I was down on my knees, picking beans, listening to my Aunt Sherry talk. I have learned a great deal over the years, straight from her garden. This was one of those days.
We were talking about the weeds in my uncle’s garden. He is not one to work at keeping weeds out, therefore there were many. Sherry began to talk about when he first started gardening in this area. She said the Johnson Grass was so thick, it took a long time to completely remove it. She said, “we went through the garden area with buckets, pulling the grass and putting it in the buckets.” She went on to explain that you can’t pull the roots up and throw them on the ground, expecting them to die. You must remove them, root and all from the garden area or they will take root and grow again.
As she talked, I thought about the scripture found in Hebrews 12.
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. Hebrews 12:14-15
I want to share it with you from the Message Bible and the New Living Bible.
Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise, you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. (Message Bible)
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. 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. (New Living Bible)
…you can’t pull the roots up and throw them on the ground,
expecting them to die. You must remove them, root and all
from the garden area or they will take root and grow again.
As I studied this scripture, God revealed some things to me. Just like the Johnson Grass, when we have bitterness, about anything, it must be removed, root and all. We can’t leave it lying dormant, hoping it will go away. We must diligently remove it. We must repent of it and ask God to remove it entirely from our life.
Some people have bitterness toward other people. Some have bitterness toward a hard season they walked through. Some have bitterness toward themselves. Some even have bitterness toward God and His Word. Whatever the reason for the bitterness, it must be dealt with. It must be pulled up by the roots and removed entirely.
Another thing God showed me is this; bitterness, just like the weeds, poison the soil.
The soil of our heart is where everything grows. The Bible says out of it (the heart) flow the issues of LIFE. Therefore, it is vital we keep the soil of our heart clean and clear from all contaminates. If we allow bitterness to remain in our heart it will poison everything else. It will poison our thoughts, our words, and our actions.
Can you imagine everything that comes out of your heart, where LIFE flows from, being poisoned or contaminated with bitterness? That’s exactly what happens. If you allow bitterness to remain, you will see all things through a lens of bitterness. It will affect every area of your life. It will taint everything that flows from you. Everything that grows from you. Friends, we can’t allow bitterness to remain. Today, lets purpose in our heart to pull up and REMOVE all roots of bitterness. Let it go. Holding onto it is not worth the price. Let it go.
