C.H. Spurgeon

Sinners, let me address you with words of life; Jesus wants nothing from you, nothing whatsoever, nothing done, nothing felt; he gives both work and feeling. Ragged, penniless, just as you are, lost, forsaken, desolate, with no good feelings, and no good hopes, still Jesus comes to you, and in these words of pity he addresses you, "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out."

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Thursday, October 11, 2007

Bitterness



Bitterness may be defined as, “a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will,” and is a powerful enemy of charity and Christian living.

We must not allow bitterness to have its way in our lives, for “any root of bitterness springing up trouble” in us, opens the door “thereby many be defiled.” Do we really want to be the reason that many become defiled?

Yes, there may be things that happen in life, that cause us to distance ourselves from other persons and certain things, but we are still to “be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Be ye angry, and sin not” is not permission to have “a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will” towards someone. For Christ, beaten and suffering, hung upon the cross of Calvary, as a substitute Lamb, crying, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”, and the following verses of Ephesians 4:26 & 27 say, “let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.” Bitterness is giving “place to the devil”, by allowing our anger of sin to grow into “a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will” against person(s) or thing(s), without ever granting forgiveness. Remember, it doesn’t matter if one deserves it, for neither have we, yet Christ has forgiven.

Although, persons and circumstances in our lives may cause us difficulties, whereby the soil of our hearts may become ground for the seeds of bitterness, it is us who nourish the vines of bitterness to grow. Further allowing it to attach itself to those around us, till it takes root so deep, no one can tell from whence it has come. We must allow the Gardner to keep the seeds of bitterness from our soil, for which His seed is made. And if by chance, we have allowed the vines of bitterness to grow above our eyes to see past it, we need only to plead to the Gardner, to clean us as only He knows how.

Put away the seed of bitterness from you, and “be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

1 comment:

Travis Foulks said...

"Put away the seed of bitterness from you, and “be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
I was reading you post and when i got to the bottom I realized that it is always easy to forget how much God has forgiven us. How much more could we ask for. If God never gave me another washing in the blood I could never complain. This scripture is heavy my friend. We have big shoes to fill. We have Jesus though. When our yoke is heavy He take it and gives us His which is light and easy. Do you ever think that we over shoot what the mission is about. We get so caught up in the commandments of the Word that we forget the Word is love in the purest form. We should never give up trying to obey but sometimes I think we forget that the obedience is love. Attempting to display the same love and forgiveness that Christ has shown.It is not that hard. Jesus helps us!

John Bunyan

To be saved is to be preserved in the faith to the end. 'He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.' (Mt. 24:13) Not that perseverance is an accident in Christianity, or a thing performed by human industry; they that are saved 'are kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation.' (1 Pet. 1: 3-6) But perseverance is absolutely necessary to the complete saving of the soul…. He that goeth to sea with a purpose to arrive at Spain, cannot arrive there if he be drowned by the way; wherefore perseverance is absolutely necessary to the saving of the soul.