Hebrews 12:15 "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." Bitterness is our unawareness or unwillingness to deal with the offense inflicted on us by another person. When we live in bitterness, we often fantasize about what we really would like to say or do to that person if we had a chance. We think of how we would make them pay for what they did to us or to someone we love. You see, it is OK to feel but it is not OK to get stuck in that hurt. If we get stuck in the hurt, it turns into bitterness. This bitterness eventually spills over into the relationships of those we love who haven't even hurt us.
On the trail where my wife and I run, there is a plant called Kudzu. It was introduced to the USA from Japan in 1876 as a forage crop and believe it or not, as an ornamental plant. Southeastern farmers were encouraged to grow it to prevent soil erosion. What no one knew at the time is that the climate conditions in the southeastern United States are perfect for the super duper growth of this plant and it has no natural predator. By 1953, the Department of Agriculture declared it a "pest weed". In other words, it has grown out of control on millions of acres of land and there is no way to stop it!
Bitterness is just like that. It was introduced by Satan to the human heart back in the Garden of Eden and there is no human way to stop it. It will overrun your entire life! But God has a way to kill it. When Jesus died on the cross, we died with Him to bitterness (Romans 6:6-7) and we were raised with Him as new creations who are "forgivers". This is our identity.
God's remedy to bitterness is to live out of our identity. This means we need to sit down with God and tell Him all the reasons we are bitter towards that person and how we feel about that person, even if we "hate" them. We need to go on and tell God that we forgive that person though they don't deserve it, just like we did not deserve God's forgiveness in Christ. Ephesians 4:31-32 says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
I have learned that we need to also confess our sin of bitterness to God so we can experience the full freedom of our forgiveness in Christ. Without this, we may not experience complete peace.
So what are we going to do today? Are we going to let bitterness grow inside of us like Kudzu? Or, are we going to live like who we are in Christ, agreeing with Him and forgive? The choice is up to each of us. When you choose to forgive, schedule a time on your calendar or you may keep putting it off!
If you need someone to walk with you through the forgiveness process, we can help. Contact GLI at 704-522-9026. Also, please pray about signing up for the Lay Aside Every Weight Conference scheduled for Sept 7-8 at the Steele Creek Church of Charlotte. You can get more information and register by contacting our office.
Live Free in Christ,
Mark Maulding, Founder and President
www.GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding
