Free from anger and controversy
We begin 1 Timothy with Paul's instruction for worship for men
Verse of the Day: “In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.” - 1 Timothy 2:8
In this letter, Paul is writing to Timothy, whom he calls his “true son in the faith”. This part of 1 Timothy 2 is talking about instructions for worship. This is the only sentence that is addressed to men, before the next part talks about women and what Paul requires of them. I am not as concerned about what Paul has to say about women, as what he has to say about men. This hit me right in the heart when I read this passage and I am so excited to dive into it.
“In every place of worship”.........when you read this, you’re probably like me and you visualize a church. While churches are indeed places of worship, worship should extend outside of the church building on Sunday mornings and afternoons. Any place can be a place of worship. Why? Because WE are the temples of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul says “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” We can turn any place we go into a place of worship. Whether that be our cars, our living rooms, our gyms or our offices. Let us be men who honor our bodies as gifts given from God, where the Holy Spirit resides. And let us make every room we walk into a place of worship by our reverence for the Lord.
“I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God”........when was the last time you prayed? If it was today, great! If it was five minutes ago, even better! Sometimes I take for granted the gift of prayer. I mean, having a direct line to God, the Heavenly Father, at any time we wish, isn’t such a big deal after all, right? However, when I pray with a heart of thankfulness and I give complete control over to God, it allows me to view what He is doing in my life differently. He gives me a different vision and a different feeling in my heart, where I can do nothing but lift my hands up and praise God. Our world tells us that as men, we have to do all things on our own. The world encourages us to be “self made” men who need to have control. Control of our homes, control of our marriages, control of our sex life, control of our kids, control of our employees, control of our finances, control of money, etc. But this is contrary to what God wants for us. God wants us to trust HIM to reign in our lives. When we do this, we pray with holy hands lifted up to God. We release control and allow Him to do the work that only He can do.
“Free from anger and controversy”.........if there is one thing men in our world can relate to, it’s anger and controversy. Men love sports. The sports channels on TV frequently have TV shows that are centered around controversy. The more controversy, the better. The more angry the hosts get, the more reaction the programs will get online. When the programs get online reactions, we see more anger and controversy in the comments and replies. This is the way of the world, but it’s not the way of God. God wants us FREE from anger and FREE from controversy. He wants us to live in a state of gratitude and a state of peace that can only come from trusting God. There are many examples in Scripture that advise us to flee from anger. Anger itself is not sinful, but it often results in sin.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” - Ephesians 4:31
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” - James 1:19-20
“Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end” - Proverbs 29:11
“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools” - Ecclesiastes 7:9
“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it only leads to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land” - Psalms 37:8-9
When we are free from anger and controversy, it allows us to have a calming peace. This calming peace often leads us to make wise decisions. In order to get to this peace, we have a few steps to take.
First, we must enter into a place of worship. This place can be anywhere. Anywhere we honor God and make room to praise Him is a place of worship.
Second, we must pray. Prayer is our opportunity to connect one-on-one with the Heavenly Father. We need to not take prayer for granted. Prayer is a muscle that needs to be exercised every single day.
Third, we must lift our hands up to God. We must release control. A life led by God is a life well lived.
Fourth, we must allow our praise, worship and trust in the Lord to move within us. When we do this, it will lead us away from anger, controversy and all impure behaviors that do not reflect the righteousness God desires.
Let us be Kingdom men. Let us be builders of others. Let us love our wives and children with genuine affection and intention. Let us love God and be an example of His light in a broken world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.