Good Or Bad? Sample

Is sorrow good or bad? 

Well, this is a no-brainer, right? Who on earth would ever want to be sad? We don’t have to go looking for sadness. It comes and finds us, whether we like it or not. Millions of Americans take antidepressant medication to help them cope with their dark moods. Nobody wants to be sad.

And yet. There is a good sorrow—the spirit of repentance when we have been in rebellion against God. We need to be shocked at our own carelessness and stupidity. We need to feel a sizzle of fear that we were dumb enough to flirt with spiritual suicide. We need to be mindful of the people whom we’ve hurt: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done” (2 Corinthians 7:10,11). Paul’s warnings in his first letter were heeded. The people in the Corinthians congregation listened and changed their ways.

Daily repentance is like respiration for Christians. When we stop repenting, we’ve stopped breathing. Godly sorrow is good when we see our words and actions for the acts of rebellion they really are and back away from them . . . rethink our values . . . repair what we’ve damaged . . . form a new plan . . . and commit to bringing God’s Word to the front of our thought process.

What needs work in your life today?

Was this plan helpful? Find more resources like it here!