Re:Verse passage – 2 Corinthians 7:5-16 (day six)
There is a good kind of grief. The good kind moves a person forward instead of back. Paul teaches good grief leads us to repentance, a painful awareness of sin resulting in a change of heart, and a fresh dependence on the grace of God. Or said another way, genuine repentance will not happen without genuine grief over sin. One of the reasons many of us never find victory over a particular sin, is because we never repent of it (even though we are aware of its sinfulness and destructive nature), and we likely never repent because we have never grieved its presence.
Now worldly grief may lead to anger or frustration over the result of sin, bur rarely grieves the sin itself. That’s the kind of grief Esau experienced, he hated losing his blessing to his brother, but he didn’t really hate or grieve the sin that led him there. (Hebrews 12:17). Always reject that kind of shallow grief.
Also, the good kind of grief not only has a profound affect on the one repenting, but also their neighbor. Paul was comforted by the Corinthian’s repentance. Good grief leads to rejoicing for all; its not just good for your soul, but everyone else’s too.
Danny,
This is perfect!
Good grief leads to repentance, and ultimately to life; evil grief leads to death. It is vitally important that when we grieve or when we sorrow, we should have the right kind of grief. Good blog.