Self-centered anger vs. righteous indignation

 

The imagination that fabricates long stories in my dreams at night can sometimes cause havoc in my emotions when I wake up. I dreamt my husband did something I didn’t like and woke up angry at him, just as if the dream was reality. God often shows me truth in my dreams so I’m not surprised that today’s devotional is about anger. The love chapter says:

(Love) does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful. (1 Corinthians 13:5)

Some versions say, “Love is not provoked” or “Love doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others” or “Love is not easily angered.”

I like that last one because it recognizes that Jesus did get angry, but it wasn’t the same as the anger of being personally offended. His anger was ‘righteous indignation’ — the anger I feel when others are mistreated, or when God is slandered, or when His Word is misrepresented. However, love overcame anger when He was personally attacked. He even asked that His attackers be forgiven!

In contrast, these days fighting for personal rights is considered a virtue. People protest when they don’t get what they think they deserve. Such a value system has fueled a selfish and fleshy desire for personal success and comfort, regardless of what it might do to others. Mixed with that is greed and lovelessness that makes headlines in the news when such desire also motivates retaliation against anyone who stands in the way of those goals. As my daughter once said, “I know what is wrong with the world; everyone is selfish.”

Selfishness shows up in many ways that seem harmless, but when it produces anger, it can drastically harm those nearby, guilty or innocent. I wanted a comfortable night’s sleep but God showed me that my old nature has the potential to punch my sleeping husband because he hurt me in my dream. What if that dream actually happened? I realize that there is an element of loveless self-protection in me that needs the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to prevent it from seducing me to sin.

MacArthur offers this wisdom: Focus on my spiritual duty rather than my rights, and If I expect nothing from the world, I won’t be angered or disappointed when nothing comes. As the quote above says, anger is a punishment that I give myself for someone else’s mistake. Besides that: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10) God rewards humility, not selfishness, retaliation, or angry self-defense.

Of course there is the element of spiritual warfare in all this. My spiritual enemy does not want me to be loving, kind, not easily angered. If he can motivate selfishness by provoking me with his lies, he will do it. God’s answer is this: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

PRAY: Jesus, You forgive every sin and love me no matter what. I need to reflect Your amazing love and need Your Spirit to do it. Grant me the grace needed to love others, no matter how they treat me. Comfort and having my way is not as important as letting others know that You are a forgiving, loving God.

PONDER: Ephesians 4:26–27 tells me the best way to deal with self-centered anger. It also hints there is anger without sin (righteous indignation) and for that, I also need wisdom and grace lest it becomes self-centered and my actions are loveless and useless.