8/10/12

Getting caught and then doing something about it


Cute, very cute.  Frosty picking his nose, slightly funny if not a tad tacky.  But what if it were something more serious than this innocent play on words?  What if Frosty (or anyone for that matter) was caught in a terrible lie, or a large theft or something even worse, say, child abuse or embezzlement?  What then?  Could he be forgiven or perhaps even better, could it be forgotten?  Like it or no, even Christians do things that they know are wrong and get caught doing it.  One of the things I like most about the Bible is its honesty.  In Corinth there was a man who was sleeping with his father's wife.  Nasty business, but Paul handles it tactfully and in the letter of 2 Corinthians, we see the outcome....

2 Corinthians, Chapter 7
 6 Nevertheless, he who comforts the lowly, God, comforted us by the coming of Titus;  7 and not by his coming only, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, while he told us of your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced still more.

  8 For though I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that my letter made you sorry, though just for a while.  9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you were made sorry to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly way, that you might suffer loss by us in nothing.  10 For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world works death.  11 For behold, this same thing, that you were made sorry in a godly way, what earnest care it worked in you. Yes, what defense, indignation, fear, longing, zeal, and vengeance! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be pure in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be revealed in you in the sight of God.  13 Therefore we have been comforted. In our comfort we rejoiced the more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 

 
No one who draws breath is perfect, but with a change of mind and a change of action we can turn from doing wrong to living as God would have us to do.  Guilt turns into action and then Godly zeal, as this above passage teaches.  For those in contact (in this case fellowship) with the perpetrator, forgivessness is in order when there has been an obvious reversal of attitude and behavior!!!  Paul and his companions were comforted at the news of Spiritual resolution of the problem.  So should we, because Godliness is something to rejoice in. Have you done something you know to be wrong?  Go ahead and change for the better, you will be glad you did.  God forgives and hopefully those who care about you will as well!!!