<\/p>\n
\u201cWretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?\u201d (Romans 7:24).<\/p>\n
SORROWFUL. PENITENT. CONTRITE. These don\u2019t sound like positive words. But if we\u2019re looking at life from the perspective of the Scriptures, they are some of the most positive words in the dictionary \u2014 not because they are comfortable but because they are conducive to our salvation. Ponder with me their importance.<\/p>\n
There are a handful of texts in the Bible (I call them \u201cfundamental\u201d texts) that describe the heart of the person who is truly turned in God\u2019s direction. We might think, for example, of Micah 6:8 or Deuteronomy 6:4,5. Out of all the texts like these, none is more helpful to us than David\u2019s cry in Psalm 51:17: \u201cThe sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.\u201d I believe this basic truth would have been the background of Jesus\u2019 statement of blessing in Matthew 5:3,4: \u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Godly sorrow is not an end in itself; it is a part of the path that leads us back to God (2 Corinthians 7:8-11). Without sorrow for our sins, we will not seek salvation with any deep passion or fervent desire. And in the end, it is this sort of seeker who will be rewarded. It is not the one interested in intellectual information or theoretical philosophy, but the seeker of salvation<\/em> who will find the object of his desire. And as often as not, it is our tears<\/em> that show what is most important to us in regard to God (Luke 7:36-50).<\/p>\n If we\u2019re seeking salvation, we will naturally be eager to experience the joy God has promised to us. We long to be reconciled to Him. There is, however, no shortcut to salvation. The path to heaven passes through the territory of repentance, and as anyone knows who has been there, it is a painful place to be. But the horror of our sins has to become real to us. If that does not happen, the Promised Land will not seem much better than the wilderness. \u201cUntil sin be bitter \u2014 Christ will not be sweet\u201d (Thomas Watson).<\/p>\n Ah! happy they whose hearts can break Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n
And peace of pardon win!
How else may man make straight his plan
And cleanse his soul from sin?
How else but through a broken heart
May the Lord Christ enter in?
(Oscar Wilde)<\/p>\n