Dear Christian friends:

Alexander the Great conquered the whole world and most of the time he controlled himself very well, but one day he lost his temper and killed his best friend, Cleitus. Peter the Great was the Emperor that made Russia become a modern nation was a fine and wonderful ruler but one day lost his temper and killed his own son: In anguish he said, "I have conquered a nation, but couldn't conquer myself."

Even that great man of God, Moses, lost his temper at Horeb rock and because of that God did not let him enter the promised land. So we are not surprised that the Bible often admonishes us to be slow to anger.

Here in our text James reminds us Christians that we are to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. If we are quickly angry and lose our temper we do lots of harm and do not live like God's children. We, too need this admonition from James.


If we are slow to anger and control ourself, we show that we are God's children. (read James 1:16-20) Every good and perfect gift comes from God the Father. He made us His children through the Word of truth. What is the Word of truth? That is the Law and Gospel of the Bible.

The Law shows us that we are sinners and deserve nothing from God. The Gospel shows that God loves sinners and the wonderful things He has done to save sinners through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Through this Law and Gospel God sends His Holy Spirit to cast away our doubts and fears and to lead us to faith in Jesus Christ. By this Holy Spirit made faith, we become God's children and try to be like God.

One thing about God is that He is slow to anger. Noah preached 120 years before the flood! So if we are slow to anger we show to ourselves and others. Jesus said, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)

He that becomes quickly angry is not like God. The Bible says, "He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly" (Proverbs 14:17) A person who can't control himself, his temper is foolish, hurts himself and does not give glory to God by such foolishness.

So we Christians should should try hard to control ourselves and not lose our temper. (President Lincoln in dealing with General Meade is a good example in self-control.)

But the question is: If we are slow to anger is that self-control or the Holy Spirit control? If we depend only on our self-control we will fail easily as did Alexander the Great, Peter the Great and Moses.

Our text answers Holy Spirit control. (read James 1:21) Receive the Word that you have learned. Believe it and let the Holy Spirit control your thoughts, words and actions. If the Holy Spirit by God's Word controls you, you will be more slow to anger as Jesus Himself was before the chief priests and Pontius Pilate.

This means that we need to take time daily to pray and read and think about God's Word so that some bad or wrong person does not catch us without Holy Spirit control.

The Bible says, "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." (Proverbs 16:32)

Amen.