Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness-without it no one will see the Lord.  Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many.  Hebrews 12:14-15 HCSB

One of the most dangerous things we face is bitterness.  Bitterness is defined in the dictionary as a sharpness of taste; lack of sweetness or as anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly; resentment.  Bitterness is dangerous because it is like the root of a vine that springs up and takes over.  If we are not careful, it can consume us.  It can cause dissension in families and even churches.  It can cause problems in the workplace.  It can cause problems for many, as it tends to have a ripple effect.

Now if you read today’s scripture passage carefully, we are told that we are to pursue peace with everyone, and holiness because if we don’t have this, we won’t see the Lord.  My study bible explains it this way, without sanctification (being cleansed of our sin), we won’t see the Lord.  We know that the reason we cannot see the Lord now is because we have sin in our lives and God can’t look on anyone with sin.  Remember when Jesus was on the cross, He took on the sin of the world.  During this time, He was separated from God because God cannot look upon sin.  This is why Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane for God to remove this cup from Him, if it be His will.  It wasn’t just the horrible pain and humiliation, but it was the separation from God.  In Isaiah 59:2 we are told that our sin creates barriers and separates us from God and hides His face from us so that He does not hear us.

Now in verse 15 it speaks of the danger of bitterness.  If we fail to keep pace with what the grace of God wants to do in our lives, then it can result in bitterness which can cause trouble for ourselves and others.  Now, we know that Romans 3:23 tells us that all sin and fall short of the glory of God.  We know that we are all sinners, but the danger of bitterness is that it is a rejection of God’s grace.  In Hebrews 12:25, it tells us to be sure that we do not reject God’s grace.

Now let’s go a little deeper here.  Some of you are reading this and saying, “well I would never reject God’s grace”.  I mean we are freely given the gift of grace, right?  Why would we reject something like this?  But actually, it is not freely given.  There is a catch or a condition.  We must forgive others.  Matthew 6:15 clearly states, But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.  Jesus issues a very clear warning here.

Now often times we say we forgive people, but we hold on to what they have done and allow it to plant that seed of bitterness which can take root and become that all consuming vine around our hearts.  There is a great deal of danger in this.  You see, that bitterness just like that bad weed or vine in your flower bed will literally take over.

It took me many years to learn to do my best to live at peace with others.  God has taught me, albeit the hard way, that for my part, I need to strive for peace.  Romans 12:18 says If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.  Verse 19 goes on to say, Friends do not avenge yourselves; instead leave room for His wrath.  For it is written:  Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.  It goes on to say in verse 20 that if your enemy is in need to give him what he needs for in doing so you will be heaping hot coals on his head.  Now that is a whole other blog that I did a while back.  But it goes on in verse 21 to say that we do not overcome evil with evil, but we conquer evil with good.

Think of it this way, if you want your life to be sweet, you can’t be bitter.  Luke 6:27 tells us,  But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. Now this goes against our very being.  It goes against human nature, but it is critical if we want to see the Lord.  We must understand that God will not forgive us if we won’t forgive others. Our failure to forgive others is equivalent to our rejecting the grace and mercy that God has to offer.

I encourage you today to search your heart for any anger, unforgiveness, or bitterness that may be buried deep within.  Pray to God to help you remove all bitterness and cleanse your heart.  It will truly be a burden lifted.  Beware of the terrible danger that lies in bitterness. Is your enemy worth going to hell for?  Ponder that for a minute, will you?

Have a great day!