The consequences of bitterness

Being Great in God’s Eyes

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
Luke 7:27–28

The Scottish pastor Ian MacLaren recounted visiting an elderly lady in his church, and finding her weeping. When he asked her what was wrong, she told him that she felt she had not done enough for God with her life. She said, “I have washed dishes, cooked three meals a day, taken care of the children, mopped the floor, and mended the clothes. That is all I have done all my life, and I wanted to do something for Jesus.”
MacLaren then asked her to tell him about her sons. Her three oldest boys were all on the mission field, two in China and one in Africa. The youngest was preparing to leave and join one of his brothers in the work. She had reared her sons to desire to serve God more than anything else. MacLaren told her, “And you say your life has been wasted in mopping floors, darning socks, washing dishes, and doing the trivial tasks. I’d like to have your mansion when we are called home! It will be very near the throne!”
The world is focused on major events, large companies, vast sums of money, and notable accomplishments. God is focused on faithfulness. The standard by which He measures our lives is what we have done in relation to what we have been given and the attitude with which we do it. Jesus said, “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:11–12).

 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

The world may not notice or care, but God never overlooks the faithful service of His children.

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See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. --Hebrews 12:15 We’ve all been hurt or mistreated by others. It’s part of life. And the truth is, we can’t change the past. And it does no good to ask “Why?” All we can do is move forward. Yet one of the things that holds most people from moving on from hurts in life is unforgiveness. If your heart has been broken, but you want to get on with your life today, you must forgive. You can never fully realize the grace of God in your own life if you are harboring hate, bitterness, resentment, or pain from your past. But what if you don’t forgive? Today we’ll look at the consequences of unforgiveness. And tomorrow we’ll see how you can begin the process of forgiveness. The first consequence of unforgiveness is that it will contaminate your personality with bitterness. It’s like a weed that grows out of control in your life. When you become bitter, you become negative and critical. Anger and resentfulness can grow unchecked, and before you even realize it, joy and happiness has been choked out of your life. If left unchecked, unforgiveness will devour your relationships and jeopardize your future. Bitterness can spread to your marriage and be passed along to your children from generation to generation. Worst of all, unforgiveness can rob you of a growing relationship with God. YOU CAN NEVER FULLY REALIZE THE GRACE OF GOD IN YOUR OWN LIFE IF YOU ARE HARBORING BITTERNESS FROM YOUR PAST.