Tag: bitterness

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Ruth Devotionals

God is good?

Naomi

“Don’t call me Naomi (meaning “pleasant”).

Call me Mara (meaning “bitter”),” she answered, “for the Almighty has made me very bitter.

I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.

Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has opposed me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” (Ruth 1:20-21)

I’m thinking of someone right now going through the exact same feelings that Naomi had.

Sometimes it’s hard to see God’s goodness in our lives.

And yet, as I was praying for this person, I got a text from another friend this morning.

He lost his job late last year, and this year has been a real struggle for him on a lot of levels.

Honestly, it got a little discouraging for me praying for him at times as there seemed to be no quick answers.

But this morning he told me he just got rehired by his company.

And God reminded me again that yes, he is good.

So that’s what I’m holding on to as I pray for this other person who is still struggling now. And I’m praying that she will ultimately come to see God’s goodness in all this too.

Categories
2 Samuel Devotionals

How long?

2 Samuel

How long do we hold on to anger and bitterness in our lives? At one point do we choose to let go?

Abner had killed Joab’s brother Asahel, and it seemed Joab and his other brother Abishai were determined to avenge Asahel’s death.

But in their pursuit of Abner, others were dying as well.

And so at sunset with Joab showing no signs of stopping his pursuit, Abner spoke out:

Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers? (2 Samuel 2:26)

As we’ll see, Joab was a very violent man. (So was Abishai, for that matter).

But on this day, he saw the wisdom of Abner’s words and he stopped his pursuit.

What hurts are you holding on to? Who are you refusing to forgive? Who are you constantly sniping at?

Let us listen to the words of our Lord.

“Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize this will only end in bitterness? Let go of your anger. Put your pain in my hands. And let me heal you.”

Categories
Ruth Devotionals

A prayer in time of famine

Lord, as in the time of the judges, we live in a land of famine. People are starving spiritually.

There are so many like Naomi who feel bitter. Who feel that your hand has turned against them. That you have opposed and afflicted them.

My Shepherd, visit your people. Give to them your Bread of Life. Show your kindness to them. In your grace, save them. Grant them rest, Lord, not in the things of this world, but in you.

And as you used Ruth to show grace and mercy to Naomi, use me to touch those hurting around me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
2 Samuel Devotionals

Anger and bitterness

2 Samuel

As I was reading this passage, I was struck by Joab’s words.

“Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness?” (2 Samuel 2:26)

On Sunday, I gave a message about holding on to anger in our lives (among other things), and when I read Abner’s words, I thought about that message again.

Joab had good reason to be angry. Twelve of David’s men were killed, and Abner himself killed Joab’s brother. Because of that, Joab thought to kill Abner and all his men.

But when he heard Abner’s words of wisdom, he stopped and returned home.

How often do we hold on to anger in our lives? We may have a good reason for our anger, but we need to let it go.

In Joab’s case, he never truly let go of his anger. He later killed Abner, and for that crime (among others), he himself was killed.

In the same way, if we hold on to anger and bitterness, it will lead us to a bitter end. That anger and bitterness will bind us up, and not only affect our relationships, but our health as well. (Anger and bitterness will lead to stress, after all).

So if you are holding to anger or bitterness in your life, turn to Jesus. Ask for his help to deal with these things. He can understand you.

After all, people hated him so much, they killed him. But on the cross, he prayed, “Father forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Are you struggling with anger and bitterness? Remember these words:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)

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Romans

But isn’t God punishing me?

Romans

I talked about verses 6-8 in yesterday’s blog, but I think it would be good to place them back in their context, so that we can get the full picture of all that Paul is saying.

Paul was talking about how we can rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that sufferings produce perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

But for many Christians, they don’t rejoice in their sufferings; they become bitter. They don’t persevere; they give up. They don’t find hope; they despair.

Why?

Because they start to get the feeling that the reason they’re suffering is because God is punishing them. That because they messed up, God’s really angry and so he’s taking it out on them.

What’s even worse, though, is if they feel this way and they’re not even sure what they did wrong. Or they feel like God is punishing them unjustly.

But what is Paul saying here?

He’s telling them, “Get out of your heads the idea that God is punishing you.”

“Think about it,” he says.

“Before you became a Christian, at a time when you had turned your back on God, and were utterly lost in your sin, Christ died for you.

He didn’t wait for you to turn back to him. He didn’t wait for you to clean yourself up. Before you ever reached out to him, he reached out to you.

Very rarely, will anyone die for the ‘morally correct person,’ though some may die for the ‘good guy.’

But you were neither and yet God showed his love for you. He gave up everything for you.

With that in mind, how can you possibly think that God has it out for you?

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:9-10)

In other words, he’s already justified us. How can you then think he’s now pouring his wrath on you? We’ve been saved from that.

And if God reached out to us when we were his enemies, won’t he reach out to us in our trials when we are his friends?

It is for these reasons that we can rejoice in our sufferings.

God isn’t punishing us. Nor is he turning a blind eye to our circumstances.

Rather, in the same way he saved us from our sins, he will deliver us from our trials.

