(2Corinthians 7:6) “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us
by…”
I
have intentionally left out the end of that verse; it is open ended for the
sake of each individual finding their own comfort as they fill in the blanks.
The Apostle Paul found comfort when his brother in Christ, Titus, arrived! If
we are tired and weary we needn’t go far into the vault of our memories to draw
on the recollections of God comforting us; just yesterday we broke bread and I
was freshly reminded that the death I deserved was paid for by God, Jesus
Christ hung and died on a cruel Roman cross in my stead! What sweet comfort to
my soul! It is those reality checks that should bring with them a multitude of
comforts. What of the times when sin seemed to have its clutches holding so
tightly it was almost impossible to breathe, when everyone else had thrown in
the towel or so it seemed; It was there that my God mercifully corrected the
error of my ways. O what comfort! In hindsight, even the severe lashings as it
were, have been comforting, to know that my God cares for me, is too wonderful for
comprehension!
It
is one thing to know God but quite another entity to be known of Him! Do not
let hardship rob you of your joy in the Lord; in fact it has been orchestrated
to teach us obedience. If grief teaches us to repent and rely on our God we
know that we have not veered from the path that leads to eternal life. If pity
overtakes us in a worldly manner be sure of this fact: we have turned right
instead of left at the last intersection. There is a repentance that leads to
life without regret, once it has run its course we will be smothered with the
joy of the Lord! No one enjoys the throws of discipline, but when we understand
its purpose we will learn to welcome it! So long as our repenting is after a
godly sort. “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without
regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” (2Corinthians 7:10) – Who hasn't somewhere in life been subjected to the
“woe is me” syndrome Club? Worldly sorrow is nothing more than a
destructive cancer that if left untreated will bring forth death!
I recently drove a friend around who was severely
infected by that vicious disease; he withered away to nothing just prior to
breathing his last; in fact it didn't only shred pounds from his weight, it
also left him speechless and being fed through a “peg” (feeding him through a
syringe directly into his stomach). It was a very trying time for him as well
as those around him! Radiation did not help, he was too far gone! Cancer
achieved its objective, he died last year!
If “worldly sorrow” is allowed to brew; the
results can be catastrophic, treatment is needed sooner than later! I have
another friend who was also diagnosed with exactly the same cancer but he
treated it sooner and now by God’s grace is in remission. He nipped it in the
bud! We must nip “worldly sorrow” in the bud and the only effective medication
for that is “repentance after a Godly manner”! When we find God’s forgiveness
we are set free from the decay of “worldly sorrow”. We must call on the One who
has the power to save! Psychologists will only ever do repairs, patch work is
their specialty, they can only help people to cope with their symptoms, but they
will never free the individual from death! The only way we will find freedom is
through the gospel, as it is the power of God unto salvation! We must all find
forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ, if not death will be our lot in
life!
Sin
has in one form or another latched onto mankind but until we acknowledge that
we are in fact the sinner and not the victim we will never find freedom as we
remain in the clutches of “worldly sorrow”. The Lord Jesus has this to say; “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all
likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3)
I
implore you; do not let the trickery of sin trap you into the justification of
the past actions of another as it robs you of finding forgiveness. We can do
nothing to change the past but we most certainly have it in our power to change
our futures; “For the Scripture
says, "Everyone who
believes in him will not be put to shame."” (Romans 10:11) “Worldly sorrow” will only ever lead to shame!
We can all be saved from its destructive powers; “For
"everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved."” (Romans 10:13)
BUT CALL WE MUST!
Signing off
Tyrone
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