Anger and the Sovereignty of God

Sunday night after worship we had our monthly discussion group meeting at one of our family’s homes. We are working our way through Jerry Bridges latest book, Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, NavPress, 2007). In this volume Bridges addresses all the so-called” little” sins we Christians commit and tend to overlook because we are so busy condemning the “great” sins in the world and in others. Last night we dealt with the chapters that treat pride, selfishness, impatience and irritability, and anger. We had a wonderful, open discussion on these sins of which we are all guilty.

 

In his second chapter on anger (yes, he appropriately wrote two chapters on this sin!), Bridges has some good thoughts on how to handle anger properly. He provides a solid Reformed answer – look to the sovereignty of God! I want to leave you with a quote from this section, because I believe this is key to putting away our sinful anger.

 

How, then, can we deal with our anger so that it does not begin to sprout these noxious weeds (resentment, bitterness, enmity, grudges, strife – CJT)? How can we nip it in the bud so that the sun does not go down on it?

…First, we must always look to the sovereignty of God. Goes doesn’t cause people to sin against us, but He does allow it, and it is always allowed for a purpose – most often our growth in Christlikeness (He then writes about Joseph’s experience as a good model to follow – CJT).

…I have found that afirm belief int he sovereignty of God is my first defense against a temptation to allow anger to linger in my mind and emotions. If I want to deal with the temptation decisively, I actively call to mind that the actions of another person (or persons) that triggered my initial response of anger are under the sovereign control of God. Though the actions may be sinful in themselves, God intends them for my good. As Joseph said to his brothers, ‘As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good’ (Genesis 50:20).

As I have already observed, the good may be an opportunity to grow in Christlikeness. But God may also have other ends in view, perhaps to prepare us in some way for greater usefulness. Or we may never know what good God brought out of a specific situation where we were tempted to become angry. But it is enough to know that however difficult the situation, God intends good. Actively reflecting on this great truth of God’s sovereignty is my first step to defuse anger (pp.133-134).

340 Year Old German Bible Found in Wisconsin

This is an amazing story carried on CNN over the weekend. In a small Lutheran church and school in Bonduel, Wisconsin a 340 year old German Bible was discovered buried under some old books and pamphlets. That’s right, the Bible was printed in 1670 and according to this reporter included catechisms (Luther’s and/or the Heidelberg?) as well as beautiful artwork! It weighs in at 20 lbs. and has a pigskin cover. Talk about a find! Makes one want to start searching old church buildings. You know, the ones no one cares about or attends anymore. Click on the link to watch the video.

Video – Breaking News Videos from CNN.com.