GET RID OF BITTERNESS
Never trust your heart when your heart is bitter.
James 3:14, But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
We will never be what God wants us to be if we do not get rid of bitterness. Bitterness will destroy your testimony. Bitterness will destroy relationships. Bitterness can destroy your life if you don’t realize Jesus loves you and will forgive you for the bitterness in your heart!
Friend, trust God will help you not be bitter. Follow what Paul told the church at Ephesus in Ephesian 4:31, Put away all bitterness! Get rid of it!
CHRISTIANS FORGIVE
"I can forgive, but I cannot forget," is only another way of saying, "I cannot forgive." -Beecher
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
One of the most basic things Christians can do is forgive one another. Forgiveness isn’t natural but should be for the Christian. It isn’t easy but it should be easier for the Christian. It isn’t popular but should be exemplary for the Christian. Forgiveness is what is needed to move on for the glory of God.
Child of God, God’s mercy shines when we forgive as Jesus has forgiven us. God’s grace is on display when we love one another. We exalt Jesus in our lives when we get out of the me, mine, myself, attitude and forgive those who have deeply wounded our hearts! When we don’t forgive, we give way to the enemy and He has a field day! He enjoys wrecking friendships and destroying families.
Christian, who are you yielding your life over to when you don’t forgive that spouse that abused you? Who are you yielding your life to when you will not forgive that spouse who walked out on you and the kids? Christian, who are you yielding to when you will not forgive?
BITTERNESS KILLS
When my heart is filled with thankfulness, I find no room for bitterness. – Unknown
Ephesians 4:31-32, Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Much like when a tobacco horn-worm gets into a tomato plant, when bitterness takes root into someone’s heart, they’re on a path of death. A barren, dry spirit is on its way if that sin isn’t dealt with. The cure for bitterness is, confession and forgiveness. Without these, God cannot and will not use an individual.
Are you dealing with a bitter spirit? Ask the Lord to help you forgive and get past it. Until you do, there will not be any blessings of the Lord.
FORGIVEN TO FORGIVE
Every person should have a special cemetery lot in which to bury the faults of friends and loved ones. –Anonymous
Ephesians 4:32, And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Forgiving someone when they do us wrong is definitely one of the hardest things we do as a people. They leave us with many different thoughts in our minds such as; They broke our trust, disrespected us in the greatest way, stabbed us in the back, caused us to question if we have wasted years, made us to wonder what we did wrong, and left us feeling empty on the inside. Don’t they know I loved them, I cared for them, I invested many years in them? Why did they do this to me?
Let’s look at it this way for a moment: How much have we done against the Lord? Have we not disobeyed, disrespected, and at one time or another denied the Lord? Do you know He loves you? Do you know He cared enough for you that He sent His Son to die on the Cross for your sin? Do you know how much He has invested in you?
To sum these thoughts up….. How could we expect the Lord forgive us when we are not willing to forgive? Don’t you know, you were forgiven to forgive? Mark 11:25-26, And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
ARE YOU A TRASH DIGGER?
I am thankful this morning that Jesus doesn’t dig up our past like some fellow Christians do-
Psalm 103:12, As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Why is it so hard for us to forgive and forget what someone has done to us or to someone we care about? Why is it we love to sit around and talk about what someone did to us 5, 10, 15, or even 30 years ago? Why is so important for us to gossip about people?
I rejoice in knowing that Jesus isn’t like me! When He forgives sin, He chooses to remove it, forever!!! He doesn’t dig it up when He’s upset with me! He doesn’t throw it up in my face when I go to Him in prayer. He doesn’t hash it over and over day after day! You know why; It’s under the blood, oh praise His dear name!! I’m not what I use to be, My life’s been changed! It’s because He forgives and choses to forget… forever!
Do you like digging up trash on people? Maybe you need to be a little bit more like Jesus: forgive, chose to forget…. forever.
SWEET FORGIVENESS
In taking revenge a man is but equal to his enemy, but in forgiving he is set free.
Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. Romans 12:17
Sure is a whole lot better to forgive than not to. It keeps marriages together. It keeps friendships together. It allows us to keep a job. There are so many ways forgiveness impacts our lives that it would be impossible for me to list them all. But one thing is for sure, if Christ had not forgiven us we would still be dead in our sin!
Forgive and be Forgiven
Thankful for God’s forgiveness this morning! May we be forgiving as He has forgiven us!
