Happy Sorrow

[Chad]

Happy Sorrow

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
Matthew 5:6


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[TD]Recommended Reading2 Corinthians 7:9-10
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Often we hear someone whose words or actions have been called into question say, "I'd like to apologize if I offended anyone by what I said (did)." That kind of apology suggests that the person isn't sorry for what he did as much as for offending others. Said another way, they may be more sorry for getting caught than for doing something wrong.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Corinthians 7:10). "Salvation" can refer both to eternal salvation (when we express godly sorrow over our sin that separates us from God) or the earthly joy of salvation -- the blessed (happy) state Jesus spoke about in the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6). There is no happier feeling than knowing we have confessed and repented of our sin and are forgiven by God.

As you look toward the beginning of a new year, make sure you are leaving all your sins behind, covered by God's forgiveness.

Those who are most conscious of forgiveness are invariably those who have been most acutely convicted of their sin.
Sinclair Ferguson

Read-thru-the-Bible
Romans 8; 12