Vicky, her sister, their Mother, and I just got back from a week of traveling in central California. Didn't get through the first day without falling to my biggest weakness (sin)--anger and bitterness. Over what? Getting on the wrong road due to none of us having ever been in this area, and wrong directions given to the directionally challenged driver.

As our community group is returning to Paul's letter to the Ephesians, Chapter 4, vv. 30-32 jump out and grab me once again.

"30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Sharing some from our study guide by Warren Wiersbe.

"These verses warn us against several sins of the attitude and amplify what Paul wrote about anger. Bitterness refers to a settled hostility that poisons the whole inner man. Somebody does something we do not like, so we harbor ill will against him (or her). Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them' (Col. 3:19). Bitterness leads to wrath, which is the explosion on the outside of the feelings on the inside.......

Paul gave us three reasons why we must avoid bitterness. First, it grieves the Holy Spirit. He lives within the Christian, and when the heart if filled with bitterness and anger, the Spirit grieves. Second, our sin grieves God the Son, who died for us. Third, it grieves God the Father, who forgave us when we trusted Christ. Here Paul put his finger on the basic cause of a bitter attitude: We cannot forgive people. An unforgiving spirit is the Devil's playground, and before long it becomes the Christian's battleground. If somebody hurts us, either deliberately or unintentionally, and we do not forgive him/her, then we begin to develop bitterness within, which hardens the heart. We should be tenderhearted and kind, but instead we are hardhearted and bitter. Actually, we are not hurting the person who hurt us; we are only hurting ourselves. Bitterness in the heart makes us treat others the way Satan treats them, when we should treat others the ways God has treated us. Ih His gracious kindness, God has forgiven us and we should forgive others. We do not forgive for our sake (thought we do get a blessing from it) or even for their sake, but Jesus' sake. Learning how to forgive and forget is one of the secrets of a happy Christian life."

Father, forgive me for being bitter, not only to my lovely wife, but also to others to whomI feel have wronged me in any way. Teach me to love and forgive as God in Christ forgave me.

Randy Smith