"See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;" - Hebrews 12:15 ESV
The Greek word translated 'fails to obtain' is hystereo (Strong's G5302) and it means to 'fall behind' or 'to be devoid of'. The picture I'm getting is of bagged lunches on a field trip. Twenty sandwiches get made for a dozen children but somehow one child is sitting there without a sandwich.
If we don't experience grace even though it is there for us roots of bitterness can form and in time they spring up and hurt others.
People start saying things like, 'No one ever brings a sandwich for me.' or even 'I don't believe in sandwiches.'
God has grace for you today. He has it for you every day. He is gracious.
We can sit on a rock grumbling because we are hungry or we can go to God and say, 'I know You have a provision for me. You never forget about me. I am hungry God. Help me.'
God is the kind of person who makes an extra sandwich or two 'just in case' and it is there for those who come and ask for one.
--
Showing posts with label Bitterness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bitterness. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Something To Cast Into Bitter Waters
"When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?' And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them..." - Exodus 15:23-25 ESV
Interesting.
Did God bring them to Marah? Yes.
The tree represents the cross.
"...saying, 'If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.' Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water." - Exodus 15:26-27 ESV
Israel had national mandates but we have grace.
"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." - Romans 6:14 ESV
We have a tree to cast into the bitter waters.
Sober thinking has a tree for the bitter places. Then we move on to Elim. Before the tree goes in the water Elim doesn't look possible but both places are in God's plan.
We have all been damaged along the way but the LORD (Yahweh - Strong's H3068) is our healer. Eygpt doesn't have him. Eygpt resists Him in futility because He Is irresistible. That tree is a sure remedy for all who take it and cast it into their situation.
There are theologies that claim that if you have enough faith you will never get to Marah but that isn't how it is. Marah and Elim are both destinations we will visit. The tree is what we look for when we get there. The tree is what we prescribe for those who have nothing but bitterness to drink.
--
Interesting.
Did God bring them to Marah? Yes.
The tree represents the cross.
"...saying, 'If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.' Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water." - Exodus 15:26-27 ESV
Israel had national mandates but we have grace.
"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." - Romans 6:14 ESV
We have a tree to cast into the bitter waters.
Sober thinking has a tree for the bitter places. Then we move on to Elim. Before the tree goes in the water Elim doesn't look possible but both places are in God's plan.
We have all been damaged along the way but the LORD (Yahweh - Strong's H3068) is our healer. Eygpt doesn't have him. Eygpt resists Him in futility because He Is irresistible. That tree is a sure remedy for all who take it and cast it into their situation.
There are theologies that claim that if you have enough faith you will never get to Marah but that isn't how it is. Marah and Elim are both destinations we will visit. The tree is what we look for when we get there. The tree is what we prescribe for those who have nothing but bitterness to drink.
--
Monday, June 20, 2016
Pray Like This
"Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' " - Matthew 6:9-13 ESV
The depth of this passage is truly amazing. It is prayer that shows us what to do as we are praying it. Here are a few things I see this morning:
- God Is holy. Let His name remain holy. Let it be restored to holiness in our thinking.
- God has a will and it can be established on Earth. It isn't a photocopy of our will flipped inside out. It is a holy will that is evident in Heaven and can be evident on Earth and prayer is part of that somehow.
- Daily bread is our right... no... it is given. It is grace given.
- The prayer teaches us to own our actions as forgiveness reigns in our life.
- We acknowledge our tempt-ability while seeking deliverance at the same time.
'Pray like this.', Jesus says.
Heaven is invisible. I dare say most of us haven't seen it yet and that parallels the knowledge of God's will. We know about Heaven by linking together passages of the Bible and forming a picture. We do that with God's will on Earth also.
At times we want things so badly but I don't see Jesus instructing us to pray for what we want in this prayer.
Yes, There are these passages.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
"Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." - Psalm 55:22 ESV
But Jesus' prayer is missing this element because He is teaching us to live life His way.
