n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 4
In moments [of
anger] it won’t matter
that you once read
the third chapter of
Lamentations as a kid
going through school,
but it will matter if
you’ve mastered the
idea that all anger
comes from hell.
homely truths of common sense rounded out
by experience and frequent usage; polished
and cleansed by uncounted waves of Divine
instruction; truths which belong to the
wisdom of a good life, and are collected into
the shepherd’s bag which we may identify as a
personal concept of charity.
Such truth is not mere sentimentality. It is
militant, powerful against falsities of evil,
penetrating to the very head and principle of
falsity; more effective than a whole artillery of
theological learning based on a literalistic and
pedantic interpretation of the Word. And it
cannot be reached by the sword of the Philistine.
These stones are a simple teaching
that you have mastered. Feeling unloved?
Remind yourself that God loves you – that
He loves you all the time, no matter what.
Period. Is that a smooth stone for you? Maybe you’re jealous because a friend
has gotten a great new, high-paying prestigious job? Or maybe a new house
in a great neighborhood? Tell yourself, “Thou shalt not lay up for yourself
treasures on earth.” Perhaps instead you choose to think about eternal life,
and take the opport unity to put the focus back on your spiritual development.
Make these simple teachings a smooth stone for you. Don’t just have the
teachings rattling around somewhere in your memory banks! Polish them
with repeated use. Master them.
In sports, people love the highlight-reel plays, but despite that, games are
won and lost based on the fundamental execution of the plays. I’m a big baseball
fan. Professional players in the United States can make millions of dollars a
year, but no matter their accomplishments, every year at spring training all
these millionaire athletes take to the field and practice fundamentals. This is
because when the ball is thrown at 90 miles per hour, or is hit at you even
harder, you must have the fundamentals mastered so that the reaction is swift
and precise.
When you are in the parking lot and somebody swipes that spot you’ve
been searching for, what is your response? When you’re stuck in an unexpected
traffic jam are you instantly inflamed, or do you have that one teaching you can
call on to release the anger and frustration that is pouring in on you?
In those moments it won’t matter that you once read the third chapter
of Lamentations as a kid going through school, but it will matter if you’ve
mastered the idea that all anger comes from hell, and that it is hell that is
pouring that emotion into you. Once you realize that it isn’t you that is angry,
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