Wednesday, July 23, 2014

A Bitter Root

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15
    
     God’s grace destroys bitterness. I think all of us have experienced bitterness a time or two in our lives. Someone has hurt us or harmed us or turned against us. When the bitterness is not healed, it springs forth roots even to the point of affecting our health, and possibly leading to even more destructive emotions and actions. Read through this next verse with me:

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Ephesians 4:31

     A common reaction to a bitter root against someone is to slander them. We want others to take our side, to understand. And we might seek revenge. What does God ask us to do? Get rid of it all, beginning with bitterness, the root of the rest of the list: anger, brawling, slander, and malice. Tomorrow the Bible will give us clues on how to do just that.

Dear Father,
We can’t do it without Your help. Teach us how to destroy the bitterness that grows within us. Your grace not only saves us, but others as well. We want to see others the way You do, with love and compassion.
In Jesus name

Amen

No comments:

Post a Comment