I love this that my friend Dr. Jim Denison shared: The late Paul Powell noticed this statement on a bumper sticker: “With God, all things are possible, without God, all things are permissible.” MAN! THAT PREACHES! TRUTH! We see it all around us!
Bitterness is a disease in the American society. It is hurting us more than you may know. Our children are growing up in an angry nation. People hurl insults, accusations and so on. Those words go into the heart and souls of many and into the walls of homes, never to be removed.. It is a very heavy burden to carry around. It is what we, as a society are teaching our children. Hatred. It is like planting seeds of hate, instead of seeds of love. It all plays out in front of us everyday. And look at the results! The foundation of America is being torn away by hate. Like a poison, bitterness has made not only many lives miserable but also the lives of those around them. They have never learned the secret of forgiveness and forbearance.
We must be on guard, as the Bible instructs in Hebrews 12:15, “lest any root of bitterness springing up [can] cause trouble.” Meekness and forbearance are “musts” if we are to live harmoniously in society and develop healthy homes, families, and friendships. The positive sense of meek implies that someone is able to remain calm and subdued even when being provoked, I call it, power under control! While Christians must always speak the truth, we must do it in love. I call it ‘tough love’ The Bible tells us to “Speak evil of no one, [be] peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all” (Titus 3:2). Tough love is what I learned several years ago from my Mom and Dad. They loved us so much, that they taught us right from wrong and did not accept bad behavior. We knew not to cross that line. We also learned that in school and at Sunday School. We must teach this today, just as important is, that we always model it!
