"Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" (Hebrews 12:15).

I may be one of those rare people who actually enjoys grocery shopping. You will find me wandering the aisles, reading labels, and looking for new items. I also enjoy the array of fresh fruits and vegetables on display, but I pause before buying high-priced, out-of-season fruit. It does not compare with the aromatic sweetness of locally grown summer fruit.

growing sweet fruit

Our lives also produce fruit. When we allow our lives to be controlled by the Spirit, that fruit may be sweet, like the sun-kissed fruit of summer. When our carnal nature takes control, our fruit may be bitter, like the tart, out-of-season flavor of winter fruit. Bitterness can creep in If we allow ourselves to feel that we have been slighted, overlooked, or mistreated. The Spirit working in our lives protects us from harsh and bitter attitudes.

When the Old Testament speaks of bitterness, it means despair. This is the anguish one might feel when overwhelmed by life's circumstances. In the New Testament, however, the literal translation of the word has to do with sharp or bitter taste. It speaks more of the angry resentfulness we can develop when we face trouble. Bitterness digs deep inside, down to our heart. Matthew 15:18 warns, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man."

digging up bitter roots

Hebrews 12:15 warns against a "root of bitterness." This is more than thoughts passing through our mind. Bitter feelings become like a poisonous plant that spreads and overtakes healthy growth. To keep that from happening, we need to not just prune it back but dig it up, roots and all. We accomplish this by prayer.

Bitterness usually doesn't come alone. It has some disagreeable friends, and these friends stick together. When one enters your life, you may find the others tagging along.

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice." (Ephesians 4:31)

It is difficult for us to know the hidden things of the heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says that our heart will deceive us. That is why prayer and the Word are essential. It helps us recognize the signs of these things taking root in our life. "For the word of God . . . is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

You may have faced many hard things in life: betrayal, abuse, desertion, hatred, backbiting. Satan uses offenses such as these to plant bitterness in our heart. Only diligence on our part, being controlled by the Spirit instead of our carnal nature, will keep it from taking root.

god offers grace

While we do not deny that wrongs have been done, we must never allow them to become the controlling factor in our lives. God's antidote for bitterness is His grace. When we accept His grace in our lives and are released from bitterness, the inner hurts begin to heal. Bitterness cannot coexist with forgiveness.

MY PRAYER: Lord, search my heart and reveal any bitterness that might have taken root there. Help me to release the hurt and pain I feel to You, and hand help me to offer grace and forgiveness to the one who caused the hurt. Help me to always reflect Your love and mercy in all my actions.

Devotion by Mary Loudermilk