Put Away All Bitterness - Ephesians 4:31
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INTRODUCTION
The believer is to allow no place for bitterness within his life. The book of Ephesians directly associates bitterness with the sins of wrath, anger, clamour, evil speaking, and malice. Each of these sins grieves the Spirit of God and ought to grieve the believer. As such, Christians are admonished to put away all bitterness. As bitterness shows itself in the depths of our hearts, we ought to immediately seek the Lord and plead for His help in removing it by its root. In a similar passage (Colossians 3:8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
See All...), we are admonished to “put off” many of these other sins mentioned. Always keep in mind that bitterness does not edify the believer or those around him, nor does it glorify the Lord. Simply choose to obey God by putting away and putting off bitterness.
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
- (For children): Read Ephesians 4:32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
See All... and Colossians 3:13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
See All.... We are to be like our Lord. He is our greatest example. We must put away bitterness. God is never bitter against us. He is always ready to forgive. Even on the cross, He prayed for His enemies rather than allowing bitterness to spring up (Luke 23:34Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
See All...). - (For everyone): When the Bible speaks of putting away bitterness, it does not mean for you to hide it away in your heart. Instead, it means that we are to turn it over to the Lord and allow Him to completely remove it from our lives. Will you put away bitterness?
- How does bitterness affect you? How does it affect those around you? How does it affect your relationship with the Lord? Does bitterness bring about anything good?
PRAYER NEEDS
- Ask the Lord to give you strength to put away “all bitterness.”
- Ask God to show you the effect your bitterness has upon others.
HYMN
Wounded Sin, Now Die In Me!
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