Day 2890 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV

Seems there's always been this mixed bag of emotions when it comes to these posts I get to share. I reckon it comes from this awareness in that I find that I tend see things from a quite different perspective than most. And while I personally find that to be an invaluable blessing, I also know that it's likely not always seen as the most conducive perspective to what many would consider encouraging and inspirational.

Often times I fear that a post may come off as a bit harsh, a little brash, perhaps a bit too bold. And knowing the general consensus made clear within this society, I know that people won't always listen to or read or entertain anything that's not appeasing and gentle and almost obnoxiously upbeat. It's this inclination instilled from this world in which we live that tells us to tread softly, smooth the rougher edges, and even water something down if need be in order to avoid the risk of hurting someone's feelings or saying something that may offend.

And while I personally find humanity to have grown sadly weak and unable to withstand something that may seem offensive, I also firmly believe in every word I write and I pray constantly that these posts do indeed have a positive impact for those who take the time to read them. And so, it's always this entanglement of truths and hopes along with this simple refusal to pull the punches as I know that if we're not told the truth, we'll simply continue leaning on the lies that keep us in place.

And I find that one of the biggest lies that we're told, and even tell ourselves, is that saying we're sorry is enough to explain ourselves and clear away our wrongdoings. Personally, I've grown to find the word 'sorry' rather repulsive. It's not that it's not a perfectly good word with a poignant meaning. But I've personally told God that I was sorry so many times that I imagine He's even tired of hearing it.

Not because it doesn't speak to the guilt and remorse and sorrow that we feel for having messed up and done something we shouldn't have done, but because oftentimes the word 'sorry' isn't given any meaning as the actions that follow prove just the opposite. We say we're sorry and then go right back to doing the very thing for which we cried out in temporary anguish for having done previously. And if we keep doing the thing(s) we claim to be 'sorry' for having done, then I think it's a fair assumption that we're not all that 'sorry' after all.

And that's the hinge upon which the gate of salvation swings. It's the chasm between being sorry and being changed. It's the distinction between feeling bad for messing up and finding a relentless resolve that never allows it to happen again. Sure, we're sorry, but if our actions and behaviors and habits and patterns aren't changed, then I'm afraid the word 'sorry' is rendered absolutely meaningless. It largely becomes nothing more than a band aid on a broken bone.

But so many times in life we live as if the word 'sorry' this scapegoat upon which we can rely to excuse our refusal to change. It's as if we feel as though we can continue doing the things we know we shouldn't do and simply toss up a quick apology should our conscience get in the way. But in truth, and we honestly shouldn't expect otherwise, salvation deserves more than five letter word only used in an effort to ease our feeling of guilt.

We've all felt bad for doing things we shouldn't have done. That's the beauty of a conscience. It's there to help us notice our mistakes and learn the lessons they hold that in turn make us better people. It's that instinctual understanding of right and wrong that allows us the ability to judge ourselves before we face the judgement of God. And whether we like it or not, we will stand before Him someday.

And He's not going to offer the same latitude that we tend to rely on or find from those around us. And if we're living under this assumption that a half-hearted "I'm sorry" will atone for our refusal to change, then I'm afraid we're only setting ourselves up for unending despair and disappointment.

There is a vast different between being sorry for having done something wrong and being so sorry for having done it that you find a refusal to allow that error to become a habit. That difference is what we know as repentance. It's not just feeling sorry. It's not just a fleeting moment of shame. It's a crushing weight of guilt that hurts so badly that you simply refuse to allow it to happen again going forward.

Repentance is the fuel that drives our souls onward into sanctification that makes salvation possible. And as much as it's not fun to talk about, think about, or even acknowledge, if we don't reach a place of truth within ourselves that allows us to see our sins, then we can't repent of them. And if we simply keep on sinning without accepting our responsibility for those choices, then we will fall woefully short of the prize to which we've been called.

You see, God's not asking us to simply feel sorry for not being perfect. He's asking us to find the audacity to acknowledge our clear imperfections and strive ever harder to address them rather than allowing them to define us. He doesn't want a pile of apologies given to assuage our guilt and regret. He deserves changed hearts that exude a clear refusal to allow for those things which cause guilt and regret.

But instead, we look at a world filled with people who always find a reason to stop just short of changing. We ourselves carry hearts that largely prefer to remain as they are, filled with whatever manner of shameful substance we seem to find satisfying. And that's why these posts may seem to be unfriendly and unwarming at times. It's not because of a lack of kindness or compassion or understanding, please believe me in that.

No, it's because the love Scripture helps define, the love we see witnessed upon the cross, the love exemplified in Christ is a love that does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

And yes, the truth hurts. It wounds. It even goes so far as to shatter. But what if we could see that pain as the removal of all the foolish walls we've built up around our hearts that only serve to keep God at a distance? What if we could learn to see the brutality of His truth as the resetting of our souls back in line with His will? What if we could simply see that He only wants what's best for us, and that even if it means ripping apart our dreams and tearing our souls down to their foundations, He does so only because He wants us to learn to trust in Him rather than in ourselves?

