PASSING ON THE BATON, NO. 19 - AVOID ANGRY CONFLICTS AND ATTITUDES

Proverbs 15:1: "A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger."

Men, if we do not want our children to be angry with us because we have spoken hurtful and grievous words to them, we must learn how to control our own spirits. Proverbs 16:32 says, "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." And Proverbs 19:11 (NKJB) says, "A man's discretion makes him slow to anger."

Surely, none of us fathers want to be remembered after we are dead and gone as being angry fathers. Even when the behavior of our children deserves a sharp rebuke, we must keep our own spirits under close reign. Speaking words of discipline and correction goes further to bring about the desired results when spoken with a soft and appealing tone. Anger, even righteous anger, can quickly get out of control and become unrighteous if it is not guarded carefully.

In times of strife, we must also remember that "a soft answer turns away anger." This does not mean that we should in anyway compromise the truth. But truth is received better when served with a little honey. Slamming down people's throats your hard-line opinions does little to bring about change for good.

Men, every day we are influencing our children for good or for bad. Every day we are involved with the great work of passing the baton on to the next generation. We must daily pray that we will do an excellent job of imparting biblical values to the next generation.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell