Dealing with hate, anger & envy - Greg Laurie - http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/dealing-with-hate-anger-envy/
Pastor Greg Laurie asserts, 'Forgiven people should be forgiving people'
In 2003, Aron Ralston was rock climbing in Utah when a boulder shifted and pinned his hand and forearm, trapping him against a canyon wall. An experienced climber, Ralston knew how to use his ropes, anchors and everything he had to remove the boulder. But it wasn't working. Five days passed, and he ran out of food and water. So the next morning, he did the unthinkable: He pulled out his pocketknife and cut off his arm. Then he rappelled 60 feet down a sheer canyon face and walked to safety.
Ralston took radical measures, but he was incredibly smart. He realized that he could either keep both arms and die, or he could lose one arm and live.
In the same way, to live spiritually, we need to cut off whatever is required. This means eliminating quickly and completely anything that morally or spiritually strips us or causes us to fall into sin (or remain in sin).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his disciples, "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell" (Matthew 5:29-30 NIV).
Here Jesus was dealing with three areas of sin that are widespread in our culture: anger, hatred and lust. Sin deceives us into thinking that if we haven't done the actual deed, we're all right. Anger and hatred are murder in the heart. Lust is adultery in the heart. Jesus was dealing with the heart.
To be clear, there is a place for anger. Jesus wasn't saying that a Christian can't be angry. There are certain things that should anger us. The Bible even says, "Be angry, and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26 NKJV). There is a place for righteous indignation. But that is not what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 5.
In the original language, the word Jesus used for anger refers to a settled anger, a malice that is nursed inwardly. It isn't describing a person who gets irritated, flies off the handle, and then apologizes afterward. Jesus was speaking of a consuming anger. Many people, in the depths of their hearts, have anger and hatred to such a degree that their true desire is for the hated person to be dead.
The word hate means to habitually despise. It isn't just a transient emotion; it's a deep-rooted loathing.
Do you feel that way about anyone? The Bible says that "whoever hates his brother is a murderer" (1 John 3:15).
Why do we get this way? Sometimes anger is rooted in envy. Remember the story of Cain and Abel? Essentially Cain killed his brother because he was envious of him. Noah Webster defined envy as "chagrin, mortification, discontent or uneasiness at the sight of another's good fortune."
It isn't that someone has done something against you personally; it's simply the fact they have been successful, and you're envious. Maybe they're enjoying monetary success. Maybe they married someone you wish you could have married. Maybe they have accomplished something you wished you could have accomplished. Maybe they got that position you felt you should have.
The problem with envy is that it grows into something even worse. According to Aesop, "Envy shoots at another and wounds itself." The only person who suffers when you're envious is you.
We have all been wronged in life. Most of us have been slandered, mistreated, ripped off and taken advantage of. Jesus isn't saying we should be the doormat for the rest of the planet. But instead of striking out at those who have wronged us, we are to love them in a positive way.
When you forgive someone, you set a prisoner free: yourself. The other person may not even be aware of how much you hate him or her. The other person may not even know about your bitterness and couldn't care less about you. Yet it consumes you, and it's hurting you. It's killing you slowly.
Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:43-45 NIV).
There is no greater example of someone who did this than Jesus himself. After he had identified Judas as his betrayer, he told him, "What you are about to do, do quickly" (John 13:27). Then, we he encountered Judas again in the Garden of Gethsemane, followed by the temple guard and other soldiers, Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?" (Matthew 26:50 NKJV).
I find that amazing. He knew Judas was there to betray him. He knew Judas was facilitating his arrest. Yet Jesus said, "Friend, why have you come?" It was one last chance for Judas to repent. Jesus offered it, but Judas missed it.
Then, as Jesus hung on the cross, the first words he uttered were in prayer: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34 NIV).
That's good for Jesus, you may be thinking. He is God.
Yes, and Jesus died on that cross because we need forgiveness. And we should extend that forgiveness to others. Forgiven people should be forgiving people.
Abraham Lincoln said, "The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."
This selflessness, this love Jesus calls for, is found in many people whom God used. It was the spirit of Abraham when he gave the best land to his undeserving nephew, Lot. It was the spirit of Joseph when he kissed his brothers who had so mistreated him. It was the spirit of David when he would not take advantage of the opportunity to take the life of King Saul, who had been pursuing him. It was the spirit of Stephen, who prayed for those who were stoning him to death.
It is also the spirit that every one of God's children should have. May God help us to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. May He enable us to have a change of heart that refuses to harbor hatred.
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