I personally, and again I'm well aware that I tend to be a mite different in this regard, just love how Paul puts it here in this verse. The simple and yet brutal honesty of the last half of this message almost puts a smile on my face! Worldly sorrow brings death. Couldn't be more simple. Couldn't be more honest. Couldn't be more powerful.

To be honest, that's what runs through my mind more often than not while stringing together these words and sentences in order to reach a message that seems to fulfill the need to share the truth of God's Word. It's a realization that death is coming, and that if we don't prepare for it wisely, we will endure it forever. And while the temporary comfort found in words that please itching ears are clearly preferred in this place, I can't stand the thought of not going hard enough and leaving some room for complacency that leads to the death of anyone I could have maybe helped by simply not avoiding the offense.

Our feeling sorry for something is great, but as a first step, not a final effort. Knowing that Christ endured what He did on that cross, and even before, we should be willing to go further than saying we're sorry. Because again, if we simply fall back into the same rutted out patterns of behavior, then what does our sorry even mean? If our lives look the same after we say we're sorry, then I'm afraid our sorrow is the kind that brings death as it clearly doesn't refine us onto the narrow road.

Friends, we have to understand that salvation is a process. And while Christ clearly did the heavy lifting on this one, we too have an ongoing role to play as well. And that role is repentance. It's not saying we're sorry a million times for a million mistakes. It's coming to terms with the kind of sorrow that inspires us to change so that we don't make that same mistake a million times. It's a change of behavior that stands as a testament to our reception of the message His Son shared when He said, “It is finished.”

And while the word ‘change’ alone has enormous negative connotations in this overly sensitive world, it can't afford to be seen that way in our eyes if we truly wish to accept Christ's gift and prove that sin is truly finished in our lives. We can’t avoid nor fear change as it has been necessitated by our adoration of rebellion.

I think maybe the biggest word in this verse though is regret. Personally speaking, I've done countless things to which I've issued an innumerable amount of 'sorry's for having done. But I still regret them. I still remember them. I still look back and see a life filled with far more error than anything else. And I still do things I regret. We all do. But, and I think that's a big part of the message of this verse, that regret shows that we're getting this all wrong.

If we're continuing to do things for which we feel sorry, things that we regret having done, then it's perfectly clear that we're not done growing in our faith. If we still allow for foolish mistakes, then we still have room to mature in Christ. Sadly, we always seem to seek the outs, the loopholes, the convenient excuses that afford us relief from our guilt. And as long as we do so, we'll likely see little progress being made in our faith.

And again, that's the whole idea of all this. To progress. To grow. To mature. To change. To understand that all of this is a process that will not be finished until our final breath has been breathed. Should we stop along the way for any reason, then we'll never know the full potential of the changes we could have, and should have made in our lives.

Unfortunately, saying we’re sorry seems to only serve as a peaceful rest stop along this road of faith we’re walking. But if we keep pulling off and stopping at saying we’re sorry, then I can almost assure you that we’ll not reach the destination in which we set out hoping to reach.

A life of faith isn't meant to be easy, but it also doesn't need to be hard. God made it all simple, He even wrote us a book and sent us a Teacher to make it as clear as possible. But we continue to complicate it by all this scheming and avoiding and hiding. Why can't we just embrace the changes that we should honestly know we need to make and move on from all this hassle we love to create in order to avoid what's necessitated by our ongoing refusal to simply humble ourselves and change?

My whole point is that it's time that we stop stopping. Stop thinking that being sorry is equal to becoming better. Stop assuming that God's pleased that we feel bad and understand that He wants us to stop doing the things that make us feel bad. It's truly like we're still the little children who have to be spoon-fed truth little by little so that it doesn't hurt our tummies.

When do we move on? When does the maturing begin? When do we stop accepting what we think is good enough and learn to seek only that which satisfies the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God?

Friends, if we want to accept death then that's fine. It's a choice we're given. And it's one that we make every time we hope that saying we're sorry is good enough. We've proven that saying some special word doesn't make anything any different. And considering how sin is death, it doesn't really matter how sorry we feel for continuing to accept it. All that can possibly matter is that we stop settling for the things which bring death and seek the truth that leads to life.

It's all a choice, but it's one that we can't afford to make based on how easy or comforting something may seem. We don't need to be sorry, we need to be different. WE NEED TO BE BETTER! And there's no word that can make up for a willing lack of action to make that happen. He deserves more than a word of guilt spent as a token of our shame. He paid an exorbitant price on that cross to offer us salvation. Pretty sure that deserves more than some five-letter word cried out in a half-hearted effort to ease the guilt brought about by our foolish refusal to change.

His loving and selfless sacrifice warrants our willingness to repent and stop doing things that bring us shame and regret as that is the very least we can offer in return for such a life-altering, eternity-changing, soul-saving gift.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold