RESENTMENT;
BITTERNESS

I have been around religious circles quite a long time and I have never heard the word resent used by a victorious man. Or at least if he used the word it was not to express any feelings within his own heart.

In the course of scores of conferences and hundreds of conversations, I have many times heard people say, “I resent that.” But I repeat: I have never heard the words used by a victorious man. Resentment simply cannot dwell in a loving heart. Before resentfulness can enter, love must take its flight and bitterness take over.…

The worst feature about this whole thing is that it does no good to call attention to it. The bitter heart is not likely to recognize its own condition, and if the resentful man reads this he will smile smugly and think I mean someone else. In the meantime he will grow smaller and smaller trying to get bigger, and he will become more and more obscure trying to become known. As he pushes on toward his selfish goal his very prayers will be surly accusations against the Almighty and his whole relationship toward other Christians will be one of suspicion and distrust.

Ephesians 4:31–32; Colossians 3:5–11; Hebrews 12:15

Of God and Men, 105, 108.