"Godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death." II Cor. 7:10
During a television news hour a reporter asks,"Are those tears real?" He is watching the confession of Oscar Pistorius. The 27 year old star athlete, who was the first amputee to run in the Olympics, relived "the moment that everything changed", recounting for the first time the night that he shot dead his girlfriend. His wild howls broke the silence of the emotionally controlled courtroom. The wrenching end of the 18th day of the trial left everyone stunned. Were his tears real heart-felt grief, or was it all a staged to influence the court? Only God knew if he shed tears of regret or tears of repentance.
Repentance could move him from the past into faith for the future, even if he were in jail. Regret could reduce him to a static mental state of despair and imprison him in the past. Repentance is more than regret. it is the redirection of one's whole being to a right path of life. It is the realization of being on the wrong road and hating the damage and consequences of being there. Repentance is the turning point.
WORLDLY GRIEF OR GODLY GRIEF? Shall we shed tears of regret or tears of repentance? The Holy Spirit comes to help us turn our regret into repentance. The Spirit of Truth enables us to face the truth and tell the truth to God.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I don't want to brood over the faults of the past and block the liberating power of repentance. Instead, I truly want to change the direction of my life. Holy Spirit help me. I receive forgiveness at the cross. In Jesus' Name, Amen.