Bitter or Better?
Imagine being very wealthy, being a strong valiant victorious soldier, having prestige and power in front of your king and favor in his sight but your body looked like this:
Well this is exactly the case for Naaman in the book of 2 Kings chapter 5. He is described as all of those things, but was struck with leprosy. During his life he decides to send out his soldiers to take captive a young girl from Israel to be a slave to his wife against her will.
Put yourself in the young girl's shoes. If you were taken captive against your will, taken from all that is familiar and all that you loved how would you react? What would your attitude be like? Would you think to yourself when you saw your new master's ailment "serves him right" ? Or would your trust in the Sovereignty of God and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ? It is probably fair to say that many of us would probably choose the path of bitterness or resentment. Life throws us a curve ball and we have every right to be bitter, angry, resentful and so instead of seeing the situation as something that God has allowed we choose to be bitter. But this young girl shows us another option. She illustrates beautifully Romans 12:21 which states; "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Instead of reacting out of that devastating situation she pleads with Naaman's wife to tell him about the prophet in Israel. 2 Kings 5:3 "She said to her mistress, If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." Leprosy in the Old Testament was an illustration of sin. This girl wanted her master not only to be healed physically but spiritually as well. She knew the good news of Jesus Christ and shared it passionately. She believed in a God who would heal her enemy and even convert him! WOW! How about us? In the midst of life's tragedies do we have enough grace and mercy to extend toward the very people who hurt and violate us? Do we have enough courage to reach out towards those who hate us and love them in spite of their behavior?
You want more proof? Jesus! Romans 5:8 says; "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus walked this earth and lived a sinless life was also taken captive against his own will and in the midst of that horrific event gave his life for you and for me so that we can experience eternal life. He was betrayed and in the midst of that tragedy He still reached out in compassion and healed his enemies. … Luke 22: 50And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51But Jesus answered and said, "Stop! No more of this." And He touched his ear and healed him. Jesus is clear when it comes to loving our enemies. Matthew 5:43“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ 44“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47“If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
You might say "well, that is impossible there is no way I could possibly love that person you just don't understand what they did to me? How am I supposed to do that?" Before I share how, let me just pause and say you have every right to be angry. The bible says be angry and sin not. You have every right to go through a grieving process what ever that might look like for you. You might think that God is punishing you or is angry with you. I assure you He isn't. Suffering is inevitable but it is what you choose to do with that suffering that will ultimately make you or break you. Sometimes things happen against our will and sometimes things happen as a result of sinful choices we've made. There is a huge difference between circumstances and consequences. So I would ask you beloved, is this situation a result of a choice you made outside of God's will and now you are experiencing a consequence, or is this a horrible circumstance that God in His sovereignty has allowed? Only you can answer that. With that being said, either way there is good news. Hebrews 12:15 says, "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
Here is how: Don't fail to obtain the grace of God! Whatever you are going through is designed for you to lean only on Him and grab hold of his daily grace to get through it! What is grace? Grace is unmerited favor. God may have allowed you to experience this so that you can draw closer to him, to grow you up spiritually, to get you to repent of a habitual sin that is wrecking havoc on your life, or to display His glory through you. He might have allowed it to discipline you. God disciplines those he loves. If you haven't ever experienced the Lord's discipline then examine yourself to see if you are really in the family. (Read Hebrews 12)
So ask yourself are you like Naaman in the story who has the spiritual cancer of sin and is in desperate need of a Savior? Or are you like the young girl who has gone through a tragedy and has a choice of how to react? Either way God is saying give it to me and I will give you my grace to get through it. Or confess it to me and I will forgive you and accept you into my family. Beloved, Let's not choose to be bitter let's choose to be better!
Live Fit4eterntiy til' the Finish!
You might say "well, that is impossible there is no way I could possibly love that person you just don't understand what they did to me? How am I supposed to do that?" Before I share how, let me just pause and say you have every right to be angry. The bible says be angry and sin not. You have every right to go through a grieving process what ever that might look like for you. You might think that God is punishing you or is angry with you. I assure you He isn't. Suffering is inevitable but it is what you choose to do with that suffering that will ultimately make you or break you. Sometimes things happen against our will and sometimes things happen as a result of sinful choices we've made. There is a huge difference between circumstances and consequences. So I would ask you beloved, is this situation a result of a choice you made outside of God's will and now you are experiencing a consequence, or is this a horrible circumstance that God in His sovereignty has allowed? Only you can answer that. With that being said, either way there is good news. Hebrews 12:15 says, "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
Here is how: Don't fail to obtain the grace of God! Whatever you are going through is designed for you to lean only on Him and grab hold of his daily grace to get through it! What is grace? Grace is unmerited favor. God may have allowed you to experience this so that you can draw closer to him, to grow you up spiritually, to get you to repent of a habitual sin that is wrecking havoc on your life, or to display His glory through you. He might have allowed it to discipline you. God disciplines those he loves. If you haven't ever experienced the Lord's discipline then examine yourself to see if you are really in the family. (Read Hebrews 12)
So ask yourself are you like Naaman in the story who has the spiritual cancer of sin and is in desperate need of a Savior? Or are you like the young girl who has gone through a tragedy and has a choice of how to react? Either way God is saying give it to me and I will give you my grace to get through it. Or confess it to me and I will forgive you and accept you into my family. Beloved, Let's not choose to be bitter let's choose to be better!
Live Fit4eterntiy til' the Finish!
