Roots

Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Many roots can grow up within us...envy, bitterness, judgement, anger, cynicism, fear... Some roots we notice; some we don't; some become obvious to others, but in our own eyes remain hidden behind pride in it's various forms.

Isn't it amazing that even Jesus deflects someone calling him "good", but instead reminds us that only His Father is good? How, then, can I ever pretend that I am any good? Rather, the only good in me is from Him- His imputed righteousness that He has offered to EACH of us.

Mark 10:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

There is hurt and harm and evil all around. It's easy to think the evil is coming from "out there"; to blame others and externalize it. But I must remember that the Lord is working ALL things together, for our good and His glory... even the actions of the hypocrites.

Isaiah 29:13 And so the Lord says,

    “These people say they are mine.

They honor me with their lips,

    but their hearts are far from me.

And their worship of me

    is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

14 Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites

    with amazing wonders.

The wisdom of the wise will pass away,

    and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”

We cannot control others, but God gives us a choice for our response and our reactions. Is there a time to stand and fight and rebuke-absolutely-but as Jesus exemplified-it must be according to what God wants and His timing. Otherwise, it is falling on deaf ears and could be growing up a root of bitterness inside of us that is spreading to defile many.

Isaiah 53 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.  Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Evil may work through any avenue at various times...Our responsibility is to not let evil work though us and grow in us. The solution is the grace of God. When we remember OUR NEED for it and RECEIVE it, then we can give grace to others, loving them, forgiving them; being around them IF it's the Lord's will, but clearing our hearts of any roots that are not of Him.