Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

 "How may I, a sinner, draw near to Him in whom there is no sin, 

 and look upon His face in peace?" 

"This is a great question which, at some time or other, every one of us has asked. This is one of the awful problems which man in all ages has been attempting to solve. There is no evading it: he must face it."

"Man has always treated sin as a misfortune, not a crime; as disease, not guilt; as a case for the physician, not for the judge. Here in lies the essential faultiness of all mere human religions or theologies. They fail to acknowledge the judicial aspect of the question, as that on which the real answer must hings; and to recognize the guilt or criminality of the evil-doer as that which must first be dealt with before any real answer, or approximation to an answer, can be given.

"God is a Father; but He is no less a Judge. Shall the Judge give way to the Father, or the Father give way to the Judge?

"God loves the sinner; but He hates the sin. Shall He sink His love to the sinner in His hatred of the sin, or His hatred of the sin in His love to the sinner?

"God has sworn that He has no pleasure in the death of a sinner ("Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'" Ezekial 33:11); yet He has also sworn that the soul that sinneth, it shall die ("Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die." Ezekial 18:4). Which of the two oaths shall be kept?  Shall the one give way to the other? Can both be kept inviolate? Can a contradiction, apparently so direct, be reconciled? Which is the more unchangeable and irreversible, the vow of pity or the oath of justice?

"Law and love must be reconciled, else the great question as to a sinner's intercourse with the Holy One must remain unanswered. The one cannot give way to the other. Both must stand, else the pillars of the universe will be shaken.


"The reconciliation man has often tried; for he has always had a glimpse of the difficulty. But he has failed; for his endeavors have always been in the direction of making law succumb to love.


"The reconciliation God has accomplished; and, in the accomplishment, both law and love have triumphed. The one has not given way to the other. Each has kept its ground; nay, each has come from the conflict honored and glorified. Never has there been love like this love of God; so large, so lofty, so intense, so self-sacrificing. Never has law been so pure, so broad, so glorious, so inexorable.


"There has been no compromise. Law and love have both had their full scope. Not one jot or tittle has been surrendered by either. They have been satisfied to the full; the one in all its severity, the other in all its tenderness. Love has never been more truly love, and law has never been more truly law, than in this conjunction of the two. It has been reconciliation, without compromise. God's honour has been maintained, yet man's interests have not been sacrificed. God has done it all; and He has done it effectually and irreversibly."

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Romans 5:19

Bio: Horatius Bonar

"Love is the fulfilling of the law."

— Horatius Bonar, The Everlasting Righteousness

                                               (link to a pdf file)

The Story of Everything

 

Mount Up with Wings Like Eagles

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.


He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.


Even youths shall faint and be weary, 
and young men shall fall exhausted;


but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.


          (Isaiah 40:28-31)

Gems from "The Christian in Complete Armour"- III of ?

Encouragement in the Battle

REALIZE YOU CANNOT CURE YOUR OWN HYPOCRISY

Hypocrisy is like a fistula sore. It seems like a minor eruption on the surface but is one of the hardest wounds to heal because it is hard to find the bottom of it. Your will might promise never to lie or deceive again; but it is an easy thing to be cheated by your intentions: 'He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool' (Prov. 28:26).

Many people die because they are reluctant to pay the price of seeing a skilled physician while there is still time. Beware of self-resolution and self-reformation. Only God can cure sin. If you experiment with your own heart instead of seeking the help of heaven you may mend one iniquity but tear open two worse sins.

William Gurnall (1617-1679)

Gems from "The Christian in Complete Armour" - II of ?

THE UNCOMELINESS WHICH SINCERITY COVERS

I. Temporary External Assets

Encouragement in the Battle

     The world honors beauty, heritage, wealth, and intellectual giftedness with more prestige than they are worth. But sincere grace covers them all and re-focuses rightful attention on the person himself. It gains more abundant honor in the sight of God, angels, and men (if they are wise men) than any dishonor and contempt which the lack of external assets can call forth from the world.

(a) Beauty

     This is a universal idol which the world stares at. But it is wisdom which makes the face lovely. Who would choose an ornate but empty bottle instead of the vessel full of rich wine? If sincere grace does not fill the heart, nature's beauty of the face makes the person worth very little. A beautiful person without true grace is like a pretty weed - it looks best if you see if from a distance. On the other hand, a sincere heart, without the obvious attraction to itself, is like a sweet flower unpainted with such bright colours - it is better to hold than to look at, more pleasant to smell than to see. The nearer you come to a sincere man, the more you sense life radiating from his heart.