I see a focus that is greater than my needs here in His prayer.
I think it is very possible to live a life before God and still be bitter that 'our' will wasn't done. As fallen humans we easily impose our will on those around us... even God.
"And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' " - Genesis 1:28 ESV
Adam lacks a spiritual life so he sees every problem as a nail and uses the hammer God gave Him originally to try and solve it. We seek to subdue and have dominion over God's will but that only works on Earth. As spiritual people we want to see Heaven on Earth.
But then we return to the holiness of God's name. When that holiness is restored in our thought life we are made whole also. It doesn't give us answers but it does give us perspective and a desire to move forwarding relying on God's goodness.
Jesus lived this way. He taught His disciples and even today He functions just this way.One day the Earth will be subdued in a way Adam couldn't even dream of. Jesus Is Lord. That fact is known in every corner of Heaven. As we pray let the knowledge of that reality flood us.
--
The depth of this passage is truly amazing. It is prayer that shows us what to do as we are praying it. Here are a few things I see this morning:
- God Is holy. Let His name remain holy. Let it be restored to holiness in our thinking.
- God has a will and it can be established on Earth. It isn't a photocopy of our will flipped inside out. It is a holy will that is evident in Heaven and can be evident on Earth and prayer is part of that somehow.
- Daily bread is our right... no... it is given. It is grace given.
- The prayer teaches us to own our actions as forgiveness reigns in our life.
- We acknowledge our tempt-ability while seeking deliverance at the same time.
'Pray like this.', Jesus says.
Heaven is invisible. I dare say most of us haven't seen it yet and that parallels the knowledge of God's will. We know about Heaven by linking together passages of the Bible and forming a picture. We do that with God's will on Earth also.
At times we want things so badly but I don't see Jesus instructing us to pray for what we want in this prayer.
Yes, There are these passages.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
"Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." - Psalm 55:22 ESV
But Jesus' prayer is missing this element because He is teaching us to live life His way.
I see a focus that is greater than my needs here in His prayer.
I think it is very possible to live a life before God and still be bitter that 'our' will wasn't done. As fallen humans we easily impose our will on those around us... even God.
"And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' " - Genesis 1:28 ESV
Adam lacks a spiritual life so he sees every problem as a nail and uses the hammer God gave Him originally to try and solve it. We seek to subdue and have dominion over God's will but that only works on Earth. As spiritual people we want to see Heaven on Earth.
But then we return to the holiness of God's name. When that holiness is restored in our thought life we are made whole also. It doesn't give us answers but it does give us perspective and a desire to move forwarding relying on God's goodness.
Jesus lived this way. He taught His disciples and even today He functions just this way.One day the Earth will be subdued in a way Adam couldn't even dream of. Jesus Is Lord. That fact is known in every corner of Heaven. As we pray let the knowledge of that reality flood us.
--
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Dark Currents
Today's thoughts have some darker shades but if we discuss sunlight we must also eventually mentions the shadows. People hide in them. They can gravitate toward them.
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life - is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father." - 1 John 2:15-24 ESV
Hedonism, materialism and egotism are the downfall of men everywhere. In the shadows these currents are strong and moving people in all sorts of directions.
The Apostle John is a loving man. He has the heart of a shepherd. He speaks of one future Antichrist but he is also warning people about the little antichrists that have left his assembly. People who function in the shadows and draw others into the shadows also. These antichrists swim in unbelief because they were never converted by the truth they were exposed to.
"But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);" - Romans 10:6-8 ESV
I'm not saying every bitter ex-Church member was never converted. It isn't my place to say that. But a bitter person who is crusading is not one who is has a word of faith. They may be a believer who is vexed in their soul.
Either way John has some advice for his people we also need to heed. He reminds his flock to return to that first first beam of light that shined so brightly into their once dark existence. Grace is the beam that pierced the darkness. Grace always encourages faith in God and his faithfulness. If the word of grace abides then the Father and the Son abide also.
