Pastor Mary Haley

Happy New Year! Can you believe today is the beginning of a new year? Really, it’s the perfect time to reflect and decide how we want to live each day. Time is a precious gift from God. It’s not money, but it is valuable. We are given time and we exchange it for the activities we choose. With time, we decide were we will invest ourselves in order to produce what we desire most, because God gives us the power to use time. Therefore, we must remember to choose wisely, because time cannot be recovered.

It is important for us to desire and pray to understand and use time from God’s perspective, because he knows what truly matters and what influences eternity. He has placed eternity in our hearts. God’s priorities can be very different than ours, so this year we should pray for the wisdom and will to stop procrastinating on the things that we know we should do and start living with godly meaning and joy.

In our passage today, Solomon begins by contrasting the time of birth and death, to remind us how to actually live in the in-between time. Birth and beyond is because of grace and God’s sovereign care of us. Death is already planned for each one of us; God alone knows that time. So, everything about us is in God’s hands. God is involved in every season of time. Verses 1-10 shares time from a human perspective and shifts to God’s perspective in verse 11.

This year, let’s pray and ask to gain glimpses from God’s holy perspective. From this time with the Lord, we can set new priorities, new goals, and plan how we are going to use our time. Blessings for your New Year with God as you enjoy the journey in Christ!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 NLT A Time for Everything
1
For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Prayer: Lord, we trust you; you are our God. Our times are in your hands. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“A toast…to my big brother, George. The richest man in town!”
—Harry Bailey

This Christmas continues to bring back fond memories. I am from a very small town in Michigan and I lived there twenty years before moving to Florida. For the most part everyone knew their neighbors in Clio; most of them generational friends. It was a friendly town; a place where people helped one another. When my parents walked through town to shop, it took awhile because they briefly stopped to talk to others and catch up on life. Essentially, my whole family lived in Clio [relatives on my father’s and mother’s side]; therefore, all our holiday gatherings were filled with large numbers of family members and friends stopping in and spending time. Quite frankly, some of the streets and store fronts from the fictional town of Bedford Falls make me think of Clio as I was growing up.

Today, is our final lesson from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It is Christmas Eve and people have gathered to help George and celebrate the true power of friendship and how it helps us be victorious in life. Harry, George’s brother has flown through a snowstorm in order to arrive and help his brother. When he arrives, Harry raises a glass, looks at his brother and says, “a toast…to my big brother George. The richest man in town!” George Bailey is not a man with gobs of money. However, he is a rich man because he values people, treats them with love, and has, in return, learned to receive the fruit of eternal Love (Gal 5:22-23). Sharing God’s love and goodness is meant to be reciprocal—like a never ending circle of Spirit-filled Life! God has freely given his love, mercy, and grace to us and we should freely turn to pass it on to others (Mat 10:8).
Today is Christmas Day and I pray for you to enjoy more of God’s love found in the Gift of Jesus the Christ! If we receive more of Christ’s nature—make room in our hearts—we will be more like him in how he loves. Jesus values his creation and treats people with divine mercy, love, and kindness. Jesus tells his disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command (John 15:14). What does he command us to do? To remain in his love and to love one another (John 15:9).

The miracle of Christmas is the unfathomable, unending, unfailing, and immeasurable love of God for us. Jesus is God and he reveals his love for us as our Creator, Savior, Redeemer, Sustainer, Provider, Healer, Lord, Lover, Friend, and so much more. In God’s love [Gk. agape] we are no longer spiritually bankrupt…instead we are rich in Love! Run to life with God, because it really is a wonderful life!

OT Reading: Proverbs 17:17 CEV “A friend is there to help, in any situation, and relatives are born to share our troubles.”

NT Reading: John 15:13 “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Promise: Psalm 145:8 NIV “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.”

