Hot Tempered Strife 3-29-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. To You, all hearts are known and no thoughts are hidden. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I open my heart and thoughts to You now. ... "Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but those who are slow to anger calm contention" (Proverbs 15:18). While my oldest son and I got away together last week, we had a lot of fun, but we also had some heart-to-heart talks and prayers. We remembered together some of our fond memories, but also some of our painful memories. I wanted our hearts to be clear, not allowing our honest love and respect for one another to excuse or mask over any honest hurt or disappointment toward each other. He reminded me, in a respectful way, that even though he knows me to be a loving and compassionate father, there have been times when I have had a hot temper in expressing my frustration or anger. I thank You for a son who is willing to speak the truth in love, who is not willing to just let the good times and the good things cover over the bad times and painful things. There can only be true forgiveness if we honestly acknowledge the sin and pain that others have caused, and then choose, by Your grace, to release the person and the pain to You. Thank You for the gift of freedom and peace that comes from forgiving words and clear hearts. I know that's not always possible, and it's not always possible to do it in person, but it was last week for me. I pray You blessed my son in many ways through me last week. And I thank You for blessing me through my son in this way and many more. Now, this week and every week after this, keep crucifying the part of my flesh that allows frustration or anger to give in to a hot temper that only stirs up strife. Keep delivering me from this evil that would tempt me to make choices that bring hurt and pain to the ones I love, or even the ones I am not able to love yet. Give me the grace of humility to admit my faults and the courage to choose to let You cleanse my soul in every area of my character. Help me grow in spiritual maturity and godly fatherhood, to "be angry but do not sin" in my anger by releasing it in the wrong way (Ephesians 4:26). Some things are supposed to make me angry and some things will frustrate me, but I do not have to choose to sin in my anger with a hot temper. Instead, help me release my anger to You and then speak words of truth and life in the way that calms contention rather than stirs up strife. "One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city" (Proverbs 16:32). I pray for this in my heart and my family and all my relationships, as far as Your grace will go. Like it or not, our children are always looking and always listening. We are always a model, whether good or bad -- not just in general, but also in the specifics. So help me, Lord, be a good model for my children. Like it or not, our children see something of the nature of their heavenly Father in the nature of their earthly fathers. Help me represent You better; help me represent You well. As the message of a song goes, "I want to be like You, because he wants to be like me." Last week, my son and I prayed together the simple prayer You taught me to teach my children to pray each day when they were young -- "Dear Lord Jesus, make me more like You each day." Lord, let it be so. And forgive me for when it wasn't. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794