November 14, 2024–Pastor Bill’s Reading Plan

Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians that was hard for them to hear.  It was a letter that pointed to areas of correction.  He wanted them to be address problems that were taking place because he knew it was necessary for the health of the church both individually and collectively.  He takes note that his letter grieved them, but he also suggests that he has no regrets in what he sent because his words were used by God to bring about repentance.  "Godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to repentance".  In other words, speaking the hard truths may not make people happy at the moment, but it could be what is necessary in helping them become holy.  

We live in a culture where we can be easily offended.  Hearing that we are doing something wrong is not what anyone wants to hear. But without knowing there is a better way or that we can improve there is no incentive to change.  We also tend to get pretty defensive even when loving and well-meaning people point out the issues they see.  We may not like conviction or feeling guilty about how we are living, but we should be willing to embrace it for the good things that it can produce when God works in our hearts to change us.  
You can surround yourself with people who will only say what you want to hear.  You can find a multitude of preachers who will tell you only of things that make you feel good.  But if you don't have any voices in your life that God can use to tell you the truth, what benefit is there to you really?  We certainly may not like voices that speak the hard truth to us, but by God's help we can certainly come to learn to appreciate them and respect them.