Are you being Strangled by Bitterness?

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. (Ephesians 4:31)

Someone once said, "To harbor bitterness toward someone is like swallowing poison and then waiting for that person to die." It seems that we're a society made up of angry people. If you doubt it, just take a drive in heavy traffic. We are one stressed-out generation-- filled with rage and eaten-up with bitterness.

We're angry with friends, family, fellow employees, employers, and at life in general. Many of us are even mad at ourselves and exasperated over the results of bad choices that we've made. We find ourselves echoing the words of David, "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me." (Psalm 51:3)

We're bitter over the way we've been treated by those around us. Incredibly, we expect, and even demand, justice from an unjust world! And then we become all bent out of shape when we don't get it.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

We seem to forget these words of Jesus. The phrase He used was "In this world you will have trouble." He didn't say, "Maybe you will... " or, "There's a good chance that you will... " No, he said that we could count on having trouble in the world.

Why? Simple... the world is filled with those pesky little parasites called... people... humans. And as you know, people are anything but perfect. Humans like to bite and we relish the opportunity to feed on one another. They will frequently let you down, disappoint you, sadden you, lie to you, and break promises. There are times when someone will downright run over you like a steamroller. What do you expect from humanity... perfection from imperfection? That's simply not possible. Our behavior with one another should not surprise anyone. Note the words of the Apostle Peter...

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. (1Peter 4:12)

Considering this fact of our human nature... why should we be hurt and embittered when someone rattles our cage? Hey, we were warned... by God.

We have little control over the cards life deals us, but as Christians, we do have control over what we do with the cards we have been dealt.

I personally know of people who have virtually sacrificed their entire lives on the alter of bitterness. They've completely surrendered their will to the ghastly power of bitterness. Bitterness is a deadly cancer that eats away at hope and peace. It's a self-ingested poison that destroys homes, marriages, and devastates churches.

For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin. (Acts 8:23)

Bitterness is akin to a slow angonizingly painful suicide... and most certainly, if left untreated, will be spiritual suicide. It devastates so many brethren and so much potential for good works in the Kingdom of God.

It's one of the ugliest forms of pride and a slap in the face of the One who "was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (Is.53:7) It's little wonder that God's WORD admonishes us to "Get rid of all bitterness."

Consider these passages of Scripture if you are one who is fighting a battle with bitterness. Meditate on them and engage them in your prayer of renewal to God. Seek the wisdom and counsel of the shepherds of God’s Church. The process will be slow and emotionally painful... but God assures us that if we immerse ourselves in Him, He will help us overcome rage, bitterness and strife.

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." The words of Jesus. (Mark 11:25)

"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation." The Lord's Prayer. (Luke 11:4)

"If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." The words of Jesus. (Luke 17:4)

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. The words of the Apostle Paul. (Eph. 4:32)

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. The words of the Apostle Paul. (Col. 3:13)

Remember... ETERNITY is at stake.

A Book of Firsts...

If you have not taken the time to read the first book in the Bible... Genesis, you should. The Book of Genesis, is generally held to be an accurate account of early world history, including the creation of all things by a personal, transcendent, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, Creator God. This was the worldview held by many of the founding fathers of our modern scientific disciplines.

In fact, the first two chapters of Genesis really sets forth a perfect plan, that to this day, is the best plan for finding happiness in human life. The first two chapters contain many truths about God’s intended relationship between Himself and humanity. He presents a picture of His intentions for those relationships, and He reveals His will for humanity.

Created in God’s Likeness. God said to His Son, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1: 26). Unlike anything else in all Creation, people were created in the likeness of God. So, what is God like? “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) The Bible teaches that people are to love as God loved: unselfishly, sacrificially. This is what it means to have been created in God’s likeness. Here are the six cornerstones of God’s perfect plan for humanity.

Direct Contact with Man. In Genesis 1, God spoke all created things into existence, except for man. God had direct contact with man when He created Adam... it was deeply personal and intimate. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7)

From the very beginning, God wanted to have a relationship with human kind. It is apparent that while Adam and Eve were in the garden, God was in close communion with the couple. “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” (Genesis 3:8) Even after Adam and Eve fell into sin.. God’s love shines forth as He reveals a master plan to restore His relationship with humanity. (Genesis 3:15) That master plan of restoration is the focus and theme of the entire Bible.

God Instituted Marriage between a Man and a Woman. “God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) A loving relationship between a man and woman and their children is fulfillment of God’s plan for humanity’s best good.

Man’s Relationship to the Rest of Creation. “God said unto them…replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God put the man and woman in charge of His creation. It was not His intention that humanity use up the earth’s resources and destroy it. (See Revelation 11:18.) People were set as stewards of creation, to care for the earth in God’s place.

God’s Culinary Design. God gave Adam and Eve the very best food to ensure their optimal health. “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” (Genesis 1:29) Think of it... figs, dates, apples, pears, oranges, almonds, walnuts, avocados, flax seed... fruits and nuts and veggies of all kinds. Not a single ribeye, recipe for barbeque ribs, no fried foods, baked or pickled anything. Just the natural produce of a perfect creation. Interestingly, today science is showing that a plant-based diet is best for promoting longevity and good health.

God designed the Weekend. “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” Genesis 2:3 God created the Sabbath to ensure that people would have time for worship and renewal. It would be a time for humanity to reflect upon the goodness of their Creator God. Since it was instituted at Creation, it was given to all of humanity, not just the Jews, who came much later. The institution of the Sabbath also predates the Ten Commandments. In addition, God’s special anointing of the Sabbath was specific to the seventh day.

Everything God did in the first two chapters, was “declared good and blessed”. Nothing He created was flawed, substandard, below average, or would ever be in need of repair. He created a perfect plan, a perfect home and a perfect future for mankind... His crowning creative achievement. Everything was in perfect balance and harmony.

Even though chapter three introduces “the fall of man” and the consequences for all humanity that still plague us to this day... it’s still reasonable that God’s original plan for humanity is still the best. His will for His people is still optimal health and happiness. (Malachi 3:6) One day... it will be eternal health and everlasting happiness.

If you could travel in a “time machine” through the “years of your life”, would you go forward or backward? You know the past... so let’s say you would fast-forward 20, 30 or even 40 years into the future of your life... what would you see?

Imagine if you could do that... looking forward over the choices you will yet make, and feeling a deep sense of joy and satisfaction about what you have done with the time God has given you. Wouldn’t it be grand if we could actually do that!

We can’t and that makes “now”, our present, the most important time in our lives. The choices we make today, tomorrow and everyday of our lives going forward... will produce something in the future.

Who wouldn’t like to turn back the clock and retrieve a bad choice, a hasty decision or try that “thing” again, only differently. Our “freedom of choice” possesses incredible power and consequences... good and bad, sometimes both.

How can a Christian minimize the negative consequences of personal choices and decisions that can have such dramatic impact on life? First, you must be engaged in a deeply intimate relationship with God, constantly in prayer about every aspect of your life. You must be patient and learn to wait on God, living your life on His schedule as much as possible. You need to “reflect” on the possible outcomes of your desired choices and planned decisions. Reflective thinking... “if I do this now... what might the this choice yield in my future?” That’s a question most of us don’t stop to contemplate, in consort with God through prayer and patience... we simply make decisions and go, hoping for the best.

Here are some "reflective thinking" principles in the form of questions that you can use now to help you live a life that will culminate in experiencing a sense of joy, not regret, about what you have done and will yet do with your life.

Are you able to ask God to bless your choice? Would your decision be something that you can take before God with a good conscience and ask Him to bless? Or is it something that you know the Lord would not be enthused about you getting involved in? “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).

Could you thank Him for it? Would your decision be something that you can openly express gratefulness and thankfulness to God? Or would it be something which would seem inappropriate to thank Him for? Is your decision selfish and self-centered or is what you decided to do... “other directed?” “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17).

