The Bible does not tell us that we should not feel angry. It points out that we should handle our  anger  correctly.   If we vent our anger thoughtlessly, we may hurt people and destroy relationships. Yet, if we bottle anger up, it can cause us to become bitter and can destroy us from within. We should deal with our anger immediately in a way that builds up our relationships. When we nurse our anger, we will give the devil an opportunity to divide us. Do not let a day end before we begin to work on mending our relationships.

Are we angry with someone right now?
What can we do to resolve our differences?
Work on it straight away, right this minute.

“ANGER” – is just one letter short of the word ‘DANGER’.
When we lose control we also lose respect.
When we lose control, we risk losing the chance to find a constructive solution.
On the other hand, anger toward human suffering is generally a catalyst to seek change.

A quick temper can be like a fire out of control, burning us, and everyone else in its path. Anger brings division! It sometimes causes hasty decisions that may cause bitterness and guilt. And yet, anger, in itself, is not wrong. Anger can be a legitimate action to injustice and sin. Always look for the cause. Can we feel ourselves getting angry? Are we reacting to something evil that needs to be put right? Or are we responding selfishly to a personal insult? Learn to control our temper and ask God to help us. Channel our feelings into effective action. Conquer selfish anger through humility and repentance. Ask the Lord to help us with this.

We need to recognise the things we cannot control. We cannot control other people’s attitudes and actions. Be very careful when, where and how we vent. Our words can come back and bite us. Learn to keep our distance from angry people. Being angry can be contagious!

God bless you as you mull over this week’s reflection. Ditch the anger and start now. Learn when it is cool to be angry for a good cause and learn to be angry without sinning. Think about things overnight and then perhaps be silent anyway when anger is not righteous!

If I say everything I think, I can slay people in my path.
I should be asking myself if it is helpful or hurtful?
And what about my timing and voice tone?
You see, only fools vent – the wise quietly hold back.
Knowing when to speak is more important than knowing what to say!
(SOURCE UNKNOWN)

LAW NUMBER ONE IS:   DO YOUR BEST WITH
WHAT YOU HAVE.
It does not matter in God’s eyes how much you
have but how well you handle it.
Barnabas is praised for his large gift of land to the early church. The widow is lauded by our Lord for her gift of less than a penny. Someone said, “I am but one … but I am one. I cannot do much … but I can do something. What I can do … I ought to do. What I ought to do … by the grace of God, I will do.”

LAW NUMBER TWO IS:   WHAT WE MANAGE IS NOT OURS.
I read recently about a strange thief in Hamburg, Germany. There was not a single brick, tile, screw, or nail in his neat little house that had not been stolen. Over a period of two years and by way of eighty different thefts, he acquired every square inch of his house at someone else’s expense. He even admitted that he had stolen the flowers blooming in his front yard. Day by day, bit by bit, he accomplished his theft.

His actions parallel the spiritually crippled behavior of many men and women. Day by day, they appropriate the things of God …. His air, sunshine, and food. They take everything He gives and use them for selfish purposes. Actually, they embezzle a life because they give nothing in return. In building their life, every single brick, tile, screw, and nail is stolen.

A constant warning from God’s Word is this: People who embezzle their lives from God are stuck with what they stole. Life management is to do your best with what you have. It is to know that what we manage is not ours.

LAW NUMBER THREE:   THE THINGS WE MANAGE ARE NOT REAL.
The wealth of this world is not real because it does not last. The goods we manage now are temporary. Life’s largest blunder is to act as though this were not so. The Psalmist said, “Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever, their dwelling places to all generations. They call their lands after their own names.” This is sheer mockery. For, as the Bible says of one who lusts after the treasures of earth, “when he dies, he shall carry nothing away.”

Charlemagne was, at his request, buried sitting on his throne, wearing his crown, robe, and jewels. In his lap was an open Bible, and his dead finger was resting on Mark 8:36: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul.”

