3-Day Bible Reading Plan: “Swallowing Wrath Without Letting it Spill”
Jesus calls His disciples to stomach all the wrath that they feel welling up inside of them, and to not act on any of it, to let none of it leak out onto the world around them, whether in violent angry outbursts, or the quietest murmur of “you moron,” or even just cutting toxic people out of our lives. And He Himself models this in His life and even in His death. He doesn’t gossip, He doesn’t raise a fist in anger, He doesn’t allow His hurt to distance Him from those who hurt Him. Jesus stays silent as they mock and beat Him, and He offers forgiveness to those who crucified Him. He was the Lamb silent before its shearers, a man gentle and lowly in heart. I have to believe that in any moment of anger, Jesus was taking the swelling feelings of indignation and fury and what we had become, and that He then channeled all that anger into healing love. He swallowed His wrath and used it for our healing. - Pastor Jacob Hawley, 2/09/25
Day 1
Featured Verse: Matthew 5:21-26 - “Everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”
Cross References:
Leviticus 19:17-18 - “You shall not hate your brother in your heart.”
How do you interpret this in our daily lives, especially when dealing with those we might not see eye to eye with, or who have hurt us?
1 John 3:15 - “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.”
How does this challenge us to examine our own hearts and relationships, and what steps might we take to embody true love?
James 1:19-20 - “The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
How should we balance personal emotions with the pursuit of divine righteousness in our daily lives?
“Anger is a coal fallen from hell; it burns where it falls, and unless quenched by the grace of God, it will set the whole house of man on fire. Beware of the first spark, for the flame may soon become unquenchable.” - Charles Spurgeon
Day 2
Featured Verse: Ephesians 4:26 - “Be angry and do not sin.”
Cross References:
Psalm 4:4 - “Be angry, and do not sin.”
What behaviors can we employ to ensure that our anger serves a purpose aligned with moral and spiritual growth rather than leading to harmful actions?
Proverbs 19:11 - “Good sense makes one slow to anger.”
How might this principle influence our approach to leadership, both in spiritual and secular realms, where quick decisions are often necessary?
Ecclesiastes 7:9 - “Anger lodges in the heart of fools.”
Considering this very straight-forward line of thinking, what might be the long-term spiritual and emotional impacts of harboring anger?
“Be angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Here we have a text which teaches us that there is an anger which is not sinful, but we must be very careful that it does not degenerate into that which is sinful. Righteous indignation against sin is one thing, but personal resentment is quite another. The one may be a virtue, the other is certainly a vice. Be ye angry, but let that anger be like the fire on the altar, which consumed the sacrifice, but did not spread beyond its bounds.” - Charles Spurgeon
Day 3
Featured Verse: Romans 5:9 - “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”
Cross References:
1 Thessalonians 1:10 - “Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
How does the promise of “Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” offer a pathway to peace and wisdom, challenging us to transform our anger into acts of grace and redemption?
Ephesians 2:3-5 - “...by nature children of wrath.”
How does the act of harboring anger in our hearts further entrench this nature, and what spiritual practices might help us transcend it?
1 John 1:7 - “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
How can this act of purification empower us to overcome the destructive cycle of hatred and anger, leading us towards a life of love and unity with others?
“Oh, the preciousness of this blood! Oh, the power of it to save from wrath! We were by nature children of wrath, even as others, but we are now delivered from it by the blood of Jesus. There is no wrath for those who are in Christ Jesus; the storm has spent itself upon His head, and we are sheltered beneath His wings. Let us rejoice in this great salvation, that through His blood we have escaped from the condemnation which our sins deserved.” - Charles Spurgeon