Prayer: Lord, today we celebrate the gift of your birth knowing this was your way to set abundant life before us. Thank you for the many ways you save us as you live in our hearts and work to transform our souls into your image. Teach us to walk in humility and love generously, because only then do we truly embody you. Out of the richness of your grace, you have offered us a rich and wonderful life. We welcome you Lord, Jesus, and bow in humble service to your love. In Jesus’ name.

NOTE: I have enjoyed sharing these advent devotionals with you. God used a tiny book called, “52 Little Lessons from It’s a Wonderful Life” written by Bob Welch to inspire me, help me think about the different characters, ponder quotes from the movie, take me on a journey to see the movie in a whole new Light in my own heart, and write about them based on Old and New Testament Scripture. I pray you enjoyed them. I will be taking a break from devotions until the beginning of January, but urge you to spend time in God’s Word. Let’s enjoy the blessing of God’s love as we seek to love others! Merry Christmas!

“Daddy, won’t you fix my flower?”

—Zuzu to her father, George

Small children just thrill my soul as I watch them learn about themselves and the world around them.  When my granddaughter, Amana, was born, it had been thirty-five years since I had consistently and frequently been around an infant.  She is now three years old and each week I watch her take in the world.  She has a simple faith in God and it touches my heart.  

When the inside of our house was severely damaged by hurricane Helene, Amana came with her parents to see it.  Amana looked around at the damage [everything including her toys and bed destroyed] and said, “Mimi, we need to pray!”  So, she stood outside the house, closed her eyes, and prayed, “Jesus please fix Mimi and Papa’s house, because it has a very big booboo!”  She opened her eyes and looked at me, “Mimi,” she said, “Jesus is going to fix your house!”  And, from that sweet childlike prayer, it wasn’t long and divine connections were made to begin repairs. 

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” it is Christmas Eve and we find a very distraught George Bailey. Nothing in his realm of experience is going right.  George is angry and frightened about Mr. Potter’s threats to arrest him [lacking $8000 and facing potential bankruptcy] and when he returns home, everyone in the family gets a taste of the distress inside him.  

He runs up the stairs and finds his small daughter, Zuzu, sick in bed.  When Zuzu sees her father, she sits up to show him the flower she won at school; a flower that is wilting quickly.  “Daddy, won’t you fix my flower?”  George’s whole life is falling apart, but what does he do?  He pretends to fix the flower by secretly taking off the wilted petals and tucking them in his pocket. The flower looks refreshed. Then, George returns the flower to a glass a water. For a brief moment, George forgets his problems and looks to love his daughter who places her hope in her father to make things better.

Life brings many experiences; some very pleasant and some very challenging.  Yet, we must be able to sort through it all to find what God says is most important…hearts, because the soul is eternal.  God is always concerned most about the hearts of his children. Life reveals what we truly believe, where we place our trust, and to whom we go to for help.  Our heavenly Father sacrificially loves us and cares about our well-being and ‘all’ of our needs. There is nothing touching our lives that is out of God’s control to redeem, repair, or resurrect.

On this Christmas Eve, please remember your greatest Gift is a Savior who wants to touch your life with his goodness and glory.  Only the Lord can fix our brokenness, as human beings, and guide us through the challenges as we place our trust in him. Jesus is the Waymaker into wholeness of the soul. He brings a brand new perspective within us and soon life begins to change.  May we all, like humble children, pray for his help, believe in his promises, and follow his lead forward into the Good News of great JOY ahead!

OT Reading: Jeremiah 32:27 NLT “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?”

NT Reading:  Luke 1:37 AMP “For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.”

Promise:  “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28).

Prayer:  Lord, we know your Word never fails and everything we face is just another opportunity to see you bring wholeness out of the brokenness of our hearts and this world. We believe nothing is impossible to you and humbly choose to bow before the Savior of the world to receive the mercy and grace you long to bestow upon us.  We give you our frustrations, our anger, our discontent, and our worries, today, because you have promised to bring your goodness into our lives! In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

NOTE:  We are gathering at Connect2Christ Church this evening at 6:30PM for a Communion and Candlelight service.  I would be blessed to have you join us as we celebrate our Savior—the Christ! 