Would it be a stumbling block to others? How would your decision affect the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ? Even if you don’t feel it’s wrong, could it offend or harm the sensitive faith of those who don’t share your perspectives? “...beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak” (1 Cor. 8:9).

Would it be a weight or hindrance to you? Would your decision be something that would drag down your Christian life or influence you toward disobedience? “...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

Would it edify you? Would your decision or actions bring you closer to God or pull you farther away? Will it edify (build you up) in the Lord, or will it weaken your confidence of the Lord’s strength in your life? “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify” (1 Cor. 10:23).

Would it promote love? Would your decision or actions express love and harmony, or would it reflect retribution, divisiveness, jealousy or injury to your brother? “Owe no one anything except to love one another... Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:8, 10).

Have you prayer earnestly to the Lord about it? The Lord promises to give leadership and direction to the lives of His followers. Consult Him in prayer. Remember, God will never speak something to our heart that contradicts his written Word and Commandments. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:6). “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel; that will stand” (Prov. 19:21).

Have you sought Godly counsel or advice? Ask the advice of those who live Godly lives and have a track record of experience and wise decision making. Avoid the counsel of those whose Christian life is questionable or who have experienced repeated failure in making sound decisions. “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Prov. 11:14). “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly...” (Psa. 1:1).

We don’t get an unlimited amount of time in this life and we don’t get rewinds. We need to make the very best of the time we have... going forward. We can do that by being more reflective about the choices and decisions we make.

Life picks up speed. The first half of life is about getting prepared and getting established. Then time shifts gears. You hit the second half of life, and everything moves faster and faster. Days, weeks and months fly by at warp speed and all of a sudden, you're 59, or 65 or 76 years old. Looking back, you realize that “time” has been the most precious currency in your life.

The hurry-go-go world is against us. Taking time to reflect and think about our life and what we are doing is counter-cultural. We are conditioned by everything around us, that we don’t have time to wait... especially on God for assistance in making choices. We may ask Him in prayer... but we charge ahead without waiting to hear His thoughts on our desires.

Take the time now to understand what really gives you fulfillment. Ultimately, what will give you the deepest fulfillment is becoming the person God created you to be and doing the things He designed you to do. Discovering and living this calling takes time, courage, resourcefulness and the willingness to confront new and unfamiliar challenges.

Design frequent "time-outs" into your patterns of living. Use this time to think about why you are doing what you are doing, or why you want to do the thing you are contemplating. Involve God in your periodic analyses... through prayer. This is essential if you want to appreciate the things that God wants you to do with your life. Taking time regularly to assess what you are doing and where you are headed can help you avoid problems in your marriage, family and career.

Our decisions and choices make all the difference in how well we run the “race God has set before us.” Our choices and decisions about what we do in life bring us closer to God, or drive us further from Him. What you do today, everyday of your life, determines your tomorrow. Let God be part of your everyday life, involve Him in every decision and choice. then you can be confident that you will one day hear those longed-for words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Master." What more could any Christian desire than to know that you finished the race God set out for you to run... that you finished the work He called you to do... and that you did it well.

When was the last time you took an extended "time out" to reflect on what you are doing, where you are going, why you are doing what you are doing. Life in step with the Lord is a single journey, Don't waste the time you have.

Be a Peacemaker

Blessed are the Peacemakers... for they will be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9

Humans like to bicker, quarrel and fight with each other. Agree? Disagree?

Consider the last 32 centuries of human history. In that period of time historians tell us there have been fewer than 300 years of peace. Within just the last 300 years, there have been 286 wars in Europe alone. There have been 14,553 known wars from 36 BC to date. Since 1945, there have been over 70 wars and more than 200 significant outbreaks of violence. From 1958, over 100 nations have been involved in one way or another in armed conflict of some kind.

