E52 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - Ruth - Part 2

Hope’s Harbor

Gritty Bible Devotions

Episode #52

Title: The Love Story of Ruth – the bitterness – 2 of

Date: May 2, 2022

Contact: info@hopesharbor.net

Key verse(s): Ruth 1:20 – ‘But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”’

Naomi means pleasant – Mara means bitter – so Naomi, instead of being thankful for safe travels back to her hometown, is bitter.

I’m not finding fault with her. I get this -

Intro: Bitterness, who hasn’t felt it? But what is bitterness exactly and what is the danger in going around bitter long term?

Listen to this ministry’s definition: “Each incident of bitterness begins with hurt. Whether someone deliberately or unintentionally hurt you, the wound can run deep. If you deny it and don’t process it with forgiveness, the hurt you experience can turn into bitterness.

“Bitterness saps your joy. It can steal away the goodness from your life. It paints a blue sky black and holds you in bondage. Bitterness hurts you far more than the person who originally hurt you. It can destroy your peace.”

That’s taken from: https://tacomachristiancounseling.com/articles/bible-verses-for-fighting-bitterness

Devotion focus: Bitter events happen to us all. What we do with bitterness is up to us.

So Naomi is bitter because of the pain she’s carrying from the loss of first, her husband, then the loss of her sons. And she lost a daughter-in-law also.

Bitterness can come over us as a result of pain caused by circumstances or another person, whether they intended harm or not.

But listen, there’s no indication Ruth was ever bitter. And she too lost a husband and left her country, her people, and her way of life. But yet no record of bitterness with her.

This tells me bitterness is a mindset, one that springs from being predisposed to having things our way. Again, I don’t fault Naomi. I was a bitter man for much of my life before I discovered it was up to me whether to remain bitter or change my mindset.

Now, how do we change our mindset? One way is to forgive the one who caused us pain. But what about when it’s GOD who allowed the pain. This is a tough one.

But one thing is clear from the Bible concerning bitterness…

Ephesians 4:31 – ‘Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Ephesians 4:32 - ‘And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.’

Hebrews 12:15 – ‘Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;’

Summary: Characteristics of a bitter person: *They hold a grudge like their life depends on it. ...*They're always complaining ...*They're not grateful for the good in their life ...*They want only bad things for those who have hurt them ...*They're jealous of anything good that happens to others ...*They can't share in someone else's joy …*They act out to get attention …*They’re cynical ...*They’re quick to blame others for their problems ...*They have nothing positive to say about positive people ...*They make (and defend) sweeping assumptions (when finding fault with others).

Action to consider: Did you do like me when you heard the different ways to tell if someone is bitter, and then think of someone you know? Okay, stop that. Do a self-test, and listen to the list again (or read them in the show notes on hopesharbor.net), and this time see if you recognize doing any of these consistently. If so, go after that bitterness with a vengeance or it will corrupt your joy from the inside out!

Next week’s devotion: Ruth – the faithful one - Part 3