“Beautiful” by Mercy Me.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
2 Cor 7:10 (KJV)
Sorry? Really?
Consider sorrow. Sorrow is useful because we assume it heralds a change in behavior that is positive. Sorrow is associated with wrongful actions., yet not all sorrow is what it seems to be: There is true sorrow, and there is just the acting of sorrow. True sorrow cleanses and produces change. Worldly sorrow is merely an act that seeks to deceive the wronged person into thinking that the wrong doer has changed. It is a wicked trick intended to buy more time to do more wrongful acts. Worldly repentance is a counterfeit, intended to solicit the valid emotional currency of trust in order to continue a deception. How do we tell the difference? By trusting in the Holy Spirit Who leads us into all truth.
Holy Spirit as a dove surrounded by Angels. Image via Wikipedia
We must submit all things to God in prayer. Being wronged is no exception. We are to pray for all relationships, so when someone has wronged us, this must be brought to the Lord in prayer. Even when we think we can handle it. Even when we think we are handling it well. The human heart is poorly visualized, so deception is a constant possibility. We must trust the Lord to make the intentions of others known to us, and we must be willing to act on what is revealed. Likewise, we must submit our own hearts to the Holy Spirit for cleansing. We must be willing to see what is revealed of our own wickedness and be willing to submit to the purging process of godly sorrow that alone can prevent unclean things from spoiling our souls.
Reflection: Because I cannot rely upon my own ability to discern the sorrow of one who has committed a wrong, I must rely upon the discernment of the Holy Spirit, Who leads me into all truth. All relationships and actions must be submitted to the Lord for evaluation.
Prayer: Gracious and loving Heavenly Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit Who leads Your children into all truth. Forgive me Lord for the many times I have thought that I knew all that pertained to my life and relationships. Forgive me for the many times I have not been forgiving. Forgive me for trusting those who do not deserve my trust. Help me Lord to show Your grace in all things. Grant me insight to see and strength to act on all that you would have me to do in my life. These things I ask in the precious name of Jesus. Amen, and Amen!
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Video “Beautiful” by Mercy Me was uploaded on Youtube.com by veroinuyasha on May 15, 2010. Verneda Lights and E-graphX Omnimedia have no ownership of this video. It is used for instructional purposes only.
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- Spurgeon’s Daily Devotional (macandlinuxuser.wordpress.com)
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- Worldly sorrow or godly sorrow? (nelima.wordpress.com)
- Repentance (garrettventry.wordpress.com)
