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Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Ephesians 4:31 (CEV)
A few years back now a building was constructed on a vacant lot near where I worked. Shortly after its completion, people in the building complained about headaches, bad smells and frequent illnesses. Further investigation showed that somehow in the construction process black mold had begun to grow.
Efforts to solve the problem were fruitless and within just a couple years of its completion the health department was forced to condemn the building. It was demolished and turned into a parking lot!
Bitterness is like the black mold in that building. It can go unnoticed for a period of time. It grows in places we don’t think to look. It can start growing at the slightest infraction.
Bitterness can happen when a friend says one small thing that we take the wrong way. It can happen when some guy we don’t even know cuts us off on the interstate or a co-worker is using the copier and we are in a hurry to get something copied. It happens in churches when the pastor makes a comment or preaches a sermon that steps on a few toes.
It doesn’t matter where bitterness starts, if bitterness goes unchecked it can be a relationship breaker. Bitterness launches a two-pronged attack on our relationships. First of all, like black mold it eats away at us on the inside. It robs us of our joy, our self-esteem and our ability to be intimate with people. We sink further inward and become angry. Our lives are motivated by a judgmental and critical spirit. Bitterness not only destroys families and friendships, it can destroy your health.
If caught in time, there are ways to stop or at least lessen the results of black mold in a building before it becomes uninhabitable. If caught in time the effects of bitterness can be removed and relationships prevented or restored.
The first step to making sure bitterness isn’t a part of your life is to identify the real reason for your bitterness. Many times the things that cause bitterness in our soul can be traced to things that attack our view of ourselves. Take whatever it is to Jesus.
Remember you are God’s special creation. Nothing that comes into your life happens for without a reason. God allows things that can cause bitterness to come into our lives to help us grow stronger, not to destroy us.
Lastly, ask forgiveness for your angry and bitter spirit. Begin today to rid your life of those dark corners of anger and bitterness that can destroy relationships around you.
PRAYER: Father God, lately I find myself getting angry over the smallest things. I blame others, say things I don’t mean to say and push people I love away. Please help me see what it really is that is making me so bitter. Forgive me for my anger. Empower me with your spirit to avoid bitterness and repair damaged or broken relationships. In your name I pray, Amen.
Lord God All-Powerful, who is like you? Lord, you are powerful and completely trustworthy. Psalm 89:8 (NCV)
Have you ever thought about how many times a day we ‘trust’ without giving it a second thought? When you get out of bed in the morning you trust that your legs will support you, that the floor will be there and won’t give way as you stand. Throughout the day you ‘trust’ the chairs you sit in, the cars you drive and the computers you work on…okay, that one may be a stretch.
Trust in physical things is relatively easy. But when it comes to trusting people it’s a whole different story. Why is that? Because people let us down, pure and simple. Politicians make promises they can never keep. Children make promises they forget about. Even lovers make promises that, for whatever the reason, they fail to deliver on.
Once trust is threatened or destroyed it can be difficult, if not impossible, to restore that trust because failed trust leaves us beaten up, battered and destroyed. A love relationship in which trust has been destroyed leaves you always wondering, always doubting, always insecure in the words spoken and the actions delivered. Lack of trust can drive us to a point in our lives where we sink into a hole of paranoia because we are never sure of what is true and can be trusted, and what is false.
So what are some milestones to build trust on? First of all when building or rebuilding trust we must look at history. What was the person like in the past? Have there been changes (positively or negatively) that would lead you to believe they can be trusted? A person’s past alone doesn’t determine whether they can be trusted or not, but it serves as a benchmark to measure progress towards trustworthiness.
Secondly, do the person’s words and actions in the present indicate a desire on their part to gain your trust? In other words, does their walk match their talk? An addict will always have the potential for a slip up. A child will always be a child and therefore be subject to irresponsibility. A spouse or lover will always have a chance of making some mistake along the way. Even in the times you don’t understand their actions do their actions indicate a desire on their part to gain your trust?
Lastly, and this is a tough question, “Is this relationship worth the risk?” When your personal or emotional safety is in question you have to decide how to keep yourself safe. Even if you love the person dearly, do you love them enough to risk being beaten or even killed? Is the love you feel worth the pain you are suffering? This is a matter of choice. No one can answer this question for you.
The Psalmist says “Lord, you are all powerful and completely trustworthy.” Having a hard time trusting God? Take a look at history. Everything your heavenly Father has ever promised has come to pass, just as he said it would. Even during those times when you didn’t understand his working and the things he has allowed to come into your life, his actions have been for your good to grow you and protect you and bring you closer to him.
