams had joined in the brawl. The warfare quickly spread to the grandstands. Among the fans, the conflict went from bad to worse. Someone set fire to the stands and the entire ballpark burned to the ground. Not only that, but the fire spread to 107 other Boston buildings as well.

It has been rightly said that when your temper boils over, you usually end up in hot water. We have seen that in our lives over and over again. It never pays to lose your temper. If you're angry, you'll say or do something you'll wish you never had said or done. The consequences of your rage may affect you and the lives of others for the rest of your life because you behaved foolishly.

A man that is quick-tempered does things without stopping to consider the consequences of his actions. He may shoot off his mouth with curses or insults, slam doors, or throw whatever is at hand to express his rage. The thought is how one with a quick temper stirs up trouble. In contrast, one who controls his temper and is slow to anger pacifies potential trouble. A hot temper is never a virtue. It inevitably ignites even worse trouble. The Biblical concept of meekness is of one who controls his emotions and certainly his temper. The latter tends to put out fires of strife while the former ignites them.

Not all anger is wrong. Controlled anger rouses us to stand against injustice and corruption. The anger of Jesus caused Him to flush the money-changers from the Temple area. The person who has a short fuse and loses self control when he gets angry is the one who behaves foolishly and behaves in such a way where his actions lead to failure.

10 Warnings about man's unrighteous anger:
(1) It causes one to do foolish things (Proverbs 14:17).
(2) It is the result of pride (Proverbs 13:10).
(3) It poisons others (Proverbs 22:24-25).
(4) It stirs up strife and sin (Proverbs 15:18; 29:22).
(5) It results in punishment (Proverbs 19:19).
(6) It can be tempered with soft words (Proverbs 15:1).
(7) God warns about becoming friends with an angry man (Proverbs 22:24-25).
(8) Control of anger requires that one have rule over his own spirit (Proverbs 16:32; 25:28).
(9) A man's wisdom causes him to control his anger (Proverbs 19:11).
(10) It is to be put away from the Christian's life (Colossians 3:8).

Prayer, Father in Heaven, You know the struggles I have with anger and bitterness. You know the reasons I wrestle with resentment. You know how deep the hurt goes and how long I have lived with it. But I don’t want to live with it any longer. I don’t want to be an angry, resentful and bitter person. With Your help, I release my anger into Your hands. In Jesus name, Amen!

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