A Gentle Answer Turns Away Wrath
Joe Terrell

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

We need go no farther than our relationship with God to see the truth of this. So long as His word to us was the Law, so full of harshness and challenge, we would not be reconciled to Him, but rather, we would rebel all the more, becoming more and more opposed to God. But the moment He spoke to our hearts in the gentle tones of the gospel, our hearts were broken, our rebellious wrath dissipated and we were reconciled. As Paul wrote, the message of reconciliation is, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians. 5:21) Was it not this gentle, Divine answer that turned away your wrath from God? Then, brethren, if God was so kind as to speak such a gentle word to us, can we not speak similar words to our brethren? And can we not expect the same result? So long as we speak to one another in terms of demands followed by judgments for failing to meet those demands, WE WILL STIR UP ANGER AMONG OURSELVES. But the moment we begin to speak gentle words of kindness, forgiveness, and acceptance, the anger goes away and a brother is reconciled. So, let's just do it!