To Avoid Bitterness You Need to Live Unoffended at the Father

The second key to avoiding bitterness as you hope at the end of the rope is living unoffended at the Father.

We can so easily become offended at God.

Many times we stand before God with a broken dream, unfulfilled vision or loss of a promise
and it feels just like the plant we tended so carefully has just gone dry and withered.

It has.

But don’t let the seed go to waste. Until a seed is dead, no life can come from it. Once it dies, it can be planted in good soil, watered well, and given the right amount of sun and life will spring from the dirt.

The good soil, water and sun is much like us choosing to live life un-offended at God.

I know you’ve been taught “Who is the pot to say to the potter…”. For some of you, you can’t conceive of ever thinking you could even complain about God, let alone be openly offended by Him. But do your actions betray you?

How easily can you spend time in silence before Him?

How readily do you go to His words of life?

How often do you ask Him for good things?

We have a good Father who loves giving good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13). When we’re standoff-ish it could show we’re living offended at Him.

Another sign that I pick up on in myself is how easily I’m offended at other people.

Normally, it takes a lot for me to not bless those who curse me. Sure, it might be sarcastic, or done just too get a rise out of them. Much of what happens is water off a duck’s back. But everyone once-in-a-while, I find I take offense at other’s actions or inaction. I notice it when I start to sarcastically bless those who curse me.

God’s shown me that when I take offense at others, I’m actually living offended at Him.

I’ll show you how to live unoffended at the Father in the next post.