When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes disgrace. ~Proverbs 18:3
You rebuke and discipline men for their sin. You consume their wealth like a moth—each man is but a breath. SELAH! Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help. Be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with You as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were. Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more. ~Psalm 39:11-13
Godly sorrow leads to repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, But worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Corinthians 7:7
I remember, when our children were young, teaching them to apply the word, “Sorry.” I think most parents know that children need to be taught to apologize. At first, it’s just a word, like a band aid. We pray they also learn the correct attitude that makes apologies more sincere. The child would misbehave, get caught, and, as part of the correction, we would instruct them to say they were sorry. What a blessing when the word was no longer just the appropriate word to minimize possible consequences, but a genuine attitude of repentance for the wrong.
Sadly, for whatever reason, there are those who aren’t sorry for their bad behavior. They feel entitled to do whatever they want, no matter how it effects anyone else. Or if they feel slighted, they feel that they are justified in taking vengeance into their own hands. What they fail to understand is that when they do this, they are usually only making the problem worse. They are making walls higher and making the chance at reconciliation more difficult. Pity the one who doesn’t care.
“When wickedness comes, so does contempt.” The wicked person holds the victims in contempt. The victims hold the perpetrator in contempt for what they have done. How can there be healing with so much anger and pain? “And with shame comes disgrace.” “Worldly sorrow leads only to death.” What happens when it all catches up to the wicked person, and they see no way out? They may be sorry for what they have done, but without Christ, to them their situation only looks hopeless.
Some may spend the rest of their lives trying to do good, to outweigh the evil, but their attempts will be futile because, as we all know, there is nothing any of us can do to pay back for even one of our many sins. Yet, this shame can be a blessing because it may open the door for opportunity, through the gospel, if someone is there to share it.
“Godly sorrow leads to repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.” “Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help. Be not deaf to my weeping.” I wonder if, even above praise, this is the prayer that God longs to hear. It demonstrates a heart open to Him and the hope He offers. It reflects a heart that is willing to admit that they were wrong and that it wants to change, which is repentance. It demonstrates a desire for the Lord to come in and make all things new.
In the garden of Eden, the Bible says that Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. Shame came with the fall, but Christ removes the shame when we are restored to a relationship with Him. That involves our repentance and confession and sincerely saying, “I’m sorry.”
The first step on the road to recovery is, “We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.” Step 2 is, “We came to believe that a power greater than ours could restore us to sanity.” Step 3 is, “We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.” God is faithful. He will remove the disgrace that shame brought about. However, thank God for the shame that opened the door to repentance.
Prayer: Father thank you for shame that makes me turn to you for help to recover. Thank you that when I do wrong, you are gracious and forgiving. Thank you for removing my shame when I confess and repent. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Only Grace
You rebuke and discipline men for their sin. You consume their wealth like a moth—each man is but a breath. SELAH! Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help. Be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with You as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were. Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more. ~Psalm 39:11-13
Godly sorrow leads to repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, But worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Corinthians 7:7
I remember, when our children were young, teaching them to apply the word, “Sorry.” I think most parents know that children need to be taught to apologize. At first, it’s just a word, like a band aid. We pray they also learn the correct attitude that makes apologies more sincere. The child would misbehave, get caught, and, as part of the correction, we would instruct them to say they were sorry. What a blessing when the word was no longer just the appropriate word to minimize possible consequences, but a genuine attitude of repentance for the wrong.
Sadly, for whatever reason, there are those who aren’t sorry for their bad behavior. They feel entitled to do whatever they want, no matter how it effects anyone else. Or if they feel slighted, they feel that they are justified in taking vengeance into their own hands. What they fail to understand is that when they do this, they are usually only making the problem worse. They are making walls higher and making the chance at reconciliation more difficult. Pity the one who doesn’t care.
“When wickedness comes, so does contempt.” The wicked person holds the victims in contempt. The victims hold the perpetrator in contempt for what they have done. How can there be healing with so much anger and pain? “And with shame comes disgrace.” “Worldly sorrow leads only to death.” What happens when it all catches up to the wicked person, and they see no way out? They may be sorry for what they have done, but without Christ, to them their situation only looks hopeless.
Some may spend the rest of their lives trying to do good, to outweigh the evil, but their attempts will be futile because, as we all know, there is nothing any of us can do to pay back for even one of our many sins. Yet, this shame can be a blessing because it may open the door for opportunity, through the gospel, if someone is there to share it.
“Godly sorrow leads to repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.” “Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help. Be not deaf to my weeping.” I wonder if, even above praise, this is the prayer that God longs to hear. It demonstrates a heart open to Him and the hope He offers. It reflects a heart that is willing to admit that they were wrong and that it wants to change, which is repentance. It demonstrates a desire for the Lord to come in and make all things new.
In the garden of Eden, the Bible says that Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. Shame came with the fall, but Christ removes the shame when we are restored to a relationship with Him. That involves our repentance and confession and sincerely saying, “I’m sorry.”
The first step on the road to recovery is, “We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.” Step 2 is, “We came to believe that a power greater than ours could restore us to sanity.” Step 3 is, “We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.” God is faithful. He will remove the disgrace that shame brought about. However, thank God for the shame that opened the door to repentance.
Prayer: Father thank you for shame that makes me turn to you for help to recover. Thank you that when I do wrong, you are gracious and forgiving. Thank you for removing my shame when I confess and repent. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Only Grace
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