Get rid of Bitterness.
Bitterness
Removing it from your life.
(Gn 33:1-11) It is refreshing to see Esau’s change of heart when the two brothers meet again. The bitterness over losing his birthright and blessing (25:29-34) seems gone. Instead Esau was content with what he had. Jacob even exclaimed how great it was to see his brother obviously pleased with him (33:10).
Life can bring us some bad situations. We can feel cheated, as Essau did, but we don’t have to remain bitter. We can remove bitterness from our lives by honestly expressing our feelings to God, for giving those who have wronged us, and being content with what we have.
Don’t despair with it.
(Ru 2 19-20) Naomi had felt bitter (1:20-21), but her faith in God was still alive, and she praised God for Boaz’s kindness to Ruth. In her sorrows, she still trusted God and acknowledged his goodness. We may feel bitter about a situation, but we must never despair. Today is always a new opportunity for experiencing God ‘s care.
Can build to an obsession.
(Est 5:9) Hatred and bitterness are like weeds with long roots that grow in the heart and corrupt all of life. Hamen was so consumed with hatred toward Mordecai that he could not even enjoy the honor of being invited to Ester’s party. Hebrews 12:15 warns us to watch out “that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Don’t let hatred and its resulting bitterness build in your heart. Like Haman, you will find it backfiring against you (see 6:13, 7:9, 10). If the mere mention of someone’s name provokes you to anger, confess your bitterness as sin. Ignoring bitterness, hiding it from others, or making superficial changes in behavior is not enough, if bitterness isn’t completely removed, it will grow back making matter’s worse.
Forgiveness changes bitterness to joy.
(Lk 15:30) In the story of the lost son, the father’s response is contrasted with the older brother’s. The father forgave because he was filled with love. The son refused to forgive because he was bitter about the injustice of it all. His resentment rendered him just as lost to the father’s love as his younger brother had been. Don’t let anything keep you from forgiving others. If you are refusing to forgive people, you are missing a wonderful opportunity to experience joy and share it with others. Make your joy grow forgive somebody who has hurt you.
Turning bitterness to opportunity.
(Phil 1:12-14) Being imprisoned would cause many people to become bitter or to give up, but Paul saw it as one more opportunity to spread the Good News of Christ. Paul realized that his current circumstances weren’t as important as what he did with them. Turning a bad situation into a good one, he reached out to the Roman soldiers who made up the palace guard and encouraged those Christians who were afraid of persecution. We may not be in prison, but we still have plenty of opportunities to be discouraged – times of indecision, financial burdens, family conflict, church conflict, or the loss of our jobs. How we act in such situations will reflect what we believe. Like Paul , look for ways to demonstrate your faith even in bad situations. Whether or not the situation improves, your faith, will grow stronger.
Danger of bitterness.
(Heb 12:15) Like a small root that grows into a great tree, bitterness springs up in our hearts and overshadows even our deepest Christian relationships. A “bitter root” comes when we allow disappointment to grow into resent, or when we nurse grudges over past hurts. Bitterness brings with it jealousy, dissention, and immorality. When the Holy Spirit fills us. However, he can heal the hurt that causes bitterness.
Poor often affected by bitterness.
(Jas 2:5) When James speaks about the poor, he is talking about those who have no money and also about those whose simple values are despised by much of our affluent society. Perhaps the “poor” people prefer serving to managing, human relationships to financial security, peace to power. This does not mean that the poor will automatically go to heaven and the rich to hell. Poor people , however, are usually more aware of their powerlessness. Thus, it is often easier for them to acknowledge their need to share love with God. One of the greatest barriers to “shared love” for the rich is pride. For the poor , bitterness can often bar the way to participation in “shared love.”
Bitterness can lead to “blame.”