“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled” (Hebrews 12:15)
An embittered person rarely feels their words or actions are wrong. They gladly find one who will agree with their verdict on the “crimes” of another. Love that covers a multitude of sins does not enter the picture. Mercy that rejoices against judgment is nowhere to be found. Grace is not received; graciousness is not shown.
What springs up from a bitter root can never be of God. God is an overcomer; the embittered are overcome. They may indeed have been on the receiving end of wrong; but none of us will ever “out-suffer” our Lord. If anyone had a right to be bitter it was Jesus. And yet, the fountain of His heart remained pure and the words of His mouth were still sweet, even on the cross.
There is a better way than bitterness – but it cannot be found outside of the grace of God. None of us can go through this life without being hurt or disappointed. Every heart knows its own bitterness. (Prov. 14:10) But when we hunger to experience the depths of God’s person, the bitterest life experience can become a blessed avenue into the sweetest fellowship with Jesus. “… To the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” (Prov. 27:7)
In light of what others have done to us, we may feel fully justified in the decisions we’ve made; but God knows what hidden springs those decisions have come from. He knows whether they were of Him or not.
We will soon stand before our perfect Lord, whose life we are to share, and in whose footsteps we are to walk. We will give to Him an account of the deeds done in our body. Being right in our own eyes or in the eyes of anyone else will not then matter. Jesus will want to know only one thing – did we receive His all-sufficient grace to be an overcomer in life, or did we fail of the grace of God?
Be willing to re-examine every decision you’ve made to be sure you didn’t act in a spirit other than the Spirit of Christ. Let the Holy Spirit pull up any root which He did not plant.