There has always been conflict. Many believe there always will be. Someone once said, "Peace is that glorious moment in history when everyone stops to reload." The daily headlines of almost any news reporting organization tell about wars, brewing conflicts, crime, violence and hatred. In the midst of such conflict, confusion and strife, can there be a place of quiet rest, peace, tranquility and safety... a true paradise here on earth? Does such an environment exist?

A noted philosopher of the first century, wrote in reference to the Pax Romana - the Roman peace that existed in the civilized world at that time and about which Caesar boasted - "While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief and envy. He cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearns more than even for outward peace".

We haven't changed much since Jesus gave us the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. We still struggle with conflict and turmoil. We have personal conflicts. Each one of us deals with hostility in some form all the time. We run into rude people who try our patience. Sometimes we find ourselves in volatile situations that might explode into some sort of conflict. Such things as extreme anger, “road rage”, now plague our highways.

For most people, any level of peace is simply "the absence of conflict and strife." If there are no wars, we say the world is at peace. If we aren't fighting with our neighbors, we think we have peace. But peace as defined in the Bible, is far more than the absence or cession of conflict. In the Old Testament peace is shalom which means "wholeness, completeness, harmony of life."

In the New Testament the Greek word for peace is eirene meaning "inner well-being." Putting them all together, peace can be defined as "inner calm, even in the midst of outward turmoil or calamity." Is such an inner peace even possible in today’s violent world?

To enjoy peace, is to be in harmony with God, ones self and others. It is important to know that peace in the Bible carries with it the idea of reconciliation. It is not just declaring a cease-fire but a a total eradication of the seeds and causes of conflict. It isn't just not fighting among ourselves, but learning to love one another, unconditionally. It isn't just closing the doors to shut out the noise of life’s stresses, but finding an inner tranquility in your spirit that remains even though you may be surrounded by turmoil.

The pillars of true peace begin when friendship is re-established between you and God, and others. There is only true peace when love takes the place of hatred. The peacemaker is the one who works to replace hatred and strife with love and unity. Change must occur. A completely new attitude must prevail... a transformation of mind and heart, that lays the foundation for finding peace that overcomes the turmoil of this world.

Where is this place or condition and is it accessible to all? The place is “in Christ” and the one who created this environment of peace is Jesus himself. In fact, Jesus is our peace. Into this squabbling, war-torn world, God sent His personal, visible representative of "peace on earth, good will toward men." Jesus became the instrument by which a lasting, eternal peace could be reestablished between man and God.

Isaiah prophesied about Jesus: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace..." (Isaiah 9:6, 7)

God is the God of peace. He must make peace if we are to have peace and imitate Him in the task of making peace. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus makes Him the great peacemaker. God’s plan was to do nothing less than unite all kinds of people, anyone and everyone... into a spiritual kingdom of peace, love and righteousness available through the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus embraces the worst of sinners, uniting all types of people together into one beautiful family of God. He paid a high price to re-open the door to a relationship with God. But it doesn’t stop with uniting. To live in harmony you have to be different... transformed. You can’t do it, but God can and does.

All those who trust in Christ have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and radically transformed. By their obedience to the gospel, they are being renewed in the attitudes of their minds and hearts. Those who have experienced this “peace from God” then become peacemakers, motivated to help others also make peace with God.

The job of a peacemaker is to reconcile men to God, with other human beings and with their own selves. When Jesus spoke these words, the world of his day was divided, hostile and in conflict.

Today, our world is little different from the time of Jesus. It is race against race, rich against poor, learned and illiterate, north and south, socialist and capitalist, liberal and conservative all in some form of conflict. Human nature has not changed.

Christians must be instruments of peace, serving God's plan by bring the hope of peace to a desperate world. That peace is Jesus Christ, the message of the gospel of salvation.

To be a peacemaker means to evangelize, to tell the good news of the love of God and the forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The solution for family feuds, racial strife and civil conflict is the gospel. When people come into fellowship with God, they are also in fellowship with each other... among those “transformed”, who are peaceful in nature and spirit.