(b) Poor family background

     No matter how unworthy a man's birth may be, real grace brings a glorious coat of arms to it, cleanses the bloodline, and makes the family illustrious. 'Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee' (Isa. 43:4). Sincerity is like a gleaming mark of honor; and wherever this star shines over a lowly cottage, it tells you a great prince lives inside.

     Most importantly, sincerity brings the man into the family of the Most Hight God; and this new oneness blots out his own tarnished name and lets him carry the very name of God. He is joined to God by faith unfeigned; and who can say the bride belonging to the Prince of Peace is a commoner?

(c) Poverty

     This word sounds like shame to a proud world. But even if a man is obviously very poor, he has access to a rich mine which will lift him above the world's contempt if a vein of sincere grace runs in his heart. He may have to admit he has no money in the bank but he cannot say he has no treasure; for the man who holds the key to God's treasury is rich beyond compare: 'All things are yours; ... and ye are Christ's' (1 Cor. 3:21,23).

(d) Mental giftedness

     The tradition of men gives a standing ovation to intellect and loudly applauds the excellency of knowledge. Indeed, mental ability stands more level with man's noblest faculty, reason. Those others (wealth, beauty, high birth) are so far beneath the spiritual nature of reason that they are like those soldiers of Gideon who could not drink water from the stream. A man cannot rejoice in them until he first debases himself far beneath the lofty stature of his reasoning soul. but intellect, abilities and knowledge seem to lift up man's head and stand him at full height. Therefore none are held in such contempt by the 'wise' world as those with lesser mental gifts.

     Thus let us discover how sincerity can cover this nakedness of mind. If you grieve because your shallow understanding seems dull and does not measure up to those with sparkling intelligence, be content with your sincere heart. Their pearl is only in the head, and even a toad can wear a jewel; but yours is in the heart. this pearl of grace is your 'pearl of great price' (Matt. 13:46).

     A sincere heart sets you higher in God's heart than weakness debases you in the world's opinion. And even without the abilities natural men have, you will find our way to heaven; but they, for all their mental achievement, will be tumbled down to hell because they lack sincerity. Just remember that, while your small gifts do not make you incapable of heaven's glory, their unsanctified gifts are sure to make them capable of more of hell's misery. And while you shall get a better head, they shall not get better hearts.

II. Sinful Uncomeliness

     This is the worst sort of spiritual unattractiveness because it blackens the soul and spirit, which God intended to be the source of the Christian's loveliness. Whatever stains and deforms the soul must be the most serious hindrance to the beauty of holiness sketched on it by the Holy Spirit's perfecting pen.

     The soul-monster of sin has so marred man's sweet countenance that it is no more like the comeliness God created than the fiend of hell's similarity to the holy angel which he had been in heaven. But by His grace Christ has undertaken to heal this wound which sin has given to man's nature. His healing power is at work in His elect, but the cure is not yet so complete that no scars remain; this, then, is the uncomeliness which sincerity covers.

William Gurnall

Gems from "The Christian in Complete Armour" - I of ?

"If you want heaven but you also want your sins, do not expect to succeed. You must part company with one or the other. If you will not let go of your sins, God will have to let go of you. If you want heaven but insist on purchasing it with your own righteousness, you will fall short of the price."

"May God open the eyes of the unbelieving world so people can see that the things of the spirit are real and not fictitious. Faith and faith alone can make the invisible visible to them."

Encouragement in the Battle

"...heaven is a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Christ is an abiding portion which changes not. His graces and comforts are sure waters that spring up into eternal life. The quail that were food for the Israelites' greed soon ceased, but the rock that was drink for their faith followed them. This rock is Christ. You may lose every temporal comfort, including family and friends, but if your treasure is secure in Christ, you are a rich man still. Christ will come to you in your darkest hour with peace and a promise: 'Fear not death nor devils. I will stay right here beside you until you breathe your last breath. My angels are waiting with Me. As soon as your soul is breathed out of your body, they will carry it to heaven and lay it in the bosom of My love. Then I will nourish you with those eternal joys that My blood has purchased and My love has perfected for you.'"