I never want to run anybody down. I don't want to function in the pettiness of running people who have left what 'I am in'. Just because someone is no longer in my group doesn't mean they have left God's group. I want to love and pray for people. At the same time I need to be aware of the shadow life of bitterness. Hedonism, materialism and egotism breed in these environments and they can ensnare our souls in unhealthy and time wasting detours from what is truly important.
The Gospel of grace is light held in a seed of words. I want to spread that seed where ever I go. I want my mind the be bathed in that light or the difficulties of living in a fallen world will exhaust me and might pull me into subtle expressions of the shadows that I had previously been released from.
God help us. There is no darkness in you. The walls between us have been removed by Your Son. Bath us in light and shine light into the hearts of the bitter people in our lives. Convert them. Revive them. Help us to be ministers of reconciliation in the places where that is possible. We love You Lord because You have been such an expert in loving us. You have made us to bear precious seed. Thank You for that privilege.
--
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life - is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father." - 1 John 2:15-24 ESV
Hedonism, materialism and egotism are the downfall of men everywhere. In the shadows these currents are strong and moving people in all sorts of directions.
The Apostle John is a loving man. He has the heart of a shepherd. He speaks of one future Antichrist but he is also warning people about the little antichrists that have left his assembly. People who function in the shadows and draw others into the shadows also. These antichrists swim in unbelief because they were never converted by the truth they were exposed to.
"But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);" - Romans 10:6-8 ESV
I'm not saying every bitter ex-Church member was never converted. It isn't my place to say that. But a bitter person who is crusading is not one who is has a word of faith. They may be a believer who is vexed in their soul.
Either way John has some advice for his people we also need to heed. He reminds his flock to return to that first first beam of light that shined so brightly into their once dark existence. Grace is the beam that pierced the darkness. Grace always encourages faith in God and his faithfulness. If the word of grace abides then the Father and the Son abide also.
I never want to run anybody down. I don't want to function in the pettiness of running people who have left what 'I am in'. Just because someone is no longer in my group doesn't mean they have left God's group. I want to love and pray for people. At the same time I need to be aware of the shadow life of bitterness. Hedonism, materialism and egotism breed in these environments and they can ensnare our souls in unhealthy and time wasting detours from what is truly important.
The Gospel of grace is light held in a seed of words. I want to spread that seed where ever I go. I want my mind the be bathed in that light or the difficulties of living in a fallen world will exhaust me and might pull me into subtle expressions of the shadows that I had previously been released from.
God help us. There is no darkness in you. The walls between us have been removed by Your Son. Bath us in light and shine light into the hearts of the bitter people in our lives. Convert them. Revive them. Help us to be ministers of reconciliation in the places where that is possible. We love You Lord because You have been such an expert in loving us. You have made us to bear precious seed. Thank You for that privilege.
--
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Blinded by Bitterness?
"Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled" Hebrews 12:14-15 ESV
Performance orientation in relationships leads to bitterness and our natural humanity is performance oriented. God commissioned Adam to perform.
"And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' " Genesis 1:28 ESV
The problem is that Adam is broken and fallen and can't perform. God does not want to help Adam perform. He wants to weaken him further.
"He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days." - Psalms 102:23 KJV
If we stopped here we might all say, 'Hey, That's not good news.' No it's not. It's great news! There are things as a weak person that you learn that a strong person can never know.
Just as Adam needs to perform and can't... He also needs relationships. He needs parents to be a certain way that they can never be. He needs his children to be successful and to outlive him. He needs his leaders to be just and true. He needs his Church to represent God perfectly. These are not wants they are needs and when they are not met it has the same effect as not getting oxygen to the brain or depriving and person of food or dignity. Adam gets hurt and Adam gets bitter. Bitter Adam is unpleasant to be around and even dangerous to be around.
If we are bitter there are likely very good reasons that we are. Some one or something stole oxygen from our lungs! Just look at the mess they have made! We can cry out for blood and harbor it or we can come to grips with the fact that the event has exposed a pocket of performance orientation left in our soul.
