When Love Stays Put
Let the grace of Jesus clear the line before bitterness clogs the heart.
Devotional Credit: Open Windows, T. Austin-Sparks
Photo Credit: Unsplash
The verse calls us to look after one another so that no one misses the grace of God. It warns us about the bitter root that can spread, trouble many, and corrode hearts. T. Austin-Sparks helps us see where that root often starts. It grows where pains and disappointments go unattended, where we rehearse injuries, and where we forget the cross.
He walks us back to Jesus. Our Lord suffered the worst cocktail of human failure. Fickleness, bigotry, fear, jealousy, and treachery. He met each blow with a deeper yes to the Father. He did not withdraw His love. He entrusted Himself to God. He let the will of the Father, not the pressure of the crowd, set the course.
Austin-Sparks then turns the mirror toward us. We meet the same lineup, only in smaller rooms. Critical voices. Misunderstandings. Friends who ghost us. The tug of public opinion. And beneath it, that old root trying to sprout again. But we are not left to fight weeds with our bare hands. In Jesus we have a crucified and risen Lord who now lives in us. His love is present, active, and able to keep choosing the Father through us.
Here is the good news for fellow travelers. The Spirit is not asking you to manufacture perfect responses. He is inviting you to abide. Yield to the One who already overcame. As we rest in Jesus, God undoes the failure of love inherited from Adam and grows the holy love of the Second Man. Thank you, T. Austin-Sparks, for pointing us to the patient victory of our Savior.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am with you, and I am in you. I pour the love of God into your heart, not as a trickle, but as the living current that flows from the Son’s finished work. When injuries surface, when the old root tries to press through the soil, fix your gaze where the Son fixed His. He entrusted Himself to the Father who judges justly. He chose the Father’s will in the garden. He answered mockery with quiet strength. He carried the cross for the joy set before Him, and He now lives in you so that His same life can be expressed through you.
You are not the gardener who must purify the field. You are the branch that abides. Remain in Me. Let My word dwell richly. My peace will guard your heart. My patience will shape your speech. My gentleness will stand where resentment once stood. You are crucified with the Messiah. The old dominion no longer owns your responses. Reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Me. Present your whole self to the Father, and I will work in you both the willing and the doing for His pleasure.
When criticism stings, I remind you that you are chosen, holy, and dearly loved. Put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another. Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you. Over all these, put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. I am able to make grace abound in every moment of provocation. Do not repay evil for evil. Leave room for the Father. Overcome evil with good. My grace is sufficient for you, and My power finds a home in your weakness.
Lift your eyes. Jesus intercedes for you. He saves to the uttermost those who come through Him. Draw near to the throne of grace with confidence. Receive mercy. Find timely grace. Walk with Me in step with the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desire of the flesh. I am faithful to complete what the Father began. Love will stay put. Love will keep no record of wrongs. Love will endure because I, the Lord who is in you, endure.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a kitchen sink strainer catching peels before they slip into the drain. If you empty it often, the water runs clear. If you let it sit, it clogs the whole basin. Bitterness works like those peels. A small slight. An offhand comment. A forgotten thank you. Left alone, it stacks up and stalls the flow. Attend to it with Jesus. Bring the fresh matter to Him, and let His life clear the line before congestion turns into a blockage.
Today, when that memory or new irritation surfaces, quietly yield the moment to the Lord who lives in you. You might say, Lord, I am Yours in this conversation. Express Your patience and honesty through me right now. Then answer the text with clarity without a jab, or speak a gentle truth face to face, or choose to forgive before you craft a reply. Not a checklist. Not self-control by grit. Simple trust. The indwelling Spirit of Jesus flowing where a clog used to be.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I am not missing grace today. Thank You that the cross has cut the root at its source, and that the risen Lord lives in me to express Your love in real time. I thank You for wisdom that is already mine in Christ, peace that already guards my heart, and patience that already flows by Your Spirit. I rejoice that You work in me to will and to do. I praise You that bitterness does not get the last word. Your love does.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Romans 5:5. 1 Peter 2:23. Luke 22:42. Hebrews 12:2. John 15:1-5. Colossians 3:16. Philippians 4:7. Galatians 2:20. Romans 6:6-13. Romans 12:1. Philippians 2:13. Colossians 3:12-14. Romans 12:17-21. 2 Corinthians 12:9. Romans 8:34. Hebrews 7:25. Hebrews 4:16. Galatians 5:16. Philippians 1:6. 1 Corinthians 13:5-7.