Ralph Waldo Emerson

On our trip to Yellowstone National Park, we visited the Norris Geyser Basin. According to the information on the park’s signs, the basin is far below the towering peaks of the Gallatin Mountains. Water accumulates underground. The basin sits near the Yellowstone Caldera and is at the edge of one of the largest volcanos on our planet – the Yellowstone Volcano. Heated by the volcano, the water travels upward to erupt from acidic geysers, or to rise from steaming fumaroles (an opening in or near a volcano through which hot, sulfurous gasses emerge), or to simmer in shimmering pools, steaming throughout all kinds of weather. Names such as Fearless Geyser, Monarch Geyser, Yellow Funnel Spring, Steamboat Geyser, Whirligig Geyser, and Pinwheel Geyser give evidence of the variety of sights available in the Norris Geyser Basin, appropriately described as beautiful and bizzare.

While watching the geysers, I considered that they were rather like an allegory for what anger looks like.

For example, the White Dome Geyser stands tall and is silent.

Until, at some unpredictable time, it erupts.

Now, I’m certainly not saying that the geyser is angry … but the unpredictability of its eruption is similar to those whose anger can flare up for seemingly no reason.

Of course, we know that the geyser named Old Faithful erupts almost to the minute on its schedule. No National Park Ranger has to tell it when to erupt – it just does it, day in and day out, on time, on schedule.

Old Faithful could represent the one whose anger erupts over the same trigger, time and time again. Those around him/her know not to say anything about that trigger in fear that the tantrum could erupt again.

We even saw one vent in a fenced off area of a parking lot.

Steam rising up from underground without an on or off button! This geyser could represent the one whose anger is just under the surface, whose anger tinges his/her attitudes and reactions even if a full-fledged eruption does not occur. It is just a matter of time.

Not all geysers shoot high into the heavens. Some geysers bubble up from under the ground, and they continue bubbling nonstop.

This could represent the one whose anger is always churning within, whether or not anything is said to others … the anger is seething and boiling up inside in a never-ending tumult of pain.

Anger – it is something that all of us, if we are honest, have experienced and most would likely say they have experienced it often.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.”

Long before Emerson said this the Psalmist said:

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.”

Psalm 37:7-8

In the Book of Proverbs, we read Solomon’s words on anger:

“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”

Proverbs 14:29

“A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” –

Proverbs 15:18

“Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,”

Proverbs 22:24

“Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?”

Proverbs 27:4

The Apostle Paul said:

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

Ephesians 4:31

But too often our anger is misplaced, and many times our anger is motived from self-interest, greed or a desire to control. I know that I have been angry over the actions of another person and the Holy Spirit immediately brings to mind a time when I had done the same thing to someone else. In other words, sin in our life is also a cause for anger.

Thomas Jefferson is credited with saying something along these lines: “When angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred.”

The advice to be reluctant before exercising anger is stated in scripture frequently, with the Apostle Paul saying:

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,”

Ephesians 4:26

I suspect that most everyone has heard “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger”. This is a good statement to newly weds and is a good policy for a positive marital relationship. But it extends much more broadly to all our relationships.

However, the first part of Ephesians 4:26 is not quoted as often. In certain situations, it is appropriate to be angry. Remember Jesus at the temple when he was angry that it had been turned into a “den of thieves”? Read Mark 11:15-17. That is appropriate anger, my friend!

Aristotle said:

Anyone can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.

I suggest to you that anger is frequently sinful and, when harbored continuously, is physically harmful to you. Eruptions of anger increase blood pressure and all sorts of physical reactions when, in the long run, can cause damager to your body, even disregarding the damage it can cause to relationships, family members, etc.

Take time to consider the geysers and their eruptions, consider which one parallels your emotional make-up, and then consider the scripture that speaks to anger and its management.

The Holy Spirit will help you because it is the Spirit’s job to transform you into the image of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Father, I pray that we would read Your Word and consider whether the anger that we so often experience is a holy anger or if it is motivated by selfish desires, pride, arrogance or any other sin that we have harbored in our hearts. Let us confess and repent of that sin and live a life that is based on Your Word and empowered by Your Spirit. In Jesus Name, I pray.

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, Series Post No. 15

KINDNESS – A CONSTANT STATE OF READINESS TO HELP

PART ONE

This week we are looking at the fruit of the Spirit called Kindness.

