Something Both Bitter And Sweet

When we were children, one of our favourite sweets was 'soor plums'. They were hard sweets (boilings) that were both sweet and sour at the same time.

There are places in the Old Testament and here in the New Testament where we read that God's Word can be bitter and sweet at the same time. In Revelation chapter 10, John the Apostle has a vision of a great and obviously special angel who was sent to John for him to take and eat a small scroll. The scroll obviously contained the word of God and by 'eating' it John was to really take it upon himself to live by this word and also to tell other people what God wanted them to know.

When we come to believe God's word and tell others about Christ this can be sweet indeed. The word is true it is food to our souls and it gives us real joy. However the bitterness can come in two ways. One way is when we disobey that word ourselves and go away from God even for a little time. We become bitter in our spirit.

But we feel bitterness of soul also when we tell people about Jesus and they reject the message and go on in their sin. This makes us truly sad. It is a sadness that Jesus himself felt when people turned away from him.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for how sweet the name of Jesus is to my soul. I pray that you will keep me near to you and faithful in telling others about you even if I suffer the bitterness of rejection. Amen.