“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).

Good and Godly decisions are rarely made when we are angry, stressed, and hurt. When we are angry, stressed, or hurt, the brain goes into fight or flight mode.

In a stressed out condition, the creative area of our brain that is able to seek helpful solutions shuts down. In anger and stress, we either lash out or bolt. Neither of these are helpful. Relationships are destroyed, churches split, marriages break when we lash out or bolt.

God knows we will all deal with stressful situations. God knows things will happen that will royally tick us off. God knows people will say things that will hurt us.

So, God tells us:

• Be quick to listen
• Be slow to speak
• Be slow to anger

Take a deep breath. Take a pause. Don’t react and respond in anger, stress, and hurt. You will only do more damage.

Pause. Pray. Seek God’s righteousness.

I came across something that Toby Mac, a Christian musician, wrote called “Practice the Pause” that is helpful.

Practice the Pause

• When in doubt, pause
• When angry, pause
• When tired, pause
• When stressed, pause
• And when you pause, pray

That’s fantastic advice.

Practice the pause. Go to God in prayer. Seek God’s purposes and God’s righteousness.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

“For we are God’s handiwork.” The Greek word for handiwork is poiema. This is where we get the word poem or poetry. But the Greek word is better understood as God’s masterpiece or God’s artwork.

Think about that. You are God’s masterpiece. You were created for a purpose – to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The psalmist tells us, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful” (Psalm 139:13-14).

Imagine that. The God who created the heavens and the earth, the God who created the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the God who placed the stars in the heavens, the God who created the beauty of the Milky Way thought that our world needed one of you too! Our world is incomplete without you.

Imagine that!!!

So, here’s what that means. If you have a pulse, you have a purpose. God created you for this day, for this time, for this place so that through you God can demonstrate his amazing goodness, grace, and beauty. You are God’s masterpiece!!!

You are amazing because an amazing God created you.

Now get out there and do what God created you for.

“Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified” (Mark 15:15).

The context of the verse is the “trial” of Jesus before Pilate.

Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. There was not a doubt in his mind. Pilate absolutely knew Jesus was innocent. Not only was Pilate certain Jesus was innocent, Pilate knew that the accusers of Jesus were out to get Jesus out of self-interest. Pilate knew this was a mockery of justice.

• Pilate wanted to release Jesus because he knew “it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him” (Mark 15:10).
• When the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas – an insurrectionist and a murderer – instead of Jesus Pilate asks the crowd, “What crime has Jesus committed?” (Mark 15:14).

So what did Pilate do?

“Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.” (Mark 15:15).

When the motivation is to satisfy the crowd rather than doing what is right, justice and truth will always be trampled.

The truth of God is not always popular. But it is always right.

The teachings of God may sometimes be difficult. But it is always right.

We may not like what the Bible has to say. But it is always right.

The Bible is the only rule of faith for the Christian.

Christian, we do not base our decisions on what I feel, what I think. As followers of Jesus, the standard which rules our lives is always “What does the Bible say?”

Living for the approval of people will keep us from the will of God.

Seek God’s truth. Seek God’s word.