There is some confusion about the terms gentleness, kindness and meekness as they appear in various translations of Galatians 5:22-23. In the King James Version we read:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.”

The English Standard Version translates these verses as follows:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Note the words that are underlined … they are the words that cause some confusion due to varying translations. Here, we are looking at Kindness – translated Gentleness in the King James. This will be a bit different than the discussion of “gentleness” we come to later in the English standard version since that in King James is translated as Meekness. These words are all variations on a theme so don’t expect them to be blue verses red, but they have various nuances that are important for us to incorporate into our lives. Remember:

If it was important enough for the Scripture writer to use different words through the leading of the Holy Spirit, it is important enough for us to understand and to put those nuanced words into effect in our life.

As we all know, kindness is not something that is spoken of only in Scripture … it is a topic, like the other fruit of the Spirit we have studied, that is copied in the world today, although as with the other fruit of the Spirit, the world’s version is a significantly deteriorated version of what the Holy Spirit produces.

Mark Twain said:

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”

The English writer Samuel Johnson said:

“Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.”

Then of course there is the profound negative that “No act of kindness goes unpunished!” Clearly, kindness is not looked upon favorably by everyone. If we are honest, even the pagan sees that kindness carries with it a cost which they may not be willing to pay. It may not be a cost in money, but it may cost time or effort, it may be inconvenient or it may interfere with long-held plans.

What does Scripture say?

However, kindness, according to the Holy Spirit, is not an inconvenience to be avoided but a characteristic to be embraced – it is a way of life to be adopted so that it flows naturally from you under all conditions, at all times. After all, remember that God is our example of loving kindness as He lavishly showers us with kindness through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In Scripture we see that kindness follows patience, just as patience follows peace, and it follows joy and all the fruit is based on love. We might be nice and we might do good things, but the unregenerate man will not be kind in the way that the Holy Spirit would direct because the unregenerate person does not have love for Jesus Christ.

Dr. R. C. Sproul says

“Kindness is the manifestation of patience and it is born of the fact that we ourselves are objects of God’s kindness.”

As with the other fruit of the Spirit, we are to imitate Christ and extend the fruit of kindness irrespective of whether the individual receiving it appreciates our efforts or even knows that we have done anything for him. It is because of what Jesus did for us, not what the individual has done or could do for us, that we are kind.

The Greek word for kindness is Chrestotes. It is the divine kindness out of which God acts toward men. According to James Montgomery Boice, this kindness is what the Old Testament is referring to when it says “God is good” as it so frequently does. (Boice, Commentary on Galatians, 5:22-26)

We can afford to be kind even if it makes us vulnerable because underneath it all, we are unshakably secure in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The opposite of the fruit of the Spirit of kindness is envy and an inability to rejoice with another person. The counterfeit of kindness is manipulative good deeds. That is, being kind for what you get out of it, not what you are giving to the other person.

How does this apply to my daily life?

Kindness is not a random act of consideration. Rather, it is a constant state of readiness to help, the extension of God’s grace to the people around us through practical actions of caring.

In fact, it is similar to “goodness” which was a common term among the pagans in that day for complete moral excellence. In the Galatians 5 list of fruit of the Spirit, goodness is sanctified by the Holy Spirit and it indicates a willingness to be generous. (Rykers, Reformed Expository Commentary – Galatians) We will study goodness in the coming weeks.

Suffice it to say, kindness and goodness are similar, but different.

The great love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13:4 says “Love is patient and kind.” This is no accident. Last week we thought about longsuffering/ patience – that is, our remaining steadfast and enduring insults, false statements, physical or emotional injury without revenge or “getting even” no matter how long the injury lasts. It is L O N G suffering.

Kindness is the companion of longsuffering. Longsuffering is our personal response of restraint regarding an injury received – we do not take action against the wrongdoer. Kindness is where we do take action – we are kind toward him or her. We do good to those who hurt us – why? Because that is what Love does!

Next week we will continue to look at kindness and how it is manifested in our lives through the Holy Spirit’s work.

Blessings to you and I pray that you will continue to walk with me as we learn about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and as we mature in our transformation into Christian believers who speak and act as Jesus did and who share in the passions that Jesus had for the lost sheep and for the worship of His Father, the Almighty God.