Murder !

I hate you ,you fool ,I wish you were dead ,stupid ,I wish you were not my parents ,worthless fool ,Empty headed foolish girl /boy etc ..
If you have said these words ever in your life, or wished someone had died ,then I am sorry to announce to you that you are guilty of murder, and guess what , you deserve to go to hell. Yeah hell ! please don't judge me just yet ,That is what Jesus said .
It's hard to believe but he did ,in Matthew 5:21

21 You have knowledge that it was said in old times, You may not put to death; and, Whoever puts to death will be in danger of being judged:
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be in danger of being judged; and he who says to his brother, Raca, will be in danger from the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, You foolish one, will be in danger of the hell of fire. Ponder over it very well .

Before you read on do this little exercise . Take your mind back when you were angry with that brother or sister ,how you were so bitter and filled with rage . At that very moment you thought of things you would do or say to hurt that fellow .
Yes ! that's what am talking about, you murdered, though Not physically .
Murder begins with a murderous attitude and wishful thought . If you think evil about someone,then you have committed murder .In the "law book of God", the purposing to do a thing, without actually doing it is tantamount to doing it. Don't be too surprised because Jesus traces sin not from the outward activity but from the very core of our hearts and our thoughts .
In the subsequent verses ,He made a statement that whoever looks at a woman lustfully has committed adultery .
You see ,sin begins from the mind and the heart ,so even though you haven't touched a woman or physically killed your neighbour ,the mere thought of it makes you guilty and a sinner .

Besides this ,Jesus also warns us of what comes out of our mouth .

Proverbs 12: 18 says
" Reckless words pierce like sword ,but the words of the wise brings healing "..

Whether we like it or not our words carry power and what we say can alter people's lives negatively or positively .
Yeah ! so your guess is as good as mine ,we are all murderers . Only God knows how many people we have killed in our hearts and with our reckless words .
Anger is the bedrock of murder .Get angry and let me hand you a gun ,you will ,in a high probability pull the trigger.Jesus addresses how Christians are to confront anger that is by reconciliation . (Matt 5:23-25). Meanwhile ,anger in itself is not evil .
Paul enjoins us in Eph 4:26 with these words ;

In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.

Jesus also got angry sometimes . However ,his anger had the proper motivation. He was angry for the right reasons.
Secondly ,There was no selfishness involved.
His anger also had the proper focus.
He was not angry at God or at the “weaknesses” of others.
His anger targeted sinful behavior and true injustice.
Further more ,His anger had the proper control.
Jesus was never out of control, even in His wrath. He controlled His emotions; His emotions did not control Him. Besides that ,His anger had the proper duration. He did not allow His anger to turn into bitterness; He did not hold grudges. He dealt with each situation properly, and He handled anger in good time.
lastly His anger had the proper result.

I will end with the words in the book of James .

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” ( James 1:19-20 ).

The command is not to “avoid anger” (or suppress it or ignore it) but to deal with it properly, in a timely manner. learn to forgive and forget ..

From the thoughts of
Kenneth Bray .
~kennetics