Anger

E. Stanley Jones was a missionary, a theologian, and a prolific writer. He has written some wise words on anger in his devotional book Victorious Living:

"Jesus was angry: 'He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their heart.' But note that in His anger was grief--He was 'grieved.' That determines the legitimate from the illegitimate type of anger. Where there is a sense of moral hurt, of moral grief, and not mere personal resentment in the anger, then it is right and worthy and helpful. But note again that it was anger at something done against another. He was indignant that they had no sympathy for the stricken man. That too is a test of whether it is legitimate anger. We must be suspicious of all angers that come from hurts to ourselves. They probably have in them less moral indignation than of personal resentment.

"Paul says, 'Be ye angry, and sin not.' But if we are to be angry and sin not, then we must be angry only at sin, and that sin not against ourselves but others. Even this kind of anger Paul suggests should not be kept overnight, 'Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.' If kept overnight, it might fester."