“And did you put the envelop in your pocket?” —George
“Yeah…yeah…maybe…maybe.” —Uncle Billy

In general, busyness [having too much to do] tends to be a part of life that requires some boundaries. During the holidays, busyness can feel somewhat overwhelming and difficult to carve out time to be fully present for the people we love. We may be trying to stay focused on cleaning, decorating, organizing, purchasing, baking, sending cards, and invitations, etc. We can get so much going, we focus on what is pressing and ‘forget’ to be responsible for attending to those things that are really important.

The biblical definition for ‘forgetting’ aligns with the word “forsake’ or ‘cease to keep in mind.’ God never forgets, but as humans we do. I have told people before, “There’s just so much room in this brain of mine for information and when it is overloaded I can easily forget even something important to me.” Then, there is this thing about getting “older” for which I choose not to focus upon, so we shall keep moving! lol!

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” we reflect upon poor Uncle Billy and how he struggled trying to remember certain things. He would tie a string around his finger and then forget what the string represented. His heart was sweet, but distraction got the best of him. We saw it clearly when he forgot what happened to the eight thousand dollars he was going to deposit. I’ll refresh your memory!lol!

Billy was taking care of business—at the bank depositing money for Bailey Building and Loan Company—and when he saw Mr. Potter the busyness of boasting about Harry receiving the metal of honor distracted Billy from actually making the transaction. Billy forgot he put the money in a rolled up newspaper and left it on Potter’s lap as he went joyfully out the door. A humbling followed on the heels of that boast.

It is great when we can remember everything, but forgetting things from time to time is a universal human condition. There are many factors that contribute to forgetting: stress, multitasking, lack of sleep, aging, etc. When I was in seminary, I juggled way too many things and although I have a good memory, I was stressed thinking I would forget something important. Then, one day I read in Scripture where it is the work of the Spirit to help us remember what is most important—our time with God because he cares about every area of our lives.

So, I would like to remind you to spend time with the Lord, read a passage in Scripture or a devotion, and share with him through prayer the schedule and demands of your day. Then, ask God to help you keep your day in mind and manage it with a healthy balance and a victorious outcome.

OT Reading: Deuteronomy 4:31 NLT “For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.”

NT Reading: John 14:26 NLT “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping us remember the things that are most important and help us to set the proper boundaries that set us up for success. Sometimes, we just try to do too much and it gets us into trouble. Therefore, we are going to make time for the things that are most important beginning with you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“How much do you want?”
—Mary Bailey offers a roll of money to desperate Building and Loan customers.

I cannot even imagine how desperate we might feel if we had no hope for tomorrow and no Savior to walk with us into it. Today, may be filled with challenges, but we have grace and the riches of Christ to manage. For those who do not know Christ, desperation is a real thing and we see it repeatedly in the world through irrational mental decisions and reckless foolish behaviors. In these moments, grace-filled believers can be a voice of victory and a calming peace in the world. Let your trust in God be heard through your voice!

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” there is a run on the bank and people are panicking. In the midst of the chaos, George seeks to be a calming influence; a voice of reason to hang onto hope and work together. The people don’t know where to turn to find security. Many of the people turn to Mr. Potter who is there to rob them of what is rightfully theirs. Mr. Potter is not panicking, because he has everything to gain from the desperate actions of others.

George seeks to open the eyes of his friends to the truth, but he is struggling to sway them from self-slaughtering. Desperation is screaming in their ears to run toward foolishness. That is when Mary comes forward with two thousand dollars of wedding money and a creative yet temporary solution to the problem.

