Latest / The Daily Word / April 7 – Godly Sorrow Leads to Change
Transcript
- Robert Rosales: Good morning, Lakeshore family, and welcome to today's Daily Word podcast. I'm Robert Rosales, and my wife Yolanda and I have the privilege of serving as the campus pastors at our Gastonia campus location. Each day on this podcast, we take a few minutes to reflect on what God is highlighting from our daily Bible reading. As a church family, we're intentional about creating space to meet with God. through prayer, through scripture, and by writing down what the Holy Spirit is speaking and how it connects to everyday life. We're reading together using the Life Journal reading plan, and today we're focusing on the New Testament passage from that plan. Now, when I sit down for my time with the Lord, I always bring my Bible, my Life Journal, a pen for writing things down, and a highlighter to mark the verses that stand out as God speaks. I also like to use a couple of trusted tools like Blue Letter Bible and this explores original word meanings and cross references. It's even a great commentary for the context. And I also use BibleRef.com. It's a clear verse by verse insight. Now, these tools don't replace scripture. They simply help me slow down and listen more carefully and understand more deeply. We're also using the SOAP method, S-O-A-P, Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. It's a practical way to engage God's Word and respond to what He's doing in our hearts. Now, before we read today's passage, come on, join me as I lead us in our Bible declaration to get us kicked off. This is my Bible. It is God's Word written to me. I am who it says I am. I can do what it says I can do. I can have what it says I can have. So I receive it as truth for my life today and open my heart to hear God speak a word, reveal Jesus to me, fill me with the Holy Spirit, then send me out to share Christ with others so that my life will be changed forever. In Jesus name, amen. Well, today's passage for April 7th is from 2 Corinthians chapter 7, and I journaled from verse 10. Let me read it to you out of the New King James Version. This is how it reads, Let me read it out of the Common English Bible. Godly sadness produces a changed heart and life that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets. But sorrow under the influence of the world produces death. Here's the title of my journal entry, Godly Sorrow That Leads Us to Repentance. Come on, say it with me. Godly sorrow that leads us to repentance and here's my observation Before this verse Paul had a strained relationship with the church in Corinth the church had sin issues moral compromise division and rebellion Paul wrote a strong corrective letter the letter caused pain and sorrow in the church So by the time we get to chapter 7 Paul is reflecting on, I too harsh? Did I hurt them too much? Or did it actually lead to something good? In verses 8 and 9, Paul says, I made you sorry with my letter, but I do not regret it. Why? Because their sorrow didn't push them away. It led them back to God. Even a believer in Christ can at times be out of alignment with God. And godly sorrow can be used by the Holy Spirit to lead us back to God. Godly sorrow is a conviction by the Holy Spirit that shows us our sin and what we did as an offense to God. This is so important because God wants His children to experience the graces and blessings of salvation. Yet when we resist and persist in living in sin, we can't. We need the Holy Spirit and other people who love us to tell us the truth about how we may be living. The Spirit of God will use the truth to lead us through godly sorrow back to repentance, then back to experience the joys of our salvation in right alignment with God. Repentance does not mean just to be sorry. The English word repentance comes from the Greek word that means to think differently and then go in a different direction. It's the word metanoia. M-E-T-A-N-O-I-A. Metanoia. From meta, M-E-T-A, meaning after, with, or change. It implies a shift, transformation, or movement. And the other part of the word comes from the Greek word nous. N-O-U-S meaning mind understanding perception or thinking Metanoia or repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of direction So if you take all this together Paul is saying that godly sorrow led these precious people to repentance and ultimately back Here's the application. How does this apply to my life? First, as a follower of Christ, I will keep my heart sensitive to living rightly before God. If and when I sin, I will allow the Holy Spirit to lead me to a place of genuine repentance through godly sorrow. Not just being sorry, but allowing the Spirit to produce a sorrow for sinning against God. This kind of sorrow will lead me to a change of mind and heart, something I cannot live without if I want to experience all that God has for me through salvation. Second, as a pastor, I must be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to teach and speak the truth of God's Word in love, knowing that at times the message can be painful, but only because it brings conviction. I will trust that when this happens, God is at work in people's lives. I will trust the Holy Spirit to bring godly sorrow in God's people that leads them to repentance and back to God and the joys of salvation. Here's my prayer. Father God, thank you for speaking to me today through your work. Holy Spirit, help me to apply this truth so that when I make mistakes, I do not impede my relationship with you or Jesus. I want to be a man quick to recognize my sin and quick to repent. I surrender to you today, fresh and anew. Lead me to live this truth out and help me to pastor others to do the same. In Jesus name, amen. Well, Lakeshore family, as you go into your day, my prayer is that you'll develop a hunger for God and His word like you've never had before. As you do, God will open your eyes to the riches of His Word, giving you revelation and life-changing insight that will help you become everything God has called you to be, fulfilling your mission, purpose, and plan for our great Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thanks for joining me today on the Daily Word Podcast. I hope this encourages you to stay faithful in the Word and sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading. God bless you, and we'll catch you again tomorrow.