The Prison of Bitterness

Good morning all,

Let's start with a couple of scripture readings:

NLT Acts 8:22 Turn from your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, 23 for I can see that you are full of bitterness and held captive by sin." 24 "Pray to the Lord for me," Simon exclaimed, "that these terrible things won't happen to me!"

NLT Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

I was reading The Grapes of Wrath again this morning and Steinbeck was describing the process the tenant farmers were going through of selling off the stuff that they couldn't transport to California for mere pennies on the dollar it was really worth.  The comment kept arising as people took advantage of their bad situation that the people were not just buying stuff because the stuff came with bitterness as well.  The chapter ends with the pointed statement that while they thought they had sold their bitterness they got back to the truck to discover that it was still alive and well in them.

That is the funny thing about bitterness, it can become all consuming.  Distorting the lens through which we look at life, making us feel angry and full of hate.  Stripping us of hope and joy.  In our scripture this morning we first find an encounter between Peter and Simon the magician who is trying to buy the power of the Holy Spirit.  Peter tells him the only way to get such power is not with money but with repentance and calling on the name of the Lord.  What struck me in the passage is that Peter describes Simon as captive to sin, but first he says that he is full of bitterness.  The first thing Peter notices about him is that he is trapped in a prison of bitterness and then that he is captive to sin. 

Our second passage is from Paul as he writes to the Ephesians telling them how they should live in Christ. Like Peter's description of Simon that begins with bitterness, Paul's list of things to put away begins with bitterness, followed by rage, anger, harsh words, etc.  It is the first "sin" in a chain, but in many ways it is the root of the other sins as bitterness can lead us into all of the things Paul describes just as it can lead us to being held captive to sin.  Bitterness is a prison; a dark, dank, depressing prison that makes us feel like life is hopeless and without joy.

The good news is that while it is a prison, unlike most prisons it is one to which we hold the cell keys because it is a self imposed prison.  No one but ourselves can put us in the prison of bitterness and no one but ourselves can let us out.  It is God's desire that none of us be trapped in such a prison and God wants to give us hope and joy and peace, but even God cannot turn the key in our cell door of bitterness.  He can give us assurance that He will always be with us, that His love knows no end, that in Him we can finally know peace.  He can and does send the Holy Spirit to empower us to be able to make such a decision to open the cell door, but only we can choose to turn that key and walk out of the cell. 

Christmas time tends to be a polarizing time as we generally inhabit two ends of the spectrum; joy and happiness or bitterness and hurt.  If any of us are stuck in that cell of bitterness this year, let's make a deliberate choice not to be consumed by it and to step out of the cell.  The good news about being part of the body of Christ is that we never have to do this alone.  When we choose to turn the key, open the door and walk out, if we will simply ask those around us that love us to help us open that door and hold our hand as we walk out, THEY WILL!  This year let us, together, make sure none of us are trapped in a prison of bitterness and let's share the keys of the cell with the world so that all may walk out into a life in Christ!

Your brother in Christ,
Faron