1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Studyheadquarters dot com. 3 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:17,080 Speaker 1: You're listening to daily Devotions with Pastor John. I'm John Stogey, 4 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,920 Speaker 1: and today's devotion is inspired by Second Corinthians, Chapter seven, 5 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: verse ten, which says, for godly grief produces a repentance 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 1: that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 7 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,239 Speaker 1: Grief is one of the most difficult things for us 8 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,520 Speaker 1: to deal with in this world. Typically, it's a word 9 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: we associate primarily with loss. We grieve when we drop 10 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: our phone in the screen smashes. We grieve when our 11 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: company closes and we lose our job. We grieve when 12 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: someone we love passes away. It's unwise and unhealthy to 13 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: hold grief inside while pretending it isn't real or genuinely painful, 14 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: and there are quite a few unhealthy habits that we 15 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: can form when it comes to failing to handle grief 16 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:14,759 Speaker 1: in a healthy way. From a spiritual standpoint, there are 17 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: two different kinds of grief. Paul differentiates in this passage 18 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: between godly grief and worldly grief. There's a big difference 19 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: between the two worldly grief comes from trying to hold 20 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 1: onto and possess something unhealthy or something we really never 21 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: had the power to hold onto. It can also develop 22 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: into a form of self pity. Godly grief operates differently. 23 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,839 Speaker 1: Godly grief is a healthy thing that is the fruit 24 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: of a conscience that's been awakened to the heart of God. 25 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: A person who is wrestling with godly grief comes to 26 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: a point where they recognize that something in their life 27 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: isn't honoring to Christ, and as the Holy Spirit develops 28 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: that conviction in their heart, they finally come to a 29 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: place of repentance. They turn back to God, they experience 30 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: his cleansing from their sin, and they walk forward with 31 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: a renewed sense of the love of Jesus and his 32 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:26,919 Speaker 1: divine design for their life. Let's pray. Lord, we thank 33 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: you for your word, and we thank you for the 34 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: privilege that it is to be able to look at 35 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 1: this portion of scripture from the Book of Second Corinthians. 36 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: And Lord, we're grateful for the ways in which you 37 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: differentiate between the different kinds of grief that exist. Lord, 38 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: we know that at times in our lives we've grieved 39 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: in a worldly way, but you show us in this 40 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: passage that there is a godly grief that is different 41 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: from worldly grief that you encourage us to utilize. Your 42 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 1: word tells us that godly grief produces repentance, and that 43 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: repentance leads to south without regret, but worldly grief produces 44 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: death and Lord. So many times in our own lives 45 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: we can testify to the fact that we have tried 46 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: to soothe our feelings of grief in unhealthy ways, and 47 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: maybe we've noticed others in our lives doing the same thing. 48 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: So it makes sense when we see that worldly grief 49 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: can produce death, because many times we gamble with trying 50 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 1: to soothe our grief with things that can literally kill us. 51 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: But we're grateful that godly grief operates differently. As you 52 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: awaken our minds and our conscience to your heart, you 53 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: help us to notice areas of our lives that are 54 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: not honoring you, and when you develop that conviction within us, 55 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: you help us to repent. You show us that it's 56 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: safe and healthy and wise to turn from our old 57 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: way of thinking and our old way of living and 58 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: embrace your heart and embrace your mind, and to live 59 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: in such a way that we bring honor and glory 60 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: to you, and to recognize that your son, Jesus Christ, 61 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: is the solution for the grief that we're feeling. So, Lord, 62 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: we're grateful for the fact that you allow us to 63 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: experience this kind of transformation, and we're grateful for the 64 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: things that you reveal to our minds and to our hearts. 65 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 1: We pray that in all respects, that we would bring 66 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: honor and glory to your name, and we thank you 67 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 1: for this admonition from your word. Today we commit ourselves 68 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:27,599 Speaker 1: to you now, and we thank you for all of 69 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 1: these things in Jesus' name. Amen.