Only grace orientation can replace performance orientation. Grace sees no need for people or God to perform in order to be accepted. Bitterness will kill us and defile others. Grace does not claim rights to hold unto wrongs. It does not assign names to pain. Grace and mercy flow in and heal all the effects of wrong.
A weak person will let that happen. A weak person is happy to start over. A weak person needs someone or something to lean on. God is that perfect someone. Any fruit produced must now come from abiding in the vine.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV
What about justice? Where is the place for accountability?
"And he said to his disciples, 'Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.' " Luke 17:1-2 ESV
"For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience." Romans 13:3-5 ESV
God has given a place for Earthly authority to deal with the inhumanities the people inflict upon each other. He has also given guidelines for how those situations can be dealt with. Sin has been paid for but justice is still administered in the world at large.
Justice or no justice... Many will still get bitter and just keep on letting Adam defile everyone around them. Bitterness will entwine the doctrinal truth in their soul like a weed.
"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:30-32 KJV
"This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith" 1 Timothy 1:18-19 ESV
"From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above" - James 3:10-15a ESV
It is inevitable... people will fail. Will we have the mind of Christ or will we cry out for blood?
There is no condemnation. It may be that we find ourselves crying out first and it reveals to us the desperate need we have for God's mind and God's mercy.
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus," Philippians 2:5 ESV
"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Luke 11:9 KJV
Performance orientation in relationships leads to bitterness and our natural humanity is performance oriented. God commissioned Adam to perform.
"And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' " Genesis 1:28 ESV
The problem is that Adam is broken and fallen and can't perform. God does not want to help Adam perform. He wants to weaken him further.
"He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days." - Psalms 102:23 KJV
If we stopped here we might all say, 'Hey, That's not good news.' No it's not. It's great news! There are things as a weak person that you learn that a strong person can never know.
Just as Adam needs to perform and can't... He also needs relationships. He needs parents to be a certain way that they can never be. He needs his children to be successful and to outlive him. He needs his leaders to be just and true. He needs his Church to represent God perfectly. These are not wants they are needs and when they are not met it has the same effect as not getting oxygen to the brain or depriving and person of food or dignity. Adam gets hurt and Adam gets bitter. Bitter Adam is unpleasant to be around and even dangerous to be around.
If we are bitter there are likely very good reasons that we are. Some one or something stole oxygen from our lungs! Just look at the mess they have made! We can cry out for blood and harbor it or we can come to grips with the fact that the event has exposed a pocket of performance orientation left in our soul.
Only grace orientation can replace performance orientation. Grace sees no need for people or God to perform in order to be accepted. Bitterness will kill us and defile others. Grace does not claim rights to hold unto wrongs. It does not assign names to pain. Grace and mercy flow in and heal all the effects of wrong.
A weak person will let that happen. A weak person is happy to start over. A weak person needs someone or something to lean on. God is that perfect someone. Any fruit produced must now come from abiding in the vine.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV
What about justice? Where is the place for accountability?
"And he said to his disciples, 'Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.' " Luke 17:1-2 ESV
"For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience." Romans 13:3-5 ESV
God has given a place for Earthly authority to deal with the inhumanities the people inflict upon each other. He has also given guidelines for how those situations can be dealt with. Sin has been paid for but justice is still administered in the world at large.
Justice or no justice... Many will still get bitter and just keep on letting Adam defile everyone around them. Bitterness will entwine the doctrinal truth in their soul like a weed.
"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:30-32 KJV
"This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith" 1 Timothy 1:18-19 ESV
"From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above" - James 3:10-15a ESV
It is inevitable... people will fail. Will we have the mind of Christ or will we cry out for blood?
There is no condemnation. It may be that we find ourselves crying out first and it reveals to us the desperate need we have for God's mind and God's mercy.
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus," Philippians 2:5 ESV
"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Luke 11:9 KJV
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