MESSAGE FROM THE ALTAR
DEVOTIONAL SERVICE 31/01/2021
BITTERNESS
TEXT: EPHESIANS 4:31-32
31.Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude.
- Instead, be kind and merciful, forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.
(CEV).
“Bitterness is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die. ” — John Ortberg Jr.
Bitterness is a killer. The soil of bitterness is the heart. The seed of bitterness is hurt. The root of bitterness goes deep into the heart. The fruits of bitterness are hypersensitivity, grudges, ingratitude, insincerity, and unforgiving.
Bitterness takes its toll on the bitter person physically, emotionally and spiritually. Bitterness begins when an offense finds its way into our hearts; when we continually replay the offense in our minds; when we complain about the offense to anyone who cares enough to listen; when we attempt to convince others on the culpability of the perceived offender in order to cause resentment; when we hate the offender without bothering whether the offense was intentional or not; and when we harbour anger, discontent and resentment in our hearts to the point of wishing mishaps, failure, disappointment , reproach and even death for the offender. Bitterness is sinful.
The journey of Life involves interrelationships and people have diverse dispositions. As long as we live, people are going to offend us, disappoint us, and betray us. There are also people who will categorise us as offenders too depending on whatever way they adjudge our acts of omission or commission. That is Life. Despite the situation, we must never allow bitterness to consume us. When a heart is bitter, holiness leaves since hatefulness and holiness do not cohabit in the same vessel. The Bible makes it clear that without holiness we will not see God. In other words, with bitterness we will not see God.
“Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don’t, you will never see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14. (CEV).
In order to overcome bitterness we must be empathetic; we must be ready to forgive one another because we also must have hurt people, even if unintentionally; we must not forget that we were sinners before Jesus Christ’s work of grace redeemed us; we must learn to pray into the circumstances of our resentment; we must learn to pray for the person who we consider as the offender; we must seek spiritual counselling, if the need arises; we must draw closer to God and allow the Holy Spirit to comfort us that we will find it easy to forgive and forget; and we must consciously make efforts to disallow resentment, envy, anger, ingratitude, and discontentment grow into bitterness.
God, increase our faith in the name of Jesus Christ.
References : Hebrews 12:14-15; Romans 12:18; Ruth 1:20b-21; Jonah 4:10-11; Ephesians 4:25-32.
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Host Pastor: Michael Gbemiga Abiodun
Re-birth Christian Ministry (International Outreach).