47 Days of Justice 2024 - Day 39: Don’t allow injustice to make you bitter.

“And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭40:14-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I was a little girl I knew a once-beautiful young woman who was confined to a wheelchair. The story goes that she was not always this way.

Years before my family knew her, she had experienced a very traumatic heartbreak, being rejected by the love of her life. Even still she would talk with great sorrow about the incident. And, it seems that the symptoms leading to the wheelchair confinement, began at that time of great sorrow. It appeared that the bitterness in her soul had become manifested in her body.

Now, can we say that all people comfined to a wheelchair, or suffering from some sort of malady, are victims of bitterness or some other psychological/spiritual/emotional dynamic? Of course not, that’s not our call to make. After all, we are not “Job’s comforters.”

The point we must appreciate is that something like a great heartbreak, a great loss, any traumatic event, can lead to bitterness. And make no mistake, bitterness will suck the very life out of you, leaving you empty of anything but the bitterness.

It’s no wonder that the Bible issues several warnings against having bitterness. As Paul instructed the Ephesians, bitterness—along with other “negative” emotions—can cause a person to grieve the Holy Spirit.

“And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:30-32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When Simon the sorcerer offered to pay to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter noted that bitterness had poisoned him.

“Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8:22-23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yes, bitterness—though possibly precipitating from the actions of others, or from our experience—is a self-administered poison. And just as you might expect from poison, it causes great harm, if not death.

Today, we re-examine a portion of the scripture from yesterday, looking at something Joseph said to the king’s cupbearer, or rather, something he did not say.

Notice, in asking for the cupbearer to remember him to the king when he becomes reinstated, Joseph does not mention what his brothers did to him, rather, he speaks generally about the fact that he is not guilty of anything.

Wow! Imagine that! Your own brothers sell you out; yet you do not bring an accusation against them. Why didn’t he? Had he forgotten what they did to him?

Of course, Joseph had not forgotten exactly how he got where he was. Apparently, he wasn’t focusing on how or why he was where he was. He was not only making lemons into lemonade, he is making lemon chiffon pie! He is prospering in every pit into which he is thrown. In fact, we see no evidence of Joseph being bitter towards his brothers or towards his life in general. After all, the Lord is with him! And perhaps the Lord means all this for some greater purpose.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#resolveforhim #47DaysOfJustice