“Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
II Corinthians 7:9-11 NKJV
http://bible.com/114/2co.7.9-11.nkjv
God is so good!! He takes the things that we (the world) were taught to condemn and he refines them and makes them Holy, and useful for his good work!
I was not raised in a Christian home. We were not taught about all of the grace and love. My parents were not terrible parents, they did the best they knew how. But apart from God so much is missed!
Being "sorry" was always something bad. We had done wrong, we were in trouble. There was so much guilt and condemnation. It is so refreshing to know that even in our mistakes (which the bible says we all do: "we all fall short of His glorious standard") God uses the "sorry" to refine and clear us so that we can glorify Him!!
1 Corinthians 1:27 "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;"
If this doesn't make sense to you don't worry!! It used to not make sense to me either.
-the person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come front he Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
The great news is that Jesus came to this world so that ALL may know God! (Luke 19:10)
Today, you may have the Spirit that reveals all these mysteries and untangles all the lies of the world. Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord (say this out loud) and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead that you will be saved!
Today, if you are a believer, then your challenge is to take hold of this word and never let it go!! Whatever you do today that is less than, don't let guilt and condemnation set in. Hold on to God's refining and let Him do a new work in you!!
{Behold, I will do a new thing!}
~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford
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