HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 42
page A40
Bitterness continued
• E ST H E R 5 :9 | Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai
sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman
became furious. (See note on page 447.)
By letting anger and hatred control you.
• E PH E S I A NS 4 :3 1 -3 2 | Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger. . . . Instead, be kind to each
other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
By demanding your way and refusing to forgive and forget. We would do well to remember
that God has forgiven us despite our continual sinful tendencies.
• H E B R E W S 1 2 :1 5 | Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of
God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting
many.
By forgetting God’s grace, which is showered upon you each day.
• 2 S A MU E L 1 9 :6 -7 | “You have made it clear today that your commanders and troops
mean nothing to you. It seems that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would
be pleased. Now go out there and congratulate your troops, for I swear by the Lord that if
you don’t go out, not a single one of them will remain here tonight.” (See note on page 290.)
By allowing prolonged grief to turn to despair so that you see life as meaningless, which
robs you of the joy your spirit longs for.
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• G E NE S I S 3 1 :1 | But Jacob soon learned that Laban’s sons were grumbling about him.
“Jacob has robbed our father of everything!” they said. “He has gained all his wealth at
our father’s expense.”
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By letting resentment cause you to look at someone’s success with suspicious motives.
You begin to think that the only reason that person became successful was by taking
some opportunity away from you.
• A C T S 6 :1 | But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent.
The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying
that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.
By welcoming discontent into your heart, which causes you to think you aren’t getting
what you deserve. When the focus shifts to you and what you aren’t getting, bitterness
sets in quickly.
• NU MB E R S 1 2 :1 -2 | Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite
woman. They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through
us, too?”
By cultivating a critical spirit. If you are often finding wrong in others, then you are in danger
of bitterness controlling your life.
How can I cause bitterness in others?
• A MO S 5 :7 | You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed. You treat the
righteous like dirt. (See note on page 807.)
When we are unjust or unfair in our dealings with others, particularly those who are poor
and oppressed.
How do I get over bitterness?
• 2 C O R I NT H I A NS 2 :7 | Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he
may be overcome by discouragement.
There are times when simple forgiveness can relieve a lifetime of bitterness. Recovery from
acute bitterness may be as complex as the reasons for the bitterness, but it may also be
as simple as the three spoken words “I forgive you.”
• PH I L I P P I A NS 1 :1 2 | And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything
that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.
Paul could have become bitter for being thrown into prison for sharing his faith. Instead,
he was happy because he knew that God takes even the worst situations and, if we allow