September 21, 2026
Monday, September 21
We’re in the middle of a series about forgiveness. You might wonder, with all the problems in the world, why I’m taking so much time on this one subject. The answer is that forgiveness is fundamental to the Christian faith. That goes against what we tend to think. If you ask the average American, “What sets Christians apart from non-Christians?” they might say, “Christians go to church on Sundays and try to obey the Ten Commandments.” But if religious activity and following rules were all that it meant to be a Christian, Jesus would have held up the scribes and Pharisees as examples to follow. Instead, a true follower of Christ is different from others primarily because of two things: A repentant heart and a forgiving spirit. Christians are always aware of their own sin and need for grace, and they are always willing to extend grace to others. Hopefully, this series so far has helped you grow in that.
But forgiving others is hard. I often hear Christians say things like, “I know God can forgive them, but I am not God.” Or “How can I forgive them if they aren’t even sorry about what they’ve done?” Or even, “If I forgive them, does that mean they get away with it? What if they go on to do this to someone else?” What should we do when we can’t seem to forgive?
Years ago, we had a tree that was growing way too close to our house, which was causing us all sorts of problems. It was a small tree, so I was able to cut it down myself. My dad happened to be over at our house that day, and he said, “Your job isn’t done until you kill the stump.” I went to the hardware store and bought a powder he recommended. I followed the instructions, first drilling several holes in the top of the stump, pouring the powder into the holes, and then pouring boiling water in as well. I was supposed to do this for several days. After a few days, I got tired of carrying a boiling pot outside, and trying to pour the water slowly enough that it didn’t simply wash the powder out of the holes. I said to myself, “Surely I’ve done enough.” After all, the tree was gone. That’s all that mattered, right? But soon, ugly green shoots began to sprout up all over that stump. I would cut them down, but they would come back again. The tree wasn’t actually dead. It was uglier now than it had been before.
Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” Sometimes when we are deeply hurt, we know the command of God is for us to forgive. So outwardly, we do that. We do our best to show others that we have “moved on.” But in our hearts, we’ve left a root of bitterness. Like me with that tree, we’ve only gone halfway. We haven’t done the hard work to truly forgive them. And the warning of Scripture is that it can poison our lives. Bitterness and resentment can steal our joy and peace, wreck our families, drive people out of church and away from Christ. So how do we kill that bitter root? That’s what we’ll be exploring this week.
“Lord, if there is a root of bitterness in my life, please show it to me. Keep reminding me of my need to forgive. I don’t want that to poison my life and hurt others. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
