5-5-5 Daily Devotions: Raise the Bar

Raise the Bar – Conquering Anger

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S.O.A.P. – “Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer”

Who do you trust most in your life and why?

Scripture: Consider this compilation of six times Jesus quoted a well-known teaching and followed it with an authoritative, “But I say…”

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! Matthew 5:21-22 NLT

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28 NLT

“You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. Matthew 5:31-32 NLT

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord .’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne… Matthew 5:33-34 NLT

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also… Matthew 5:38-39 NLT

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48 NLT

What is an example of something you used to believe that you found out was false? How did you learn the truth?

Have you learned to trust Jesus? How were you convinced?

Where in your life do you find it most challenging to trust and follow Jesus?

Lord, thank you for giving me truth and teaching me how to live. Help me to learn to trust you!

Are you an internal processor (prefer to think things out before speaking) or an external processor (prefer to think things out by talking through them)?

Scripture:

Jesus said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, [Greek uses an Aramaic term of contempt] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, [the Greek says “if you say, ‘You fool’’] you are in danger of the fires of hell.

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:17-26 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Tracy Thomas said, “I learned a great Bible reading technique if you would like to try it out sometime. As you read a text, underline those texts that you feel apply to you on a personal level. When you’re done, go back and read everything you didn’t underline, because it’s probably there where God is truly speaking.”

Try Tracy’s suggestion. What did it reveal?

Does anyone “have something against you”? What is your next step?

Why is anger, not just action, so dangerous?

Lord, thank you for caring not just about my actions, but about my heart and mind. Thank you for forgiving me of things you could righteously be angry about. Help me not to allow anger to poison my heart or relationships.

What is easy for you to forget?

Scripture:

With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles [“nations”] do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:17-32 NLT

Sermon Insights:

You WILL get angry. What you are not allowed to do is STAY THERE.

You see, it’s not what makes us angry that is the problem. It is what we allow our anger to make us into that is the problem.

I forget that my enemy is a child of God. I forget that they have thoughts and feelings and perspectives.

It is okay to have enemies. Anyone who stands with Jesus is by default an enemy of those who hate Jesus. How does Paul teach us to think about and treat our enemies?

Who are you most likely to get angry with? Is there a better response God is calling you to have?

Pay attention to the last sentence in the Scripture above: how was God able to satisfy his anger…against you?

Lord, thank you for giving me a supernatural way to live that is fueled by your extreme example of love in punishing your Son for my sins instead of me. Thank you for giving me the Holy Spirit to give me new desires and strength to love and forgive.

Are family reunions positive or negative for you personally?

Scripture:

The Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church, “But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!

When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.

For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world. So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive. 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 NLT

Since the phrase “body of Christ” refers both to Jesus’ physical body and the group of Christians who make up his “body” on earth, why was it crucial to honor both during the Lord’s Supper (Communion)?

Have you ever considered that the Lord’s Supper is not just a private time with God but a family time with Jesus’ “body” or “family”? What relationships do you need to reconcile or heal to fully honor Jesus?

How is God’s discipline a gift in your life (see also Hebrews 12:7)?

Lord, thank you for loving each one of your children fully, regardless of income or status or background or potential. Thank you for teaching us that “the ground is level at the foot of the Cross”! Help us to love and forgive each other as you have loved and forgiven us.

What is your favorite way to show compassion?

Scripture:

This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous.

So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. 1 John 3:11-24 NLT

Sermon Insights:

The distance between anger and murder isn’t nearly what we thought it was.

“Let us show the truth by our actions” – find three truths in the Scripture above, assign an action to each, and then go DO them. Move beyond intention to action.

Have you been brought from death to live by the love and forgiveness of your Heavenly Father? How can you know?

How can you approach God with bold confidence?

Lord, thank you for forgiving me and bringing me from death to life. Thank you for being bigger than my feelings of guilt. Thank you for allowing me to approach you with bold confidence instead of fear of judgment. Give me opportunities to act on the compassion you have given me!

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Raise the Bar – Conquering Anger

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