by Robert Fudge

Have you ever heard the saying “when mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy?” It is amazing how we transfer our feelings to those around us. The thing about this is that we can just as easily transfer good feelings as bad ones. In addition to transferring our feelings to others, we feed ourselves with our emotions. When I don’t feel good, things go wrong, everybody gets on my nerves and then I feel worse! What we many times fail to admit is that we can control our feelings and emotions to a very large degree. We can choose to be happy, sad, angry, loving, forgiving, calm, or upset. Notice what Paul says in Ephesians 4:30 – 5:2:

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

First of all we must get rid of bitterness, rage, and anger. Someone has compared stored up anger in our hearts to an aerosol can that is just waiting to explode. Let someone say something to me that I don’t like and I “explode” on them. The sad fact is that most of us have plenty of stored up bitterness and anger just waiting to explode on someone. God says for us to “get rid” of these from our hearts. That means for us to recognize and identify them and the root cause of them. You may be thinking, “if you only knew what I have been through” or “you don’t know what they did to me” or, well, you make up your own excuse. When we fail to admit and get rid of these things, we grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Let that one soak in, we grieve the Holy Spirit of God. He is in our hearts telling us to be filled with kindness, compassion, and forgiveness and then to become imitators of God by being filled with His love. Be honest and explain how I can get rid of these negative emotions and be filled with these good ones (like God Himself) and not have a wonderful and happy day. Or I can choose to deny and continue in my anger and bitterness and continue to grieve that blessed Spirit of God who is in my heart giving me every reason to be like God.

I want to give you a personal testimony. There is a person in my life that has created more grief for me in the last year or so than you can imagine. I have thought of every way possible to get even and to hurt them. (Oh, I have been saying on my top layer of consciousness that I really am not upset and they don’t bother me and I will do them good and not bad but underneath I have known better all the time.) I decided while writing one of the morning devotionals that I needed to do something about this. I first admitted my wrong and then prayed for forgiveness. I then prayed that God would help that person to be successful and prosperous. I then started doing all I could do to be nice and helpful to that person when I have opportunity. Result: I am much happier. For them: They never knew there was a problem in the first place and probably would not have cared if they did know.

Dear God, forgiving and loving, merciful and kind, God of compassion and comfort, please fill my heart with your Spirit today. Help me to empty my can of bitterness and anger to you – and only to you. Please help me to be honest with myself about myself. Help me to be forgiving, loving, merciful, kind, compassionate, and comforting to those around me. Help me to avoid excuses and just let your love fill me till it flows on all those around me. Help me to be like Your Son Jesus. It is in His name that we offer this prayer today.

May God bless you today with a wonderfully happy day.