A Bitter Soul

Ruth 1:20-21
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

Have you ever found yourself in a horrible situation, and blaming God for it? If we're honest with ourselves, the answer is "yes" at least once, perhaps twice in our lives. Naomi, at a time when tragedy has hit her life, asks her people to, 'Call me Mara' (Call me Bitter).

Being resentful over bad experiences, or some unjust treatment by another is natural, and it's part of our sinful flesh. But, if we don't let go of our anger and resentment, sooner or later it will eat away at us like a cancer, and greatly hinder our spiritual walk. It's interesting that God's word links bitterness with iniquity"

Acts 8:23
For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.

Gall is bile, and in our physical bodies, bile is an acid held in the gallbladder, until needed. That acid breaks down fats, that can then be taken into the body by the digestive tract. In our spiritual walk the gall of bitterness can be used by the enemy to break down our desire to reach out to God, and without the Lord's power to resist temptation, our gall of bitterness can lead us into the bondage of iniquity.

If we find ourselves having a bitter attitude it's important to be obedient to God's word, and apply His remedy in those rancorous situations.

Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.