Anger and Contempt

I spend some time in Matthew 5 again this morning.
Here's 5:21-22 in the New Living Translation

²¹ “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’²² But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

It's bad enough to let our anger get the best of us.
It's a normal human emotion, it even has a place in our lives, but it controls so many lives.
Many have brewed in anger for far too long, dreaming of payback and revenge.
It's horrible way to live.

But anger is not the worst thing that can grip us.
If you curse someone (as this translation reads), if you get to that place where you only wish a living hell on others, then you are the one in real danger of hell.
You can find yourself estranged from our God of love by your own device.

Let's call this"contempt."

Have you even known someone who only seems to have contempt for everyone and everything?
Contempt for their spouse.
Contempt for their job.
Contempt for others having fun.
Contempt for the world.
A contempt so deep all they want to do is curse those around them.

Relationships are doomed when we only have contempt for another person.
Our relationship with God is not different in this regard.
Jesus says it's as if what you do to the people around you, you are doing to him.
So when we are cursing and hold contempt for people, there is a correlation.
We end up holding God in contempt.
And that becomes a living hell.

Heaven or Hell, love or contempt. It appears we have a say in the matter.