Bitterness and Joy Prov. 14:10 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

This verse is very contrary to today’s philosophies (Col 2:8) – it says several things about which we need to be very mindful – this has to do with how we deal with bitterness and joy.

When dealing with bitterness:

You know what the problem is – the heart KNOWETH his own bitterness – people will deny that they are bitter but they are only lying to themselves – deceitful heart – they are afraid of the bitterness and try to cover it with drugs, alcohol, sex, typically – people say they need a group or a counselor to walk them through the problem but not according to this text – HE KNOWS – he may be afraid to deal with it so he lashes out at others but he knows exactly what the problem is he just doesn’t want to change or he is afraid to change – he doesn’t want to do what it takes to get rid of the bitterness because it involves hard work.

The problem is your own – HIS OWN BITTERNESS – people often blame the bitterness on others, they refuse to believe that the bitterness is self-inflicted (they let themselves get that way) – but the bitterness is yours and you are the only one who can get rid of it – you say, “You don’t know what I’ve been through” – you’re right – but in the bitter experiences of life you do not have to become bitter – 2 Cor 4:7-10 – 2 Cor 11:23-27, 12: 9-10.

You are the one who has to fix it – Heb 12:15; Eph 4:31-32 – of course you need to pray for strength, grace, wisdom, comfort, and joy to get you through it but you can’t wait on anyone else to come along and have pity on you and fix the bitterness for you.

Sometimes the bitterness is related to something only God can fix and then there is not another soul in this universe (other than Jesus) who can minister to you until the time that God fixes the bitter experience – your heart knows the bitterness but no one else can even come close to understanding it – Job 7:11, 1 Sam 1:10

“Tell me about it” seems to be the key phrase today – group therapy and group counseling sessions are in the churches – nothing is private anymore – everyone “feels” better supposedly by telling their deepest problems – and according to this text, this stuff is supposed to be left with you and you are the one who has to work it out.

Likewise with JOY, it is your own – a stranger cannot possibly “understand” the joy of someone who has experienced true joy – the idea that the media can interview an athlete to let the rest of the world know what it feels like to be a champion is just the height of ridiculous – there is no possible way for him to be able to explain to you what that joy is like – you know what that means – YOU HAVE TO GO OUT ANDGET YOUR OWN JOY – Gal 5:22 is a good place to start.