Moroni 9: 3-5, 18-20, 23

 

How did Jesus Christ come to your rescue during the moments when something could cause you to feel angry?

"3 And now behold, my son, I fear lest the Lamanites shall destroy this people; for they do not repent, and Satan stirreth them up continually to anger one with another.

4 Behold, I am laboring with them continually; and when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving with them.

5 For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another; and they thirst after blood and revenge continually.

18 O the depravity of my people! They are without order and without mercy. Behold, I am but a man, and I have but the strength of a man, and I cannot any longer enforce my commands.

19 And they have become strong in their perversion; and they are alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young; and they delight in everything save that which is good; and the suffering of our women and our children upon all the face of this land doth exceed everything; yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written.

20 And now, my son, I dwell no longer upon this horrible scene. Behold, thou knowest the wickedness of this people; thou knowest that they are without principle, and past feeling; and their wickedness doth exceed that of the Lamanites.

23 And if they perish it will be like unto the Jaredites, because of the wilfulness of their hearts, seeking for blood and revenge." (Moroni 9: 3-5, 18-20, 23)

And here's the commentary entitled: "Anger leads to sorrow and suffering." : 

"In contrast to Mormon’s message of love in Moroni 7:44–48, Mormon’s second epistle to Moroni included warnings against something many struggle with today—anger. According to Moroni 9:3–5, what were some of the consequences of the Nephites’ anger? What warnings can we take from verses 3–5, 18–20, 23?

See also Gordon B. Hinckley, “Slow to Anger,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 62–66."

Some of the consequences of the Nephites' anger were: 1) They have no fear of death, 2) They have lost their love, one towards another; and 3) They thirst after blood and revenge continually. 

These are the warnings we can take from verses 3–5, 18–20, 23 as the probable consequences of giving in to anger: 

1. We will have no fear of death.

2. We will lose our love, one towards another.

3. We will thirst after blood and revenge continually.

4. We will be without order and without mercy and then our leader can enforce his commands no longer.

5. We will become strong in our perversion. 

6. We will be alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young. 

7. We will delight in everything save that which is good. 

8. The suffering of our women and our children upon all the face of this land will exceed everything; yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written.

9. We will be without principle, and past feeling; and our wickedness will exceed that of the Lamanites.

Anger leads to sorrow and suffering indeed. It's our human nature to feel angry at times. And yet between stimulus (cause) and response (tendency to feel angry), there's a space where we can make a choice. We don't have to give in to our tendency to feel angry. We can choose to reach out for a much better feeling instead. We can choose to not feel the anger, instead feel the pure love of Christ towards the person who might have done something wrong that triggers our tendency to feel angry. We can overcome our natural tendency to feel angry as we make the choice to feel the pure love of Christ as much as we can. We can rise above this challenge as we look and turn to Jesus Christ more. He will always come to our rescue during those moments of temptation. I know He will because He's been coming to my rescue...