Anger

January 2, 2007

Genesis 4:6-7 GNB
(6) Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why that scowl on your face?
(7) If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling; but because you have done evil, sin is crouching at your door. It wants to rule you, but you must overcome it."

Anger is an emotion as old as the the first family in history. Cain was angry. Was he angry at God for God not being happy with thesacrifice? Or was he mad at Able because the sacrifice of Abel was accepted but his was not? In reality, neither is important, it is the fact that he was angry.

God clearly shows Cain what he can do with the anger. He can learn from it why he is angry and what caused it so that he will not repeat those things, or he can let it rule over him. God told him those were the choices, it was his choice to go down one path or the other. We know from history that Cain made the wrong choice. Able was killed and God punished Cain for it.

Are we any different. When we get angry we can choose which way we go with it. We can go off like a steam kettle whistling and blowing till all around us are hurt. Or we can try to learn from what makes us angry and try not to go there again. We are not perfect, we will fail, but we can learn from those mistakes as well.

As this new year starts, let us try to learn from what makes us angry and not blow a bunch of steam.


Read through the Bible in a year.
Today:
Genesis 4:1-7:24
Tomorrow:
Genesis 8:1-11:32