Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Scripture focus: Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he'd gotten from the scholars.) That's when Jeremiah's sermon was fulfilled: A sound was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lament. Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace, her children gone, dead and buried. Matthew 2:16-18 The Message
I don’t want to minimize the consequences of poor choosing. Herod’s relentless commitment to self-satisfaction had serious ramifications for others. Can you imagine such cruelty? He flew into a rage, and ordered the murders of every little boy two years old and under in Bethlehem and surrounding suburbs. Innocent children lost their lives. Moms and dads, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends – all suffered tremendous loss as Herod’s commands were carried out by his minions.
Anytime we live life trying to get our own way – we will find ourselves with anger management issues. Here’s why – living life trying to get our own way is in direct contradiction to the will and prevailing purposes of God. God opposes the proud. Our pursuit of self- satisfaction puts us in direct opposition to God himself. Of course we’re going to feel frustrated!
Our anger will cause us to escalate, demanding that which we lack from those who are least prepared to provide us what we need. Only God has access to the satisfaction each of us so desperately seeks. You can’t get from others what only God has to offer.
As we demand more, we will wear out those around us. Ultimately, we will inflict harm. The crowded highway of those seeking to get their own way all the time is littered with the accidents and collisions caused by living in willful opposition to God. The inevitable outcome is weeping, death, and lamenting. Life doesn’t have to be like this – but the only way to change it is to get off the highway. May you find your way back to God – and those wide open spaces he has reserved for each of us.
Recommended reading: Hosea 4 and 5 in the morning; 2 John 1 and 3 John 1 in the evening
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