No Room for Bitterness

God lives and works today, but maybe it's hard for us to believe that, especially when we have to deal with a difficult person at home or at work. What should we do if we simply can't love or bear a certain person? Listen to today's meditation by Vassalia Schlink called No Room for Bitterness. There were years in my life when I sensed how difficult it was for me to love, especially when I was being unjustly treated.

The fact that I couldn't respond in love bothered me very much. However, it was God's great grace that sent a person into my life who was almost an unbearable burden for me, for this caused the plea for love to become the plea of my life. And I wrote in my diary, Lord, give me love, the love which is not irritable or resentful, which bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Because of my nature, it was many years before God could actually give me his love. He knew that he must permit these arrows to strike against the hard spot in my heart until it was completely riddled with holes. Then contrition and repentance over my inability to forgive and love would be able to find room in my heart, and then God would be able to grant me his love.

My old nature writhed beneath his chastening blows, but the blood of the Lamb, which I learned to call upon more and more, proved to be stronger. I am redeemed. To love you set me free.

I am redeemed. You won the fight for me. Redeemed from hardness, envy, pride, and self-display.

The foes of love must flee now far away. I am redeemed. Yes, the blood of Jesus freed me more and more from my hardness of heart and gave me compassion for the sins of others.

In this way, God taught me to go the way of the Lamb, no longer justifying myself, but rather enduring and bearing everything, including unjust reproaches. And I found that this alone is the way to Jesus. After many years in the school of God, I can now testify that when we are totally humiliated by our inability to love and our self-righteousness is broken, Jesus will open up to us his righteousness.

Then we will truly be in Christ and he in us. In this way, Jesus' words in John 17 verse 26 will be fulfilled. I made known to them your name, and I will make it known that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Lord, hear my prayer, my earnest cry, my plea, that you may soon your image see in me. Give me your love, Lord, love comes from you alone. Oh, having saved me, would make me all your own.

Lord, love like this give me. God bless you.