"We lose the good of material things by expecting too much from them. Those who try hardest to please themselves with earthly goods find the least satisfaction in them."

"Satan is not challenging you to a mock battle; this war is a life-or-death struggle. ... This war is a spiritual holocaust. either you destroy the power of Satan in your life by putting on the whole armour of God and keeping it on, or Satan will destroy you."

"None are so full of remorse at the presence of the least sin as those whose love for Christ is increasing. As winter passes and spring approaches, the sun grows stronger and melts the frost earlier each day. A sure sing that the love of Christ is shining stronger in your heart is when sin cannot lie long without being melted into sorrow and genuine repentance. The decaying soul is the one where sins lie hard and frozen, and where little awareness or sense of sorrow for them appears."

"When a person's conscience is numb to temptation, his graces are in a critical condition."

"If all you care about is your own reputation ... and you have little or no regard for God's reputation, your grace is at a low ebb."

How to recover from declining grace.
(a) How to recover when sin is the cause:
     - Renew your repentance
     - Reaffirm your faith
     - Renounce your lusts
(b) How to recover when neglect is the cause:
     - Read your Bible
     - Meditate
     - Pray
     - Fellowship with other Christians

William Gurnall

The Transforming Spirit

The call to total surrender, complete consecration, and sacrificial cross-bearing discipleship is a call to do the impossible. Or better yet, it's a call to the supernatural. For none of us can live the Christian life, as it is supposed to be lived, in our own power. However, God has given us His Spirit to dwell in us, and  it is the Holy Spirit who ultimately empowers us and transforms us. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.

It is striking that in the epistle to the Romans the Holy Spirit is mentioned only one time in the first seven chapters. And it is toward the end of chapter 7 that we see the apostle Paul's desperate cry of frustration: "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" All of his efforts to obey the law of God and to do the will of God were in vain. He was not able to overcome indwelling sin. The power of the flesh conquered him. Strive as he might, victory eluded him. He wrestled, but in vain. Then, when finally at the point of real desperation, he ceased his own efforts and cried out for divine help. Then, and only then, do we learn the glorious secret of sanctification. For in chapter 8 of Romans, the Holy Spirit is mentioned nineteen times. He is the divine person of the Trinity purchased by Christ's death to take residence in our hearts and transform the very depths of our souls. His proper name and essential property are holy; for He is the One whose primary work is to make the Christian holy by transforming the soul into the moral image of Jesus Christ. Only the Holy Spirit can save and sanctify the soul, renew and transform the mind, and inspire and empower dedication. Christ died on the cross so that "the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:4, emphasis added.).

...

And if we want to experience His power in our lives, we must consider four apostolic exhortations regarding the Spirit.Two are negative and two are positive.

The first one is: "Do not grieve the Spirit." Grieving the Spirit means that we cause the Spirit pain by harboring any known sin, but especially by harboring sins of bitterness and anger. All anger, clamor, and bitterness must be put away. but notice that it is put away from us, not by us. It is the Spirit, not us, who will put these sins away from us if we will yield to His work in us. It is when we resist this work that we grieve Him. If we yield, however, He will mortify our sins and produce in us the precious fruit of the Spirit.

Also, we must not quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Whereas grieving the Spirit has to do with practicing sin, quenching the Spirit is a result of two very specific attitudes: ingratitude and unbelief. The context of the passage makes it clear that we are to continually demonstrate a grateful attitude by expressing thanks to God. No murmuring or complaining; no whining or self-pity. Moreover, when hearing the Word shared or taught we are not to "despise prophecies" (1 Thessalonians 5:20). In other words, we must not make light of, or ignore, the Spirit's instruction and conviction coming to us through the spoken Word. If we do so, we are quenching His work. Listen to what the Spirit is saying to you through the Word. Be quiet and listen.

On the positive side, we are told first, to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18) and to "walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16). the filling of the Spirit happens when we practice both personal and corporate praise and worship. We are to make it a practice not only to be grateful in our hearts, but also to sing our praises - to "offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15). As we discipline ourselves to be grateful, the Spirit is please to fill our lives, as the glory filled the temple. With His presence real in our lives, the fruit of the Spirit is produced in us. And we "walk in the Spirit" by yielding to His guidance and permitting Him to manifest His fruit in us. We literally "keep step" with the Spirit.

