Lavish forgiveness-8 (Pitfalls & Provisions)

Have you ever found yourself brooding over a wrong done to you? Bitterness is the sinful response to injustice or preceived injustice; bitterness is the result of brooding upon wrongs either real or imaginary. . .brooding and bitterness-Pitfalls to forgiveness.
Brood-hmmm, the word even sounds foreboding, don't you think? You and I are tempted to play with bitterness, tempted to brood about being treated unfairly.
Ask yourself: Is there an area of my life where I focus on injustice done to me?
"A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but hot passion makes the bones rot."(Prov 14:30) Think about it: rotting bones means death.
"Fooling around with bitterness is like drinking poison and hoping someone else will die." (Nancy Leigh De Moss)
You see, it's not wrong to notice I've been treated unjustly-but how do I respond?

And God always provides a way to escape temptation-I have no excuse:
1. I must put away all bitterness (Eph 4:31). Put off bitterness and put on love. remember, "love does not take into account a wrong suffered." (1 Cor 13:5)
2. Don't brood--Go! God tells me to Go, resolve the conflict quickly (Matt 5:23-24) and Go humbly.
3. God's provision is the gospel; in The Cross Centered Life, C.J. Mahaney writes, "We deal with bitterness by cherishing the experience of being forgiven by God."

A Worthy Pursuit. . .kill bitterness, cherish the experience of being forgiven by God!