You can be glorious today. You just need to follow the advice of the Proverbs: “Those with good sense are slow to anger. It is glorious to over look an offense.”
Why is is good to be slow to anger?
First, anger is bad for you. It increases your chances of high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Our bodies were created to deal with a prehistoric milieu that has long passed. The flight or flight response no longer works for us. Anger is bad for us.
Second, anger is bad for the people around you. The people who provoke you move swiftly out of your love. The people left to deal with your anger are your spouse, your friend, your children. Your anger can be frightening to them.
Third, remember that God is slow to anger. There are examples of his wrath in the Bible, but as a rule, he is slow to anger. He is patient, because he wants to give us time to repent.
Last, remember that Jesus is our example. While there are a few stories of his anger in the Bible, there are many more stories of the times he endured indignities and even pain without reaction. He overlooked offenses. He looked for the best intentions to our worst moments. He forgave. In our sermon this Sunday we are going to look at what it means to be slow to anger and to overlook offenses.