Bitterness and Love

Read: 2 Samuel 1:1-2:11 & John 12:20-50 & Psalm 118:19-29 & Proverbs 15:27-28

A car in front of you is driving too slowly. The waitress got your order wrong. These situations aren’t serious, but we feel like they are at the time. We form bitterness in our hearts. When people treat us worse than we expect they should, we think our anger and bitterness are justified.

In 1 Samuel, Saul becomes jealous of David and plots his murder. If we think we have the right to be bitter toward a slow driver, then certainly David had a right to be angry after all that Saul had done to him. But in 2 Samuel, David mourns Saul’s death—he actually mourns the death of the person who tried to murder him. Instead of remembering what Saul had done to him, David remembered who Saul was to God. Saul was so important to God that He anointed him. By viewing Saul the way God did, David was able to keep his heart free of bitterness and full of love.

In the same way, everyone we meet is important to God. Regardless of how a person has wronged us, we must remember Jesus loved them enough to die for them. Who do you need to forgive and begin to love today?

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