How can I avoid being aggressive towards others?

Proverbs 15:1A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.

Proverbs 17:27A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.

Proverbs 25:6-7Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great. It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace.

Proverbs 25:15Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones.

1 Corinthians 13:5[Love] does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.

2 Timothy 4:2Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

Philemon 1:14I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced.

We are to be loving, considerate, gentle and patient in what we say and what we do. Love reaches out when we want to withhold. Love withholds when we want to strike out. Thus, love is both a motivating and a restraining force.

Acts 21:14When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Sometimes, the decisions of others are beyond our responsibility and control. Even when we feel we are right, we need wisdom to know when to stop and say, “The will of the Lord be done.”