QUALITIES OF A NEW SELF (PART 2)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“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.

Ephesians 4:26-27

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Be made new in the attitude of your minds and put on a new self to show you were created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

This was the message we find the Apostle Paul giving to the Christians in Ephesus as we read verses 23 and 24 of Ephesians, chapter 4.

We then find Paul getting into what that new self should look like by pinpointing specific behaviors that should either be avoided or adopted by believers. These qualities of a new self form the current devotion series I am sharing and yesterday we saw where dishonesty has no place in a person who is truly in Christ, the only person who has ever walked the earth and lived in perfect integrity.

Today, we look at another character trait that Christians are to abstain from. Here’s what Paul writes in verses 26 and 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.

In nearly every possible situation, anger is a toxic emotion. It poisons and erodes a person from the inside out, eliminating sound judgment and cancelling love altogether. Unchecked, anger can lead to rage and rage can lead a person to do serious damage to something or someone. In the case of the latter, rage often results in murder and this is why Jesus gave the matter attention as He taught about anger during His Sermon on the Mount. Here’s what our Savior had to say:

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Matthew 5:21-22

Here we find Jesus getting to the root of murder by making sure His listeners knew that anger would bring God’s judgment just as readily as taking another’s life. And for good measure, He threw name calling in there too.

We find Paul also invoking the Psalms as he writes, quoting from the fourth verse of Psalm 4 which reads:

“Don’t sin by letting anger control you.” NLT

Sin was part of the old self one lived in before coming to Jesus and sin easily leads a person into anger. It also allows the devil to have a foothold and when that happens, every behavior offensive to God is possible.

Christians are to turn from this kind of life and put on their new self, a self that allows Jesus to have the foothold and that life will always lead a person into the kind of righteousness and holiness God expects and favors. It’s a self that places love for others over enmity. A self sacrificing love that would lead a person to die for someone else, kill them out of anger.

Are you a Christian and struggling with anger?

Perhaps it’s because you have turned from Christ toward sin and allowed Satan to start to gain a foothold on your heart.

The good news is that your path back to being the person Jesus was is as simple as turning to Him and committing to live fully as He did, choosing to forgive and love instead of condemning in indignant anger. Allow Him to control your heart and it will always be in the right place.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com