Much more could be said about God's work of sanctification. Indeed, entire tomes have been written on it. ... He wants a yielded will. Yield to Him and He will renew your mind, transform your soul, and sanctify your affections. 

— David Vaughn & Diane Vaughan

The Beauty of Modesty, Cultivating Virtue in the Face of A Vulgar Culture

One of Many Duties of Parents

     ... [A]nother duty of parents is to constantly pray for the conversion of their children. God must open the child's spiritual eyes to be regenerated. The Spirit of God must enter the child's soul, thus turning him away from darkness and sin, and toward God and holiness. The impartation of the divine life in the child's soul is really foundational to true training in virtue. But please remember that regeneration is not the same as "saying the sinner's prayer," "walking the aisle," or even being baptized. How, then, do we know if a child has been converted? The same way we know if an adult has been converted - by spiritual fruit. This would include the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), love of others (1 John 3:1-24), a desire for God's Word (1 Peter 2:1-25), the practice of prayer (Matthew 6:5-13) and a spiritual understanding (1 Corinthians 3:1-23). These are just a few possible marks of conversion. If these are not present, at least in an immature expression, then it is not safe to presume that your child has been converted.

     Regeneration is the beginning of new life in the soul, and the rest of the child's life should show growth in grace or progressive sanctification. The parents must constantly and earnestly pray for this growth to take place, for it is, at its deepest level, a work of God in the soul. This point can hardly be overemphasized. One of the chief problems in Christian homes today is not that the kids don't know the Bible. The real problem is that while they know the truth, they do not love the truth. Why? Because they are either unconverted or unsanctified. The truth of God's Word is there, so to speak, but it has no attraction to the carnal soul. Thus, Christian teens will choose to listen to vulgar music or wear scandalous clothing because their hearts, that is, their real affections, love the world and not God. The condition of the soul shapes the life — in all its choices. Simply telling your daughter that an item of clothing is inappropriate is to miss the point. The point is, she likes it, even though it is morally ugly. That's the real problem. And more rules won't fix it. What is needed is a transformation of the soul by the Word and Spirit of God. When the soul loves God, it loves holiness, which means it also loves true beauty.

— David Vaughn & Diane Vaughan

The Beauty of Modesty, Cultivating Virtue in the Face of a Vulgar Culture

Heidelberg Catechism Q. 2

Question:  How many things must you know that you may live and die in the blessedness of this comfort?


Answer:  Three.  First, the greatness of my sin and wretchedness.  Second, how I am freed from all my sins and their wretched consequences.  Third, what gratitude I owe to God for such redemption.


— Dr. Zacharias Ursinus

... best known as the principal author and interpreter of the Heidelberg Catechism which is a Protestant confessional document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine.

The Commentary of Ursinus upon the Heidelberg Catechism

Jehovah-Nissi, The Lord My Banner

      Exodus 17:15


               By whom was David taught
               To aim the deadly blow,
               When he Goliath fought,
               And laid the Gittite low?
               Nor sword nor spear the stripling took,
               But chose a pebble from the brook.


               'Twas Israel's God and King
               Who sent him to the fight;
               Who gave him strength to sling,
               And skill to aim aright.
               Ye feeble saints, your strength endures,
               Because young David's God is yours.


               Who order'd Gideon forth,
               To storm the invaders' camp.
               With arms of little worth,
               A pitcher and a lamp?
               The trumpets made his coming known
               And all the host was overthrown.


               Oh! I have seen the day,
               When with a single word,
               God helping me to say,
               "My trust is in the Lord,"
               My soul hath quell'd a thousand foes
               Fearless of all that could oppose.


               But unbelief, self-will,
               Self-righteousness, and pride,
               How often do they steal
               My weapon from my side!
               Yet David's Lord, and Gideon's friend,
               Will help his servant to the end.


                         ~ William Cowper

                    

Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 1

Dr. Zacharias Ursinus
18 July 1534 - 6 May 1583

Question:  What is your only comfort, in life and in death?  
    

Answer:  That I belong — body and soul, in life and in death — not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation.  Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

   
— Dr. Zacharias Ursinus

... best known as the principal author and interpreter of the Heidelberg Catechism which is a Protestant confessional document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine.

