A little boy got into a fight with his  brother and the whole experience left him feeling bitter. When his brother wanted to make things right, he refused to listen. In fact he would not speak to his brother all day.

Bedtime came and their mother said to the boy, “Don’t you think you should forgive your brother before you go to sleep? Remember the Bible says, ‘Do not let the sun go down on your wrath’” (Eph. 4:26). The boy looked perplexed. He thought for a few moments and then blurted out, “But how can I keep the sun from going down?”

He reminds me of some Christians. They’re angry at certain people and hold grudges. When they are confronted with their unforgiving attitude and urged to make things right, they sidestep the issue and refuse to heed the clear instruction of Scripture. True, we cannot change another person’s heart, but we are responsible for our own attitude. The Bible says, “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).

No, we can’t keep the sun from going down. But we can keep it from setting on our anger. And that means we must forgive.

Author

Richard DeHaan

Topics

Our Daily Bread