How can I stop my temper?

God feels angry: “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” Psalm 7:11. Since God cannot sin, anger cannot be a sin. It is an important feeling which God gave us at creation. Anger alerts us that something is wrong or hurtful. Problems occur when people act sinfully when angry. 

If one of your challenges is temper, it will likely challenge you for the rest of your life.  The way you respond to hurtful experiences will impact your character development.

The fruits of the spirit are listed in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Each of these could individually be seen as the opposite of temper. For example, when one is angry, he shows impatience toward others and is often unkind. He is certainly not gentle, and angry actions demonstrate the loss of self-control.

So how does one develop the fruits of the spirit to manage his behavior?

Galatians 5:16-21 talks about “living after the flesh” and having fallen, earthly goals, interests and habits. In contrast, a life “led after the spirit” leads to those beautiful fruits described above. 

Living by the spirit means following in Jesus’s footsteps and seeking to do God’s will first and foremost. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt 6:33). Again, this is a lifelong battle. 

In Romans 7:14-25, Paul explained how sin worked in his life. He shared that even when he knew what was wrong and did not want to do it, he did it anyway. The fallen human is controlled by sin. Paul was not trying to give us the perfect excuse to go on sinning. Instead, he was trying to help us avoid discouragement. Even if you commit yourself to following in our Lord’s footsteps and are genuinely seeking to serve God and follow His ways, you WILL lose your temper again. You can’t turn it off like a switch. When it happens, seek forgiveness from the Lord and also from those you hurt. This can help develop humility, which will be one of the first steps toward the fruits of the spirit. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble…draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:6-8)

God will reward your efforts, but it will take just that: a lot of effort. And you must recognize that the struggle will be lifelong. All Christians struggle with different challenges, but we all need to seek the Lord first and come to Him for forgiveness. This will develop humility, keep us from discouragement, and allow us to eventually be perfected in character.

Why were Mary and Joseph chosen to be the parents of our Lord?

The Messiah was to be of the tribe of Judah and of the lineage of David. Both Mary and Joseph were descendants of Judah from King David’s line. Genesis 49:10, 2 Samuel 7:16, Matthew 1:1, Luke 3:31

Joseph was tenderhearted and kind.

When he heard that his betrothed was pregnant, he was willing to divorce her privately, a way to shield her from public humiliation.  Matthew 1:18-19 

He was promptly obedient to the will of God, even when obeying His will could damage his reputation.

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, that she had conceived by the holy Spirit, that she would bear a Son to be named Jesus.   His response:  “And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife.”  Matthew 1:20-24

He showed respect and Godly restraint.

“…and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son…”  Matthew 1:25

He was a law abiding citizen even when it posed personal difficulty.

He took the long trip from Nazareth to Judea with Mary who was close to bearing the child, in order to register according to the decree from Caesar Augustus.   Luke 2:1-7

Joseph was willing to uproot his life and lead his family to a foreign land because God said so.

God warned him and directed him in two dreams regarding where he should lead his family, away from Herod and into the foreign land of Egypt.  “And he arose and took the Child and his mother by night, and departed for Egypt…”  Matthew 2:12-14

Mary was favored of God.  The LORD was with her.   Luke 1:28

She trusted and surrendered to the will of God even though its fulfillment would threaten her reputation and perhaps her life in the society.   Luke 1:35-38  She believed the seemingly impossible promise that God would plant the Son of the Most High in her womb, and she was blessed because of her deep faith.  Luke 1:45

She praised God for His blessing on her.  She was familiar with the book of the Prophet Samuel, and she quoted from those writings.  Luke 1:46-55

Mary meditated on and thought deeply about the events overruled by her God. The shepherds made known the statements which had been told them about the child Jesus:  ‘Do not be afraid; for behold I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people…’

“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.  “  Luke 1:8-19

As a couple, Mary and Joseph respected the Law of God and went every year to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover.  Luke 2:41

Mary had the courage to stand by the cross of Jesus.  John 19:25

She became a devout follower of Christ, and became a partaker of the Pentecostal blessing of the holy spirit.  “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers…”  Acts 1:14, 2:1-4

Joseph and Mary were descended from the line of David and were two ordinary people who loved God. They sought to do His will regardless of the consequences.

An ordinary, willing heart and life can be used by our Amazing God for extraordinary ends.