Proverbs 29:22  (English Standard Version (ESV)
22 A man of wrath stirs up strife,
    and one given to anger causes much transgression.

11 [a wise man] man deferreth his anger; and it is [to] his glory [when he passes] over a transgression.  Proverbs 19

18 A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.


20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. (1 John)


If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother - This, as well as many other parts of this epistle, seems levelled against the Jews, who pretended much love to God while they hated the Gentiles; and even some of them who were brought into the Christian Church brought this leaven with them. It required a miracle to redeem St. Peter's mind from the influence of this principle. See Acts 10.

- If he love not his brother, it is a proof that the love of God is not in him; and if he have not the love of God, he cannot love God, for God can be loved only through the influence of his own love. See on 1 John 4:19 (note). The man who hates his fellow does not love God. He who does not love God has not the love of God in him, and he who has not the love of God in him can neither love God nor man.

1 John 2:9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.

1 John 3:17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Greetings Nothing,

I think loving God first is the safeguard against anger.  When we have real love for God we set aside self and have love for others.  Isn't it our own selfish desires that interfere with showing love for others, and can cause anger within us when we do not receive what we want?  Isn't this always the battle... the way satan seeks to mislead us... by tempting us to feed our own desires, our own ego(or self), rather than seeking to do the will of God which is Love itself?  Isn't it love and hate that do battle, and if we can be led towards hating(anger) then we are led away from God(Love and peace).

Just some thoughts.

Salaam,
Caringheart


Edited by Caringheart - 06 February 2013 at 4:01pm