How to Be Free from Bitterness: And Other Essays on Christian Relationships
Overview
Bitterness often grows out of a small offense—perhaps a passing word, an accidental shove, or a pair of dirty socks left in the middle of the living room floor. Yet when bitterness takes root in our hearts, its effects are anything but small. In this collection of short articles, Jim Wilson and others discuss what it means to live as "imitators of God." As the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians, we have been called to leave the bitterness and anger of the world and instead embrace the love and compassion of our God. The authors remind us that we are to forgive others just as we have been forgiven, pointing to Scriptural admonitions and examples as they offer sound teaching on the trials and temptations of everyday life. Questions for further reflection accompany each article.
Top Highlights
“Guilt is what we feel when we sin, and bitterness is what we feel when others sin against us.” (Page 9)
“Bitterness is based on sin that somehow relates to you. It is not concerned with how big the sin is; it is based upon how close it is.” (Page 9)
“So the world has two solutions. Keep the bitterness in and make yourself sick, or let it out and spread the sickness around. God’s solution is to dig up the root. Get rid of it. But this takes the grace of God. A man must know the Lord Jesus Christ to be able to do this. He is the source of grace.” (Page 11)
“depends on how close the other person is to me. Bitterness is related to those people who are close.” (Page 10)
“Bitterness is based upon somebody else’s sin—someone who is close to us and who did something to us. It might be minor.” (Page 10)
- Title: How to Be Free From Bitterness: And Other Essays on Christian Relationships
- Author: Jim Wilson
- Publisher: Canon Press
- Publication Date: 2007
- Pages: 112