God's "Crazy" Solution

God’s answers to Bitterness so often seem crazy to our fallen human nature, but they are wonderful, life-giving solutions. This 1-minute devotion explains. #BibleLoveNotes #Bible #Devotions

I’ve sometimes had to fight bitterness. Have you?

It begins with unforgiveness, and can lead to obsessive, negative, and vengeful thoughts.

Bitterness pleases Satan. It’s one of his “schemes” to ruin our lives (2 Corinthians 2:10-11).

He loves seeing a bitter root strangle our souls, he enjoys epicaricacy, and he savors broken relationships (Hebrews 12:15).

Bitterness is dark, blinding, and damaging (1 John 2:9-11).

The answer?

God’s answers so often seem crazy to our fallen human nature, but they are wonderful, life-giving solutions.

God commands us to pray for those who hurt us (Matthew 5:44-45).

We don’t pray for them because they deserve our prayers. We pray for them because we are God’s children and He gives life and breath and good things even to the ungodly.

In the end, the ungodly will be held responsible for their sins, but our prayers will dissolve our bitterness.

What a wonderful miracle!
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God’s answers to Bitterness so often seem crazy to our fallen human nature, but they are wonderful, life-giving solutions. This 1-minute devotion explains. #BibleLoveNotes #Bible #Devotions

3 comments:

  1. I am an angry, rageful, bitter little pill with bile simmering just below the surface most of the time. Most people who interact with me would disagree with my assessment because I am able to hide it quite well. But I have a lot of resentment directed at a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. My failure to love my fellow man (or woman) as Jesus loved me, is the main stumbling block to my salvation.

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    1. I pray that you will follow the advice in this devotion and find peace and freedom in Jesus. I appreciate your honesty. God bless you.

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  2. This is so beautiful and so helpful. Thank you!ރ✝✞❣

    Unforgiveness does lead to obsessive, negative, and vengeful thoughts and that bitterness Satan does use to ruin our lives —absolutely!

    Satan probably does enjoy epicaricacy ἐπιχαιρεκακία (joy upon evil) . . .But I don’t see ἐπιχαιρεκακία used anywhere in the New Testament directly. It is in the Greek Translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, the Septuagint, the LXX, the earliest extant Greek translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew. The Greeks used επιχαιρεκακια, (For example Aristole, Ethics, 2:7, 15, et.al.). . . .But, the concept: κᾰκός (evil) that is ἐπιχαίρω (rejoiced in) is definitely wrong and maybe it is there just in a different tense.

    Anyways. . . .broken relationships drain the life from us. I don’t think God’s answers seem crazy —even to unbelievers. Even unbelievers know that unforgiveness destroys them but they can’t let go without the Holy Spirit’s help. God commands us to pray for those who hurt us (Matthew 5:44-5). YES! It is a wonderful miracle! A wonderful, life-giving solution —absolutely! But we can’t implement those solutions without God’s help. Lord God please help us all.

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