Forgive them - bitterness has no place at Bible College

He was a promising young Christian leader. He organised his fellow students well. He had a clear testimony of how Jesus had changed his life and was able to ommunicate his beliefs well. That's when the problems started.

He would not tolerate anyone having an alternative interpretation of any scripture. If it wasn't his, it wasn't right. I was called in to bring some correction to the situation. So, I did, with patience and as much wisdom as possible.

That was the end of the story. And that was the real problem. Over the years, I observed the slow strangulation of his spiritual life from afar. Later on, we picked up the pieces. The story is worth remembering, because it could affect any one of us.

It wasn't being in error or having pride that caused his downfall. It wasn't even a lack of a teachable spirit. It was his resentment, unforgiveness of people who had been right all along, when they had neither the intellectual gifts or depth of spiritual insight to match his - this bitterness, festering away killed off his enthusiasm to serve, to spend time with the Father, to care for what really mattered.

Later there was a time of restoration, reonciliation - a spiritual renewal for him - but that's another story. This one is here to warn you to not let it happen in the first place. Hebrews ch.12 v.15 was not an afterthought...

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