Good morning, brothers and sisters.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 5:17, “Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation.”
There’s a reason that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are so fantastic. When you combine two of the greatest foods in chocolate and peanut butter, the result could hardly be anything but pure deliciousness. Likewise the Oreo cookie, which combines a perfect chocolate crunch with heavenly vanilla crème. Reese’s and Oreos are sublime in their simplicity and, deservedly so, are the best-selling candy and cookie in the country. And so, if you attempt to add something to either of them, such as a creative flavor or filling, the result is going to be worse than the original. That third ingredient, much like the third wheel in a relationship, ends up suffering and doing more harm than good to the original pair.
Experiencing and expressing anger can be a delicate and sensitive position. Setting ourselves up as the judge of a situation can also be one fraught with danger. Clearly, these two states, when put together, have much potential to produce fireworks and leave behind a wake of collateral damage. They could be thought of as the anti-Oreo of mental or emotional positions. But when we undergird our stance with the third ingredient of feeling completely justified, we have created the potential monster called righteous indignation. No longer does the volatility of our anger or the arrogance of our judgmentalism carry with it the potential for us to be out of bounds or to cross the line. Now, knowing we are bolstered by our self-proclaimed justness, we are free to pronounce whatever verdict we choose, and feel good about it.
But in our sinful ways, we do not charge the gate for the cause and glory of our Savior. Rather, our ego and interests and prejudices get in the way. Our boldness is voiced only to the welcoming ears of others who don’t mind tearing down behind people’s backs. I know, it’s an ugly picture, and one we like to reserve for them, whoever they may be. But they are not just the scorners of Jesus from the Bible, nor are they the liberal wackos who make your blood boil. They are us. In a reflection, it’s just you and the mirror. In contemplation, it should be just you and Jesus. Don’t add a third ingredient to mess it up.
As we seek Him today, let it be about you and Jesus and nothing or no one else. Let that perfect recipe produce the ideal you.
Have a sweet Monday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
