We use it so often and feel it even more often. The church has tried for years to control people’s actions through shame. You know what, controlling people’s actions isn’t the church’s job. Showing the light of truth is! Showing the love of God is! Discipling others (not shaming them) is! When His love overshadows our desire for control, people see Him and not us or our legalism!
When we sin or are about to, we should be immediately confronted by the Holy Spirit and know that this isn’t the direction God desires for us. Do you know what follows that? Not shame and saying “I’m sorry”, but genuine REPENTANCE! Repentance means MOVE in the opposite direction toward God and away from that sin.
Many people in our lives want us to feel rotten and let them decide how long we should feel that way when we mess up. I’m thankful for a God who is willing to say “Yes. You really messed it up big time! Now get up REPENT and get moving!” He doesn’t necessarily take away the consequences for our actions, but He isn’t holding it over us to stack up all of our mistakes until next time. He is truly forgiving. He removes our sin as far as the East is from the West!
Instead of shaming others, how about we, as His church, work to RESTORE others! Instead of constantly reminding people of their mistakes and their past, why don’t we remember ours! Better yet, let’s just all REPENT and move forward! God will honor those steps!
May your day be freeing, restoring, and victorious!
March 4, 2010 at 9:46 PM
Something I’ve heard recently on this subject (not sure it was in our purity study or in the book or somewhere else) has really had an impact on me. It was that God isn’t interested in us saying we’re sorry when we do something wrong or fail to measure up. He doesn’t want us to wallow around in sorrow and guilt. Rather, He wants us to do something about it. Make a change – REPENT – and get yourself back on track. We do need to recognize that we have failed to measure up to His standards. But it doesn’t stop there. After we recognize that, we should ask for forgiveness, repent, and get on with the life God has planned for us.