Bitterness
Thursday May 1, 2014
Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. (James 3:11-12 NASB)
What does this mean? It means whatever is in a well or a person will come out of that person. For example, if I had a bottle and I told you it contained water from a healthy source and you could see how pure it looked you would probably believe that it really was good water. If you were very thirsty and I offered you a drink from this water you would probably take it. Now what if I showed you another bottle which I told you came from the same source as the first bottle except that I had put a few drops of poison in it? If you were extremely thirsty and I offered you a drink from this second bottle you would probably refuse to take it. Why? Because you know it would harm you. The source of the water was good but it had been changed.
Holding a grudge and not forgiving another person for something they have done or said to you can change you from purity and light, like the first bottle of water, into a harmful person like when the poison was added to the second bottle of water. An unforgiving person spreads this poison to others they come into contact with. One can never be sure what is in an unforgiving person or if and when they will cause harm to another. Refusing to forgive offenses committed against us will start us down a road that will lead us to the death of the person God created us to be.
The path of unforgiveness goes something like the following:
The path of unforgiveness goes something like the following:
Someone hurts us
We won’t forgive
We remain angry We suffer from frustration or anxiety about being unable to retaliate
We start to hate the person Gossip/Confusion/Depression become a part of our personality
Bitterness starts to grow and spread like the poisonous weed it
We are tormented by the bitterness we feel and our body starts to react with sickness
Bitterness starts to grow and spread like the poisonous weed it
We are tormented by the bitterness we feel and our body starts to react with sickness
We start to exhibit rage
We want revenge
We are in despair and hopelessness sets in
We feel life is cruel and not worth living
We feel life is cruel and not worth living
The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)
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.
We have all hurt someone else by what we have said or done. The only way to live a healthy life is to heed the above Scripture and forgive as we have been forgiven. We need to come to our Heavenly Father and ask for forgiveness for our sins and receive the new life He has for us in Christ Jesus. Then we will be able to forgive as we have been forgiven.
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