Anger Management for MenSampel

Let Bitterness Go

Are you still holding on to bitterness?

This is Vince Miller.

Our text today is from Luke 15:28. It reads:

But [the older brother] was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him. —Luke 15:28

This, of course, is the conclusion to one of the greatest stories Jesus ever told. We know it as the story of The Prodigal Son. But the interesting twist in the story is that the prodigal is not who you think he would be when you get to the end story. The younger son had left and returned. He is a prodigal restored. But now we discover a twist in the plot. The older son is now a prodigal who is left undecided.

The father entreats him to come up to the house and celebrate that his youngest son has come home. But he can’t. All those years, his anger was brewing. Unseen, it was brewing in bitterness in disgust toward his brother. Now that he has returned, so has this son’s anger. Then his bitterness turns to his father, the one who welcomed that younger son home. Now his anger is exposed.

But then we see something incredible from the father. This older son’s anger, contempt, and bitterness do not, in any way, change his father’s love. But that’s because this isn’t just any father. It’s the Father. It’s a story about God and his love. And within this incredible story, Jesus tells us about the unthinkable love of God; a Father who loves his sons despite their anger and bitterness.

Brother, this is your Father. And he loves you.

Here is your call to action today:

Let go of the bitterness that has its grip on you. Give it to the Father and come home to his love. If you are ready, say this out loud today: “Father, I am ready to let go of my grip on bitterness and accept your love.”