Devotion: 2 Corinthians 7:10

2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 

No one wants to experience sorrow, whether good or bad. Sorrow is no fun and weighs us down. Today’s verse comes from a letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that made them deeply sad. But they did not let it bring them anger or bitterness. Instead, they used their pain to fix their behavior.

In our verse, we see there are two types of sorrow that Paul talked about. One is Godly sorrow and the other is worldly sorrow. He showed them that each sorrow would lead to different outcomes. He wrote this to show believers that feeling sorrow about the sins in our life can be helpful but only if we recognize it for what it is and turn to God.

First he mentioned Godly sorrow. This type of sadness leads to a change of heart and to salvation. It is a sadness felt deep within that we experience because our actions hurt others or worse, hurt God. But this sorrow can cause true repentance when we turn away from bad behavior and change our life. It results in forgiveness, healing, and salvation.

Then he spoke of worldly sorrow. Worldly sorrow leads to spiritual ruin. Typically, this form of sadness is the fleshly response one has to things in their life. It is a response of anger, stress, or sadness over being caught, losing face, or experiencing negative consequences. It creates a shame that is toxic and fills one with self-pity rather than a desire to fix the wrongs. Worldly sorrow traps us in bitterness and causes spiritual harm.

Usually we don’t like to think of sadness in our lives as being a good thing. We don’t like to feel sad or sorrowful and bottle up our feelings and shove them down deep inside. But this is not healthy. It does not allow us to heal the way God wants us to. Instead, it festers deep within and bubbles up and over when we least expect it, causing more harm in the end.

When you feel the sorrow of sin in your life, pray about it. Think about it. Evaluate whether it is a sorrow that leads you to life change or one that is holding you back spiritually. Confess it. Repent and turn away from it and turn to God. Let Him begin healing you and bring about transformation in your life.

Prayer: Lord, Let me recognize sin for what it is and feel a sorrow that leads me to confession and transformational change. I want to be healed instead of letting my sins hold me back or lead to spiritual decline. Amen

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