10/13/2019
Does the sin in your life eat at you? Do you toss and turn at night until you finally wake in a sweat because your sins have followed you into slumber? Do you count this, and other grieving as pure misery when it is actually the Holy Spirit beckoning you to come... to repent? It is not our conscience, but our spirit that is pained.
“As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 ESV
When we wrong someone in a worldly manner our conscience might confront us, but when we are in sin that is quite a different thing because we only know to recognize sin by its revelation to us in God’s Word, and through Jesus Christ. Then, by the spirit, It is Jesus who calls us to repent. Count all spiritual grieving as the voice of God through Christ, and not as torment, but the open door of righteousness to which we have been called by God’s mercy and grace.
“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."”
Luke 5:32 ESV
So the Holy Spirit convicts us, not to simply torment us, or lead us to some morality as our human conscience does, but to call us to repentance of sin out of God’s love for us. When we have heard the gospel we are enlightened, and God has begun to deal with us, but we are free to turn away from Him. We can chose to pick up our cross and follow Jesus, or to look up at Him hanging on His cross with hatred, disdain, or disinterest in our hearts... the choice is ours, but the call to our spirit comes to us by God’s love, and extended grace; the holy grief being meant to call each of us to Him in repentance. Thus the question becomes this... How will we answer when He grieves our spirit; when He calls to us?
“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:20-23 ESV
Our restless nights, our night sweats, our holy grieving, these are not torments, but the wooing of God through Jesus; it is an act of love that convicts our spirit, and calls us into relationship with God So that we will be brought to eternal peace and joy with Him.
The Apostle Paul said...
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Romans 15:13 ESV
And Jesus said...
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."”
John 16:33 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the holy grieving we feel in our spirit as you call us to repentance, and faith. Thank you Lord for the sleepless nights, and the bedding wet in sweat, and our constant regret. Call us Holy Father, and continue to do so until our final breath, or our repentance, and pronouncement of faith in you. Help us in our unbelief, and lead us into a righteous relationship with you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who calls out to us even though we are submersed in sin. Great are you who woos our spirit, and pronounces your love for us through your Son Jesus Christ. Merciful are you whose grace flows over us like rain. Praised be your name, for all the nights we toss and turn in our spiritual conviction, and awake to call out your name in contrition. All glory is yours Merciful Father, for your grace abounds, and your voice calls us to repentance.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”
John 6:44-47 ESV
Rich Forbes