Subtitle: Confess the times you have flown off the handle, and ask God for a victory today.

Excerpt: Confess the times you have flown off the handle, and ask God for a victory today.

Author: Rich Holt

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from John 8:6, ” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger. “

Background

What is it that makes you fly off the handle? Do you hate it when your schedule gets changed by someone else? Can you not stand it when someone barges in and interrupts you? Are you especially sensitive first thing in the morning? Well, Jesus had all of these circumstances dumped on Him when the Pharisees rushed in with the woman they had caught in the act. He had gone to the temple early that morning and was teaching to a rather large crowd, but all of that came to a screeching halt when the circus came blowing in. For some reason, the Pharisees had nabbed a woman committing adultery, and instead of going through the due process, they saw it as an opportunity to see if they could get Jesus Himself to commit some sort of crime. And as they laid out the scenario for Him, turning the temple into a mock courtroom, they eagerly awaited the decision that He would render. But Jesus just stooped down and wrote on the ground.

Application

And so they asked Him again, and then again. And the tension mounted. Surely He was going to say something He shouldn’t. But He just wrote on the ground. The finger that they wanted to see pointing out with blame just scribbled in the dirt. No flying off the handle. No verbal jabs about Him teaching what they needed to be hearing. No irritated cries that He was tired of them harassing Him. He was actually being swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. And it worked. For when He finally did speak, worlds collided. The crescendo that had been building as the Pharisees prodded Him for an answer came softly down in the wisdom of His response. The Pharisees were still right, the woman deserved to be stoned. But in Jesus’ calm words they heard the nature of their own hearts. Stooping instead of speaking can have that effect. Refusing to stiffen your back and state your case can say volumes more than all the words you might throw out. It’s possible to not fly off the handle. It might require bending down to the ground. But it’s possible.

Charge

As we seek Him today, ask God to speed up your ears and slow down your tongue. Confess the times you have flown off the handle, and ask God for a victory today.