There are people that start out strong in the Lord and then,
for some reason or other, end up bitter and angry, forsaking the Lord. This is not a debate about once saved always
saved, it is just a fact. I am not
saying whether these people were saved or not saved, I am not the judge, only the
Lord knows whether they were or not. I know
that just because you find a mouse in a cookie jar that doesn’t make him a cookie
any more than if you see a person in church that doesn’t make them true
believers. All I know is if they claimed
to be believers at one time, they must have thought they were.
I have witnessed two people who in the past claimed to be
born-again but at that time they weren’t living the life they claimed. One of them I knew was so bitter that, if I remember
right, he burned Bibles and became very belligerent towards believers. The other man made fun of the Lord and His Word
and became very negative about the Christian faith altogether. I am happy to say that both of them, as far as
I know, have repented and are now trying to serve the Lord.
This tidbit is to make you aware of the possibility of allowing
a bitter spirit to rise up within you. It
says this in Hebrews 12:14-15, “Strive
for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the
Lord. See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of
bitterness” spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled.” It is inevitable that anger and bitterness
causing un-forgiveness can and may occur sometime in your walk with the Lord, and
if not dealt with has a potential to knock you out of the race.
True love is what is needed to keep any of us from these disastrous
events taking place in our lives. The
key to not allowing this to take place in your life is this, which Jesus said
in Matthew 22:35-40, “Then one of them, a
lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the
great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘you shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the
first and great commandment and the second is like it you shall love your
neighbor as yourself, on these two commandments hang all the Law and the
Prophets.’” If love controls your
life and your intentions, bitterness and un-forgiveness may never get a hold on
you.
Proverbs 10:12 says this, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.”
And 1 Peter 4:8 says this, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will
cover a multitude of sins.’”
I think this has become a great issue in the church, it
seems like many confess love but confessing it and demonstrating love are two
different things. Many times people will
say they love the Lord more than anything or anyone in the world but their
actions say something else; what they say, what they do and what they listen to
tell a different story. Could it be that
many are in love with love and have no idea how to express it or what it really
consists of?
For instance, when I met my wife I told her I loved her within
two weeks but I had no idea of what love was, all I knew is what lust was. It was a while before she told me she loved me
but when she said it, she meant it. Today
is our 36th wedding anniversary and she has demonstrated her love
for me all those years and what a joy it is to be married to her. As far as I am concerned, God gave me the very
best wife I could have ever wanted and all the praise and thanksgiving goes to
Him.
Many people claimed to love me but when I didn’t agree with
everything they did or said or if I did or said something they didn’t agree with,
they were gone. There are only a few people
that I can count on that I know love me and they are my wife and kids plus the
good Lord, and having them is enough. So
if your love is genuine, you will avoid the kind of bitterness and un-forgiveness
that can end up turning you away from the Lord. Something to think about and may the good Lord
bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!
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