LifeLink Devotions for Monday, January 13, 2025

Last Friday we learned that we must humbly display Godly sorrow when we are confronted with sin in our life. But there’s another lesson about reconciliation from Second Corinthians chapter seven. It deals with our attitude when we are the one doing the correcting in someone else’s life.

It’s easy for us to take pride in our position when we know we are right, and then impose shame onto the person who is wrong. Our pride leads to intentionally making the other person feel little and worthless. But we must not correct the wrong in others from that position of pride.

Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” When we respond to another person’s sin without understanding the pain they are in we are putting ourselves in a position to sin because of pride.

Paul wanted the hurt in the Corinthian people to last only long enough to bring them back to Christ. Pride seeks prolonged pain. Love seeks repentance and reconciliation. It would be easy for us in our sinful flesh to hope the hurt endures long enough to teach them a good lesson. Paul knew that would be our natural tendency when he contrasted that attitude with the heart of love in First Corinthians 13. He said, “Love does not delight in seeing evil done to another.” The true heart of love, while needing to correct wrong, feels the pain caused by the correction, and hopes change happens quickly.

Reconciliation only happens when repentance is present. Paul repented – not for writing the letter, but for the pain the letter caused. It was that spirit that proved to the people at Corinth that he truly loved them and desired what was best for them. As a result, they were led to repentance and a reconciled relationship with God and each other.

Each one of us is somewhere in this process in our own lives. We are either being corrected or we are having to correct another person. If you are being corrected, crucify pride, and let Godly sorrow bring you to repentance so reconciliation can happen. If you are doing the correcting, do it with compassion that feels the pain of the person needing to confess. Let us not sin while we are in the middle of correcting sin.

Pastor John