For indeed, when we
came to Macedonia,
our bodies had no
rest, but we were troubled
on every side. Outside were conflicts,
inside were
fears. Nevertheless God,
who comforts the
downcast, comforted
us by becoming of
Titus, and not only by his coming,
but also by the
consolation with which he was
comforted in you,
when he told us of your earnest desire,
your mourning, your
zeal for me,
so that I rejoiced
even more.
2 Corinthians 7: 5 --
7
Have you
ever felt that you have had no rest, and were troubled on every side, conflicts
that created within you fear? If so;
you have joined the great class called humanity. The world looks for solutions to the conflicts and troubles that they
are confronted with by filling in their lives with much entertainment, much
sporting events, and doing anything that would take them away from having to
actually solve the problem. As
Christians we have no need for such exercises (I am not here saying that
entertainment or sporting events or wrong, or other things that you may do that
you find enjoyable long as they are moral) for we have on our side God who
comforts the downcast. How does God
often do this comforting? As Paul wrote
that God comforted by the sending of Titus and for us God sends to us other
mature Christian who also bring this comforting that we so badly need and to
ensure that we received this comforting then one sure way to get it is to be in
association with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Too many, far to many, stay at home and give excuses why they don't
attend a truthful Christian congregation and say to whomever questions them saying, they
get their sermons from TV. Well, TV sermons are not all bad,
but there is no comforting by association with others who can comfort you in
you times of need and you can comfort them in their time of need and this is
exactly what the apostle John wrote that true love. True love Is manifested how we interact with our
brothers and sisters: "Beloved, if
God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4: 11). Now, there will be times when your pastor or
other mature Christian leaders speak in a very serious manner due to certain
issues within the congregation that may make you feel uncomfortable as this
occurred also with Paul as he was straightforward in his preaching of the
Gospel: "For if I made you sorry
with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made
you sorry, though only for a little while.
Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to
repentance. For you were made sorry in
a godly manner, that you might suffer the loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading
to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death
for I observe this very thing, that you saw a road in a godly manner: what
diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation,
what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! It all things you prove you're so to be
clear in this matter" (2 Corinthians 7: 8 -- 11). When a pastor or teacher has to address
those things that are outside of God's will and commands to those who are
living a non-Christian life, even though they may think they are, is to be done
in a godly manner. With only one end in
view and that is that you repent, return to living according to the commands
and precepts of God. The great thing
that Christians have and we must never forget, while God may chastise and this
He does to all of His children, for by this our faith is tested. If
faith is not tested then there is no faith and if you are not mourning over
those things which you do for you know about what you know you are doing is not
scriptural, and you do not repent and remove yourself from those things then it
is questionable whether you truly love God as God desires Himself to be loved. On the other hand, God comforts the downcast
for He is the God of all comfort.
Therefore, we should look above looking beyond all means and all things
unto God for He is the author of all consolation and for all the good we
enjoy. You want to make your pastor and
other leaders, as well as other Christians to be zealous and to rejoice? Then repent and show evidence of your
repentance! It is difficult to speak in
a tough love manner but sometimes it is necessary but by your repentance and
your change of your life back to the a moral life through Scripture
then you will bring joy and remove all sorrow.
No, sorrow is not where we find our rejoicing, rather it is the nature of
the sorrow and the effect of that sorrow and then the repentance unto salvation
as the means for our rejoicing. If we
are not careful, and we allow the culture of this world to infect us and we do
little or nothing about it then we are in danger of being swallowed up and
become puffed up thinking more of ourselves than we have the right to think and
we are not sorrowful. This sorrow needs
to be in accordance to the will of God, and tending to the glory of God. This sorrow is to be brought about by the
Spirit of God, under the influence of His grace. If this is true then this sorrow makes your heart humble,
contrite, submissive, and dependent upon mercy so that you will be disposed to
renounce and mortify every sin, and to walk in newness of life. In Jesus Christ we have saving faith and we
must be connected to His atonement.
This atonement that came to us by means of His death on the cross. By means of our repentance and by our
newness of life we can be assured that our soul and future that we have the
blessings of the covenant and this comes about by our godly sorrow. Remove all ingratitude so that you do not
forfeit God's favor. There is a great
difference between sorrow that is of a godly sort in the sorrow of this world. God gives you the grace, God gave salvation, and this is assured by the truths of all of his promise, therefore,
we have the needed consolation for in this humanity we will face trial and
tribulations.
Unto You I lift up my eyes,
O You who
dwell in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look
to the hand
of their masters,
as the eyes of a maid to the hand
for
mistress, so our eyes
look to the LORD our God.
until He
has mercy on us.
Psalm 123: 1 -- 2
In your distress call out to God
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