Today’s Reading: Isaiah 22; Isaiah 23; Isaiah 24; Hebrews 12
Scripture: Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Observation: Bitterness is a fruit that grows from a root. To get a bitter root, you need a bitter seed plus one more thing. You need to turn away from the grace of God which He gives to everyone who is hurt, or wounded, or offended. This grace is like a weed killer for the heart -- it kills the bitter seed. But if the person "misses the grace of God" by refusing it or turning away from it, the bitter seed remains and the deadly progression from seed to root to fruit proceeds. Note that when the bitter root grows up it causes trouble, but not only for the one person. Unfortunately, it will "defile many" -- bitterness is a poison that is easily spread to others to pollute or corrupt them as well.
Application: So let's do a bitterness checkup. Check yourself to see if there are people that make you bitter, or memories that evoke bitterness. Are you sweet or sour? [A sour disposition is a likely sign of bitterness.] If you find it hard to be sweet, you probably have bitterness. If so, stop and ask God for special grace to eradicate it from your life. Don't let it go -- don't let it grow -- it will cause trouble. [By the way, forgiveness with joy is the proof of the breaking of bitterness.]
And stay open to the grace of God for every future offense. That way you can kill the bitterness when it's just a seed, before it can take root and bring its destructive force into your life. Stay close to God's grace and stay sweet.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the grace You give us to eliminate the bitter seeds from our hearts. Help us to walk in Your grace and in constant forgiveness of others. And help every one of us to get the bitterness out and the sweetness in. May we experience Your joy and blessing by walking free of bitterness.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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