Coffee With Pat
Written By: Pat Aman
copyright 2006
All rights reserved


                                                                     Devotion March 12

My daughter is Athletic Director and Assistant Girls' Basketball Coach. The girls Head Basketball Coach is a wonderful lady, and a great coach. She has taught the girls to work together, and it paid off this year. The girls played in the state girls' 2-A play-offs today, and they WON! The game was close the entire time. It went into over time, and we all were holding our breaths. There were 4 seconds left on the clock. My Daughter's School Team was on the opposing teams court.  Score 54 to 55. They ran down the court, and the player, who is a Senior this year, and has a full paid scholarship, to play basketball, and whom the other team thought would try to score, gave the ball off to a Freshman on the team.  She was right in front of the goal. She shot the ball and it went in just as the buzzer went off.

Everyone went crazy. They won by one point. 56 to 55. Team work is why they won. The Senior could have tried to show off, because it is her Senior year, but she did not.  She did what was best for the team. They have been to state the last three years, and they deserved to win. The three years they came in second, they respected the other teams, by standing on the court and applauding for the other teams awards.

Even thought they were crying, they still showed the team that won respect.   And those games were very close also.  When they gave awards out, they gave the loosing team their trophy's for winning second place, the coach and team then left the court and went to the locker room. They did not even show respect for the winning team.  I can say that our team is a good team of girls, and their coaches have taught them good sportsmanship.  First the other team did not show respect, but anger.  Now I know they were hurt, by losing by one point, but our team has been there also, and lost by one to three points.

The Bible says,

" 'Be angry, and do not sin'; do not let the sun go down on your wrath." (Ephesians 4:26)

If you break this verse down into two separate, yet integrated parts, let's see what it says. The first part "Be angry, and do not sin." This gives us permission to be angry, but at the same time warns us against being destructive with our anger.

Our heavenly Father understands situations will arise where anger is a real and valid response, but we are to handle it responsibly.

(James 1:19) tells us to "be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath"

Some of us, as I used to be, were just the opposite of this. We are slow to listen, quick to speak, and extremely quick to blow up. This, of course, is destructive, not constructive anger.  It is an example of "be angry, and sin!"  The second part of our verse "do not let the sun go down on your wrath" is equally as crucial.  Too often we found that when we go to sleep angry, we wake up angry.  What began as a turned back in the bed had grown into a turned heart in the morning. 

God promises His love is steadfast and His mercy is new every morning, but after sleeping with anger we find out it is hard to sense His mercy, because we are too busy thinking of those who needed to ask for mine.  (mercy) Reserve your sleep for refreshing and renewal. Settle matters at least in your own heart before you close your eyes so that the Holy Spirit might speak to you in the night watches.

The team that lost will be worse off, because they did get angry, and did not show Farmville respect. They will have a lot to deal with, because of their actions.

Joyfully, In The Master's Service
Blessings, Prayers and Love,
Pastor Pat

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