There May Be Times

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.  1 Timothy 2:1-6 NASB

Am I Offended….or unoffendable…. Do we turn the other cheek or grip onto bitterness like a blanket. It seems like all it takes to be outraged or offended is a quick scroll on social media. We see it throughout our screen—friends fighting on public platforms, controversial news headlines, and families not speaking because of something someone posted.

And the raw truth is, outrage sells. Polarizing headlines get more clicks, so news outlets keep writing them. Cancel culture gets people talking, and that funds advertising revenue. 

So, what it is about outrage that keeps us engaged? 

Ephesians 4:25-27 NASB Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.

We may not easily admit it, but many of us like being angry. We may not enjoy up-close conflict, but we often like taking a stance or choosing a side. 

As Christians, we sometimes even label our anger as “righteous,” excusing it when we think it’s for something we have labelled a good cause. And while righteous anger is a biblical concept, it’s worth pausing ourselves and asking Holy Spirit: Is this anger of mine actually righteous, or is it a just an excuse for me to prove I’m right? 

James 1:19-20 NIV Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 

There may be moments when anger is a response, When something hurts one of God’s kids, we should absolutely get angry. But that anger needs to lead to acts of love and compassion—not pride and division.

Ultimately, we must lay aside our flesh response and hear Holy Spirit prompt us to do something to help. 

Human anger prompts us to do something that hurts. 

So let’s think about our outrage for second. Is it possible that our anger is often fuelled by our human needs, responses? 

Proverbs 19:11 NIV A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

Take a look at the collective anger we’re experiencing in today’s culture. Why are we so often offended? all the time? Maybe a piece of it is that our anger is now publicly documented. People used to get angry and move on. Now, people post on social media when they’re angry, which fuels more outrage. It also pulls our eyes off of our Saviour, and when our eyes are not on Jesus, we can’t hear Him, and when we can’t hear Him we certainly will not respond to situations with His grace. 

We also have to remember that we have a real enemy whose mission is to steal, kill, and destroy. And our human anger feeds right into that plan. 

Micah 6:8 NIV He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Now remember: Anger itself is just an emotion—not a sin. But what we do with that anger can become a problem. In fact, here are some ways acting out anger can lead to destruction.

Anger divides us.  We see something shared online or on news we disagree with, and immediately-  triggered. blood is boiling, and the gut reaction is to respond (in the flesh) harshly, or comment our opinion - put in our 2 cents. Or maybe it’s a current topic about rules, regulations, politics that has the folks you spend Sundays in church with divided  - But here’s the thing: A divided world needs a unified church. We need one another. And if we shut out people we disagree with, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to learn, grow, and share God’s love.

Anger distracts us. Our anger can sometimes distract us with earthly concerns instead of eternal matters. That doesn’t mean we ignore the things Jesus cares about or passively ignore injustices that hurt God’s kids. But it does mean that we can’t allow our anger to keep us from loving like Jesus. 

Anger discredits us. When we’re constantly angry, people won’t see the love of Jesus in us. Yes, sometimes Jesus got angry. But He was known for His love, not for His anger. We’re not called to be right. We’re called to love. So let’s not discredit our testimony by confirming the idea that Christians are hypocritical, judgmental, or bitter.

Let’s let go of the anger that keeps us captive. And instead, let’s be like Christ, who didn’t let His anger lead to sin. His love was powerful enough to cover both the oppressed and the oppressor. And we’re called to do the same—to right wrongs without writing people off and to seek justice while also loving mercy.