Hey Clawson Family,

Song:

Scripture:

Hebrews 12:14-15 New Living Translation

14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

Devotional:

What does bitterness mean? 

Bitterness: anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly

Have you ever been treated unfairly? Have you ever made the mistake of getting maybe a little bitter about it?  

Somebody said bitterness and unforgiveness is like drinking poison and then waiting for the other person to die.

Your bitterness has absolutely no effect on the person you are bitter toward. 

When you are bitter towards someone, you are thinking about them, but they are not thinking about you. Does your bitterness ever keep you up at night? They are sleeping like a baby. Does your bitterness ever give you indigestion? They are eating like a pig. The problem with bitterness is it grows, controls, and consumes, which is why we must eliminate it.

If you’re struggling with bitterness, I would encourage you to spend some time in prayer today and ask the Lord to help you have a forgiving, gracious heart and remove all bitterness, rage, and anger.

Journal: 

In your journal today, write down the definition of bitterness. Hatred and holiness cannot coexist in the same heart. How could your bitterness be harming those around you? What can

you do to let go of that bitterness and extend forgiveness instead?

Training:

Father, we don’t want bitterness to take over our lives. Please

show us where an offense has taken root without us realizing it. Instead of canceling those who hurt us, we want to cancel the bitterness we hold against them. 

In Jesus’ name, amen

What would it look like to respond to offenses and bitterness with grace and forgiveness? If you’re having a difficult time extending forgiveness, start by remembering the grace Jesus freely gives you.