Successful life management is a matter of exchanging a life you cannot keep for a life you cannot lose. It is trading the temporary goods of this world for unending, secure treasure. No matter how much or how little you may have in ability, opportunity, or wealth, you can manage your life in such a way as to be really rich.                                                                 (BOB JOYCE)

The great Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first to discover the magnetic meridian of the North Pole and to discover the South Pole. On one of his trips, Amundsen took a homing pigeon with him. When he had finally reached the top of the world,  he opened  the  bird’s  cage and  set  it  free.
Imagine the delight of Amundsen’s wife, back in Norway, when she looked up from the doorway of her home and saw the pigeon circling in the sky above. No doubt she exclaimed, “He’s alive! My husband is still alive!”

So it was when Jesus ascended. He was gone, but the disciples clung to his promise to send them the Holy Spirit. What joy, then, when the dovelike Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost. The disciples had with them the continual reminder that Jesus was alive and victorious at the right of the Father. This continues to be the Spirit’s message.                           (THOMAS LINDBERG)

Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One man shouted, “Suck it out with a pump!” Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.” After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.” He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by “sucking out a sin here and there,” but by being filled with the Holy Spirit.                                                                              (TODAY IN THE WORLD)

The Christian’s life in all its aspects—intellectual and ethical, devotional and relational, upsurging in worship and outgoing in witness—is supernatural; only the Spirit can initiate and sustain it. So apart from him, not only will there be no lively believers and no lively congregations, there will be no believers and no congregations at all.                                   (J.I. PACKER)

When the depths are upheld by the Holy Spirit, then the reaction is Christian.
(E. STANLEY JONES)

Many people feel so pressured by the expectations of others that it causes them to be frustrated, miserable and confused about what they should do. But there is a way to live a simple, joy-filled, peaceful life, and the key is learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit, not the traditions or expectations of man.                                                                             (JOYCE MEYER)

Individual responsibility.
Each one of us must use our talents in the service of our Lord. You cannot fulfill my responsibility for me and I cannot do it for you. When it comes to the basic requirements of worship and service, no one can do that for you.

God deals righteously.
The five talent man was not blessed because he had more talents, but because he used his talents faithfully. The same is true of the two talent man. The one talent man was condemned, not because he only had one talent, but because he did not use what he had. He was not faithful.

Ability grows if used.
The same is true of our talents. If we don’t use them, we will lose them. If you quit studying, visiting, teaching, etc… you will lose those talents. We are responsible to use talents and develop them to be able to render even greater service.

Blessings bring responsibility.
The more we are blessed, the greater the responsibility. If we have ability to teach, visit the sick, lead singing, prayer etc… we are responsible for doing so. Remember the following formula:

ABILITY + OPPORTUNITY = RESPONSIBILITY

If people are busy using their talents, they won’t have any time to be getting into trouble. The one-talent person may have other dangers. He may conclude that his small ability is not worth much, and so fail to use what he has. He may conclude that if he can’t teach as well as someone else, or sing as well as someone else, then don’t do it at all. Let us be reminded that the widow gave her two mites (Mark 12:43-44). She used the ability she had.

We may never be a five talent person, but we know everyone has some talent or ability that he can use to serve God. The lesson is, use what you have and the Lord will richly bless you for it. “His Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.'” (Matthew 25:21).                                              (RON HUTCHISON)

Do we want good children or godly children? We want godly children who know the principles of good living but also who know God Himself. We desire for our children to have a love and passion for God that overflows in a love for mankind. Without Jesus Christ our ability to forgive, have compassion and to love is greatly limited. In Christ we have the ability to have Christ live His life in us. God can do great and mighty things through families that live by His great and glorious promises and purposes. Reflect on the following 7 principles for raising children from Deuteronomy 6.

Principle #1: Establish and live by God’s standards (Deut. 6:1)
Reflection: Do your standards come from God’s standards? How well have you learnt and lived by His commands?

