Ecclesiastes 10:20
20 Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse
a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird
of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make
the matter known.
Message: Avoiding Bitterness of Mind and Speech
Time: Solomon's authorship is not stated. Solomon's reign as king of Israel lasted from around 970 B.C. to around
930 B.C. The Book of Ecclesiastes was likely written towards the end of
his reign, approximately 935 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying: This is a verse that confronts me, especially in the workplace. There is a spirit often of discontent that wells up in me and it carries forward to cursing those over me. There are always going to be things that frustrate us about those in leadership for we think that we can do things better. It is one thing to make suggestions, but when you sense your voice is not going to be heard then often people resort to grumbling with others. This sort of speech is foolish. For one, we do not know which people have eyes and ears where we do not expect them and anything we say just might end up making its way to them.
What remains at odds with bitterness is love for one's neighbor. It is hard. Bitterness is anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly. How often do I walk around with a bitter heart over very minor things?
The reverse of this is that idea that we are to respect those over us. True, they have vices and they have irritants, but we are still to give respect.
I found this attitude is not encouraged in our world where are communication zones have increased. All of our social media sites, blogs (like this one), media influences, internet news pages, are constantly reporting a commentary on society, on whatever we are experiencing -- and communicating over and over how each person's values and desires should be respected. As I look upon the canvas of social media right now and media in general, there is a constant spirit of attacking going on toward our President. The bottom line is people have not gotten what they wanted. They don't respect the leader. Therefore, they believe they don't have to respect his ways so they take it to the street to convey their displeasure towards him.
I think what is interesting about this all is people are often not taking care of what is most important and instead engaging in activities that have no good outcomes. People have stopped reading their Bible because they are listening to commentaries that the Bible is irrelevant.
The bottom line is I need help with this. I need help not falling into the rhetoric of fear and disrespect towards my elders. What is clear in the Bible.
Promise: God is over all, even kings and rulers. They don't have to adhere to my ways. I can trust God for outcomes.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be careful with my words and my thoughts.
Showing posts with label Bitterness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bitterness. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Proverbs 5:1-14 - The Trap of Adultery
Proverbs 5:1-14
1 My son, give attention to my wisdom, incline your ear to my understanding;
2 That you may observe discretion and your lips may reserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech;
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold of Sheol.
6 She does not ponder the path of life; her ways are unstable, she does not know it.
The focus of today's passage is on adultery. This is long because it is meant to be clear. This is not fire to play with.
One thing that I looked at and noticed in my study yesterday of Proverbs 1, was that people are enticed and taken away by something often in their life. I often call this a temptation or that I have wandered off path and are engaging in sin. In actuality, in the Bible, this is referred to as having an idol in our lives. Idolatry is anything in our lives that we do to bring us joy and we do it in order to give us peace about life. We do it to give us joy. Our joy is not found in Christ, but it is found in this other thing that isn't just a part of our life but it becomes often what keeps us going. It becomes what we spend our money on or what we spend most of our time on. It becomes what we think about. And over time, God and His word are replaced more and more. No longer am I surrendering to God and His word and thinking that God's word is the highest source of good in my life. Now, I see this idol as that which can give me joy.
Their is idolatry in: video games, TV watching, Movie watching, eating, shopping, music, smoking, drinking alcohol, drugs, friends. There are many different idols in our lives, some not even so sin apparent.
This is rampant in our lives. The idol could be anything and often with people, it is anything. And yet what most people find, when they are honest with themselves is this idol does not necessarily bring them lasting joy. There isn't a peace in life like there is when Christ is on the throne. Testimonies from people resonate this when they say, "I tried ........ and it never brought complete satisfaction, but then I turned my life over to Christ and let Him take the reins and life became fulfilled."
In Proverbs 1:10-19 the enticement was friends that lured the pupil away to do things that were impure. The passage spoke of evil things but that evil could be anything. The key was it was with the wrong people, doing bad stuff, and that bad stuff ended up having a consequence. The last phrase of verse 19 says, "It takes away the life of its possessors." It's end is death. And today in this passage is immediately an equal warning as Solomon says in verse 5, "her feet go down to death; her steps take hold of Sheol."
What is it that I have done in my life to try and replace God in order to give me the peace and enjoyment that only He can bring? For me, money comes to mind. It's not that I have a lot, necessarily, but I often think that if I just had enough then life would be simpler. I say this because our wants are abundant and so I think that by having those things that I desire, and my family desires, that then I will be satisfied. Yet, I know it will be momentary because our desires never cease.
