An Antidote to Needless Suffering

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.
–Hebrews 12:15

Forgiveness is an antidote to needless suffering. In Jesus’ parable in Matthew 18, a compassionate king forgave his slave a massive debt. Then the slave went out and found a fellow slave who owed him a hundred denarii. This was a fraction of the debt the first slave had just been forgiven. But he grabbed the other slave and demanded repayment. The second slave said, “Have patience with me and I will repay you” (v. 29). That’s exactly what the first slave had said to the king. But unlike the king, the first slave refused to forgive; instead, he threw his fellow slave into prison.

When the king heard about this, he was “moved with anger” toward the first slave and “handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him” (v. 34). Then Jesus added this zinger: “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart” (v. 35).

If we don’t forgive others, it’s a sign that God has not forgiven us. Not only that, but if we refuse to forgive, we enter a self-made prison of bitterness. The root word for “bitterness” in Greek means sharp or piercing. Just as some sharp flavors arouse displeasure when we smell or taste them, so some painful experiences wound us all over again when we recall them. And with that wound comes the possibility of infection. That’s why Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that . . . no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.”

You can’t control the offenses that come into your life, but you can choose what to do with those offenses. You can let go of them and become better, or you can hold on to them and become bitter. Letting go of those hurts produces healing; holding on to them produces infection. If you are constantly probing, reliving, and recalling a hurt from the past, then it will produce an infection of the spirit that will destroy you and everyone and everything around you. Forgiveness is the antidote to this needless suffering.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Forgiveness on Trial,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2015.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.