Ephesians 4:31-32 ‘Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’
DAILY READING; 1 Timothy 2; Isaiah 34-35; Psalm 119:65-96.
After serving two terms, America’s first president, George Washington, declined to serve a third term. This then led to America’s first presidential race in 1796. It was contested by John Adams of the Federalist Party and Thomas Jefferson of the Republican Party.
Though John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had been good friends and part of America’s founding fathers, their campaign quickly descended into bitter rivalry and mudslinging between their supporters.
After all the insults and rancor, at the end of the election on November 4, 1796, Adams defeated Jefferson by three electoral votes and gained an electoral majority by just one vote.
The result was that while John Adams emerged as America’s second president, Thomas Jefferson, became the Vice president.
At the end of Adam’s term, Thomas Jefferson succeeded in becoming the third American president. However, his bitter rivalry with John Adams continued throughout their political careers.
These two men spent most of their lives hating each other, but eventually during the last few years of their lives, they reconciled. Interestingly they both died on the same day on July 4, 1826. Exactly on the very same day, 50 years earlier that two of them signed the American independence declaration.
Certainly, we cannot allow bitterness and anger to take up valuable time, energy and space in our lives.
Everyone has felt offended at sometimes. However, how we handle negative emotions will determine whether we go through life with an attitude of victory or an attitude of defeat.
Somebody may have hurt you once, but don’t let them continue to hurt you by holding on to the offense and carrying around the grudges.
Being offended at people is not harming them, rather it’s harming you. It’s taking up space for the good things that God intended to place in your life to move you forward in destiny.
God created you to be filled with joy, peace and love. Our thoughts are to be filled with whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report and praise. [Philippians 4:8].
Living with bitterness, self-pity, anger and resentment will only poison your heart and shorten your lifespan..
The Scripture says offenses will come but we shouldn’t make the mistake of holding on to them. Don’t go through life looking in the rearview mirror, rather learn to let go of the past and move on.
You cannot undo the past, but you can do something about the present and future.
If you feel someone else got something that should have been yours, or they moved ahead of you in life, do not envy them. Your seasons of harvest may not be the same. Therefore, trust in God’s timing for your life. In your due season you will not be denied. While you are faithfully and continually serving God, He is preparing a table before you, and in His own time, He will cause your cup to run over.
Therefore, determine today, to keep your focus on the pursuit of God’s divine purpose for your life and refuse to be distracted or derailed by offences. And if perhaps, in some way, the enemy has stolen your joy and peace, it is time to pursue, overtake and recover them all.
As you daily fill your heart with God’s Word, unspeakable joy will continually overflow your life. And surely the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind.
PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for the grace to pursue and recover every good thing that I may have lost through unguarded emotions. Please enable me to continually sow Your Word into my heart so that I can reap a rich harvest of Your joy, peace and blessings in Jesus Name.
QUOTE:
You will never need more than God to experience the impossible in life. WORDBITE 222.