Necessity for Self Control
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire (Matthew 5:21-22).
The Old Law said “Thou shalt not kill,” but Jesus says that even to want to kill, nay, event to be angry with your brother, is sufficient to keep you out of the Kingdom of Heaven. It was a distinct gain when primitive people could be persuaded not to murder but to develop sufficient self-control to master their anger. Spiritual demonstration demands that anger itself be overcome. It is simply not possible to get any experience of God worth talking about, or to exercise spiritual power until you have gotten rid of resentment and condemnation. You can have either your demonstration or your indignation, but you cannot have both.
Once we accept the weaknesses and shortcomings in our own behavior, confess them to God and ask forgiveness, we can then rise above condemnation and resentment of others. For it is in harboring and denying those weaknesses that we give indignation a place to take root in our feelings about others. If we look closely, we will usually find that what angers us about others is what we are most anxious about in ourselves.
In confession,
Z Gardener
Good Morning Garden 
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