Ephesians 4:31 says: “Get rid of all bitterness …” Simply stated, bitterness is when the wounds from our past are affecting the present. Bitterness comes from hurtful words or acts that were done to us. Ultimately, what ends up occurring is that we bleed on people who never cut us. In an effort to pay back the old, we punish the new. Paul says in Ephesians that we need to ‘get rid of” all bitterness. What he is actually challenging us to do is to gather up all the bitterness we can collect within us and place it out for the trash. The words used in this verse are not simply a request to stop being bitter, but a command to trust God to take our bitterness and dispose of it and have it no longer affect our daily lives. Friends, what if today could be the day when we honestly let go of a hurt or memory and allow God to heal it in Jesus name. Being free from bitterness will not erase the memory, however it will arrest the power that particular memory has over our lives. When this new freedom from the past is received, then we are able to forgive. Even though the person from the past does not deserve forgiveness, Paul explains in Ephesians 4:32 how we ought to live free from bitterness. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Stay Close to Jesus.- Pastor Bryce