True lasting peace does not come by political parties, economic systems, national flags or peace brokered by the United Nations. Jesus is the One who brings peace. The job of all Christians are to be “peacemakers”... spreading the peace that Jesus gives.

His Church is to be a place of peace, harmony and love – a sanctuary from the hostile world. Christians are peacemakers by their new nature, born of water and the Holy Spirit.

Just like Jesus dedicated his own life to peacemaking, we should dedicate our lives to bringing peace to the world. Peace that is true and eternal... men reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Is Unique... No one is like Him!

Jesus said [of himself], "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12

One of the main objections people have to the Christian Gospel is the issue of exclusivity... that Christians proclaim that only in Jesus Christ is salvation to be found. Certainly such a statement would be less objectionable, if Jesus was merely presented as one of the many ways to God. Yet it needs to be repeatedly pointed out, that it is not Christians who came up with this idea... the claim comes directly from Jesus Himself.

On this unique claim and authority of Jesus, rests the entire foundation of Biblical salvation. Either Jesus is “the Way to God” as He said, or He is a liar and a deceiver, and not even one way to God.

Consider the evidence. Evaluate the credentials of Jesus verses other ways and means of accessing the Living God. The unique attributes and characteristics of Jesus set Him above everyone else. These are things unique to Him alone. No other person who represents a religion, possesses such characteristics. These things uniquely qualify Him as... Lord, Savior, Redeemer and “the one and only way” to an approved relationship with the Living God.

Jesus was God incarnate. God has revealed himself as a trinity of three persons – the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit, each of whom is equally God. When Jesus became God incarnate, He was truly God and truly man (Philippians 2:7-8). When Jesus came to earth from heaven he possessed two natures – a divine nature and a human nature. He never ceased being God but He set aside the glory He had with His Father in heaven (John 17:5) and humbled Himself to become a man (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus was different than other religious leaders. You cannot ascribe equal honor to Him and other leaders of religious movements. Siddhârtha Gautama who came to be the great Buddha, Muhammad who claimed to be a “prophet” of God, and Confucius never claimed to be a deity, they were all mortal men. The died the death of mortal men. They are still dead.

Jesus was without sin. Jesus was in a class by Himself, when He came to earth, He lived without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). No other religious leader can claim that, nor can any mortal human for that matter (Romans 3:23).

Jesus’ work of atonement. The greatest of religious leaders could mediate on the law, instruct on the law, counsel others, think deeply, and come up with wise sayings, but none was qualified to offer an atonement for the sins of the world. Jesus’ death was made as a payment for the sins of mankind. His sacrifice was perfect. He voluntarily suffered an exhausting, agonizing and painful death because He loved unconditionally humanity (John 10:17-18; Romans 5:6-8). What religious leader of any movement can make such a claim? None can.

Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Jesus was raised from the dead by God, giving Him credentials that no other religious leader possesses. Buddha, Mohammed, and Confucius are long dead. Christ is alive!

God Is Not Pleased By Religion. It is a mistake to assume that God is pleased by any “religion” or that all religious roads lead to God, even if a faith comes from a sincere heart. All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6a) There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 14:12)

Jesus provided a warning that can help those who would one day question His authority as “the only way”, reason through the confusion that would surely occur as various men set themselves up as religious icons and promote themselves as legitimate ways to God. He said in Matthew 7:13-14... “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Thankfully, the narrow gate metaphor does not restrict anyone with an honest seeking heart from finding the gate”, obeying the gospel message, passing through it, and walking with the true God on one’s journey to eternal life. But Jesus does say, His narrow gate will not be as attractive and inviting as the broad and spacious super highway embodied in the philosophies of religious tolerance and pluralism. That wide and accommodating road leads not to salvation... but everlasting destruction. Think about it.

It does matter what we believe – the decision we make is an eternal one. Jesus Christ is the only way to an approved relationship with God. He alone is the gateway to all the promises of eternal life. He alone is able to redeem. He alone is worthy of our devotion and worship. Jesus is the truth! For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)