Daily Bread 2 Corinthians 7
Daily Bread
2 Corinthians 7
1Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Paul's Joy
2Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.
5For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
8Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Observation:
Unlike today where we are so connected through the internet, Facebook, emails etc… In Paul’s day, letters had to be delivered. Hence when Paul sent the letter with Titus, which had some “tough love” in it, Paul was concerned that Titus might not be received very well (ie. shoot the messenger). But as it turns out when Titus returned he actually comforted and encouraged Paul because of his positive report. Paul is glad that the church actually longed to see him, in spite of the hard words he had for them.
Paul gives us a model for dealing with situations where we have to confront something that is going on outside of God’s will for the church. Paul makes it clear that he wasn’t happy that his letter made the Corinthians sorry, but that it produced “godly sorrow”. Godly sorrow is the conviction of the Holy Spirit that something in your life needs to change. It is God’s way of communicating that there is something in your life that is not pleasing to Him.
It is out of this sorrow that leads to repentance, which is a commitment to turn from a particular pattern of behavior (sin) that is not pleasing to God. Repentance leads to joy and peace, as one re-enters a right relationship with God. And the salvation it leads to is not only the initial salvation (or being saved) that comes when one turns to Christ for the first time, but also subsequently when we turn back to God if we have strayed.
God loves us too much to not let us know when we are going down the wrong path. The Holy Spirit convicts us when this happens, so we will turn back and go down the right path again. But if we don’t, and are stubborn, hopefully a godly leader will confront us with the truth so that we will return to faith and obedience.
Application: Is there an area of your life that is not pleasing to God? Are you running away from the godly sorrow the Holy Spirit brings when we are in this state? Is there a friend or colleague in your life that you might need to confront (I prefer the term “care-front”) in love and grace? Paul was a great leader because he didn’t shy away from the hard conversations (and letters) that led people to repentance which led to salvation (the same word for healing).
It is out of this healing that our joy and peace are restored and we become effective in walk for Christ!
Prayer: God help us to be honest before you about areas of our lives which you have revealed through Your Holy Spirit that need to change. Help us to be willing to submit to other godly leaders to help us learn what godly sorrow is all about that leads to repentance. We long to live in the peace and joy that the Holy Spirit produces in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
2 Corinthians 7
1Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Paul's Joy
2Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.
5For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
8Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Observation:
Unlike today where we are so connected through the internet, Facebook, emails etc… In Paul’s day, letters had to be delivered. Hence when Paul sent the letter with Titus, which had some “tough love” in it, Paul was concerned that Titus might not be received very well (ie. shoot the messenger). But as it turns out when Titus returned he actually comforted and encouraged Paul because of his positive report. Paul is glad that the church actually longed to see him, in spite of the hard words he had for them.
Paul gives us a model for dealing with situations where we have to confront something that is going on outside of God’s will for the church. Paul makes it clear that he wasn’t happy that his letter made the Corinthians sorry, but that it produced “godly sorrow”. Godly sorrow is the conviction of the Holy Spirit that something in your life needs to change. It is God’s way of communicating that there is something in your life that is not pleasing to Him.
It is out of this sorrow that leads to repentance, which is a commitment to turn from a particular pattern of behavior (sin) that is not pleasing to God. Repentance leads to joy and peace, as one re-enters a right relationship with God. And the salvation it leads to is not only the initial salvation (or being saved) that comes when one turns to Christ for the first time, but also subsequently when we turn back to God if we have strayed.
God loves us too much to not let us know when we are going down the wrong path. The Holy Spirit convicts us when this happens, so we will turn back and go down the right path again. But if we don’t, and are stubborn, hopefully a godly leader will confront us with the truth so that we will return to faith and obedience.
Application: Is there an area of your life that is not pleasing to God? Are you running away from the godly sorrow the Holy Spirit brings when we are in this state? Is there a friend or colleague in your life that you might need to confront (I prefer the term “care-front”) in love and grace? Paul was a great leader because he didn’t shy away from the hard conversations (and letters) that led people to repentance which led to salvation (the same word for healing).
It is out of this healing that our joy and peace are restored and we become effective in walk for Christ!
Prayer: God help us to be honest before you about areas of our lives which you have revealed through Your Holy Spirit that need to change. Help us to be willing to submit to other godly leaders to help us learn what godly sorrow is all about that leads to repentance. We long to live in the peace and joy that the Holy Spirit produces in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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