Day 37 - Selah

I ran five miles this morning. If any of you know me well, pick your jaw up off of the floor...I'm telling the truth. I promise.

While I was running, I was listening to a lecture on spiritual warfare by Mark Driscoll and I really had my "Selah" for the day. I reflected, learned, paused, rested (I know, while RUNNING even), and drew closer to God through learning about His character.

One of the things that stuck out to me was about bitterness. As Pastor Driscoll was talking about the various forms of demonic activity, he hung out on bitterness for awhile, and I was convicted to search my own heart for any stored up bitterness that the enemy could use as a foothold in my life.

Here's a quote from Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India, from her poem, "If":

"If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted."

Have you ever had someone bitter at you for something? It can be something that you did to them or even something that they perceived you to have done, but actually didn't do. Has someone let an impatient, unloving word out in response to you? Have YOU ever let an impatient, unloving word come out towards someone else in bitterness?

If you have sweet water in your cup, then when it's "bumped" by someone, only sweet water will be able to spill out. But if your cup is ALREADY full of bitter water, when it's bumped, only bitter water can come out.

What I'm trying to say is that we have no excuse as followers of Christ to let bitterness flow from our cup. It won't spill out if we haven't been allowing it to sit and fester in our rotten cup. Look, people are going to bother you. I will probably get on your nerves. You may bump into me or rub me the wrong way. Hard to believe, right?

I've been trying to get my cup cleaned today so that I can replace the bitter junk with the sweet water of forgiveness and Christ's love.

What about yours?

Trevor