Desperation can be like a double-edge sword. It can work to destroy hope, self-worth, and bring forward unrighteous thinking, or it can bring value to our sometimes complacent lives—provide a profound change in our spiritual connection with God. Spiritual breakthroughs happen many times when facing desperation with God’s help. Things like ego bow in humble surrender. When we seek God’s creative solutions to our desperate times, we can walk in the wisdom and grace of God. When it comes to grace, I believe God asks us, “How much do you want?”

OT Scripture: Psalm 34:6-7 NLT “In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.”

NT Scripture: Romans 15:13 NLT  “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Prayer: Lord, we are spiritually desperate without you. Thank you for the blessing of knowing the Truth and being able to humbly bow to receive divine help and grace because we always need it. In Jesus’ name.

“Nice girl, Mary…[the] kind who will help you find the answers, George.”
—George’s mother

It’s truly wonderful to be around people who bring the best out in us. Years ago, I remember being a part of an adult Bible Study and we were talking about this very topic. As we concluded, I said, “I love being around people who help me be a genuine daughter of the Most High, but I can still find myself around people who have the ability to pull something very unattractive out of me!” We laughed, because we all knew it was a universal truth for believers. Yet, wow, to be around people who want the best for us, see the best in us, and nudge us in a godly direction is such a gift!

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the character of George’s mother has been hard to pinpoint. She says very little, but we gain the understanding that she knows her sons, George and Harry, and in return they impishly love her. It is not until Harry and Ruth’s wedding celebration, we see how much George is loved by his mother. She sees the best and is willing to lovingly motivate him to go after what he really wants…Mary Hatch.

Because of George’s values, he steps back from pursing Mary due to the understanding that his friend, Sam, is interested in her. Mrs. Bailey cares nothing about that perceived connection, because what she actually sees is Mary’s interest in George. Mothers notice how people treat their kids [even grown ones] and many times can identify motives, intentions, and good outcomes. So, after a brief Bailey mother and son conversation, a seed has been planted that Mary Hatch would be a very good wife for George—someone who would help George better understand his life, who would run with him as a partner in life, and who would bring out the best in him.

Jesus always seeks to bring out the best in us. So being around people who have made Jesus Lord of their lives, will for the most part bring positive words and action to our lives. The more we embrace the character of Jesus, the more we go around planting seeds that help others in our sphere of influence become their best self and most times vice verse.

God created us for the mutuality of trust and wisdom which can be found in godly relationships, because Jesus has been made Wisdom for us. Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of the true King. Christ has been born in your life, so take up the charge to grow in him by the grace he provides, live for our King as you seek his righteous kingdom of love, and help others become their best self in God’s hands.

OT Reading: Proverbs 31:10-12 NLT “Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life . She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

NT Reading: 1 John 3:18  “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”

Prayer: Lord, you have the perfect reputation of always wanting the best for us as your sons and daughters. Nothing is impossible for you, so you find ways to groom us in your image from within and by placing godly people around us who bring out the best in us. Thank you, Lord, for those people who know us, love us, and motivate us forward to become a masterpiece in the hand of the Master. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“George saved his brother’s life that day.  But he caught a bad cold which infected his left ear.  Cost him his hearing in that ear.”

—Joseph, the angel

In our quest for life, human beings seek to attain what we value or bring life genuine meaning. It’s a journey of self-discovery and it comes with joy, as well as adversity. We are learning to be led by the Spirit into the Truth of who God is and in turn his plan for his children.   In order to fulfill what we were created to be and do—in the hands of God—we must persevere through both easy and challenging times.  Life presents so many opportunities, and we must decide what will have our focused attention and effort.  We will primarily seek to cultivate things like riches, relationships, or even recreation; making one our greatest priority.   We can have an abundant life, because Jesus died to give it, but we must decide what is most important, because there are limits to our time, energy, money, etc.