And so Paul can say,

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:11)

Are you going through hardships? Are you wondering if God is punishing you?

He’s not. If you have put your trust in him, he will bring you through the fire you’re passing through, and it will not consume you. Rather, it will purify you and make you stronger.

So hang in there. Don’t lose hope. Keep putting your trust in God, and as Paul says,

Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:5)

Categories
Psalms

Bitterness and forgiveness, mercy and justice

Psalms

Psalm 109 is another of the imprecatory psalms, where we see the psalmist calling for the judgment of God on those who have wronged him.

A lot of people, including myself, get disturbed reading these kinds of psalms, because it seems to go so against the spirit of Jesus and his call for us to forgive our enemies.

I’ve mentioned some of these points before in previous psalms, but they bear repeating.

As king, (or as one who was soon to become king depending on when this psalm was written), David knew the importance of justice.  That evil cannot just be allowed to go on unchecked.

And so he was essentially calling for the evil to reap what they sowed.

Whereas they falsely accused him, he asked that they would be put on trial and found guilty.

When it says, “appoint an evil man to oppose him,” it’s hard to say whether he meant that he desired them to know what it’s like to be falsely accused by men, or if he just meant that the justice system is run by people who are no saints themselves.

Whereas they had made children into fatherless beggars, and wives into widows in poverty, he asked the same would come upon them.

That may seem harsh, but it calls to mind the case of Aaron Hernandez, the football player who is accused of murdering a man.

If it is true, he will be incarcerated leaving his daughter fatherless, and his fiancée without a husband.  It would be wise to remember that our actions not only affect us, but the ones we love.

And where there is no repentance for sin, there can be no forgiveness from God.  Their sin will always remain before him as a record against them.

But whereas we may call for justice, there can be no room for bitterness in our lives.  Because bitterness does not destroy the person who hurt you so much as it hurts you.

It’s interesting to note that the apostle Peter used this psalm to refer to Judas, who attacked Jesus without cause, repaid Jesus evil for good, and returned hatred for Jesus’ friendship.

And ultimately, because he never repented, he found God’s justice.  His days were few and another took his place of leadership.

But throughout it all, Jesus was never bitter against Judas.

Instead, when he was at the last supper washing Judas’ feet (along with the other disciples’) and offering him bread, indeed, when he was at the garden and Judas came to betray him, we see no signs of bitterness in Jesus.

Rather, we see compassion.

Jesus wasn’t naive.  He knew the character of Judas and he didn’t deceive himself concerning Judas.  Yet he still showed compassion and love towards Judas.

In doing so, he poured burning coals over Judas’ head, and in his guilt, Judas hung himself.  But Jesus remained unstained by bitterness.

And so did David.  Only once do we ever see him consumed with bitterness because of another’s actions to the point he was willing to take revenge (the situation with Nabal).

But when Nabal’s wife reminded him of what true justice was, he swiftly let go of his bitterness and showed mercy.

And when he saw God’s justice finally come, he rejoiced, as he does at the end of this psalm.

With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng I will praise him.

For he stands at the right hand of the needy one to save his life from those who condemn him (Psalm 109:30-31).

So let us let go of bitterness in our lives, and instead cling to mercy, forgiveness, and justice.

Categories
Psalms

Peace

Psalms

In a world of turmoil, peace can be hard to find, especially when it seems like everyone is against you.  Or even just one person, be it your boss, your husband, your wife, or even a friend you’ve been fighting with.

David certainly knew that feeling throughout his life, facing adversity from Saul and Absalom among others.

And so he cries out to God,

Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God.  Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?  How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?  (Psalm 4:1-2)

Perhaps in the midst of his troubles, people were mocking his faith in God, saying, “God can’t deliver you from this…if there is a God.”

We face the same thing today, with people not only seeking false gods from other religions, but also the gods of money, sex, and power, among other things.

And they mock us for seeking after God, especially when they see the problems we sometimes go through.

But David tells his enemies,

Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him.  (Psalm 4:3)

In other words, “You may mock my faith, but I belong to him.  And you will see.  He will answer my prayers.”

He then tells himself and us who sometimes suffer mocking and hurt from others,

In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.  (Psalm 4:4)

It’s okay to be angry.  Jesus himself got angry sometimes.

But in our anger, we are to keep ourselves from sin.  We are to search our hearts and attitudes in silence before God, and ask him to purify us from anything that would stain our hearts.

Bitterness is one thing in particular that we need to guard against.  When we allow ourselves to become bitter, it spreads out into our lives like a cancer.  And so we need to ask God to take it out before it can do so.

He then says to offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.  It’s interesting to me that to Jesus, offering right sacrifices, or anything to the Lord for that matter, meant keeping right relationships.

He told us,

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.

First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.  (Matthew 5:23-24)

Sometimes people will hurt us, and though we make every effort to reconcile with them, they continue to hurt us.

In that case, we just need to put our trust in the Lord that he will deal with that person in his time.  Revenge has no place in our lives.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t keep our distance from those who hurt us.  David certainly kept his distance from Saul when Saul was trying to kill him.

