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16 July 2008
Word on the Web
2 Corinthians 7:8-13
Even if my letter made you sad, I am not sorry I wrote it. At first I was sorry, because it made you sad, but you were sad only for a short time. Now I am happy, not because you were made sad, but because your sorrow made you change your lives. You became sad in the way God wanted you to, so you were not hurt by us in any way. The kind of sorrow God wants makes people change their hearts and lives. This leads to salvation, and you cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has brings death. See what this sorrow - the sorrow God wanted you to have - has done to you: It has made you very serious. It made you want to restore yourselves. It made you angry and afraid. It made you want to see me. It made you care. It made you want to do the right thing. In every way you have regained your innocence. I wrote that letter, not because of the one who did the wrong or because of the person who was hurt. I wrote the letter so you could see, before God, the great care you have for us. That is why we were comforted.
Not only were we very comforted, we were even happier to see that Titus was so happy. All of you made him feel much better
Have you ever made someone sad for a short while in order to make them happier in the long run? This is what Paul did by writing his letter.
Paul had to make some sorry whom he would rather have made glad, as it brought the desired effect. He rejoiced, when he found they had experienced sorrow in order to be able to repent. Their sorrow in itself was not the cause of his rejoicing; but the nature of it, and the effect of it - repentance that led to salvation made him glad. Sadness was used by God in order to not cause harm. The Corinthians showed themselves not to be at fault in the whole matter. The hurt that Paul temporarily placed on the Corinthians made them want to restore themselves and do the right thing.
We should follow by this example and be comforted in the fact that God has great care for us.
Dear Lord, please let us realise that God uses ways which we might think are strange in order to save us from sorrow and hurt. Help us to accept him and recognise he does everything to protect us. Help us to want to do the right thing for God's grace and take comfort in the fact we are his children and he loves us. Amen.
Written by Claire Coleman
Word on the Web
2 Corinthians 7:8-13
Even if my letter made you sad, I am not sorry I wrote it. At first I was sorry, because it made you sad, but you were sad only for a short time. Now I am happy, not because you were made sad, but because your sorrow made you change your lives. You became sad in the way God wanted you to, so you were not hurt by us in any way. The kind of sorrow God wants makes people change their hearts and lives. This leads to salvation, and you cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has brings death. See what this sorrow - the sorrow God wanted you to have - has done to you: It has made you very serious. It made you want to restore yourselves. It made you angry and afraid. It made you want to see me. It made you care. It made you want to do the right thing. In every way you have regained your innocence. I wrote that letter, not because of the one who did the wrong or because of the person who was hurt. I wrote the letter so you could see, before God, the great care you have for us. That is why we were comforted.
Not only were we very comforted, we were even happier to see that Titus was so happy. All of you made him feel much better
Have you ever made someone sad for a short while in order to make them happier in the long run? This is what Paul did by writing his letter.
Paul had to make some sorry whom he would rather have made glad, as it brought the desired effect. He rejoiced, when he found they had experienced sorrow in order to be able to repent. Their sorrow in itself was not the cause of his rejoicing; but the nature of it, and the effect of it - repentance that led to salvation made him glad. Sadness was used by God in order to not cause harm. The Corinthians showed themselves not to be at fault in the whole matter. The hurt that Paul temporarily placed on the Corinthians made them want to restore themselves and do the right thing.
We should follow by this example and be comforted in the fact that God has great care for us.
Dear Lord, please let us realise that God uses ways which we might think are strange in order to save us from sorrow and hurt. Help us to accept him and recognise he does everything to protect us. Help us to want to do the right thing for God's grace and take comfort in the fact we are his children and he loves us. Amen.
Written by Claire Coleman
