Dont Cultivate Bitter Roots

By using the image of a root, the writer of Hebrews taught us a number of practical truths about bitterness in the human heart.

For one thing, a root has to be planted.

How does this bitterness get planted in the heart?

Usually its by getting hurt by something somebody has said or done and then holding a grudge against that person.
It could happen in a church committee meeting or in private conversation.

The culprit probably doesn't even know the he or she has hurt someone. Instead of facing the matter openly and honestly, we bury it in our hearts and a root of bitterness starts to grow.

But roots will not grow unless they are cultivated.

If you and I would honestly confess our hurt and our sin to the Lord, he would help us pull up the root.

This would save us a great deal of pain.

The trouble is, we enjoy feeding our egos and cultivating the bitterness down inside. Outwardly, we maintain pious behavior, but inwardly, we are full of bitter poison.

Hidden sins do not stay hidden very long. A day and an hour comes when that root of bitterness springs up in bitter words or actions, and then everybody discovers what only God had known, has been festering inside of you.

 Poison that has been brewing in the heart for weeks, or perhaps years, suddenly erupts and infects everyone around us.

A root of bitterness causes trouble and defilement, according to the Scriptures, it never makes the bitter person better, nor does it improve the people in the home, the workplace, or the church. In fact, the root of bitterness troubles and defiles long before it is recognized openly. It is impossible for bitter believers not to have that hidden bitterness affect their prayer life, their witnessing, fellowshiping, and serving. Because they are troubled and defiled, they trouble and defile everything and everyone that they come into contact with, yet, all the while maintaining a fraudulent spirituality.

A root of bitterness must be dealt with drastically.

It must be exposed and pulled up. The ax must be laid to the root of the tree. It does no good just to break off the sick branches or pluck off the dead leaves, the life of the problem is in the roots, they must be destroyed or they will once again grow and yield sour fruit.

If you have ever had to dig up a tree root that need to go, then you will know what a difficult task it can become.
This kind of spiritual surgery is never easy, but it is necessary.

Of course the best approach would be to keep the root from ever taking hold in the first place this takes effort, which explains why the writer used exhortations such as "follow peace" and "looking diligently" (Hebrews 12: 14, 15).
Just as the gardener must hate weeds and pull them up, so the believer must hate roots of bitterness and pull them up as well.

And keep this in mind: It is easier to pull them up when they are small. The longer we wait the deeper they grow and the more bitter the poison gets.

Three words tell us how to keep the roots of bitterness out of the soil of the heart: "peace," "holiness," and "grace." If we are following peace with all men, we will obey our Lord instructions in Matthew 18:15-20, and we will not permit hurt feelings to break our fellowship with our brothers and sisters.

If we are cultivating holiness of life, the atmosphere will simply not permit roots of bitterness to thrive.
All of this we do by the grace of God.

By nature we want to defend ourselves and get whatever good we think we deserve (and perhaps to make sure others get the evil that we imagine that they deserve). But the grace of God changes the direction of those desires.

It is a foolish waste of time and energy cultivating roots of bitterness when we could be cultivating the fruit of the Spirit.

It is next to impossible for bitter roots to grow successfully where love, joy, and peace are flourishing. Bitterness will be crowded out by the depth of the Spirits mercy. 
And then the harvest of the Spirit would be revealed in a much more enjoyable and beautiful life than one that is consumed by an ugly root of bitterness.
The grace of God never fails, but we might fail to appropriate the grace of God if we refuse to heed this warning.
Perhaps the time has come for some of us to examine the soil of our hearts, and the things that are growing therein.