Short Fuse

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 14

Gold Nugget

Verse 29: “He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly.”

Commentary

“A short fuse - will cause you a friend to lose…” sorry, I couldn’t think of a “short fuse” quote so I made one up. Despite its lack of poetic flow, I believe it has truth in it. People with quick tempers destroy relationships. Things are not always what they seem and people who react too quickly can cause trouble and even damage, only to find they had judged poorly. The damage cannot always be undone easily. As today’s “gold nugget” proclaims, “He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly.” With this as a truth, we see that a person with understanding has a long, slow-burning fuse.

Although everyone does have a breaking point, the bible ensures us that we never have to meet it. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) We all know people that fall into the “short fuse” category. As a matter of fact, many of those short fuse people are believers. If that is true, maybe we need to look at our own fuses and examine them for length and burn rate. Quick tempered people do not mirror the image of Christ Jesus very well. 

Prayer

Lord, although I consider myself slow to anger, there are some areas that anger me quicker than others. These are not always for good reason as much as personal flaws. Help me to be longsuffering and reflect a clearer image of you. Amen

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