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” we reflect back on George’s early life and we clearly see he values relationships and he will sacrifice for them. He gave up travel and other things to focus on reinforcing relationships and helping others around him.  George gave up other areas he thought might bring meaning to his life, because relationships were what he valued most.  Therefore, if he had to choose between two good things, he always defaulted to prosper the people in his relationships knowing he would also prosper.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares with those listening that the world’s temporal goods are fleeting, so it is unwise to be tied to the world.  Essentially, Jesus was teaching about priorities and the need to make a connection with our time, talents, energy, and our desires for our lives.  How we spend our time and energy, reveals what we care about most.  

Bottom line, some things take us closer to God and some things take us further away.  We need to direct our attention first to God and then gain a vision for how we can fulfill his plan. Jesus must be our First Love.  Yet, our human inclination many times is to do what we want and then ask God to bless it.  It does’t work that way in God’s economy.  So draw near to God, love and honor him, and he will guide you along your path.

OT Reading:  Deuteronomy 6:5 NLT  “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”

NT Reading:  Matthew 19-21 NLT  “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for challenging us to examine our priorities.  You must be First in our lives; we know this is the Truth, because everything flows from your throne of grace.  And, teach us to treasure our relationships with others, because they, too, are eternal. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

“Why don’t you go to the riff-raff…and ask them to let you have eight thousand dollars?”

—Mr. Potter, to George after money goes ‘missing’

God carefully positions around his children a small core group of people [Spirit-led family] who have their backs when life happens.   The enemy comes to destroy the glory within through painful circumstances; his purpose is to break the soul; mind, will, and emotions (John 10:10).  However, Jesus comes as the conquering hero to fill us inside and bring upon the scene his servants who understand the power of godly love (1 Cor. 13:4-7). These folks are there to stand with us, pray with us, move in God’s direction of healing, and lend resources to help us. They are like resurrecting angels, because in God’s hands they work to bring beauty out of ashes—replacing that which seeks to devastate with the goodness of God (Isa. 61:3).   The Lord has always and will always have the last word over the lives of his children.  It’s a promise!  So, look for the beauty in the Body.

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” it is Christmas Eve and George is in real trouble. We’ve looked at this scene in the movie from several angels now.  George has lived in the background helping others right along, but now he is the one who needs help.  Potter won’t give George a loan to pay off the eight thousand dollar debt he owes, and Potter ridicules George’s heart [where the glory of God abides] by telling him to go to the “riff-raff” he has vigilantly fought to defend and see what they will do for him.  Interestingly, Potter’s words become a reality; but take just a bit of a detour.  George does not ask for anything, but his family and friends carrying godly love get the word out about George’s need and all of a sudden there is a surplus of money and inexpressible JOY!

While Potter has been busy selfishly using people, George has been busy, in the background, faithfully serving them.  People usually take notice of those who love, honor, and affirm their value through practical and encouraging help. Many people in Bedford Falls quickly remembered what George had done for them.  Momentarily, when George was feeling like a martyr, God revealed the truth about godly Love.

When we pour ourselves out for others, it can be draining to the soul while at the same time filling our spirits with joy. For some reason, when we deny ourselves we experience the realm and power of eternal life in the joy of our salvation. It’s all a mystery surrounding our glorious Lord, but for those of us who live in Christ’s love…we know it is the Truth.

If Jesus sends you to be the help for others, then go and be a blessing because you will receive back more than you could ever give.  If Jesus brings people to be your help, then graciously receive because God is wanting to connect with you in some way.  Maybe it is God’s way of rewarding your obedience in the past, or maybe it is an invitation to trust him and his love more each day with your life.  Either way, you are victorious in Christ!

OT Reading:  Isaiah 41:10 NLT  “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

NT Reading: 1 John 4:16 NLT “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for the work of your godly love to bring us into a place of generosity and well-being.  You are Jehovah Jireh—the Lord will Provide—and you do that while blessing everyone involved.  Holy Spirit, help us continue to be obedient to your leading as we live each day.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

“In my book he died a much richer man than you’ll ever be!”

