A truly wise person uses few words; a person
with understanding is even-tempered. Proverbs 17:27
I figure that God is pretty busy listening
to a multitude of people praying at the same time all around the world in so
many different languages, so He appreciates hearing succinct prayers that get
to the point. That would be the prayers of a wise person…using few words.
Solomon wrote some similar words in Ecclesiastes. Don't make rash promises, and don't be hasty in bringing matters before
God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words
be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2. That chapter starts off with more interesting
advice…As you enter the house of God,
keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings
to God. Ecclesiastes 5:1. Keep your mouth shut! There are so many of us
that are so glad to see our Christian friends at church that our mouths are
running a mile a minute! Do we forget whose house we are in? I think so. There have been a couple of times
lately that our Pastor has asked everyone to leave the church…not just the
sanctuary…quietly—without talking in respect to those still praying and
worshiping…and in respect to God. He is awesome and worthy of our praise—and a
limited number of words as we pray to Him.
People
with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness. Proverbs
14:29. Controlling one’s temper is truly a gift of the Spirit—self-control.
There are other verses that pertain to anger management—isn’t that what
controlling one’s temper is all about? Anger management.
Sensible people control their temper; they
earn respect by overlooking wrongs. Proverbs 19:11
Control your temper, for anger labels you a
fool. Ecclesiastes 7:9
 |
| Is a desert lizard hot tempered? |
I certainly feel like a fool when I lose my
temper. I always considered it just part of my Irish heritage to have a bad
temper—but after I became a Christian I learned that God could help me with my
fiery temper—and as an adult temper tantrums are really demeaning and
unbecoming. Besides that I didn’t want to pass on that trait to my children.
Praying, counting to ten or more, and reciting memorized scripture to myself
helped me get beyond the temper explosions…and now I can give God the glory
when faced with a situation that would have previously caused me to blow up. The
understanding is from the Lord—an
insight into one’s behavior and application of God’s wisdom. That is the key to
controlling anger. I still need to work on applying that to my life daily…with
the grace of God…I’ll continue to improve. Will that make me less Irish?
Prayer
~ Dear Lord, forgive me for my anger…and give me the grace to rely on You to
control my anger in a way that brings You glory and honor. Give me wisdom to
apply Your word to my life situations that I would not only control my
anger…but that it would diminish under all circumstances so that others could
see You working in my life.
Talking
and eloquence are not the same: to speak and to speak well are two things. A
fool may talk, but a wise man speaks. - Heinrich Heine
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
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