Why Are We So Bent On Being Angry?

"What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure."

James 4:1-3

 This is NOT a political commentary, just my weird mind sharing some information.  Have you noticed how we seem to spend an inordinate amount of time and energy being angry?  We don't like what someone said or did so we get angry and yell, rant, rage, and generally cause a lot of noise.  

Why are we so angry so much of the time?  You'd think we had forgotten that we only have a few trips around the Sun on this rock and we'd try harder to make them actually rather pleasant.  Yet, for some reason, it seems as if humans aren't happy unless we are unhappy and making a bunch of other humans unhappy.  "Misery loves company" as the saying goes.

Let's look at today's passage and chisel out a few nuggets, shall we? 

First, we fight, quarrel and argue because of our own desires!  Let's face it, if our truest desires were as pure and altruistic as we want others to believe, we're lying to everyone (including ourselves) and falsely believing that God's okay with it.  But if we were to, say, take our focus OFF of our own desires and work for the betterment of others...(if I may quote Louis Armstrong) "What a wonderful world this would be."

Second, when we can't get what we want...what do we do? We try to figure out how to get what we want.  We want a bigger house or new clothes or new car and we don't have the money so...."God will understand if I cut back on my giving for a bit. After all, He's got all the riches of the universe at His disposal."  Let's face it, humans are selfish!

Third, we ask Abba for what we want, yet we don't get it because Abba has other plans for us, like helping a neighbor who is going through a tough time or has lost everything in a tragedy, or needs food.  Yes, I realize there are a LOT of organizations with their hands out wanting your "only $19 dollars each month."  I'm not saying we are to be tightwads, nor am I saying we should just through great wadges of cash at every hand that is stuck out.  We need to learn is the face Abba is not going to give us everything we want, yet He'll provide exactly what we NEED.  

Finally, today's passage isn't so much about arguing, plotting and scheming. It's a reminder that we need to get our heart right with Abba.  It's a reminder that we need to focus on HIM.   It's a reminder that we need to look beyond ourselves and see what opportunities Abba brings into our lives every single day.  When we focus on HIM, we will experience peace, contentment, caring, and the desire to do for others.

Think about it.

Heart's Desire?

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
    and desperately wicked.
    Who really knows how bad it is?
But I, the Lord, search all hearts
    and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
    according to what their actions deserve.”

Jeremiah 17:9-10 

I was spending time with some friends before Christmas.  When it was time to leave, one of them told all of us "I hope God gives you the desires of your heart."  While that may seem like a friendly and encouraging sentiment, on the way home it struck me....if I were given the desires of my heart, that would be a very bad thing.  There would be some whose entire lineage would disappear from time.  I would be the one with the biggest paycheck instead of pinching pennies.  There would be only one law of the land....mine.  You see, my heart harbors some very dark desires that should NEVER be released.  Pandora's Box has nothing on the evil that lurks in the shadows of my heart.

Instead of seeking the desires of my own heart, it would be proper and much better on the general populace if I prayed that God would change my heart, change my desires, clear my heart of shadowy places, and help me focus on God's desire for my life.  As the Psalmist declares in Psalm 51:10 - "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me."

Perhaps we should start 2018 praying Psalm 51:10 every day.  "Father, Create in ME a clean heart and renew a loyal spirit within me THIS DAY.  I praise You and Thank You for loving me enough to cleanse me and renew me and call me by name and using me for Your purposes."  Think about it! 

Have We Become Spoiled?

Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.

You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.

James 4:1-3

If you have ever seen the movie "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" you will remember there was a girl named Veruca Salt who wanted everything and she wanted it NOW!  Some would say she was "strong willed" or a "strong personality" or "just knows what she wants."  But let me tell you the truth about Veruca.....she's a spoiled brat!  Her father was willing to do whatever he had to so she could have what she wanted.  

Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad thing to have dreams, goals, and desires.  The issue comes in how we react when we can't have what we want.  We've seen this over and over, especially as the media has become more and more about unfiltered live coverage.  

And to be honest, I have also been among the spoiled ranks.  I figured because God didn't give me what I wanted, then I wasn't being enough of a "squeaky wheel."  We seem to have forgotten that God has a plan for us and that plan spans from the time before time all the way through the time beyond time.  And.....to be honest, had God given me what I wanted, life would be extremely bad for me.

Here's the point: Tell God EVERYTHING that on your heart; your dreams and desires.  Then let Him put all the pieces in place for HIS plan for you because HIS plan for YOU is always far better than anything you could have dreamed.  And God will take His time to make sure you are ready for His plan.  God doesn't work on our timetable, so don't try to rush it.