Got Fruit ?

Hebrews 12:15 was studied about a month ago (29 August): and going into this devotional I have to admit that as I saw the scripture, I thought to myself “OK, already done this, what more can there be?”

In the month since initially studying Hebrews 12:15, I have in my own life experienced a wonderful level of growth toward God and his word. Hebrews 12:15, along with the helpful insight of Rick Renner, have been elemental in helping me to get over my own spiritual stumbling blocks.

I had the privilege to witness on 30 September 2007, at least 20 brothers and sister of my church come forward and practice giving and living in grace. Prompted by several months of our pastor giving sermons on grace, forgiveness, and breaking the cycle of un-grace, these people came forward; with pieces of paper that each one had written the name of a person with whom they wanted to “bury the hatchet” with so to speak.

They took their pieces of paper, with the “offenders” name on them, walked up to the front of our church, and placed them into a shredder. They let go, and turned the hurt and other accompanying emotions over to God. Some might say that it was just a token gesture; I personally think not. I believe that those people; my brothers and sisters in Christ allowed the Holy Spirit to move them in one small step of faith, love, and trust toward God, by putting aside their own agendas, their pride, their natural desire to hold onto the hurt and anger.

Note: Hebrews 12:15 as stated earlier is from a previous study (29 August 2007: You Are the Bishop of Your Own Heart).

The idea and understanding regarding Hebrews 12:15 is that we must oversee our hearts to prevent bitterness from developing inside of us (our heart/soul). Failure to oversee this responsibility will result in producing rotten fruit instead of the fruit of the Spirit.

In this revisit of Hebrews 12:15 we’ll gloss over some principle ideas on the impact of failing to properly oversee our hearts, as well as a short but detailed overview of a few more key words from the scripture. Back in August when I first encountered Hebrews 12:15, I made a comment in my notes about how; in my study Bible (NIV) the scripture was proceeded by the heading: A Warning against Refusing God. I did not grasp at the time the full implication of that heading; I now understand much more.

Hebrews 12:15 (KJV)
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.

Principal ideas related to Hebrews 12:15:

Our relationship with God

• It’s a warning against refusing God
• Bitterness if not attended to in a spiritual manner damages:

Our relationship with others

• Harbors emotional damage
• Can lead to other sinful behavior
• Is practicing un-grace

Having bitterness in our hearts is in opposition to the following scriptural principles:

• Loving God (Deuteronomy 6:4,5;Matthew 22:37-39;Mark 12:29-31;Luke 10:27)
• Love (1 Corinthians 13;Galatians 5:19-21)
• Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22; 5:24)
• Christ-like behavior (Ephesians 5:1; 5:8-11)

The following; is an overview into some more of the key words from Hebrews 12:15, that author Rick Renner has broken down for us to better understand and appreciate.

Hebrews 12:15(KJV)
“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled”.

Key words discussed and examined from Hebrews 12:15:

• root - Greek word RIDZO
• bitterness - Greek word PIKRIA

ROOT

Derived from the Greek word RIDZO, which refers to:

• a root
• such as the root of a tree

By allowing a “root of bitterness” to take hold in our lives, it will, if not properly dealt with (spiritually) become deeply embedded in our souls. Once the root becomes firmly fixed (rooted), negative opinions and emotions toward a person that we perceive as having transgressed against us sprout and also become firmly fixed. A “root of bitterness” can originate from many sources. A few examples:

• Being offended or taking offense
• Misunderstandings that don’t get resolved in the proper manner
• Differences of opinions resulting in tempers flaring
• Lack of respect for a differing view, escalating to contempt
• Prejudices
• Gossip

Once the stronghold of bitterness takes hold, and over time; thoughts of judgment against the perceived or accused offender become:

• more developed in the offended person’s mind
• rationalized in the offended person’s mind
• established in the offended person’s mind

If not checked, in time the root manifests anger, judgmental thoughts and unfortunately in some instances wrath toward the person. The “root of bitterness” has now, been allowed to grow into a full-blown mental stronghold (See Helmet of Salvation)!

At this point, the thoughts may be so ingrained in the offended person’s mind and in their emotional state, that the reasoning to severe ties, and to avoid the “offender” may present themselves as logical, rational and justified actions.

The offended person has in their one sided view, lost control. In doing so, the offended person becomes victim a second time; once by the perceived offender and now a second in allowing the bitter root to grow so much that they eventually relinquish their mind and heart to the devil.

BITTERNESS

The Greek word for “bitterness” is PIKRIA, which refers to an inward attitude that is so bitter, it produces a scowl on one’s face.

Bitterness as Rick Renner says, “is like acid to one’s soul“, that eventually begins to surface. When it does surface, it produces fruit (Galatians 5:22) that is:

• unkind
• sour
• sharp
• sarcastic
• scornful
• cynical
• mocking
• contemptuous
• wounding

When we have bitterness in our hearts, we have nothing good to say about, to, or for the person (Romans 1:11, 12 & Romans 14:19). If you find yourself in a state such as this, take hold of God’s gift of grace.

Let go of those things that are holding you back from experiencing the fullness of God and his plan for you.Reconcile your differences with those that you have offended or been offended by, so that you too can be reconciled with God.

Grace and peace be with you.