Scripture
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
~Ephesians 4:31, NIV
Quote
And unforgiving spirit is a malignancy in a person’s soul that spreads like cancer.
~Charles Stanley
Sometimes I think Charles Stanley should have been a counselor; perhaps he is, just in a different setting. Stanley is to the ministry what Psalms is to the Bible: he seems to know how to hit all the sensitive spots. I am going to share his devotional thoughts because I want you to know their source. They are words that I needed to hear but not my words.
Our Heavenly Father offers a healing process for all who suffer from bitterness. [1] Repentance–assume responsibility for the unforgiving spirit that you have and ask God to pardon your resentment. [2] Release–let go of any expectation you have for restitution, even if you feel the person owes you something. [3] Recognize–the offense that hurt you also hurt God. He will vindicate in His own time in His own way. Leave vengeance up to Him. [4] Remember–how often you sin and hurt others. Remember how desperately you need forgiveness.
The above paragraph is Stanley and I think he is right on the money. I hate bitterness and despise being in its presence but to be honest, there is some bitterness in my own heart. I have buried it with layer after layer of self-denial and pretense. I am so determined not to be a bitter person that I refuse to acknowledge that any bitterness is there. What tattled on bitterness? What gives it away? Resentment which is bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly. I would guess that 90% of my resentment goes back to childhood and adolescence. I guess I have always believed that if I acknowledge a hurt, a deep disappointment from lets say, being treated unfairly; that my admission to being hurt makes me smaller than the person who did the hurting. I suppose it is all a part of being a tough guy. I don’t think the bitterness comes out that often; at least I hope not. But Paul said, Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. My road rage and anger are linked to my bitterness. I know my poor sportsmanship is linked to my past. Whereas I manage the bitterness and keep it covered, the anger erupts when I am provoked by any perceived injustice. This is especially true when I perceive an injustice to a grandchild. Like calling a foul on a clean block. Lets be honest, officiating is not that good at any level but it would be much worse if I were out there. The officials are just being human, not malicious. Except for Heavy D, they don’t know who my grandsons are. So what I do is over react which later I deeply regret.
I know it would be a mistake for me to claim innocence on any thing on the list: bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice. I do not see myself as being malicious or a brawler but I am not totally convinced that deep down inside, I would like to see vindication in some cases. That is the part I must release. I don’t really want to see anyone suffer even if they have caused me to suffer. Case in point would be my own family. I, like so many, have been deeply disappointed and hurt by family members but do I want to see them suffer in return? Of course not, I want to see them repent. So I think the thing to do is to acknowledge the hurt; make a list of those who hurt you and pray for them. They may never have a change of heart but if we get rid of ALL the bitterness; our lives will be much sweeter.
Extra
More rain coming to day I think but I do love this warm weather. I can handle a little rain and 50 degrees. My rye grass is perking up, that cold spell had it looking bad. We had good attendance last night: hopefully the virus has moved through and we can get on with business. We will be outside one more Sunday and then go inside on the 13 with breakfast at 8:30.
Have a great Thursday and thank you for reading the blog.
Quotes and Notes from cleaning my study…
TOP TEN
Signs You Are Growing Toward Spiritual Maturity
- You are patient is stressful times
- You don’t flirt with temptation
- You love the word of God
- You are beginning to see people as Jesus sees them
- You are a peace maker not a trouble maker
- You have made a definite commitment to be a friend of God and not the world
- You are generous and love to share
- You are learning to control your tongue
- You prefer to show mercy rather than to judge
- You pray for others more than you pray for yourself
{I can read you mind: you are wondering how well I do with this litmus test. Not very good. I have a real problem with 1 and 8}