FROM BITTER TO SWEET"

"The Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it '
into the waters, the waters were made sweet.
                                                     Exodus 15: 25


Joy and sorrow are often close companions.
Just as the Israelites went from the thrill of
victory at the Red Sea to the bitter waters of
Marah just 3 days later (Exodus 15:22-23). Our
rejoicing can quickly turn into the water, which
made it "sweet" and Drinkable (v.25). Another
"tree," when "cast into" the bitter circumstances
of our lives, can make them sweet. It is the cross
of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24).
    Our outlook will be transformed as we
contemplate His sacrificial death and His
submission to the will of God (Luke 22-42).
Our pain may come from the ill-will of others, or
worse, from their neglect. Nevertheless, our Lord
has permitted it. We may not understand why, yet
it is the will of our Father and Friend, whose
wisdom and love are infinite.
  When we say yes to Hod as His Spirit reveals
His will to us through His Word, the bitter
circumstances of our lives can become sweet.
We must not do all that He asks us to do.
Jesus said that we are to take up out cross daily
and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
    When we remember Jesus' cross  and submit
to the Father as He did, bitter experiences can
become sweet.