In Acts 8 Peter accused Simon of being full of bitterness. In Romans 3 we see the world around described as full of cursing and bitterness. Bitterness is very toxic and it can even create whole societies that are negative, cynical and skeptical. Bitterness poisons us and twists our thinking into an illogical, emotional ruin. When we are bitter we only see evil motives in political leaders, we cause division between churches and destroy families. The nightly news feeds on bitter political, business and criminal strife. Church fights are almost always messy. Sometimes the bitterness is so deep that people just go to another church, or even start a new one. Forgiveness and reconciliation are antidotes to bitterness. Reconciliation is a very beautiful thing, but hard and it is sometimes easier after a little time and distance. Perhaps that's why the author of Hebrews 12:15 warns us to diligently avoid bitterness.
No comments:
Post a Comment