Matthew 6:15, But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Isn’t it amazing that the God of the universe is willing to forgive us for all that we have ever done against His holiness? Our blasphemy, our rebellion, our hatred, our wicked hearts can be and will be forgiven when we repent of our sin and trust in the saving power of Jesus Christ though! His power to save reaches down to the lowest of the low. His love transcends any and all types of love on this planet in such a way that anyone that calls out to Him for forgiveness will be forgiven.
With that being said, why can’t you and I forgive that one who has betrayed our trust? Why can’t we forgive that one who has stabbed us in the back? Why can’t we forgive that one who took us for granted? Why can’t we be “...forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
WHO YOU FOLLOWING?
Be careful who you follow, they may lead you straight to hell!
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12
Have you ever had to follow someone on the road when you didn’t know where you were going? Sometimes the one leading you will drive too fast and leave you at the stop light. Sometimes they will make a wrong turn leading you somewhere you shouldn’t be. Sometimes you have to start all over because they led you so far down the wrong road; it was easier to start over!
When we follow someone who isn’t following the Lord, we will always end up going to opposite direction the Lord want us to go. Some follow fools; they say there isn’t a God at all, leading people to hell. Some follow the backslidden; they say it isn’t worth it, leading people away from God’s blessings. Some follow those bitter; they are holding a grudge and will not forgive, leading people from God’s forgiveness.
Who are you following?
WE NEED SOME MEN!
God ordained men to lead the home, so men, LEAD!
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Ephesians 5:22-23
What should we be led by, culture or the Word of God? If we follow culture then we will not recognize the Word of God’s counsel on the home. I mean really, it’s not popular today to say a man is the head of it. Much less is the counsel the man is the head of the wife. But can I share with you a simple truth, when men lead their homes in the way God has ordained, the wife is happier, the children are better, and society improves!
Men, lead your home in the way God wants you to; loving her as Christ loved the Church, serve her with your life, and most importantly forgive your wife when she doesn’t live up to your expectations, isn’t that what Jesus does for us?
SURE YOU CAN FORGIVE
Faith makes all things possible...love makes all things easy. -D.L. Moody
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32
Forgiving someone when they have wronged you is probably one of the hardest things to do in life. But faith in knowing the relationship might be reunited once again is what keeps us going. It motivates us to go above and beyond what man is accustomed to. The love that we have for that person, as Moody said, makes it easy.
As I think about the Lord’s love and forgiveness to me, I wonder how can I not forgive those that have done me wrong; those that have stabbed me in the back, forsaken me, lied about me, etc. None of that compares to what I did to my Saviour- for my sin put Him on the cross but His love for me kept Him there.
I CHOOSE TO FORGIVE
It is a man's peculiar duty to love even those who wrong him. –Antoninus
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32
By choosing to forgive those who have wronged you shows the love of God to that person and those familiar with the situation. It’s totally against the eye for an eye and tooth for tooth mentality. It’s sharing the Gospel in the most practical way and that is the greatest duty we have o n this Earth!— Come and see, Go and tell!
Forgive you say?
There is no father on earth who has as much love in his heart as God has for you. You may be sinful as hell; yet God stands ready and willing to receive you to His bosom and to forgive you freely. - D.L. Moody
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:25-26
I was once asked, “How can you forgive such a person.” My response came from somewhere deep inside me. So deep that I don’t think I was the one doing the speaking. I believe it was the Lord speaking through me. My response was, “Well ma’am, you may not understand but I figured if the Lord has forgiven me for all that I have done to Him, why should I not forgive the one that abused me?” She said, “But sir, I do understand with a smile on her face. “
Child of God, whoever has hurt you the most, has cause the most turmoil in your life, has put you down, kicked you, rolled you up and sent you packing—forgive such a one! And Yes, I said forgive!
Why you so angry?
Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. --Thomas a Kempis
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32
Sometimes we get angry for the simplest of reasons; a toilet lid left up, a supper not finished on time, or someone messing up a project you have been working on for days. But in the end, is it enough to lose a spouse or friend over? No, probably not. So why not forgive them before your anger turns into something irreparable? By the way…didn’t the Lord forgive you?
Forgiven but cannot forgive?
"I can forgive, but I cannot forget," is only another way of saying, "I cannot forgive." –Beecher
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. Luke 17:3
Sooner or later someone will hurt your feelings. They may not have wanted to but they did. Whether or not they wanted to doesn’t change the fact of what our response should be—to forgive. In forgiving the person that did us wrong we show them the love of God. We show them what Jesus did for us on the Cross.
Do you have someone that you have a hard time forgiving? Think of it this way; if the Lord forgave all you ever did against Him, why should you not forgive the one that did you wrong? No matter what they did!!