A ROOT OF BITTERNESS
“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 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 .” (Hebrews 12:11-15). In the twelfth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Hebrew believers the Apostle uses some very plain language to both encourage and admonish those he is writing to. Paul is warning the believers against falling short of the grace of God, and allowing a root of bitterness to grow up in their lives . The “root of bitterness” that he is referring to is actually any root that bears