The Commentary of Ursinus upon the Heidelberg Catechism

Subverting Leisure

Devotion to leisure did not appear with the onset of television, but has long been a struggle for Christians throughout history. In the Roman Empire, the rulers knew they could stay in power if they pacified the populace with enough food on the table and enough public entertainment. Juvenal, an ancient satirist, called the Roman policy "bread and circus." If you keep bellies full of food and minds occupied with shows and games, you keep control. One of the ways the Caesars solidified their power was through mass entertainment.

The early Christians did not deny that sports and entertainment could have a legitimate place in a person's life. In his letters, the apostle Paul included athletic metaphors mentioning the value of bodily training and the rules by which an athlete must play. Paul spoke of himself as running the race of faith and straining forward to "the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

However, Christians also saw how love for the arena and the theater could become idolatrous. As they witnessed the pagans' worship of sports and entertainment, Christians subverted leisure by standing against the decadence and wastefulness of the entertainment mind-set.

The early Christians subverted leisure as they imitated Christ, the Son of God who lived according to his Father's timetable. Jesus came not to be served and pampered with the luxuries of this world, but to fulfill his kingdom mission. He also instructed his followers to seek first the kingdom. Christians recognized that a life of perpetual leisure competes with a life that is on mission for God.

The Christian's life is not grounded in leisure; it is grounded in the cross. If we have truly been set free from the bondage of sin and death, then we have been set free from the slavery of perpetual leisure that would have us live only for ourselves. We have been delivered from the desire for constant entertainment and the never-ending pursuit of our own pleasure. God has given us freedom from leisure, and he has also given us a task. We are called to proclaim the good news of God's kingdom. As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus has sent us.

Therefore, the way we spend our free time reveals what we believe about God. If we are imaging God rightly by following his instructions for resting and working, we will not allow leisure to take the throne of our lives. As we put leisure back in its proper place under the lordship of Jesus, we will make different choices when it comes to our leisure activities.

There are three main ways that we as Christians can subvert leisure and entertainment. First, we must think seriously about the choices we make regarding our free time. Next, we must purposefully structure our free time in a way that glorifies God. Finally, we must turn our focus away from the things that entertain us to the people that God has entrusted to us.

Holy Subversion, Trevin Wax

(pages 92-93)

Unpacking Forgiveness XII of ?

Chapter Thirteen

How Can I Conquer Bitterness?

No one sets out to be a bitter person. Nor do we encourage others to pursue bitterness. Bitterness is bad. Everyone agrees on that.

But conditional forgiveness (not automatically forgiving) does not spawn bitterness. ... [w]e must follow the example of God, who does not forgive everyone but who does offer forgiveness to all. The offer of forgiveness to everyone, regardless of the offense, is no more bitter than the father who wraps presents and puts them under the Christmas tree hoping that his child will accept the gifts. Forgiveness, and a restored relationship, is what offenders will find inside if they choose to open the package.

The point here is that bitterness is to be avoided like the bubonic plague.

And yet there are so many bitter people. In fact, one of the reasons we agree that bitterness is bad is because we witness what it does to people. We all know sour people who kick dogs, yell at children cutting through their yards, and shout with red faces at church business meetings about insignificant issues. They are cynical at work. They are unappreciative of how they have been blessed, and they resent the successes of others.

Bitterness is like mercury. It is tempting to play with it. We can stew for hours on end thinking about how we have been treated unfairly and how we hope that someday justice will be done. We slide bitterness around in our minds and slip some of it into our pockets. And we are oh so foolish because all the while it is attacking our bones (Proverbs 14:30). Fooling around with bitterness is like drinking poison and hoping that someone else will die.

So, what we really need to do with bitterness is to deal with it as soon as possible. And the Bible is where we find answers. In Psalm 73, Asaph shared the story of his battle with bitterness. This Psalm is both real in its wrestling and timeless in the solution it offers. Psalm 73 will help us understand how bitterness works and will help us know how, with God's help, we can beat it.

If you are struggling against bitterness, the best thing would be for you to ... read Psalm 73 through four or five times. Look for the answer to two questions: First, what is bitterness like? Second, how did Asaph beat bitterness?

Know How to Beat Bitterness

First, wait for God's justice and trust his providence.

The nature of bitterness is to complain. "It isn't fair." This is the first thing we notice about Asaph's struggle in Psalm 73. He felt like evil people were rewarded. He admitted, "For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (v.3).

Ever been there? Ever find yourself thinking over and over again how unfair something is? 

