Daily devotional, Feb 23, 2024 Sunset

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land." 
Psalm 37:8-9

Sunsets are always an amazing sight. It tells us that whether our day turned out good, or turned out bad, it is still bound to end. It is a reminder that no matter how the Sun can lord it over the universe, there is a set time for it to go down from its throne. And that after a long period of darkness, it can and will still shine.

As followers of Jesus, the setting sun is also a reminder for us to forget about the anger we felt that day. In his letter to the Ephesian Church, St. Paul the Apostle reminded early Christians to not let the day pass without reconciling with the person we had a misunderstanding with.

"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil." Ephesians 4:26-27

When we let our anger sit overnight, we tend to turn into hatred. And when we hate others, we are automatically breaking one of the commandments of the Lord. This was emphasized by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brotherwill be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hellof fire." 
Matthew 5:21-22

The above passage was followed by Jesus’ instruction for us to prioritize reconciling with those whom we are angry with, before facing Him.

"So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" 
Matthew 5:23-24

So when we see sunsets, let us call to mind the Lord’s reminder that He desires mercy more than sacrifice. That He commands us to love one another, and forgive one another just as He has done for us.

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:31-32

And while it is not easy to forgive and forget, let us always remember that we are called to obey the Lord. That all of His commands have our best interests at heart. And if our hearts are truly enraged at the wrong we have suffered and the offense that we incurred, then let us offer our feelings to the Lord and hold on to the promise that He will fight for us:

"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19

Let us allow sunsets to be physical reminders that everything comes to an end. The hurts and the pains that were inflicted to us should go down in the day just like the sun,  because it is good for us to forget about it. That there is no use holding on to anger, and letting it dominate our thoughts, spoken words and actions because it will just lead us to sinning.

Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Ephesians 4:25-32 and Matthew 5:21-26 to dig deeper on today’s topic.

Reflection Question: Do you let the sun go down on your anger?

Conversation with the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for loving us enough to protect us from the natural consequences of anger. Give me the confidence to fully abide in you so that we will be free from hatred in our hearts, and fully follow you. Amen