Happy Thursday!

Today has seemed like Friday as I finished classes for the week. So that gives me some extra time to work on my paper. I completed the verbatim and now I have to write the reflection.

Prayer: “Lord, I want You to be in control of this day. Please let me live this day without regret. Thank you for another opportunity to rest in You. Amen.”

2 Corinthians 7: 10 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

How about those words “godly sorrow?” I don’t think I have ever read this verse before, but the consequences of experiencing godly sorrow, while pretty tough, produces an outcome that is really great. Godly sorrow, in its simplest form, is being sincerely sorry for a wrong done. My meditation even goes so far as to say, “we need to long for sorrow that produces repentance. When we repent it can be a refreshing experience. Repentance is the way to systematically NOT repeat the wrong done to ourselves or someone else. Did you ever think you could be sorrowful over something you have done to yourself and be in need of repentance? I am trying to no longer tell myself how much smarter everyone else in seminary is than me. It is sort of self-destructive talk. I need to repent of this action. I am made in the likeness of God who has called me to study and will equip me to learn and understand. So I am trying to remember when I have these feeling of being inadequate around my peers at seminary to pray and ask God to help me understand better and not be afraid to speak up in class. The overwhelming benefit of having the restored relationship with God happens through repentance.

You know, we make sinful choices in our lives we wish we could undo. God has all of this worked out so well that all we need is a repentant spirit to begin this process. We need to trust the God who loves us to guide us through this process without judgment. We need to trust God who loves us with all of His love. Maybe what we all need is a sabbatical of repentance, refreshment and restoration. On that sabbatical let us never forget that God’s grace is sufficient for us each day and how much we must live in the knowledge of our need for that grace.

So the question for the night…Are there places in our lives where we need to be aware of the need for godly sorrow?

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes (Could the shoes be flip flops tomorrow?) Count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all so very much, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am only moved by what I believe and I believe God.