LightGrams
December 15, 2016
Volume 20, Number 40
If you owe money to John Bubar of Parsonfield, Maine, you might want to repay it as quickly as possible. His son learned that lesson the hard way earlier this week. But John learned an even more painful lesson.
John’s son lives in a mobile home that is parked on property that his father owes. He was behind on his rent, and also had not heeded his father’s instructions to clean up the lot. John decided a more forceful means of communication was needed, so he backed up his front-end loader to the trailer, lifted it up and then dropped it suddenly. He did this three times, according to reports. You can imagine the jolt and the resulting damage to the contents of that mobile home.
It was then John learned that his 7-year-old grandson was inside the trailer, causing him to stop the shake-up he was administering. Thankfully the grandson was unhurt, but John was arrested on charges of domestic violence and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon.
John’s actions were extreme, to be sure. But how many other family disputes have led to unintended harm to innocent bystanders? When anger is out of control, someone is bound to get hurt – including some that we love and would never consider hurting.
Cain became angry with is brother, Abel, because Abel’s sacrifice pleased God while his own did not. It was not rational to have this anger toward his brother, and God tried to warn him of what might happen: ” … sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). Cain did not control his anger, though, and before long he took the life of his brother.
Nabal was asked by David for a portion of the bountiful feast on his table. Nabal responded instead with angry insults toward David and his men. Had Nabal’s wife, Abigail, not intervened, Nabal’s anger would likely have led to the deaths of his family (read about it in 1 Samuel 25). The name Nabal, by the way, means “fool”.
Aristotle spoke wisely about anger: “Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”
The apostle Paul put it simply: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26,27). Satan does some of his most destructive work through people who are boiling inside.
Anger is a powder keg. We need the Lord’s help to keep us from hurting those we love.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2016, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
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