The Bottom Line
Jimmy Tucker
One Lump or Two?
The phrase “one lump or two” usually refers to how many cubes of sugar you want in your coffee. But in Ecclesiastes 7:9 The Message reads, “Don’t be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.” This verse strikes me as funny, but uncontrolled anger is no laughing matter. Relationships have been destroyed, lives have been lost, and individuals have left the church as a result of anger. The Bible teaches us to control ourselves by being slow to anger and quick to forgive.
Anger has been around since Adam and Eve. When their sons Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to the Lord, God respected Abel’s offering of a lamb, but not Cain’s offering of produce from his crops. Cain became jealous of Abel and his anger led him to murder his own brother.
God teaches us to rule over our attitudes, emotions, and actions. “Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper — it only leads to harm” (Psalm 37:8 NLT). Choose to humble yourself and forgive — we should know how to do this if we’ve been disciplined and taught these things from childhood. If you don’t have the discipline of self-control, your attitude will take you down a path of misery and prevent you from enjoying God’s blessings.
Believers are supposed to live peaceful and quiet lives that are full of love for one another; if we don‘t, then we‘re no different from the world. When we gather into the church to worship, we are to be “… free from anger and controversy” (1 Timothy 2:8 NLT). The only way to do that is to forgive perceived offenses quickly: “…do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Ephesians 4:26 NLT). If you hold a grudge, you cut off your fellowship with God and the person you think offended you. If there’s an undercurrent of anger in your attitude, you need to get rid of it like a gunnysack full of rattlesnakes because it’s just as deadly to your spirit.
Just one act of anger by Moses, the leader of God’s people, cost him dearly. Instead of trusting Moses and God to take care of them until they reached the promised land, the Israelites were complaining. Because Moses was angry with the people, he disobeyed God’s instructions to speak to the rock to get water. Instead, Moses struck the rock and because of his disobedience, God did not allow him to enter the promised land.
The Bottom Line: Don’t let pride and anger put a lump on your head.
Pastor Jimmy Tucker
(620) 223-1483
Diamond Community Church
10:45 a.m. Worship