06/25/11

I read this in my devotions the other night and wanted to share.

The Wedge of Bitterness

The following story proves that bitterness is a trap that leads to nothing by despair. Don't be ensnared by bitterness; it will lead to your spiritual downfall.

Vincent van Gogh's father, Theodorus, was a minister in a small, Dutch Reformed church, and his mother, Anna Cornelia, reared him in a proper parsonage. Early in life the red-haired, blue-eyed, freckled boy memorized Scripture, frequently quoting it.

Vincent pored earnestly over biblical passages and hymns, and as a result, he was rgarded as a fanatic by many of his peers. Nevertheless, his commitment to Christ was paramount, and eventually he became a Bible teacher and a supply preacher for a local Methodist chapel. His sermons there often focused on mankind's severe lot, God's kindnesses, and the bond of love that can tie together the human family.

Vincent did not succeed at his theological studies, and after failing to get a mission assignment as a lay preacher, he appointed himself a pastor to coal miners in southern Belgium. He preached in an old dance hall and started Bible classes. A mission's society agreed to pay him $10 a month for a six-month trial period.

Wanting to be obedient to every word of Jesus, Vincent sold all his belongings and even allowed the coal dust to remain on his face. This "excessive zeal" caused the missions society to discontinue support.

Vincent became angry and resentful. On Christmas 1881, he bitterly informed his father that he regarded the institution of the church as "abominable." He befriended a disease-ridden prostitute.

From that time on, Vincent lived in despair. In a fit of despondency, he cut off his left ear. He was in and out of normalcy, putting himself into a mental hospital. Writing to his brother, Theo, he said that he believed life to be ongoing-endless-this troubled painter of 800 oils and 700 drawings took a revolver into a wheat field on July 27, 1890. He stepped behind a manure pile and shot himself in the stomach, then stumbled back to his bed and turned his gaze to the wall. The 37-year-old genius was in his eternal home. (Taken from an article by J. Grant Swank, Jr. July 16, 1990, Christianity Today.)

No matter how disappointed you are in others, in your church, in yourself, or even in the Lord, don't allow bitterness to envelop you. Don't lose sight of the love, hope, and joy that Jesus Christ brings into your life.

~ Dwell Devotional

I can't help but think on this as I was typing it. Vincent van Gogh was so quick to try and make his own path. Since I wasn't there, I honestly don't know, but from what I read here it seems he was so caught up in the religion of Christ that he failed to have the relationship. He failed to ask the Lord where he should go and what he should do. When things didn't work out the way HE wanted them, he turned his back on God.

Aren't we like that too? We can be very quick to push God away when things don't go the way we want. We can become bitter just like Vincent van Gogh. I know... I have been there.

Give yourself time to ponder these thoughts that Steve and I have been going through in a Bible study with friends.

Do you know God and believe Him?
(believe His Word, His truths, His promises)

Do you glorify God?
(actions, words, deeds)

Does you find satisfaction in God?

Do you experience God's peace?

Do you enjoy God's presence?

Don't be like Vincent van Gogh and go your own way. Find that Peace and Joy ... which do not allow bitterness to take hold... only through Christ.