July 13, Morning

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry?" — Jonah 4:9 · KJV

Anger is not always or necessarily sinful, but it has such a tendency to run wild that whenever it shows itself we should be quick to question its character, asking, "Do you do well to be angry?" It may be that we can answer, "Yes." Very often anger is the madman's firebrand, but sometimes it is Elijah's fire from heaven. We do well when we are angry with sin, because of the wrong it commits against our good and gracious God; or with ourselves, because we remain so foolish after so much divine instruction; or with others, when the sole cause of our anger is the evil they do. He who is not angry at wrongdoing becomes a partaker in it. Sin is a loathsome and hateful thing, and no renewed heart can patiently endure it. God Himself is angry with the wicked every day, and it is written in His Word, "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil." Far more often, it is to be feared, our anger is not commendable, or even justifiable, and then we must answer, "No." Why should we be fretful with children, hot-tempered with servants, and wrathful with companions? Is such anger honorable to our Christian profession, or glorifying to God? Is it not the old evil heart seeking to gain dominion, and should we not resist it with all the might of our newborn nature? Many who profess faith give way to temper as though it were useless to attempt resistance; but let the believer remember that he must be a conqueror at every point, or else he cannot be crowned. If we cannot control our tempers, what has grace done for us? Someone told Mr. Jay that grace was often grafted on a crab-stump. "Yes," he said, "but the fruit will not be crabs." We must not make natural infirmity an excuse for sin, but we must fly to the cross and pray the Lord to crucify our tempers, and renew us in gentleness and meekness, after His own image.