Very Important Subject Matter
First of all, I like how Solomon begins. Son, (1) Give your attention to me. Not an easy task sometimes in life to get someone to concentrate on what the other person is saying. Solomon clearly is saying that "I have something important to say. (2) Incline your ear to my understanding. Bend your ear not just to listen, but understand. We hear a lot of things each day, but how much do we really internalize or then practice? Solomon is saying to his pupils, what I have to say is meant to be followed. (3) That you may observe discretion. Retain these words in your heart. These words are my counsel to you. (4) Your lips may reserve knowledge. Literally, this is "Thy lips shall keep." This is life long understanding. This is life long "watch out." This is not momentary or just for a season. This is long-term. You need to be able to speak these words back to me. This is how important these words are. You need to be able to state this in your own words.
Warning
Verse 3 is interesting for the translation I have used has translated the word zur to mean adulteress. Zur is translated in the KJV as strange. The meaning is this is an apostate Israelite woman gone over to the idolatrous impurities of heathen religion. The idea of adultery here is someone that has traded in something they have been called to be for something else. It is not necessarily speaking of a woman that has started out with a husband and decided that her husband did not satisfy her desires, for whatever reason, and so is seeking out something else, not God-given, but what man has provided. God has been traded in for what people think is something better.
James 4:4 is a verse I have tried to memorize. It says, "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James is speaking to people that have chosen to trade or replace God with the things of the world and for this he speaks to the people as adulterers.
This is significant because what is being spoken of here is not simply reserved for married people that are seeking after other people in their life and are practicing sex with someone else in their life. It is true that is adultery. God has given you a gift of a mate and you are saying to God, "The gift that you gave me is not what I think I need; I choose someone else and I think that person will fulfill my needs."
The application then for Proverbs 5 is far reaching. Adultery here is actually treason or any idol that we might have in our life.
And the idol or whatever we are being tempted to have in our life drips with honey. It is sweet. It is appealing. It suits my tastes. It drips honey and smoother than oil is her speech. I can see why the word adulteress was chosen because this woman is using flattering speech, smooth talk, offering something which man desires, alluring speech. This is not, "Come over and clean the toilet" no this is come experience your wildest dreams.
Not as it appears
Verses 4-6 then basically say, "things are not as they appear." Though this strange woman has spoken with flattery and allured you in her direction, in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold of Sheol. She does not ponder the path of life; her ways are unstable, she does not know it.
Wormwood is an herb and an eastern medicine this was looked upon as being poisonous. Wormwood is the complete opposite of wormwood. It reminds me of the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the man that lured people by showing them sweet candy on his truck and then when they crawled in the truck it turned into a cell block. It went from sweetness to being a prisoner.
Solomon says it affects the body (feet go down to death) and affects the soul (steps take hold of Sheol/grave/hell). Idols in our life don't just want a part of our life, but they want your entire life. She does not ponder the path of life. In her is not a big picture. If we could see our entire life in a moment, upon making a decision, it would affect our decision making. There are ramifications for our choices, but if we train ourselves into not looking at those consequences then over time we no longer have any long-term perspective thinking.
Heinrich Albert Schultens (1749-1793) stated that the design of the wise man seems to be, to point out the inconstancy, irregularity, and wickedness, of the strange woman's life. Her ways are inconstant; she is not attached to her husband, or to any one man, but abandons herself to the first comer; has neither knowledge, wisdom, nor discernment; she has no other rule than her passion, no other end than her pleasure. She is profligate, and wholly lost; affected neither by the fear of God, nor the care of her own salvation.
Second Warning
As if one warning was not enough, Solomon gives a second warning. This is a very significant event. In verse 7 and 8 he states further to: (1) Listen to me; He said previously that he wanted the pupil's attention and wanted his ear bent to understand. He says again, "listen to me." Listen to what I am going to tell you. The pupil will now hear of the consequence. (2) Do not depart from the words of my mouth; Don't choose the path; do not depart from my words. (3) Keep your way far from her; The last warning I saw in Proverbs 1:10-19 was Keep your feet from their path. With this issue the feet are to be far from the path. (4) Do not go near the door of her house. To clarify further, do not even go near the door of the house. We all know that going inside is a disaster, but do not even go near the door.
A Hard Life
In a way this final part is similar to "God gave them over" found in Romans 1 (one of my favorite passages). The warnings have occurred. The danger sign is in place. "Keep Out" has been posted. But, if that isn't enough, he will now detail the results of going down that wrong path.
And you groan at your final end, when your flesh and your body are consumed; And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to my instructors! I was almost in utter the midst of the assembly and congregation.” Pride has taken over. Recovery in this moment is practically hopeless.
Promise: Beware. Beware. Beware. Adultery always has destructive consequences.
