“For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 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.” – 2 Corinthians 7:8-9
If the only messages you take away from the Bible about yourself are positive, encouraging, and affirming about what you think, say, and do, you need to read more carefully!!!
The Word of God is clear – God loves us and gave His only Son to redeem us. All who trust in Christ are adopted and made new in Him. However, God calls us to constantly change to become ever more like Jesus.
God and His Word regularly confront us with the residual sin in our hearts, minds, thoughts, words, and actions. He reveals the way our attitudes, priorities, and actions stray from God’s heart and will. His Word should regularly convict us of the many ways we sin and fall short of God’s glory. The purpose of all this isn’t to crush us, but to lift us up by transforming us. God’s Word and the loving correction and rebuke delivered by His people should regularly wound us in order to heal us. These wounds bring about godly grief, sorrow, and holy repentance. These are God’s holy surgeries and medications for the sin sickness that remains within us. We should rejoice in this, not avoid it. If we seldom experience it, then we need to change our approach to reading and studying God’s Word and fellowshipping with His people!