Its Been Around the Block...more then a time or two.

Anger is everywhere.

I see it when I am in line buying groceries. I hear it on the radio. I saw it on American Idol last night. I am witnessing it right now as I type- some professor is talking about how stupid his students are and I am sure they are. But his tone reveals his anger and frustration about the class I assume he just got through with.

Anger is everywhere. And the truth is... I see it in me.

I believe there is only two types of anger in the world- I'll call them righteous and normal anger. The anger I see everyday is commonplace, its normal. Jesus talks about this anger and associates phrases like "liable to judgment" or "liable to the fires of hell". Jesus even declares that God does not want your gifts of worship unless the rift caused by the anger between you and another is reconciled, made right. So if the general cultural flow is a world full of anger Jesus is calling us to be counter cultural. That we live lives absent of normal anger and when we do screw-up (and we will- often) we quickly seek reconciliation.

My last thought has to do with this other not so common anger. Righteous anger.

The reality is God hates sin and He hates it when people are oppressed. There are things in our world, in our city, in our communities that should anger us.

Think of the last time you saw someone totally lose it, the last time you witnessed some one who was completely pissed-off. Crazy amounts of passion and energy.

Now think of that being used towards something real, something selfless, something that truly matters.

That's the type of anger I want to be known for.

God, most of my anger is selfish. It has to do with me wanting things my way. Help me stop that. Replace that selfish desire with the desires of Your heart. Give me your eyes so that I can be angry about something that matters to Your Kingdom.
In the power of Jesus name, Amen