1 My son, give attention to my wisdom, incline your ear to my understanding;
2 That you may observe discretion and your lips may reserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech;
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold of Sheol.
6 She does not ponder the path of life; her ways are unstable, she does not know it.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house,
9 Or you will give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one;
10 And strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;
8 Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house,
9 Or you will give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one;
10 And strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;
11 And you groan at your final end, when your flesh and your body are consumed;
12 And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof!
13 “I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to my instructors!
14 “I was almost in utter the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
12 And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof!
13 “I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to my instructors!
14 “I was almost in utter the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
Message: The Trap of Adultery
Time: It seems that Proverbs was written and then compiled sometime between
the tenth and sixth centuries B.C. Proverbs was probably written during
the reign of Solomon, 971-931 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
The focus of today's passage is on adultery. This is long because it is meant to be clear. This is not fire to play with.
One thing that I looked at and noticed in my study yesterday of Proverbs 1, was that people are enticed and taken away by something often in their life. I often call this a temptation or that I have wandered off path and are engaging in sin. In actuality, in the Bible, this is referred to as having an idol in our lives. Idolatry is anything in our lives that we do to bring us joy and we do it in order to give us peace about life. We do it to give us joy. Our joy is not found in Christ, but it is found in this other thing that isn't just a part of our life but it becomes often what keeps us going. It becomes what we spend our money on or what we spend most of our time on. It becomes what we think about. And over time, God and His word are replaced more and more. No longer am I surrendering to God and His word and thinking that God's word is the highest source of good in my life. Now, I see this idol as that which can give me joy.
Their is idolatry in: video games, TV watching, Movie watching, eating, shopping, music, smoking, drinking alcohol, drugs, friends. There are many different idols in our lives, some not even so sin apparent.
This is rampant in our lives. The idol could be anything and often with people, it is anything. And yet what most people find, when they are honest with themselves is this idol does not necessarily bring them lasting joy. There isn't a peace in life like there is when Christ is on the throne. Testimonies from people resonate this when they say, "I tried ........ and it never brought complete satisfaction, but then I turned my life over to Christ and let Him take the reins and life became fulfilled."
In Proverbs 1:10-19 the enticement was friends that lured the pupil away to do things that were impure. The passage spoke of evil things but that evil could be anything. The key was it was with the wrong people, doing bad stuff, and that bad stuff ended up having a consequence. The last phrase of verse 19 says, "It takes away the life of its possessors." It's end is death. And today in this passage is immediately an equal warning as Solomon says in verse 5, "her feet go down to death; her steps take hold of Sheol."
What is it that I have done in my life to try and replace God in order to give me the peace and enjoyment that only He can bring? For me, money comes to mind. It's not that I have a lot, necessarily, but I often think that if I just had enough then life would be simpler. I say this because our wants are abundant and so I think that by having those things that I desire, and my family desires, that then I will be satisfied. Yet, I know it will be momentary because our desires never cease.
Very Important Subject Matter
First of all, I like how Solomon begins. Son, (1) Give your attention to me. Not an easy task sometimes in life to get someone to concentrate on what the other person is saying. Solomon clearly is saying that "I have something important to say. (2) Incline your ear to my understanding. Bend your ear not just to listen, but understand. We hear a lot of things each day, but how much do we really internalize or then practice? Solomon is saying to his pupils, what I have to say is meant to be followed. (3) That you may observe discretion. Retain these words in your heart. These words are my counsel to you. (4) Your lips may reserve knowledge. Literally, this is "Thy lips shall keep." This is life long understanding. This is life long "watch out." This is not momentary or just for a season. This is long-term. You need to be able to speak these words back to me. This is how important these words are. You need to be able to state this in your own words.
Warning
Verse 3 is interesting for the translation I have used has translated the word zur to mean adulteress. Zur is translated in the KJV as strange. The meaning is this is an apostate Israelite woman gone over to the idolatrous impurities of heathen religion. The idea of adultery here is someone that has traded in something they have been called to be for something else. It is not necessarily speaking of a woman that has started out with a husband and decided that her husband did not satisfy her desires, for whatever reason, and so is seeking out something else, not God-given, but what man has provided. God has been traded in for what people think is something better.
James 4:4 is a verse I have tried to memorize. It says, "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James is speaking to people that have chosen to trade or replace God with the things of the world and for this he speaks to the people as adulterers.
This is significant because what is being spoken of here is not simply reserved for married people that are seeking after other people in their life and are practicing sex with someone else in their life. It is true that is adultery. God has given you a gift of a mate and you are saying to God, "The gift that you gave me is not what I think I need; I choose someone else and I think that person will fulfill my needs."