Now, it is not wrong to notice that we have been treated unjustly. The question is, how should we deal with being treated unjustly? Those who process it wrongly will become bitter.

If bitterness is a wrong response to injustice or perceived injustice, then the first step in beating bitterness is to recognize that when we have been treated unjustly, we are particularly vulnerable to bitterness.

To the extent that you may have been wronged, you are at risk for bitterness. The essence of bitterness is that it is a sinful response to injustice or perceived injustice.

If you feel yourself wrestling with bitterness, then focus more intently on our glorious God. Savor the providence of God. He is in control of all things. He is perfectly just and cannot be unjust. Bitterness begins when we have been treated unfairly. But if we believe that God will accomplish justice, and if we are simultaneously confident that God is working all things together for our good, if that is our center, then we will beat the stuffings out of bitterness every time. Derek Kidner brilliantly summarizes: "An obsession with enemies and rivals cannot be simply switched off, but it can be ousted by a new focus of attention; note the preoccupation with the Lord himself."

We think of bitterness in emotional categories. But bitterness begins between our ears. It is a mental skid that, left unchecked, quickly ruins our ability to think clearly. Bitter people will not listen. In the midst of his bitterness, Asaph said that he was "brutish and ignorant."

Those who are battling bitterness tend to avoid using the word bitterness to describe what they are feeling. Instead they talk about how badly they have been hurt. Based on the depth of their hurt, they talk about what they can or cannot do. "I can never be around that kind of person again."

But do you see how such thinking has turned inward? Rather than trusting in who God is and what he can do, people begin to trust in the barricades they themselves have erected. They develop a protective callus over their hurts. They believe they deserve their self-diagnosis, that they need to arrange their own protection. Their whole thought process and orientation has become distorted.

Keeping in mind, then, how muddled and brutish our thinking can become when we are struggling with bitterness, let's discuss a second key strategy for conquering it.

Second, listen to wise people

If you find yourself on the verge of bitterness, if you know you have been treated unfairly and you feel yourself giving in, understand that it is very likely you are losing your ability to think objectively about the situation. At this point, you need to talk with your pastor, an elder, or some very godly person soon. Proverbs 19:20 says, "Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future."

Third, pursue God's blessing for yourself and those close to you

Bitterness harms everyone involved. Psalm 73:15 says, "If I had said, 'I will speak thus,' I would have betrayed the generation of your children." It might be easy to glide past this verse when reading Psalm 73. It is worded in a way that today's reader might not easily understand. But its truth is one of the most important warnings in the entire Psalm, and universal to all its readers. Claiming and doing this verse will help us win the battle with bitterness.

Asaph's point is that to be bitter is to "betray" the family, meaning not only actual family but also God's people. Bitter people betray the people closest to them.

A root of bitterness can ruin not only the life of the bitter person but many others'. As I have already said, the turning point in Psalm 73 is verse 17, when Asaph begins to be God-centered. But he begins to turn this corner in verse 15 when he admits that if he continues his bitterness, he will ruin the lives of other people.

If you are stubbornly holding onto some wrong done against you, remember that those who continue in bitterness will damage the lives of many other people.

For your sake and the sake of people close to you, you cannot afford to lose any battles with bitterness.

Fourth, call bitterness what it is.

It may seem like stating the obvious to say that bitterness is sin. But it needs to be said. Most bitter people were treated unfairly. They become very adept at defending their bitterness, because they reason that their situation was so unfair. Usually they won't even admit that they are bitter. Bitter people feel that if others knew how unfairly life has treated them others would certainly concede their right to be bitter. But sin is never justifiable, regardless of unfairness. Bitterness is not something done to us. Others may create a situation that tempts you to be bitter, but if you live with bitterness, you do so because you have invited it to be your houseguest.

You can defeat bitterness in these ways:

• Trust God's justice and providence.
• Listen to wise people.
• Love those people to whom you are close
• Decide not to sin.

Beat bitterness, or it will beat you.

Conclusion

When we have been deeply and unjustly hurt, it is tempting to give in and be bitter. That is a battle that we cannot afford to lose. Center your attention on God. He is perfectly just. Rest in his providence. Listen to wise counsel. Remember that if you fail, others will be harmed too. Follow through with those things, and you will win your battle with bitterness, just as Asaph did in Psalm 73.

      ~Chris Brauns

       Unpacking Forgiveness

       (pages 153-165)