EPHESIANS 4:29-32 – Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
THEME OF THE DAY. BEWARE OF A BITTER AND UNFORGIVING HEART. It must be one of the most grievous things to the heart of God. It damages the witness of individuals and churches for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It produces hypocrisy. It robs us of joy, peace, and contentment. It makes Christians more Pharisees than followers of Christ. Simply stated, “It is the ugliest thing to be in the life of a Christian and church – a bitter and unforgiving heart”. And it is extremely serious. Jesus stated this warning, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). Have a bitter and unforgiving heart toward anyone and two things are present; a lack of fellowship with God despite what we may think or say, and a lack of understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope none of us is harboring resentment, a critical spirit, and an unforgiving heart toward anyone, but the potential is always there because we are always sinning, not just against God, but people. So, on a positive note, let’s consider two applications from today’s scripture to help us guard against a bitter and unforgiving heart.
First, guard our heart with great diligence because the servant of the heart, the tongue, will reveal what is in it. Jesus told us, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). When people hurt us, sin against us, and fail us, if we are harboring ill toward them, our speech will let that be known. We will want to talk about it, and talk ill of those who have done such to us. That is how gossip, slander, and further sin occurs. It starts with a loose tongue having to vent to someone. The instruction Apostle Paul gives is “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths to include no slander, malice, and anger.” It is without exception that if we have a bitter and critical heart, our tongue is a willing servant to let the world know. The importance of pleading this prayer from the nineteenth Psalm cannot be overstated – “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
A second safeguard and application to avoid a bitter and unforgiving heart is to remember how God in Christ treats us – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). This is always the safest and best place to hide in any type of conflict with people. Friends, we may be Christians, but we are still sinning Christians. And what do we need as sinning Christians? A gracious High Priest whose name is “Jesus” and whose nature is love. When tempted to get bitter or lash out in unwholesome speech about another believer, stop and immediately remember how God treats us; with kindness, tenderhearted, and with forgiveness. If we learn to do such in all our tense relationships of inevitable failings, we will speak of those who hurt us, but it will be prayer to the Lord for them and for their good. That is what happens in the heart of a person who thinks often on how God treats them.
Yes, it is inevitable we will be hurt and sinned against, but that doesn’t mean allow a bitter and unforgiving heart to emerge. Let such pain draw us closer to the Lord Jesus who knows hurt and being sinned against far more than any of us ever will.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to be free of a critical and unforgiving spirit toward those who hurt me and sin against me.”
QUOTE: “If we refuse to forgive and love those who hurt us, our understanding of the Gospel is flawed”