Be angry but do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Ephesians 4:26 (NRSV)
We live in a time when so many people are full of anger, it is evident by the road rage we see every where. Notice that Ephesians 4:26 does not say, "Do not be angry," but instead it reminds us "not to sin in our anger" or as a result of our anger. What does that mean? The next part of the verse is the answer. It is essentially telling us not to hold onto our anger. When we hold onto our anger we become bitter. Bitter people are not pleasant to be around and lose out on so many blessings.
Perhaps you are thinking about someone who has really wronged you, and you feel justified about hanging on to your anger. Let me direct you to the cross of Christ. When Christ hung on the cross he prayed, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." God in the flesh prayed for the very people who nailed Him to a cross.
Forgiveness is the way we let go of our anger. Forgiveness does not mean we condone what others do. It simply means we let go of our anger towards them. Lewis B. Smedes said of forgiveness in his book, "Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve" that when we forgive it creates "a new beginning out of past pain that never had a right to exist in the first place."
The first step to healing is forgiving, the best direction comes from God's word and Christs' example. Everyone has been hurt, but NOT everyone has forgiven those who have hurt them, let me say, there is no greater feeling of being free then the one that comes with letting go of our bitter feelings towards someone who has hurt us. pappy
