Digging Up the Past
"Don't sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil."1
"In 1642 England was caught up in the Civil War with Cromwell and the roundheads. Five years later King Charles the First was captured, tried and sentenced to death. He was executed on January 30, 1649. Fifty-nine men put their signatures to the death warrant.
"When Charles II was restored to the throne some eleven years later, he wanted to avenge his father's death. However, by that time, some had died and others were living abroad. They were arrested, taken back to England, and ordered to stand trial.
"As for those who had died, the bodies of fifteen signatories, many of whom had been dead for years, were exhumed and then hung on the gallows."2
That's exactly what resentment does. It digs up the past. It is caused by nursing grudges and failing to forgive—a practice that God's Words warns us not to do. This is because buried and/or unresolved anger, hurt, grief, bitterness, etc., work like emotional cancer that "rots the bones," destroys relationships, and keeps one bound by the past.
As I've quoted before, "Failing to forgive is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." No wonder that God's Word also says, "So get rid of your feelings of hatred [unresolved anger and resentment]. Don't just pretend to be good."3
Suggested prayer: Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of nursing grudges and holding on to all negative emotions so that I can become a happier, healthier person and a clear channel of your love. Thank you for Jesus who was the ultimate example of forgiveness when He died on the cross for me. Help me be more like Him every day. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen.
1. Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLT).
2. Ivor Bailey, "Digging up the Past," Encounter magazine (Australia), June/July 2005.
3. 1 Peter 2:1 (TLB)(NLT).
Today's Encounter was written by: Richard Innes.
All articles on this website are written by
Richard (Dick) Innes unless otherwise stated.