Date: 1st & 2nd March 2019
Lesson: Galatians 5:13-26.
Verse of Focus: Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Galatians 5:22
Dear Father, over the last two months Barbados has recorded nine shootings in January and four in February. This has been a record for the island. The question I have asked is what has caused such anger that would make one person take a gun and shoot another. Self-control has flown out the window and everybody seems to be taking matters into their own hands. Even small children are retaliating when they think they are being treated unfairly.
A teacher related to me that at her school a programme in anger management was undertaken. One of the strategies explained to the Class 3s was to count to ten before retaliating, when they were angry. This was a way to calm the person who was annoyed. One day two boys were brought to the class teacher for fighting. After being questioned, the teacher found out which boy struck the first blow. She reminded him of the strategy and asked why he did not count to ten to which he responded, “I count to ten first and then “wring” much hand in “he.” This strategy of controlling anger had failed for this boy and hundreds of others because human beings are unable to adequately direct our own behaviour. We need divine help.
Our human tendencies and the Holy Spirit are always warring against each other, (Galatians 5:17). Because of this, we end up doing the wrong which we do not really want to do. Paul, a stalwart in the New Testament, knew well how weak his body was. He wrote to the Roman church, “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me,” (Romans 7:21). He considered himself a wretched man and asked who will rescue him. He recognized that it was You who delivered through Jesus Christ, (Romans 7:24 & 25).
Lord, I do not have a problem with outright anger but there are times I get angry with my son so much that my voice raises. I hate being in this frame of mind and desperately need You to help me, here. I want to be angry over sin, not anything frivolous. I want to respond in a godly way at all times.
Wrong anger pushes the Holy Spirit away from me.