The application then for Proverbs 5 is far reaching. Adultery here is actually treason or any idol that we might have in our life.
And the idol or whatever we are being tempted to have in our life drips with honey. It is sweet. It is appealing. It suits my tastes. It drips honey and smoother than oil is her speech. I can see why the word adulteress was chosen because this woman is using flattering speech, smooth talk, offering something which man desires, alluring speech. This is not, "Come over and clean the toilet" no this is come experience your wildest dreams.
Not as it appears
Verses 4-6 then basically say, "things are not as they appear." Though this strange woman has spoken with flattery and allured you in her direction, in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold of Sheol. She does not ponder the path of life; her ways are unstable, she does not know it.
Wormwood is an herb and an eastern medicine this was looked upon as being poisonous. Wormwood is the complete opposite of wormwood. It reminds me of the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the man that lured people by showing them sweet candy on his truck and then when they crawled in the truck it turned into a cell block. It went from sweetness to being a prisoner.
Solomon says it affects the body (feet go down to death) and affects the soul (steps take hold of Sheol/grave/hell). Idols in our life don't just want a part of our life, but they want your entire life. She does not ponder the path of life. In her is not a big picture. If we could see our entire life in a moment, upon making a decision, it would affect our decision making. There are ramifications for our choices, but if we train ourselves into not looking at those consequences then over time we no longer have any long-term perspective thinking.
Heinrich Albert Schultens (1749-1793) stated that the design of the wise man seems to be, to point out the inconstancy, irregularity, and wickedness, of the strange woman's life. Her ways are inconstant; she is not attached to her husband, or to any one man, but abandons herself to the first comer; has neither knowledge, wisdom, nor discernment; she has no other rule than her passion, no other end than her pleasure. She is profligate, and wholly lost; affected neither by the fear of God, nor the care of her own salvation.
Second Warning
As if one warning was not enough, Solomon gives a second warning. This is a very significant event. In verse 7 and 8 he states further to: (1) Listen to me; He said previously that he wanted the pupil's attention and wanted his ear bent to understand. He says again, "listen to me." Listen to what I am going to tell you. The pupil will now hear of the consequence. (2) Do not depart from the words of my mouth; Don't choose the path; do not depart from my words. (3) Keep your way far from her; The last warning I saw in Proverbs 1:10-19 was Keep your feet from their path. With this issue the feet are to be far from the path. (4) Do not go near the door of her house. To clarify further, do not even go near the door of the house. We all know that going inside is a disaster, but do not even go near the door.
A Hard Life
In a way this final part is similar to "God gave them over" found in Romans 1 (one of my favorite passages). The warnings have occurred. The danger sign is in place. "Keep Out" has been posted. But, if that isn't enough, he will now detail the results of going down that wrong path.
Or you will give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one - Your strength; your person; your life and your future, will be handed over to the cruel one. The idea of vigor is what your life has meant thus far. Other translations use the word honor. Who you are is being given away.
And strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien. Everything you have worked for is gone.
And strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien. Everything you have worked for is gone.
And you groan at your final end, when your flesh and your body are consumed; And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to my instructors! I was almost in utter the midst of the assembly and congregation.” Pride has taken over. Recovery in this moment is practically hopeless.
Promise: Beware. Beware. Beware. Adultery always has destructive consequences.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Romans 3:12-14 - The Mouths of Sinners
Romans 3:12-14 -
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
Message: The first evil attribute: our tongue
Time: Paul probably wrote Romans between A.D. 57-58 while he was at Corinth in the home of his friend and convert Gaius. He planned to go first to Jerusalem to deliver a gift of money from the Gentile churches to the poor in Jerusalem. Then he hoped to visit Rome on his way to Spain. His hopes were later realized, but not as he had expected. When he finally arrived in Rome in early A.D. 60, he was a prisoner under house arrest (Acts 28:11-31).
What the Lord is Saying:
Reminder of Man's Depravity and Turning away from God
In Romans 1, Paul described the rejection of God by people. It was a process though. People start by not giving thanks to God (1:21) and then exchange God for something or anything else (1:22) and suddenly what people want is not God but their own desires, to the point that they are really in life serving their own needs (1:23-24). And then they reject God's intention and replace it with something else.
As I read these verses, I'm reminded of that description Paul has already given his readers of man's awareness of God and then rebellion. And yet that awareness is something God gave man. He gave man the knowledge of Him (1:19). God is evident within us.
Verse 12
The reality of these verses, is that on our own, there is none righteous. There is none who understands. None who seeks for God. And now in verse 12, we see that all have turned or bent themselves away from God. We have a bent, away from God. Like what was presented of the gentile in chapter 1, and so each of us needs to have more compassion on the lost.
