Very Angry

Reading: 1 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 1; 2 Corinthians 11 Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. (1 Samuel 11:6 NLT) The power and anointing of God’s Spirit affects different people in different ways. Saul was moved with anger and rallied the people of Israel to rescue the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead from King Nahash of the Ammonites. Notice what happened in the next verse…He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one. (1 Samuel 11:7 NLT) God used Saul’s anger to begin defeating the oppressing Philistines and to begin the process of uniting the tribes of Israel into a nation. The problem with this was that the people were united in their response because they feared Saul’s threats and his wrath, rather than uniting out of love and concern for their fellow Israelites in Jabesh-gilead. God will use who we are, how we are, and what we are, for his purposes if we will let him. But the more we allow him to change us by his Word and his Spirit, the more he’ll be able to use our passion to accomplish something of deep and lasting value. Jesus was moved with anger and cleared the Temple of cheats and thieves. Jesus was moved with compassion and fed the hungry and healed the sick. Jesus’ passion took him to the cross where he suffered and died in our place. There’s no excuse for self-centered, self-serving expressions of our passion. But there’s plenty of room for passion that moves us to fight injustice, defend the weak, serve sacrificially, and seek the lost. Prayer:

Father, Please give me a passionate heart like yours. May I be passionate about the things that stir your heart. May I join you in anger at injustice – at oppression and abuse of the weak by the strong. May I join you in compassion for the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the oppressed. May I express the passions you give me in appropriate ways. Amen.