Thursday, May 23, 2024

I recently read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It’s a long read, but also a magnificent picture of what happens when we are hurt by the sin of others. The innocent Edmond Dantes (who later becomes the Count) is betrayed by a group of men to achieve their own personal ambitions. He almost dies in prison but is miraculously saved. He then proceeds to enact revenge on all of those who hurt him. He becomes “god” — his sole purpose is to make those who hurt him feel the same pain he endured at their hands.

I won’t spoil the ending, because the book is definitely worth reading, but I will say that the revenge he so desperately desired loses its luster. The book displays a vivid picture of what happens when we allow the sins of others to consume us. We lose our humanity when we put ourselves in the place of God.

When we are hurt at the hands of others, our first instinct is to make them feel our pain. If we cannot enact our revenge, it often sits and festers inside of us. However, the only person who suffers when bitterness takes root is ourselves. We allow it to grow and develop into something that takes over our entire lives. This is not how a follower of Jesus should live.

Hebrews 12:15
Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

Prayer should be our first response when we are sinned against. Following that, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we should go directly to that person and try to reconcile our relationship. In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus gives us a sequence of steps to take when dealing with the sins of others.

When we take these steps to restore relationships marred by sin, we prevent bitterness from taking root in our lives. In seeking to reconcile and forgive, we follow the lead of Jesus who was betrayed and still did not retaliate. We walk in humility knowing that God will take care of our every need. God equips us to live in freedom from bitterness and keep it from destroying our lives.

Questions:
Are there any relationships in your life that have been damaged by the sins of others?

Have you sought to reconcile those relationships, or is the wound they created festering in your heart?

Next Steps:
If there is a broken relationship in your life, pray that God will give you the strength and courage to take steps to heal the wound. Confess your bitterness to a trusted person and take one step toward reconciling the relationship.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me a model on how to live a life of forgiveness. Thank you for showing me the steps toward restoring a broken relationship. I pray for the grace to forgive those who have hurt me and the strength to release the bitterness and hurt I have experienced. Help me to walk in grace and forgiveness, just as you have. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Proverbs 17:17 ESV
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Today’s post was written by Julie Mabus, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.