I am reminded of James 1:20 which tells me that my anger does not produce the righteousness of God. What prompts the mention of this verse is that I found myself a couple of times this week regretting some comments I made on articles and blog posts.
My issue is not so much what I said as how I said it. In Ephesians 4:15, Paul tells us to speak the truth in love. I think that there was truth in my comments, but there was very little love.
Jesus reserved his anger for those who knew better. Those who knew the Law of God and thought themselves experts at keeping it were often the target of his wrath when they got it wrong. With sinners who struggled to think that they could be accepted by God, Jesus was amazingly gentle.
Jesus found a way to let people know that he accepted them without condoning the sinful behavior. Hookers, addicts, poor people, cripples and extortionists loved him. It was the religious leaders who hated him.
How does this apply to me? The point is that if I take it upon myself to convince someone of his error if he is unwilling to see it, I am on dangerous ground. If that person is unwilling, my attempt to convince him will only result in my frustration which will result in the type of comment I alluded to at the beginning of this post.
I am resolved to let the Holy Spirit do his job. My job is to be prepared to give answers in a gentle and respectful manner.