March 19

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Ephesians 4:26

Of course to get angry and sin is always wrong: but how many of us think that the only way to avoid sinning is not to get angry! We simply do not know how to get angry and yet not sin. When Jesus cleansed the Temple, it was said of him, “The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.” He was stirred with indignation. But alas, how few Christians know that Spirit-controlled stirring within that the Lord knew and consequently, how few know the spiritual authority that accompanied it!

There are many things in the world which ought to be rebuked, but how many really know how to administer that rebuke? We have lost the power. To slap a man on the shoulder when he is wrong, turning a blind eye to his deeds for the sake of friendship, is a cheap way out, whereas to rebuke him patiently and in love may be costly.