SCRIPTURE
2 Corinthians 7:2-16 (NRSV)
Grief leads to repentance
Make room in your hearts for us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. I often boast about you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our affliction.
For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way - disputes without and fears within. But God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled about you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it, for I see that I grieved you with that letter, though only briefly). Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who was wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made known to you before God. In this we find comfort.
In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you. For if I have been somewhat boastful about you to him, I was not disgraced; but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true as well. And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.
DEVOTION
My dear friends, today’s devotion touches me in the deepest part of my heart because it speaks to the deep pain and brokenness that many Christians feel regarding their sin.
One of the hardest things about seeing ourselves through the eyes of God is seeing ourselves as we truly are.
As human beings we are infected with congenital birth defect called sin-sickness. It is a condition of the soul and it is deadly.
In addition, we are also predisposed to sinful behavior. We do things—or leave things undone—that we know are wrong. We fail to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and we fail to love our neighbors as ourselves.
As a pastoral care and counselor, I have talked with many Christians, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, and feel convicted by their sin. This is normal; when we miss the mark, and grieve the heart of God, it hurts. This pin-prick of mind and soul is a gift of the Holy Spirit whose work it is to keep us in right relationship with God by convicting us of our sin and leading us in a prayer of repentance.
But, I have also talked with other Christians who feel terrible about their sin and yet refuse to accept the forgiveness of God! It is these people who toss and turn upon their beds in the midnight hour, tears flooding their pillows, noses running, and sobs choking their breath.
When I encounter people who are besot with guilt I remind them that 1 John 1:9 states, “If you confess your sin, God who is faithful and just, will forgive your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” It also says, “godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.”
Oh my! Do you see the distinction? As Christians we must learn to distinguish between Godly grief and worldly grief.
Godly grief comes as a result of a pricking from the Holy Spirit. Spirit reveals to us our wrong-doing and encourages us to make it right with God and with the person we have offended. When we are experiencing Godly grief, we are swift to ask for God’s forgiveness and we are swift to beg the pardon of the person we have harmed. As a result, we receive quick forgiveness from God and our soul is at peace.
On the other hand, worldly grief is a tool of our Enemy. The enemy of our souls wants to devastate us with our sin. He wants to convince us that there can be no forgiveness. He wants to depress--and oppress us—by wracking us with guilt, pain, fear and shame, so that we will be too embarrassed to ask God for forgiveness. Worldly grief isolates us from our family, friends, and church family and/or pastor/priest. It keeps us locked away from the very people who would speak words of forgiveness and absolution into our lives. It keeps us hidden, seeking to cloak our sin in the darkness, rather than bringing it into the marvelous light of God’s Amazing Grace!
Worldly grief is not of God! If you feel repentant, by all means ask God for forgiveness and receive that forgiveness in Jesus’ Name. This reception of God’s love and forgiveness leads to our salvation.
But, if you feel guilty and wracked with fear and shame, this kind of worldly grief leads to pain and death. Please join me right now in rebuking the Adversary in Jesus Name!
As long as our enemy can keep you bound up, you won’t think about God’s great love for you that gave Jesus to die on the cross to save you from your sin and gift you with eternal life. As long as you are focused on yourself, and on your failures, you are not focused on bearing witness to the GOOD NEWS that Jesus saves and He saves to the utmost!
Isn’t it tricky of the enemy of our souls to make us so self-centered, that we push God out of our lives? It’s it conniving of him to make us so self-involved that we make God out to be a liar, refusing to believe that God will forgive us just as God promised!
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to call God a liar!
Psalm 103:8-12 says,
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
Oh hallelujah! Come on, now, let’s take a praise break! 1-2-3-GO!
Bless that Wonderful Name of Jesus! Hallelujah!
We are a loved and forgiven people. As far as the East is from the West, God removes our sin from us and remembers it no more!
Dear Friend, today God is calling for you to come up out of the prison of guilt, shame, and fear that you have been living in. You are loosed now, in the Name of Jesus!
God does not condemn you. God loves you and God forgives you. There is nothing that you have done that God cannot forgive. You cannot out sin, out fox, or out run the love of God that has been revealed to us in Christ Jesus!
Jesus’ love and blood covers the multitude of our sin. Jesus’ love and blood is strong enough to make atonement for your every mistake!
Please, beloved of God, lay down the weight you have been carrying and put all of your hope in Jesus today! Confess your sin to God. Reconcile with your neighbor. AND LET’S MOVE ON…
God’s got “Kingdom-Come” work for you to do! Will you get busy?
Dear God, I have been wracked by guilt, shame, and fear. I thought that I was too awful to be forgiven. I now know that I was wrong. I believe with all my heart and mind that you love me and that you proved it when Jesus went to the cross to forgive me of all of my sin and to gift me with eternal life! I know that you are not a liar; so I also know that you will forgive me if I ask. I am asking now; will you please forgive all of my sin and fill me with Your Holy Spirit? Thank you, Jesus! My soul feels so much lighter! This is wonderful GOOD NEWS! Please help me to boldly share it with everyone I meet. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
SPECIAL NOTE
If you just prayed this prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! I would be so honored if you would let me know about your decision by clicking “Yes” in the poll located at the top/right of today’s devotional! I am so happy for you! Happy Spiritual Re-Birth-Day!
Next steps: In response to what God did for you just now, let me suggest that you consider telling another Christian so that they can celebrate with you! Ask them to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand so that you can learn more about your new-found faith! Ask them to help you find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make loving friends who will walk with you on your new journey! You are already saved; now let God mature you by faith! Congratulations!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Congratulations to all of those people who have recently put all of their hope in Jesus! Welcome to the Christian family! We love you and we are praying for you even now in Jesus’ Name!
If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html
If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html
Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/
You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda
Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews
You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.
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Thanks for reading and please come again. Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.
From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com
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