Like the older brother in the parable, we may have looked down on those who have stumbled. We are not equipped to judge anybody else's repentance.

In the Prodigal Son, most people dwell on the relationship between the prodigal and his father. However, the elder brother has much to teach us as well.

Righteous anger is unselfish. Sinful anger occurs when our desires, ambitions, or demands are not met, always focusing on satisfying the self.

God obligates us to separate our anger from sin. Whether anger is active or passive, those who cannot control it will be cut off and consumed by their own anger.

Only by letting go of the poisonous root of bitterness can we become like our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father.

The Bible states that offenses will come. Here are ways to handle offenses and keep minor irritations from growing into bitterness.

If we let our emotions rule, we can lose a lifetime acquisition of reputation in a split second. When Jesus Christ undergirds us, there is stability.

Forgiveness is difficult, but the willing failure to forgive, along with any other unrepented sin, has the potential of permanently separating us from God.

When the children of light judge and condemn those living in this world, they become the world and move away from God.

We dare not let the sun go down on our wrath. Uncontrolled anger can be a major cause of mental and physical illness. We must reconcile with our adversaries.

Many have a love-hate relationship with mercy: They love to receive it, but hate to give it! Here is why we should lean toward mercy in all our judgments.

It is bad enough when we dwell on our own character flaws, but we greatly compound this habit when we dwell on other people's past sins and offenses.

Our forgiveness from God is conditional, depending upon our forgiving others. It is an opportunity for us to extend grace, sacrificing as Christ did for us.

Our society is becoming increasingly violent. The sixth of the Ten Commandments covers crime, capital punishment, murder, hatred, revenge and war.

Bitterness is like a poison that springs from unresolved hurt, helplessness, or disappointment, leading to caustic sharpness in speech or behavior.

It is easy to follow in Satan's footsteps, courting his daughter Envy, reaping the disquiet which accompanies her. Envy comes from pushing God from our thoughts.

Anger and hostility, driven by self-centered competitive pride constitute Satan's spiritual mark that divides nations, ethnic groups, families, and the church.

James' exhortation about the use of the tongue seems to stop with James 3:12. However, the rest of the chapter provides more wisdom on controlling our speech.

Betrayal is triggered by a root of bitterness resulting from envy, but turning into hatred, a shoot of bitterness manifesting a spirit of murder.

Resentment unresolved can make us physically and spiritually sick. It raises havoc with our nervous system as well as jeopardizes our salvation.

Pride destroys relationships, rendering righteous judgment next to impossible. Self-righteousness (a product of pride) makes an idol out of self.

Kindness goes hand-in-hand with love. It is an active expression of love toward God and fellow man, produced through the power of God's Spirit.

In Paul's listings of virtues, meekness always appears near the end, reflecting its difficulty. Meekness is the gentle, quiet spirit of selfless devotion.

Our culture has undergone a vast change in its standards of morality, seen in a change in national attitude, a lifting of mental fog and an emergent rage.

The source of envy and covetousness is Satan the devil who coveted God's throne and proved himself as a murderer and liar from the very beginning.

Jesus emphasized the spirit of the law, which places deterrents on the motive (anger, resentment, envy, revenge), preventing murder from ever taking place.

Miriam resembles every one of us as potential leaders. When she learned her lesson about pride, Miriam achieved the same exalted stature as Moses and Aaron.

We must separate ourselves from the world, sacrificing ourselves to God's purpose to become at one with God, waiting for Him to unify us to others.

The church grapevine is good at spreading news, but it can be evil when it spreads gossip and rumor. Gossip actually harms the gossip himself. Here's how.