I recently came across an older couple's very thought-provoking answer to the question of how they had managed to stay together for so long.  Their response was ... "It's simple, really.  We are from a time where if something is broken we fix it. Not throw it away!"   

 

Today's verses state that we are not to give the devil an opportunity to gain access into our lives through our inability to work out our problems in a timely fashion. Just as a wound can become infected if not properly cared for, our relationships can also fester.  

 

One definition for fester is to "become worse or more intense, especially through long-term neglect or indifference." The example sentence provided for this particular definition was "His anger festered and grew in his heart."  

 

My challenge to you today is to always realize that unresolved anger CAN have a decaying effect on your heart! Remain focused on the simplicity of the success of the older couple's marriage - "when something is broken ... fix it RATHER than throwing it away!"

 

Dear Lord,  Please help me to let go of any anger and frustration that I may be harboring in order to fix the troubled relationships in my life. My desire is to forgive and to be forgiven.  

 

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.

 

Reflection: Do you have a relationship in your life that needs restoration ... that has the potential to have a decaying effect in your heart?