Definition

RAGE – the uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger that move us to act against others.

Read Ezra 9:10-15

This is part of a prayer of Ezra, a priest of Israel from around 500 BCE, who led a stage of the return to their lands after being captive in Babylon and Persia for nearly a century. He saw the people of Israel all intermarried with people who did not worship God and knew, from experience, that this would anger God.

It is not hard to see in the Old Testament that God gets angry. His anger is always the result of our rejection of relationship with him. It is not even about breaking his commandments, but about violating the love he pours into his relationship with us by treating his commandments so flippantly.

Our anger and rage will break our relationship with God; and that calls down his righteous anger on us. He will act to restore us, but from our end it will feel like judgment and unless we seek his heart, we will refuse his correction.

God, when I feel the heat of your anger in my life, help me to see that it is I who has wronged and not you. You are perfect and loving; you desire the best for your children, which means you will correct me. Give me perspective on these things and help me to be drawn closer to you rather than pushing you away.

Definition

RAGE – the uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger that move us to act against others.

Read Daniel 3

As you read this, watch for how rage drives Nebuchadnezzar to extremes; and watch how people respond to his rage. We can choose to be servants of rage and anger or we can choose to serve the LORD. We cannot do both. Anger is rooted deeply in our love of self.

God, I would rather be cast into the furnace of others anger and be in your will than to join their ragings and sit in splendor. Help me, when confronted with anger, to answer it with faith and love for you than with anger.

Definition

RAGE – the uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger that move us to act against others.

Read Ephesians 4:17-32

According to Paul, it is possible to ‘be angry and sin not.’ What does he mean? We all experience the feeling of anger; but if we identify it as anger and get rid of it right away, we will not let this deadly thought rule us. Reread verses 31-32 and make them your creed when it comes to anger.

Father, I will put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander. I will refuse to act in malice. I will embrace kind and tender-hearted thinking. I will be forgiving.

Definition

RAGE – the uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger that move us to act against others.

Read Genesis 4:1-16

The message of this ancient story is quite plain.

How often does your face fall [v 6] because you are angry with someone?

Anger is a powerful motivator. Once it taints a relationship, it is almost impossible to get rid of. Sometimes it drives us away from people, but more often, we try to bury it and pretend like it isn’t there. And then it explodes; and as in any explosion, those closest to us get caught in the path of destruction.

God, I am sorry for catching those closest to me in the path of destruction of my anger. I repent of hurting them; and I pray for the strength to go to them and seek their forgiveness.

Definition

RAGE – the uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger that move us to act against others.

Read Matthew 5:21-26

In this portion of Scripture, Jesus is speaking in hyperbole; but he is making the point that murder comes from something deeper. Anger is the disease that destroys relationships and leads us down to dark places.

We often think of anger as the visible signs, but anger lurks in many hidden places. It resides in the veiled mockeries of our minds, the biting remarks we keep for ourselves. To defeat anger is not simply to stop the actions of anger but to cleanse our minds of these attitudes toward others.

Jesus, you have placed me on a journey to cleanse anger from my thinking. Right now, you are bringing to my mind situations that are motivated by anger. Give me a heart of repentance toward those with whom I have hidden anger issues.

Definition

SLOTH – a failure to fulfill your place, to maximize what God has given you.

Read Luke 15:11-32

This is the parable known as “The Prodigal Son.” Focus on the other brother in vv 25-32. Do you notice how intensely he was working? How focused he was on the wrong tasks? The things he thought would gain favor instead of being focused on his father’s desires? What did that produce within him? Bitterness? Anger?

Be intense in the labors God gives you. Listen to his heart and then dive in. Don’t dive in and hope you’ll find God’s will somewhere in there. You may not know the specifics, but the general ideas of what he wants to do are usually pretty obvious. It is only once we have the blueprints and start building that we can know the details.

Father, I want to be about the business of your heart and not simply do things for the sake of routine or tradition. When I heard your call, help me to act and believe in your new life!

Definition

SLOTH – a failure to fulfill your place, to maximize what God has given you.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-58

One of the reasons we do not work as hard as we can is because we do not truly embrace the power of the resurrection. In the back of our minds, we doubt God’s power to transform lives through us, and we hesitate. The resurrection is not just a nice theological idea. It is the foundation of the entire church – the entire Bible really.

Jesus, your resurrection gives us the power to be transformed and transform. I will not wait for Easter to recall your resurrection and make it central to my life. I will be resurrected.

Definition

SLOTH – a failure to fulfill your place, to maximize what God has given you.

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12

There are many people living on spiritual welfare in the church, waiting for others to ‘feed’ them, hoping for good teachers and clear, modernist outlines rather than seeking to know our true Teacher – Jesus Christ. Paul says to stay away from people like this. While he is speaking about physical sloth, the same is true of spiritual sloth.

I realize that I do not always seek out the means of my spiritual growth. Sometimes I expect it to just happen. I recognize this as sin against your nature, God, and ask forgiveness. I also ask for the strength to move forward and ACT to feed others.

Definition

SLOTH – a failure to fulfill your place, to maximize what God has given you.

Read Romans 13:8-14

Love is work? Paul seems to think so. When we sit around waiting for love to happen or to grow on its own, we are being slothful. We are letting our potential waste away.

How can we ever know the full potential of love if we do not work at it? How can we know what it feels like to truly not wrong others unless we are constantly correcting our unloving behavior?

God, there is work you have for me to do – to not only show love but to be love. I know that this will not happen without my effort and your Spirit’s power. Give me the strength to act.

Definition

SLOTH – a failure to fulfill your place, to maximize what God has given you.

Read Matthew 25:14-30

Never let lack of resources be an excuse for not doing what God wants you to do. We cannot use what we do not have, but God will not give us anything we cannot use.

What ‘talents’ has he placed in your stewardship that are ‘buried’ rather than invested?

God gives you things so you can work to improve or multiply them. He does not give us money or jobs or children or relationships so we can sit back and enjoy them. He gives to us so we can make something more out of the raw materials.

Jesus, what do I have that I am not using? What gifts, what talents, what resources are sitting in reserve while work goes undone?

I am tired of sitting on the bench, tired of waiting for opportunities. I want to be used and use what you have given me.