“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT)
A young man despised his home life. Jerry didn’t like his parents’ rules, their expectations, their choices. Approaching sixteen, his parents did not allow him to get a driver’s license. They feared he would crash the car, because the boy refused to follow directions on the road. When Jerry’s father took him practice driving in a parking lot, the young man almost hit a tree and a car in just ten minutes. When his father tried to correct his poor driving, the teen yelled at his father and refused to listen.
Later in that same school year, Jerry got into trouble at school. He was involved in several pranks against teachers and students including gluing a locker shut and throwing a smoke bomb into a women’s bathroom. He was suspended for yelling at a teacher during class. With more and more problems at home and school, Jerry’s parents decided to send him to a military school. There, his problems continued. However, as the punishments were handed down, Jerry was asked over and over by a counselor, “Do you ever feel guilt for the hurt you have caused? Will you ever take responsibility for your own choices and actions?” The boy always responded, “Hell, no!” or the equivalent.
After a series of petty crimes at the military school, Jerry was placed into a juvenile detention facility. There, he continued his downward spiral until one day when his world came crashing down. He thought it would be hilarious to scare his roommate, so he donned a hideous mask and woke the young man up in the middle of the night. His roommate was so shocked and afraid, he had a panic attack and then an asthma attack one after the other. His roommate almost died. Placed into a restricted area of the facility, Jerry realized for the first time in his life that he did not have one friend. His roommate had been kind, but Jerry destroyed that friendship with his egregious act. As he sat in silence night after night, Jerry began to play over and over in his mind what the counselor from the military academy had said: “Do you ever feel guilt for the hurt you have caused? Will you ever take responsibility for your own choices and actions?”
A week later, after meeting with the chaplain from the facility, Jerry gave his life to Christ. That night, he cried for a long time. For the first time in his life, Jerry thought that he should quit fighting everything and everyone. It never got him anywhere in his life anyway. He also began to understand that God loved him no matter what. This changed his view on life. Jerry began to regret his past sins. He began to make things right. If you met Jerry today, you’d never believe he was a problem child. He is a strong leader in the community, an elder in his church, and a successful businessman.
The old Puritans used to pray for ‘the gift of tears.’ They believed that if you never had a good cry about your sins, you didn’t understand your relationship with God. They felt that every soul needs to repent for past sins. It needs to own up to wrongs. When you confess your sins and ask for repentance, a faithful heart will always own up to the past. A good heart won’t be filled with regret for long. Instead, a good heart will confess the wrong, seek repentance, then make things right. To the Puritans, the tears of a person who is truly faithful will not be filled with sadness for long. With the faithful person, tears from sin will always be translated into the joy and love and hope in a God who forgives and loves and redeems. A “good cry” was one in which the person was committed to make things right. He or she was sorry for their sin and ready to live out the grace that comes with renewed commitment to God in Jesus Christ.
In the scripture chosen for today written above, Paul taught the Corinthians that faithful sorrow for one’s sin should “lead you away from sin and result in salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Just like Jerry’s tears when he realized his terrible choices in life, grief over past sin should drive you to seek forgiveness in Christ. You shouldn’t be so disgusted in your sin that you take up drinking alcohol or take dangerous risks. This is “worldly sorrow” spoken of in the scripture above. It “lacks repentance” and “results in spiritual death.” How you deal with your sins is incredibly important. Faithful tears drive you to God. Worldly selfish tears will drive you to regret and self-loathing and revenge.
Oswald Chambers understood well the need for the gift of tears and a contrite heart. He even questioned his readers if they “have forgotten to be sorry.” He believed that the best soul is one that shows remorse for wrongs, but then moves on to a stronger relationship with God through repentance and grace and forgiveness.
Do your tears after sin drive you to God or away from God? Are you filled with godly sorrow or worldly sorrow when you mess up your life? It is incredibly important how you handle sin in your life. Your response can send you down the road toward salvation or down the path of destruction.
Later in that same school year, Jerry got into trouble at school. He was involved in several pranks against teachers and students including gluing a locker shut and throwing a smoke bomb into a women’s bathroom. He was suspended for yelling at a teacher during class. With more and more problems at home and school, Jerry’s parents decided to send him to a military school. There, his problems continued. However, as the punishments were handed down, Jerry was asked over and over by a counselor, “Do you ever feel guilt for the hurt you have caused? Will you ever take responsibility for your own choices and actions?” The boy always responded, “Hell, no!” or the equivalent.
After a series of petty crimes at the military school, Jerry was placed into a juvenile detention facility. There, he continued his downward spiral until one day when his world came crashing down. He thought it would be hilarious to scare his roommate, so he donned a hideous mask and woke the young man up in the middle of the night. His roommate was so shocked and afraid, he had a panic attack and then an asthma attack one after the other. His roommate almost died. Placed into a restricted area of the facility, Jerry realized for the first time in his life that he did not have one friend. His roommate had been kind, but Jerry destroyed that friendship with his egregious act. As he sat in silence night after night, Jerry began to play over and over in his mind what the counselor from the military academy had said: “Do you ever feel guilt for the hurt you have caused? Will you ever take responsibility for your own choices and actions?”
A week later, after meeting with the chaplain from the facility, Jerry gave his life to Christ. That night, he cried for a long time. For the first time in his life, Jerry thought that he should quit fighting everything and everyone. It never got him anywhere in his life anyway. He also began to understand that God loved him no matter what. This changed his view on life. Jerry began to regret his past sins. He began to make things right. If you met Jerry today, you’d never believe he was a problem child. He is a strong leader in the community, an elder in his church, and a successful businessman.
The old Puritans used to pray for ‘the gift of tears.’ They believed that if you never had a good cry about your sins, you didn’t understand your relationship with God. They felt that every soul needs to repent for past sins. It needs to own up to wrongs. When you confess your sins and ask for repentance, a faithful heart will always own up to the past. A good heart won’t be filled with regret for long. Instead, a good heart will confess the wrong, seek repentance, then make things right. To the Puritans, the tears of a person who is truly faithful will not be filled with sadness for long. With the faithful person, tears from sin will always be translated into the joy and love and hope in a God who forgives and loves and redeems. A “good cry” was one in which the person was committed to make things right. He or she was sorry for their sin and ready to live out the grace that comes with renewed commitment to God in Jesus Christ.
In the scripture chosen for today written above, Paul taught the Corinthians that faithful sorrow for one’s sin should “lead you away from sin and result in salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Just like Jerry’s tears when he realized his terrible choices in life, grief over past sin should drive you to seek forgiveness in Christ. You shouldn’t be so disgusted in your sin that you take up drinking alcohol or take dangerous risks. This is “worldly sorrow” spoken of in the scripture above. It “lacks repentance” and “results in spiritual death.” How you deal with your sins is incredibly important. Faithful tears drive you to God. Worldly selfish tears will drive you to regret and self-loathing and revenge.
Oswald Chambers understood well the need for the gift of tears and a contrite heart. He even questioned his readers if they “have forgotten to be sorry.” He believed that the best soul is one that shows remorse for wrongs, but then moves on to a stronger relationship with God through repentance and grace and forgiveness.
Do your tears after sin drive you to God or away from God? Are you filled with godly sorrow or worldly sorrow when you mess up your life? It is incredibly important how you handle sin in your life. Your response can send you down the road toward salvation or down the path of destruction.