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| Yet rather than getting irritated with us, He loves us again. |
Let's be real here, ladies (and gents, if you were to read this blog today!):
Irritability is a key sin issue that I've been dealing with lately.
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I didn't make it to this week's small group meeting because of some personal reasons, reasons of which pushed the reading of this chapter until later this week. Did I need to read the whole chapter to feel convicted about this sin issue in my heart? Oh, no! The title alone got me to think, and see, that irritability, or the ease with which I get angry, is something I deal with a lot. The chapter itself got me really examining my heart and areas where I need to repent. It also made me realize how God's love truly covers me and all of my ugly, irritating sin.
The statements in the book that really got me thinking (and praying!) were as follows:
Irritability is the opposite of charity, or love, as some versions of the Bible exchange charity and love in this chapter. Ryken says "we know this because 1 Cor 13:5 says that 'love is not irritable.' Irritability is the antithesis of charity. It is not merely a way of complaining, there fore, but as a way of hating" (p. 46).
Whoa! Hating? I'm not a hateful person! But when we look at how the disciples, after coming from a long day of ministry, chose a position of irritation rather than charity for those that Jesus was teaching and healing (Mark 6:7-13), their position was definitely the opposite of love.
Jesus didn't deal with these disciples harshly, which would have been legitimate as they were sinners and He is perfect. He continued his ministry to the lost both through and despite the disciples hands and hearts. All 5,000 of the people "ate and were satisfied...So Jesus provided bread for his people. Rather than getting irritated with the needy crows or his pushy disciples, Jesus gave them manna in the wilderness" (p. 50)
Just like the Israelites who were wandering in the wilderness after they escaped from Egypt, God provided for their physical and, therefore, emotional needs, even when they were completely irritated and in the wrong places with their heart. God continues to use us despite the issues in our hearts, and He brings the Gospel through us, even though we are sinners!
There is a very practical application here:
Who get's irritable?
Everyone.
When is it easy to get irritable?
When we are physically weak (the disciples certainly were after a long
day of ministry!).
How does irritability treat others?
It wants nothing to do with them.
Irritability chooses to get angry instead of seeking God's help.
A few final quotes from this chapter that will hopefully bring encouragement from and Glory to God (p.56-58).
Jesus is the living demonstration of non-irritability, which is simply another way of saying that Jesus is love.
This is what Love does (as demonstrated in the chapter's example of Mother Teresa): it moves us toward other people, not away from them, even when their needs are overwhelming.
From C.S. Lewis: "frictions and frustrations" that we meet in our everyday relationships prove that our own natural love is not enough, that we need something more.
This is the way God loves us. He puts gifts into our hands that we cold never catch for ourselves. Without realizing what we are doing, sometimes we throw them away. Yet rather than getting irritated with us, He loves us again. He gives us the freedom to go love someone else with the same kind of love. He even gives us the grace to go back to people who throw our love away and love them all over again.
For an extra bonus this week, the Vernon Hills group shared this with each other, and now, we share it with you: Lay Aside the Weight of Irritability
What does thinking of God's love in this regard teach you about Him, yourself or others? Please share below!
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