2 Corinthians, a letter written to the church at Corinth by the Apostle Paul. This passage stuck out to me about repentance, chapter 7: "9 Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn't experience any loss from us. For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death."
There is a difference between repentance and regret. We can be sorry we did something, or sorry that something happened, without actually turning away from it, without acknowledging it was wrong. Take for example if a kid gets caught stealing a toy or piece of candy. He can be sorry he got caught....he knows it's wrong but is only sorry that someone caught him in the act, and he will probably do it again, only sneakier. Or he can be the kid that realizes that it's wrong and he had no right to take what was not his, and apologize and never do it again. Only one is true repentance.
Our acts and decisions we make, many times we regret them, or regret the outcome. But do we repent? Do we turn away from the sin, the poor choices, and follow God? Do we think twice before acting or reacting? Do we run our decisions and desires past what we know to be God's will for us? It's always best to choose repentance and growth over regret and making the same poor choices.
Want to show appreciation and buy me a book, or help refill by Little Free Library? Donate here: paypal.me/AmyVanGaasbeck
No comments:
Post a Comment