Defiled by Bitterness

There are some things that we just can't afford to allow to come into our lives because of the damage they cause us and others around us. These things come when we do not follow the commands of the Lord, so that our Christian life is not what God desires for it to be. God can't bless us as He desires because of our disobedience. Let's think about one of the worst things we can have in us.

The Bible is very clear. (Hebrews 12:15) We must make sure that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by it many become defiled. That is an ominous warning for all of us. We should do whatever it takes not to be defiled ourselves or to be the reason others are defiled.

We come short of the grace of God, when we do not forgive others the way God forgave us, and we begin to have resentment which turns into bitterness. All of us, as Christians, were saved by the grace of God through our faith in Jesus. The least we can do for others is to extend the same grace to them when they hurt us. Then, we will avoid the anger and bitterness.

However, if we allow bitterness to take root in our heart, it will affect us. It will not so much hurt the person with whom we are angry. It will hurt us by giving us a bad attitude and making us bitter toward the one we fail to forgive. Then, that bitterness grows so that it affects our relationships with other, too. In that way many are defiled by our lack of grace and our bitterness.

#NHBaptistdotorg

Tomorrow, I intend to read Hebrews 13 and James 1-2.