How to deal with unpleasant, bitter people

Apr 06, 2026

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

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You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely reprove your fellow citizen so that you do not incur sin on account of him. You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:17-18 (NET)

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Have you ever noticed how unpleasant it is to be around bitter people?

If someone has a grudge against someone -- an axe to grind -- they tell it far & wide.

It really brings down the energy of a room and I find myself looking for opportunities to just get away from them.

Hate & grudges against our fellow Christians should have no place in our hearts.

Actually, hate toward anyone should be far removed from us.

I know there are a lot of people out there doing wicked & evil things. I’ll confess that my first instinct is to get angry at them.

But then I remind myself that our fight is not with flesh & blood (i.e., other people) but against the spiritual powers of darkness.

Then I remember that those people are enslaved to the darkness.

Instead of hate for them, I feel sad.

Sad that they are chained to sin and they spread wickedness across the world.

Of course I, myself, am a sinner saved by the grace of Christ.

I was enslaved to darkness at one time too. The only hope for me -- indeed, the only hope for them and for you -- is Jesus.

God’s transformational work in our hearts is what empowers us to overcome hate & grudges.

More than avoiding these wicked things, we can actually fill the world with love.

Going so far to love our neighbor as ourselves.

After all, that’s what God did for me.

And you.

— Ricky Ketchum

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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