WEDNESDAY JULY 9, 2014.
'...Watch
out that no...bitterness grows up...' Hebrews 12:15 NLT
Don't Get Bitter
Betrayal is something others do to you; bitterness
is something you do to yourself. It's impossible to go through life without
being hurt. It may be an unfaithful spouse, an employee who slanders you or a
boss who fires you without explanation. Sitting at supper with His disciples,
Jesus said, 'One of you will betray Me.' (Mark 14:18 NIV) Shortly after that,
Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. Some folks will kiss you today and kick you
tomorrow. But Jesus refused to become bitter. That's because He knew Judas'
kiss would usher Him into His destiny. Nor did Jesus turn His back on Peter
when he denied Him. Instead, Peter was the only one He mentioned by name when
He arranged to meet His disciples for breakfast following the resurrection.
Jesus saw Peter in the light of his potential, not his problems. What Peter did
at one moment didn't keep Jesus from seeing what he would become when His grace
touched Peter's life. And you must be that way too. This is why Paul wrote:
'Get rid of all bitterness... Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.' (Ephesians
4:31-32 NLT) So eliminate any words of bitterness from your conversation. Stop
rehearsing the details of your past unless it's to teach and encourage others
to rise above theirs. How often do you revisit your old issues? What are you
doing to make sure no bitterness remains in your heart? God says, 'Do not
remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a
new thing.' (Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV)
Taken
from the Word for You Today Devotional
http://www.wordalive.org/sabbath/
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