Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64self) and free us to serve God without fear in righteousness and holiness. This is an astronomically huge prom- ise. It changes everything. As I sit at the foot of the cross and contemplate what this means, my anger melts away. I, who should be consumed by the wrath of God, am overwhelmed by the flood of grace that pours out when God’s mercy and justice kiss at the cross. In my experience, this grace is the only thing powerful enough to corrode my self-serving anger. What’s left is the capacity to love what God loves and hate what He hates. I’m left with the ability to arouse anger in a righteous way that seeks justice and mercy on behalf of my neighbor, and at the same time douse it with love and forgiveness when I am the offended one. How Will It Look? N othing diffuses anger like mercy. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been argued down from an angry perch. I have, how- ever, been loved down. It’s a soft answer that turns away wrath. It’s the kindness of God that leads to repentance. Do you want to help your angry brother? Show him mercy. Be patient. Love him well. He will sin against you soon enough. When he does, your mercy may be what God uses to heap burning coals upon his head and turn him to repentance. Does your own anger frighten you? Look at the cross. Every selfish thought, every angry word is nailed there along with the entire code of the law that would condemn you. It’s covered in blood. It’s forgiven...you are forgiven. Let that sink in. It’s there at the foot of the cross that you will find the emotional strength to “let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Eph- esians 4:31–32). It’s at the cross that you find your cold, stony heart softened so that you can genuinely be kind to others, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. For your sake, for your ministry’s sake, for your family’s sake, for the world’s sake—rehearse the gospel every day. Guard your heart from yourself. Watch for the telltale signs that you are planning a coup. Worry is one such sign. When God is King, His subjects are kept in perfect peace. When I am king and the weight of the world rests on my shoulders, I begin to fret. I can’t carry it. Do you find yourself fretting? Then abdicate immediately. This is war. We must fight the good fight. We are not fighting alone. The doorframe of my childhood bed- room is still broken (my dad never had the heart to fix it). When I visit my mom, I see the scar—a memory etched in wood with a story to tell. It’s the story of a very proud little girl who liked to play king. But oh, how sweet the mercy of my God and King, that He would invite me, the consummate usurper, to feast at His table. I trust that as I con- tinue to dine with Him night after night, I will learn to speak more fluently His beautiful language of mercy. Ĩ 36 WWW.AGRM.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2017 Heather began volunteering at the Whosoever Gospel Mission in Philadelphia during high school. Now, 24 years (and many lessons in grace) later, she serves as the mission’s program coordinator and executive assistant. She feels God’s pleasure most when teach- ing His Word or leading His people in worship. Email her at hrice@whosoevergospel.org. For your sake, for your ministry’s sake, for your family’s sake, for the world’s sake—rehearse the gospel every day. Guard your heart from yourself.