Principle #2: Pass it on to next generations (Deut. 6:2)
Reflection: Are you excited about what God is doing in your life? If so, have you shared it with your children? If not, do you really expect your children’s zeal will be above yours?

Principle #3: Convinced of the need for God’s blessing (Deut. 6:3)
Reflection: Do you believe that you and your family’s welfare are dependent upon keeping God’s Word? Is it your goal to ‘run’ after His commands so that you will have a passionate love for God that would be worthy to transfer to the next generation?

Principle #4: Undivided loyalty to Yahweh (LORD) (Deut. 6:4-5)
Reflection: Is God your life priority so that every area of your life revolves around Him? If things got real bad like Job, would you give up God? Are you committed to serving the LORD Yahweh as a family?

Principle #5: Devoted to His Word (Deut. 6:6)
Reflection: How many times do you as the father and mother meditate on God’s Word through the week? When you do spend time in His Word, is it because you desire His Word or because you are obligated to do so?

Principle #6: Committed to teaching his sons (Deut. 6:7)
Reflection:  What formal teaching of God’s Word do you bring to your family as the father? How much time? Where? To whom? In the case of informal teaching, do you spend time communicating with your children in the home about the things of God, or is the television/internet more important?

Principle #7: Display God’s Word (Deut. 6:8-9)
Reflection: What do you decorate your walls with? Would anyone know that you have a great love for God from walking in or around your home?

Dads need to rethink their calling from God. They are not just husbands; they are fathers. They need to lead and teach. It is from such verses as Deuteronomy 6 we understand the true importance of the family to a great society. When the family disintegrates, the society dies. When the family is strong and fathers take the lead, the society does well. Will we fathers begin to take our role seriously or let our children be drugged by modern teachings and be caught by the pull of the secular world culture?
(PAUL & LINDA BUCKNELL)

The parable is clear:   the invitation is urgent.The banquet is ready. There’s not a moment to waste.  The food is hot.  The time is now.  We’ve been invited to the feast – are we coming or not?

But lest we feel too complacent – lest we mistakenly believe that all we need to do as faithful Christians is to accept God’s invitation and just show up in church – Matthew adds the unsettling parable of the man without a wedding robe.  The king comes in to see the guests, and spots a man without the clean, white garment that is the proper dress for a wedding feast.  The king apparently looks kindly at him and gives him a chance to speak.  “Friend,” he says, “how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” [Matthew 22:12].   But the man is speechless; he can make no excuse.  And so off he goes in chains – not just out to the streets but into hell.

The point?  God’s door is open to us but we cannot presume on God’s grace.  God’s overflowing, endless, patient, self-giving generosity comes to us as gift, but it comes with responsibility, too.  The parable doesn’t care a bit about the clothes we wear to church or anywhere else; what does concern it is the spirit with which we come before God.  Like the man in the parable, every day we too have a chance inwardly to wear the white robe of our baptism, so that our baptismal vows truly become the framework that guides our lives.  Every day we have the chance to let our lives be shaped and formed by the disciplines of Christian community.

So it’s worth asking ourselves: are we practicing what it means to give generously, to listen respectfully, and to speak honestly and with love?  And with what garment do we clothe ourselves when we come to worship?  In what spirit do we arrive to share in the feast of the Lord’s Supper, that foretaste of the ultimate wedding banquet between Christ and all creation?  Do we come to church wearing the garment of expectation?  Do we come with the garment of penitence and humility?  Do we come with the garment of sincerity, with the garment of reverence? Getting the family organized on a Sunday morning – especially if you have young kids – is no small feat, and sometimes we probably slide into the pews feeling more harried than anything else.  But still, if we can, it’s good to take some time before the worship service begins – maybe the night before – to examine our lives, to reflect on how we have and have not responded this week to God’s invitations, and to prepare ourselves for the feast.

Everyone is welcome.  God’s banquet is ready.  The joy is ours.

(REV MARGARET BULLITT-JONAS)