Day 1616

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, August 19.

 

Do you hate your sin, or do you only seek to avoid the consequences of sin? This is a question that requires honest self-reflection. In 2 Corinthians 7:8-10, Paul taught that the Holy Spirit brings life to those who are truly heartbroken over the conviction of their sin:

 

For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it – for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while – I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, … .

 

Paul had called out the Corinthians, and though it caused conflict by doing so, his pastoral concern brought about godly sorrow in the people, which in turn produced a “repentance without regret.” When Hosea proclaimed the consequences of sin to Israel, they mocked God by putting on a manipulative show of repentance as described in Hosea 7:13-14, “I would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me. And they do not cry to Me from their heart when they wail on their beds; for the sake of grain and new wine they assemble themselves, they turn away from Me.” They didn’t hate their sin, so they went through the motions of empty religion, hoping to pacify God. God was not fooled by their religious showmanship, nor will He be by ours today. God looks to your heart!

 

Seize the moment and repent without regret. May your spirit respond to the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin so that you may experience true repentance, giving you internal freedom from your hurts, habits, and hangups.

 

God bless you!