Daily Devotional, Sept 4, 2023 Living the sweet life
"See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Hebrews 12:15
There are a lot of bitter things that we just love: coffee, dark chocolate, red wine and other liquor. Some are even good for us like some strong herbal teas and medication, Ampalaya and other similar tasting vegetables. But while these could bring happiness to our days, and medicinal value there is nothing that could compare to the healing power of the sweet life offered by Jesus.
To live that sweet life, the Bible encourages us to get rid of all bitterness in our hearts. In the Letter of James, the apostle encouraged the church to cleanse themselves of envy and worldliness: “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.” (James 3:14). The apostle Paul also wrote along the same lines in his letter to the Ephesians: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32).
For most of us, having bitterness in our lives is not something that we enjoy or we have planned from the start. It usually springs from resentments that we are not able to let go. It could even be an unconscious reflection of our failure to forgive others and ourselves, and for not resisting covetousness as we compare our lives with those of people around us. The best solution to eliminate bitterness in our lives is by forgiving because it also frees us from our past mistakes. As mentioned in the Book of Mark: “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)
Scripture tells us that having bitterness in our hearts is not the kind of existence that the Lord wants us to have. God wants us to rejoice and enjoy our lives as written in the Book of Ecclesiastes: “To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (2:26). Our God is not a God that would like us to suffer. In fact He wants us to enjoy what we work hard for, and revel in His blessings.
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Lamentations 3:19-23 and Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Is there bitterness in your heart? Are you ready to forgive yourself and others to enjoy the peace and joy that the Lord offers?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you so much for offering a sweet life to me. May I surrender all the bitterness in my heart to you Lord, and fully trust in your goodness and plans for me.
