{{2012_08_20_t1.jpg}} {{2012_08_20_t2.jpg}} {{2012_08_20_t3.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2012_08_20|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_iv|| Topics Collection iv ]] ======Bitterness and Anger ...====== Monday, Aug 20, 2012. Recently I have been part of a discussion about anger. It was not only anger, we talked about, but also many other things which caused the anger. And we talked about how to deal with it and what consequences it might have. But one key question where we had different opinions: what is the role of anger? {{2012_08_20.jpg }} **The cause of anger and bitterness ...** When you experience injustice, anger is a natural feeling which can arise. When you are insulted, you might feel angry. Anger can also come when you feel that you do not have the chances which others have, when you are left behind or when you are judged in an inappropriate way. Anger can have good reasons! Anger is a human feeling. It seems to be a natural human feeling, which is as natural as joy, as natural as fear, as natural as love. But today we sometimes have an environment where anger is treated as "bad". When we observe that someone is angry, he is judged as someone who is not having enough control, as someone who is unpredictable. Anger is an interesting feeling. Anger brings with itself a lot of power. It looks like dynamit. Anger can explode - if it is contained too long. Anger can lead to heavy and severe consequences. This is why we should treat anger with caution - our own anger as well as the anger of other people. {{ 2012_08_20_2.jpg}} **God's anger ...** God can be angry. That is an interesting observation. Anger seems to be a feeling which God is capable of. Look into the biblical books, put anger into some search engine ... and you will find many passages where the bible talks about the holy and just anger of the almighty. God is angry about human behaviour, about its injustice, about hatred and ignorance, about violence and abuse! Anger with respect to God has even a deeper meaning. God's anger has been on humanity ever since - his anger about injustice. And he put his anger on Christ Jesus. He wanted to save, he wanted to get rid of his anger. His anger was put onto the cross of Calvary. There, his anger dies. In Christ, we are free of his anger. I have just been looking into different passages in the New Testament. We should put away our anger, we are told. In Christ there are better things. "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4, 31) So there is a power to calm our anger, the power of the cross. (Roland Potthast) [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_iv|... more texts]]