Who Do You Resent? -Run With Horses Podcast - Ep. 203

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rwhpodcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RWHpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rwh_podcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RWH_podcast
Podcast: rwh.podbean.com
Website: www.runwithhorses.net

Who do you resent?

I came across a small old book in the church library today. The Prison of Resentment by Bob Mumford.
Subtitled: The Greatest Hindrance to Spiritual Maturity

First a foundation to build on. From Galatians 5:13-26. A quick summary- you are called to freedom. Love your neighbor as yourself to fulfill the law. Walk by the Spirit. Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Live by the Spirit, Walk by the Spirit.

An unfortunate truth - it is easier to love God than to love people! Surprise!
But Mumford says, "Righteousness is relational. If you want to be righteous before God, you must get all your relationships clear."

If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are righteous before God. So NOW what are you going to do? Living out your faith in the world today is primarily about your relationships with those people around you. Six of the ten commandments are about our relationships with people. The beatitudes tell us about our attitude, heart focus and often relate it to people.

How important is our relationship with others? Check out Matthew 5: 23-26. It is so important that you should put reconciliation with another believer above your own worship of God. Relationships in the church, unity in the church, is important to God!

Mumford takes a slight curve and gives some good insight on why our relationships are such a mess. "When sin entered, it affected three areas: (1) it affected our relationship between us and God. (2) It affected the relationship between us and ourselves. (3) It affected the relationship between us and others."

God wants you to know and experience forgiveness from both ends. He has forgiven you, you can now forgive others.

Merriam-Webster defines resentment as a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury. Oh, yeah it's personal!

Remember Naaman, captain of the Syrian army who went to Elisha to be healed. He was offended because he was told to go dip in the Jordan river seven times, by Elisha's servant! That is resentment. He felt slighted by Elisha.

Mumford tells us that resentment starts as a subjective thought known only to you and God. No one else can see how you feel or what you are thinking. But you dwell on it and begin to wallow in the mire of your own making, building up resentment that turns into a grudge against someone. Now you are stuck in the rut and we all tend to keep on going over it and making it deeper.

Mumford gives four things that help us as we think about resentment, both avoiding it and getting out of the trap.
First, Testing is a real thing. You will be tested in life in many small and large ways and God often brings the test through people you know.
Second, We all really need a large dose of the sovereignty of God! Nothing comes into your life that will hinder God's work in and through your life. Embrace the work He is doing as well as the method He uses to bring the spiritual growth you need.
Third, if you understand God's sovereignty, it is a little easier to accept the test with joy. This is where the rubber meets the road. Accepting with joy doesn't mean that someone else wasn't in the wrong or that you weren't hurt by them. It just mean you are learning to handle life by trusting God with the details.
Fourth, If you don't get a handle on your thoughts and emotions, resentment imprisons you and robs your relationships of the joy and value God intends. Little things become big things, are spiritual life suffers and we become bitter.

"Resentment comes when God, or another, doesn't do what you think He should." - Mumford

Our expectations of God and other people put us in the position of being disappointed often. The sin nature we struggle with causes us to desire things and believe we deserve them. We want attention, praise and recognition for every little thing we do and we want others to always treat us with respect and honor.

It makes sense when you think that we all see ourselves as the authority in our life. It is difficult to surrender to God's authority. We don't want to serve others or be treated like a servant. Humility is low on our list of traits we value in ourselves. And then there is Jesus.

Love Go with all your heart, soul mind and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself and really try to serve them. Resentment hurts you more than the one you resent. Ask God to release you and forgive you joy in Him today.