PEACE
ALL-ROUND II
MEMORISE
Looking
diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness
springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Hebrews 12:15
READ
Hebrews 12:14-15
14 Follow
peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking
diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness
springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
MESSAGE
Although there are different dimensions of peace,
the highest level of peace a man can attain is peace with God through Jesus
Christ. Know this however: the fact that you are a child of God and love God
does not necessarily imply you will not have problems. A fearful situation
automatically erodes peace of mind unless if as a child of God you put your
trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3).
The character flaws of a Christian can be
detrimental to the flourishing of the peace given by our Lord Jesus Christ. One
character flaw top on this list is bitterness. Bitterness can grow and even
take root in a heart. The root of bitterness stops the children of God from
enjoying the peace of God. While the root of bitterness in the heart of an
individual will affect other people around, a big chunk of the adverse effect
of this evil root is on the individual harbouring it. The root of bitterness in
a heart creates room for hatred, envy and anger; it is undoubtedly a harbinger
of unforgiveness. It also makes for unhappiness. The phrase “root of bitterness”
itself gives one an idea of what this stuff offers – all-round bitterness. It
results in bitter experiences, smothering joy and peace. How does it originate?
It comes when one feels unfairly treated by another person or an organisation.
It comes from a feeling of being injured whether physically, emotionally or
otherwise. For instance, a sister in courtship that is jilted, a spouse that is
cheated upon by his/her partner, an employee that is short-changed, a case of
great disappointment such that high hopes were dashed, death of a loved one,
case of rape and others. All these are negative experiences that no one would
desire, and I pray you will never experience anything of these sorts in Jesus’
Name. In case you are grappling with the root of bitterness resulting from
whatever previous experiences you’ve had, please note that it is not in your
best interest to keep it. Bitterness eats up its host; it affects the physical
wellbeing of an individual, as well as causing a strained relationship with God.
There was a man whose wife died sometime ago,
leaving behind an only daughter with a striking resemblance to the mother. The
daughter was the only existing consolation to this man. This lady’s husband
turned out to be something else, maltreating the lady to the point of
threatening her life. The root of bitterness that sprang up in the lady’s
father resulted in him becoming swollen, defying all medical care. He only
became alright after forgiving his son-in-law.
ACTION
POINT
Check your heart to ensure no bitterness is taking
root there. If there is any trace of it, let go of it and pray for the healing
of your soul.
BIBLE
IN ONE YEAR
Hosea
1-5;
Psalm 80:1-7
Dear Lord please uproot every root of bitterness in my heart as a result of hurt and disappointment . Father please heal my soul and give me peace that surpasses human understanding
ReplyDeleteLord give me a new heart to uproot every root of bitterness in my marital life and let d future of my marriage be under your care. Amen
ReplyDeleteThank U Lord 4 ur word n uproot evry root of bitterness in my education,lif n family in Jesus name
ReplyDelete