Then ask yourself the hard question. “Is he worth the risk?” One time in Jesus life many of his followers became disillusioned and left him. Jesus turned to his disciples and said “Are you going to leave too?” To that question Peter said “Lord, where else is there to go? Who else gives us the things you have given us?”
When we look at God’s working in the past; when we honestly evaluate his present work in our lives; I believe there is only one answer. Trusting God is worth the risk. He’s proven himself time and again and even during those times I don’t understand his actions, I have to admit there is no one else I can turn to.
One last thing. Turn the tables for a moment. Imagine God asking the ‘trust questions’ about you. Have you been consistent in your history or do you constantly fail? Have you made promises you couldn’t keep or had no intention of keeping? Do your actions match your words? If you were God would you be ‘worth the risk?’
Jesus says, “Yes. You are worth the risk. You failed. You are failing. You will fail in the future. But you are worth the risk of my love.” And he proved his love for you by dyeing on the cross to forgive your sins.
PRAYER: Father God, help me to learn to trust you. I’ve been let down by so many people. I’ve been hurt and abused to the point I don’t trust anyone. Thank you that you always do what you say you’ll do. Thank you for thinking I’m worth the risk of your love. Amen.
Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well. 1 Peter 4:10 (CEV)
Suppose you had a very important job to do and money was no object. Would you settle for some inexpensive tool to complete the job or would you search for the very best tool available to complete the task?
No doubt the answer to this question would be something like, “The best tool available of course! I’d want to do the very best job and I’d spare nothing to get the best tool for it.”
Your Heavenly Father feels the same way. He has a job to do. His job is to tell the world all about his great love for others. He wants to let people of all ages, races and ethnic groups to know that he longs to spend eternity with them. He sees people struggling with addictions, relational difficulties, financial ruin and abuse that he is the great healer and wants to touch them with his hand of love. He wants people struggling with the effects of illness and natural disasters that he has everything under control.
So, what tool does the Almighty, creator-God of the universe have at his disposal to get the word out about his great love, mercy and forgiveness? You. Yep. You read that right. You are the best tool God has to accomplish this great work.
Now, you may be saying to yourself, “He could never use me. I’m not very talented; or have too many mistakes in my past; or have too many other things going on in my life right now to be used by God.”
All that is simply untrue by the way. God’s great plan for all mankind, no matter where they are in life, is to show them his great love and forgiveness. His best tool for that is people. Peter tells us that every one of us has gifts to be used for his glory. No gift is more important than any other.
You may be blessed by being the leader of a huge ministry that reaches thousands of people for Christ. You may have a day-care in your home. You may be flipping burgers at a local fast food joint or cleaning restrooms at a shopping mall. Where ever you are in life, God has given you gifts to be used for his glory.
Don’t let your past keep you from helping others with their future. Don’t let society lead you to believe what you do isn’t important. You are your Father’s best hope for telling others of your love. The things you do today may very well change someone’s life for eternity.
PRAYER: Father God. I’m so unworthy of your great love. There are so many times I feel weak, inadequate for the task ahead of me or simply unimportant. So many times I get too busy to think of others and how I can make a difference. Thank you for gifting me with things I can do to help others. Empower me with your Spirit to proudly use the gifts you’ve given me for your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. Ephesians 1:7 (NLT)
When something is really important to you, won’t you do anything and everything to get it? You’ll save or take out a loan or use all your credit balance (not advised) so that you can have it in your possession. You may even sell something else or give something away in order to get that prized possession.
Now, imagine you scrimped and saved and bartered until finally you were able to purchase your prized possession. Would you set it free? “Of course not!” you say. Look at all I gave up for it. Look at the years of saving and sacrificing and giving. There’s no way I’d give it freedom. I might lose it!”
But God did. He loved you that much. See, when you buy something to possess it you buy it with the idea of holding on to it. You buy it with idea of passing it on to your heirs, or keeping it safe, or holding it close to you.
Jesus Christ didn’t come to earth to create some new fantastic religion. He didn’t come to earth to show us how bad we were. He didn’t come to earth to give us a bunch of rules and regulations. He didn’t come to earth so God could control, possess or manipulate you. Jesus came to earth for only one reason: your freedom!
Freedom from your past; Freedom from the mistakes that still haunt you; Freedom from worry, doubt, fear and anger; Freedom from physical and emotional scars that you bear. That’s what grace is about. That’s what God’s kindness gives us. Freedom.
So, live free through the forgiveness, grace and kindness you find in Jesus Christ. It’s not about religion. It’s about a relationship built on being free.
PRAYER: Father, I’m so undeserving of your love. I’m so undeserving of your grace. Forgive me for the times I’ve allowed myself to be held captive by you. Help me live in the freedom I have in you. In Jesus name, Amen.
