2 Corinthians 7:8,9
Even if I cause you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it, I now see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time.
And now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.
*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2596
Sorrow that God intends: according to, by way of, daily, day-by-day.
From the Greek word 'kata' (pronounced kat-ah')): that which pleases; according to the will of.
That which Paul had written to the Corinth church concerning their lack of love and support to him and his companions as they spread the gospel had a marked effect on them. They recognized they had wronged them, repented of their faithlessness and changed the direction of their loyalties.
The Word tells us in Proverbs 4:27 to not turn to the right or to the left. In fact throughout Scripture we are informed to maintain our ways before the Lord and walk where He tells us to walk. He is the One, after all, Who directs our steps on the Way of Holiness He has mapped out for us.
Jeremiah 7:23
Isaiah 35:8
Galatians 5:16
2 Corinthians 5:7
Every time it feels like we are slipping away from faithfulness, we need to pay attention to the nudgings of the Holy Spirit. We, too, need to repent of our both our inaction (lack of support) and our action (leaving the path of righteousness) on a day-by-day basis.
Having received salvation when we first believed on Jesus' Name, and having received the Holy Spirit when we earnestly sought and waited for Him, we need to remain in close contact with our Savior and Advocate. We need to remember that a relationship of any kind, especially our born again relationship in Christ, requires constancy and consistency.
Constancy in that we need to remain in His vicinity. When we become aware of any sin we have committed, we need to immediately repent of it. Whether it is unkind words or seeds of doubt or failure to obey when the Spirit gives us God's Word to share with someone. It is as if we have stepped away, even if only slightly, from the side of our Savior.
I lost another friend this month. He was younger than me. He got sick and died of respiratory failure and cardiac complications. I never failed to share God's love and my friendship with him. Though he never said anything, I hope that both made a difference in his heart and his life.
Consistency is remaining faithful to God's Word regardless of what or who comes against me when I am living it, breathing it, speaking it, sharing it, praying it, singing it. We need to walk the walk and talk the talk. That's consistency. To do otherwise is to fail to be the examples of righteousness we are supposed to be; it is being a two-faced double-minded irresponsible hypocrite. And I can't do that.
Let us come to God now and repent of all our unrighteous acts and thoughts and words. There we will find forgiveness from God. And we need, if possible, to go to the person we have sinned against and apologize. It is there at the throne of grace that we receive wisdom and strength to go on in our walk with Christ.
THIS IS AMAZING GRACE by Phil Wickham
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