But like David, we are not to harbor resentment or bitterness against those who hurt us.  Instead, we need to trust in God and put the situation and that person in his hands.

And don’t be like some who would doubt God’s goodness in the midst of trouble, but daily pray as David did,

Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.  (Psalm 4:6)

Put another way, “Lord turn your face upon me.  Let me know that you’re here and you care.  Because when your light shines on me, ‘the things that surround become shadows in the light of you.'”

And when you have that attitude, God’s joy will fill you and like David you will say,

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.  (Psalm 4:8)

How about you?  Do you know God’s peace today?

Categories
Exodus

Bitterness, healing, and obedience

As I mentioned in my last blog, it’s amazing how quickly praise can turn into grumbling. 

The Israelites were only three days away from the Red Sea when they started complaining about a lack of water. 

You’d think that after passing through the Red Sea, that they’d believe God could do anything, even provide water in the desert.

Finally, they find some water, but it turns out to be bitter, so they complain even more. 

But God directs Moses to throw some wood in the water, and it miraculously becomes sweet. 

He then tells the Israelites, if they’ll just follow him and obey him, he will be their healer, just as he “healed” the waters at Marah.

Sometimes as we follow Christ, we go through some bitter times. 

Sometimes it’s through no fault of our own.  Maybe it’s an attack of Satan, or perhaps it’s just the result of a broken world. 

Other times, though, we go through bitter times because of our own bad decisions. 

Whatever the reasons, God promises to be our healer during the bitter times. 

But at the same time, he does require our obedience.

We don’t like to hear that sometimes.  After all, we’re saved by grace, right? 

But as I’ve mentioned before, blessing most often comes as we obey him.

Do you want healing in your marriage? 

It’s not enough just to pray for healing.  You need to do the things God has told you. 

You need to love your wife.  You need to sacrifice for her.  You need to honor her. 

You need to respect your husband and submit to him. 

And as long as you don’t do these things, you’ll never find healing in your marriage.

Do you want to healing in your finances. 

It’s not enough to pray for it.  You need to work.  You need to make financial plans.  You need to use your money as a faithful steward. 

Remember that your money is not really your own.  It was given to you as a trust by God. 

If you don’t remember that, you won’t find healing in your finances.

The bitter waters would never have been made sweet unless Moses had obeyed God and thrown that piece of wood into the water. 

It was a command that didn’t seem to make sense.  Moses probably thought, “How is throwing wood into the water going to make it sweet?” 

But though he didn’t understand, Moses obeyed. 

Sometimes we say the same kind of thing to God.  

“How can I give a tithe, and actually save money?  It doesn’t make sense.” 

“My husband doesn’t show love to me.  Why should I show respect?” 

“My wife doesn’t submit to me. Why should I show her love?” 

But only through obedience, can we find God’s healing and blessing in our lives.

If we live in disobedience, God will allow troubles to come into our lives, just as he did with the Egyptians. 

But unlike the Egyptians, where he willfully afflicted them, God doesn’t need to actively curse us to bring troubles in our lives. 

Usually, all he does is let us reap the consequences of our actions.  We curse ourselves by our own actions.

What about you?  Are you going through tough times in your life and are looking for some healing? 

Then do the things that God has commanded. 

Even if it’s hard. 

Even if it sometimes doesn’t make sense. 

And God will bring healing.

Categories
Genesis

Bitterness and joy

Genesis

There are times in the Bible that I wish we could’ve caught people’s reactions on video. How exactly did they say the things they said?

For example, when Abraham and Sarah laughed at the words of God in Genesis 17 and 18, did they laugh in the same way? Or was there a different kind of tone in their laughter?

I kind of think (and this is pure speculation on my part) that there was a difference in the tone of their laughter.

I tend to think that when Abraham laughed, it was like he heard a good joke. “Say what? Sarah’s going to have a baby at her age? That’s a good one Lord. Tell me another one. (Under his breath) Sarah having a baby. Heh.”

For Sarah, I kind of wonder if her laughter had a tinge of bitterness in it. She knew the promises God had made to Abraham decades before. And they still hadn’t happened.

During that time, she suffered through the shame of not being able to bear a child, even having her own maidservant mock her over it. And now God was saying, “Sarah will have a child.”

And Sarah’s response: “Ha! Yeah, right. I’ve heard that one before, and nothing has ever happened. Now I’m old and worn out, my husband is an old man, and now we’re going to have a child? Please!”

When we are forced to wait for God’s promises to come to pass in our lives, it can be easy to become bitter.

When we do the things we feel God has asked us to do, and still we find no blessing in our lives, it’s easy to become bitter.

It’s easy to think that the blessing will never come. That God won’t actually keep his promises.

What do we do? Do we hold on to the promises? Do we hold on to the belief that God will bless us in our lives? Or do we give up?

Abraham and Sarah both faltered in their faith during their time in the promised land. But ultimately both continued to put their faith in God.

And in the end, they found God’s blessing. God showed grace to them despite their wavering hearts, and gave them a son.

When he did, their laughter of unbelief and bitterness changed into the laughter of joy.

Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” (Genesis 21:6–7)