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.
Mark,
I have quite a bit of trouble bridling my own tongue. It has gotten better over the past few years for sure, but this definately seems like an area that can take a lifetime to master. How often I say something that I fully intend to be edifying but in retrospect seems regrettable. I have trouble discerning "how" and especially "when" to speak. The ability to exercise restraint in responding impulsively to a situation is a characteristic that should not be underappreciated. If I can wait a day or two and meditate on how to answer, my final decision will usually differ from the one I would have acted upon at first. Almost always, the latter is one refined by the Holy Spirit and much more relective of scriptural admonition. One redeeming point in all this is that God is glorified when we admit our wrong in speaking hastily. It demonstrates humility, repentance, and an aspiration to grow in integrity. As an aside, I appreciate your post in my FB the other day regarding silence and the "still small voice". I have been trying to apply said advice with varied success. But it's progress we're after, not perfection, right?
James tells us that it is only a perfect man (only one of these to date) has complete control of his speech. From this I conclude that this has been a struggle for every saint through the ages. You are in good company, keep fighting.