Keep Cool, Boy

(I could not get to a computer yesterday; sorry to interrupt the flow!  Back to it today!)

"God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey."  2 Timothy 2:24, the Message

If you have ever been uncomfortable around a believer who is constantly a pot-stirrer, you have good reason to feel that way.  The Bible is clear that while we should not shrink away from an important fight (spiritual warfare is all around us!!) neither should we boil for the boiling's sake! 

I'm not talking about natural reactions to life's unfairness or uncertainty.  I'm not talking about consequential hurt feelings from another's attack.  I'm talking about people that cannot have a conversation without getting upset.  Can't drive without getting angry, can't have a day at work without gossip and problems . . . can't have a Sunday worship without getting upset.

We're called to be different than that, set apart.  I'm not making this stuff up, folks!  Leviticus 20:26 says, "You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."  In Jeremiah 1:5 He says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart."

God's Word is not something to disobey, ignore, or distort.  It's time to get serious about what He tells us to do!  First of all, we should be gentle, calm and cool simply because He said so.  Period.  That's it.  But secondly, we are given the perfect example of this character trait in Christ Himself.  We are told of His coming gentleness in the Old Testament:  "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 1:9)  And Jesus describes Himself that way too:  "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  (Matthew 11:29)

If you don't know the movie, West Side Story, the following may not resonate.  (Sidebar - Rent it!  See it!  Know it!)  There's a song in the musical called "Cool" where one of the gang leaders, Riff, is cautioning a buddy to calm.  The lyrics go like this:

Boy, boy, crazy boy,
Get cool, boy!
Got a rocket in your pocket,
Keep coolly cool, boy!
Don't get hot,
'Cause man, you got
Some high times ahead.
Take it slow and Daddy-O,
You can live it up and die in bed!

Boy, boy, crazy boy!
Stay loose, boy!
Breeze it, buzz it, easy does it.
Turn off the juice, boy!
Go man, go,
But not like a yo-yo schoolboy.
Just play it cool, boy,
Real cool! 

So stay cool.  Keep calm and carry on.  I'm not saying that losing your temper now and again is an eternal issue for you.  But what if it is for someone else?  What if your lost cool is someone's lost soul?

Something to think about.  More next week.