BY GREG CRUM
“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” II Corinthians 7:9-10
As we read through the book of Acts and many of the Epistles, we see the various challenges that the Apostle Paul and his companions faced in those early days of the Gospel. On top of the persecution of the Roman Empire and Jewish religious leaders of the day, Paul also had to help the churches that he started to navigate through the growing pains of walking with a God that they had no prior knowledge of.
Here in II Corinthians, we read of the distress Paul felt concerning the fallout of his chastisement of some of their lifestyles. He had written a letter (I Corinthians) and had made the body of believers there sorrowful for their complicity in sinful actions going on in that church. Evidently, at first Paul felt sorrow too, but then he realized that the sorrow they experienced worked for them the solution they needed to overcome and grow in the grace of God in that church.
That ancient body of believers faced a sure challenge that could have ripped them apart, but they responded to the reprimand of the Lord and came out the other side all the better for it!
Brothers and sisters, are you currently facing some tough stuff? Do you feel like you need a helping hand from the Lord? Well, there’s one surefire solution, but I’ll tell you this, it’s usually the last thing our carnal nature wants to do. You see, in God’s kingdom the way up is down, and the way out is to go as low as you can go.
Now, when we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place in life, one of the first things we should do is analyze the spiritual landscape of our lives. We need to understand that many times we are facing tough situations because of the poor decisions we have made. We’ve chosen to handle situations the wrong way, and, as they say, our chickens have come home to roost.
Remember Proverbs 13:15? It’s still as true now as it ever has been and the way of the transgressor is still hard! This spiritual self-analysis can be tough. That’s the biggest reason people shirk from it. It can be humiliating, but this is exactly what we need because grace comes to the humble! In I Peter 5:5-6 we can see how God’s helping hand extends to us when we humble ourselves. It’s this grace, God’s “easy button,” that allows us to overcome the tough times in our lives.
Again, think about the challenges that the Apostle Paul had. How did he handle all that adversity? In I Corinthians 15:9-10 we read that he gave the grace of God credit for all that he was able to overcome in his life.
With that said, again, this grace that lifts us out of our troubles only comes to the humble in heart and mind. In James 4:10 we are encouraged to “humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord.” It’s not God’s job to humble us. It’s not our spouse’s job, life’s job, or our job’s job to do that either! It’s our job to humble ourselves, and the key to that is the action of submission. Submission? Yes, submission, giving in and giving up our fight against what God wants us to do and how He wants us to do it.
What? You mean Christians would fight against God’s will for their lives? It happens all the time unfortunately. That’s why we find ourselves in a mess so often.
Friends, if you’re feeling that life has you on the bottom of the dogpile, I encourage you to look to lower yourself even further down. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord by making sure you are doing things His way and not your own. Then, in due time (at just the right time), God will come to your rescue and lift you to new heights in life!
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.