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What does it mean to live a life that is full of God’s grace—a truly grace-full life? We’re looking at the ABCs of graceful living, and yesterday we saw A is abundant living. The abundance Jesus came to give us is abundant joy and peace, and that should overflow into abundant good works.
B- Bitterless
Grace-full living is living without bitterness. Consider this passage from Hebrews:
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many (Hebrews 12:15).
Allowing bitter roots to grow in your heart will cause you to miss the grace-full life. There are many bitter roots that can become ingrained in the garden of our hearts. Consider these:
- The bitter root of rejection
It’s very easy to allow the pain of rejection to take root in your heart and bloom into bitterness.
- The bitter root of unfulfilled dreams
Unfulfilled dreams create a fertile ground for bitter roots.
- The bitter root of loss
What have you lost lately? Your job? Your pride? Has death robbed you of a loved one? Or divorce? Loss makes us vulnerable to bitterness.
This verse teaches us several things about bitter roots:
First, they grow. You can’t hold onto one little bitter twig. It won’t stay that size. It always grows.
Second, they cause trouble. Any little bitterness will cause you trouble. A great many of the emotional and mental breakdowns we see today have their beginnings in bitterness that was never dealt with.
Third, they defile many. Bitterness spills over to everyone around you. As parents we can transfer that bitter spirit to our children; as managers and employees we can transfer it to our co-workers. It is a poison that affects everyone it touches.
If you’re struggling with some bitterness today, I pray you will ask God to help you dig up those bitter roots so you can enjoy the grace-full life Jesus came to give you.