—George Bailey to Mr. Potter about his father, Peter Bailey

Honor involves recognizing the glory [Heb. kavod—weightiness, worth] of God, as well as ascribing that honor to those made in his image.  When we inwardly honor God and others, it leads to outward righteous words and actions. Therefore, things like respect, obedience, integrity, reflecting value, and a desire for God’s will all flow into place through our actions.  God calls us, as his sons and daughters, to reflect his character with honor according to the Truth of his nature.

It is not difficult to witness the lack of honor present in our world.  Things like moral and ethical excellence, honesty, fairness, and trustworthiness take personal sacrifice.  We must deny self to act at this level of honor and we will be called, by the Lord, to reflect it when those around us refuse to do so.  Honor always involves choosing to care for others, even when they do not demonstrate honor toward us.  Although it is hard to understand, this is where we experience true spiritual victory.

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey is in Mr. Potter’s office and he has just been offered a very very lucrative job in Potter’s business firm.  It is so tempting for George, because he is tired of the struggle.  Yet, George’s father stood resilient in honor and no money is worth a lack of self-respect.  So, as attractive as the offer was, as George sat smoking a cigar and dreaming about the life he thought he always wanted, he chose to declined the job.  Potter realized in that moment George could not be bought, because the righteous ideal of honor had already been planted and growing in George’s life.

Think about a fish vigorously swimming against the current to get upstream, when a multitude of fish are simply floating with the current downstream.  Honor takes determination and great effort; something those who do not know God may label as foolish.  Choose honor, anyway, because God has not called us to fit into the world.  You carry within you the ideals of the Father.  Jesus did…now we do!  So let’s swim…

OT Reading:  1 Chronicles 29:12 NLT  “Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.”

NT Reading:  Romans 12:10 NLT “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”

Prayer:  Lord, we thank you for the insight from this lesson and we commit to honoring you and others, today.  Honor involves your grace and glory which is something the world cannot give.  Help us sacrifice self when we need to choose between honor and dishonor.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

“Frustrated and sick.”

—Peter Bailey’s description of Mr. Potter

Frustration can find its way into human emotion and out through our actions all too easily.  When we cannot fix something, are prevented from bringing a solution to a problem, or hindered by another person from accomplishing a goal, it can frustrate us and leave us feeling negative.  When extended feelings of frustration are allowed to find a home in our souls, the next step can be bitterness—unresolved long term anger and unforgivness.  The Bible refers to bitterness as spiritual poison, because it seeks to devour the soul, twists genuine faith, and damage relationships.  Bitterness can cause a person to self-slaughter.  So, we must run from it.

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George’s father, Peter, tries to explain the character and disposition of Mr. Potter.  Peter sees Potter as “frustrated and sick.  Sick in his mind, sick in his soul.”  Mr. Potter is enslaved to the bitterness within him and he blames everyone else for his misery.  Maybe it’s why he tries to accrue more and more; a way to satisfy his frustration.

Most of us can confess we have run across a few long-term bitter people.  They are angry, resentful, cynical, filled with past hurts or perceived injustices, and always a victim.  A bitter person struggles to find any sense of joy in life.  I am so grateful Jesus came to deliver people from bitterness through forgiveness, love, and grace.  We certainly cannot fix a bitter soul; only medicate one.

The transforming work of the Spirit brings the power for us to forgive those who have wronged us, love those who are unloving to us, and pray for them all to know Jesus.  We do not have to live in bitterness, because the Spirit liberates us when we follow Christ’s example.  When you are feeling frustrated, please stop and pray.  Give what is bothering you to the Lord and leave it with him.  Then, you can walk and even run in the opposite direction from bitterness.

1 Samuel 30:6 NLT  “David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT   “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.”

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit to teach us how to deal with deep frustration or bitterness.  Help us to embrace humility and forgive those who have wronged us or treated us unjustly.  We do not want to hold onto anything that would plant a seed of bitterness in our souls.  Fill us with the light of Truth and we will shine with joy unspeakable and full of glory.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.