Sunday, December 6

Ephesians 4:22-27

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 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 your anger do not sin." Not - "Never be angry."  This gives me hope :) God created us as emotional creatures. We feel. We cry. We get mad. We desire. I've tried to stop certain feelings that I think are 'bad'- it just doesn't happen. But maybe, just maybe, in my anger... I will not sin. Can we choose to not give in to emotion? To not sin because of it?

 If I am angry, can I choose to not show it? Can I choose to think on whatever is true and noble and not sin? Maybe then the anger will go away - but even if not, I haven't sinned. Maybe if I'm sad, I can still smile and be thankful. Maybe when I long for something, I can turn to God instead of looking in the wrong places. Maybe when we choose to not succumb to emotion, it loses its power over us.

Now don't get me wrong, there are many wonderful emotions, and even negative emotions can be purposeful and righteous. I'm just meaning the negative emotions that we don't want - the ones that seem to linger. I don't know about you, but I can't control my emotions very well. I can however, control what I think and what I do. Sometimes what I think and do changes the emotion - sometimes it doesn't. But either way, I want to choose whats right.

And thankfully, when we do sin in the midst of our emotion, there is forgiveness.

~

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!