Moses, David, Isaiah, Jonah -- God reveals himself and the first thing we do is turn away.
We "become useless." This is the picture of rotten fruit. What a horrible verdict on man. And "none does good."
How quickly do I sometimes walk in to church and just start singing about the greatness of God without first reviewing the reality that I don't seek after God, understand Him, have turned from Him, and don't do any good apart from Him. Would by heart and voice be more impassioned if I began with that understand? I need to start with the idea that I am utterly offensive.
Verse 13
Psalm 5:9, "There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue." What a horrible prognosis on mankind. Our throat reeks of death. Our speech threatens death. With our words, we push people into an open grave.
With our tongue, we keep deceiving. We lure people away from what is true. Deception is presenting a lie as truth. And this isn't a one time thing, but it is continuous in that we keep on doing it.
These are tough words about the tongue. The grave, deception, and poison. When a snake plants it's venom in a person, their is a quick need to cut it away. Asps refers to a bag of poison under the lips.
Verse 14
Cursing and bitterness. Cursing is blaming God or profanity. Bitterness is reproaching God because of the way He has run your life. Again, our first inclination is not to thank God, but to say to him, "why me?" Blasphemy is a frivolous use of God's holy name. Cursing is a declaration that God is to blame. Bitterness is all to common in my life as I look at the blessing of another and then look at me and say, "Why me?"
Promise: From Tabletalk: We do not serve God with the strength or focus that we ought, and if the standard by which one is declared righteous before Him is perfection, then outside of Christ we are indeed worthless servants of the Lord. Human beings are not born into a natural state of being on "God's side."
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
Message: The first evil attribute: our tongue
Time: Paul probably wrote Romans between A.D. 57-58 while he was at Corinth in the home of his friend and convert Gaius. He planned to go first to Jerusalem to deliver a gift of money from the Gentile churches to the poor in Jerusalem. Then he hoped to visit Rome on his way to Spain. His hopes were later realized, but not as he had expected. When he finally arrived in Rome in early A.D. 60, he was a prisoner under house arrest (Acts 28:11-31).
What the Lord is Saying:
Reminder of Man's Depravity and Turning away from God
In Romans 1, Paul described the rejection of God by people. It was a process though. People start by not giving thanks to God (1:21) and then exchange God for something or anything else (1:22) and suddenly what people want is not God but their own desires, to the point that they are really in life serving their own needs (1:23-24). And then they reject God's intention and replace it with something else.
As I read these verses, I'm reminded of that description Paul has already given his readers of man's awareness of God and then rebellion. And yet that awareness is something God gave man. He gave man the knowledge of Him (1:19). God is evident within us.
Verse 12
The reality of these verses, is that on our own, there is none righteous. There is none who understands. None who seeks for God. And now in verse 12, we see that all have turned or bent themselves away from God. We have a bent, away from God. Like what was presented of the gentile in chapter 1, and so each of us needs to have more compassion on the lost.
Moses, David, Isaiah, Jonah -- God reveals himself and the first thing we do is turn away.
We "become useless." This is the picture of rotten fruit. What a horrible verdict on man. And "none does good."
How quickly do I sometimes walk in to church and just start singing about the greatness of God without first reviewing the reality that I don't seek after God, understand Him, have turned from Him, and don't do any good apart from Him. Would by heart and voice be more impassioned if I began with that understand? I need to start with the idea that I am utterly offensive.
Verse 13
Psalm 5:9, "There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue." What a horrible prognosis on mankind. Our throat reeks of death. Our speech threatens death. With our words, we push people into an open grave.
With our tongue, we keep deceiving. We lure people away from what is true. Deception is presenting a lie as truth. And this isn't a one time thing, but it is continuous in that we keep on doing it.
These are tough words about the tongue. The grave, deception, and poison. When a snake plants it's venom in a person, their is a quick need to cut it away. Asps refers to a bag of poison under the lips.
Verse 14
Cursing and bitterness. Cursing is blaming God or profanity. Bitterness is reproaching God because of the way He has run your life. Again, our first inclination is not to thank God, but to say to him, "why me?" Blasphemy is a frivolous use of God's holy name. Cursing is a declaration that God is to blame. Bitterness is all to common in my life as I look at the blessing of another and then look at me and say, "Why me?"
Promise: From Tabletalk: We do not serve God with the strength or focus that we ought, and if the standard by which one is declared righteous before Him is perfection, then outside of Christ we are indeed worthless servants of the Lord. Human beings are not born into a natural state of being on "God's side."
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