"Live Strong"

"Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come." (Psalms 71:18) I was reminded of something yesterday, something that God had shown me years ago about crying, that it's okay to cry for the right reasons. Crying over a dent in your car, or getting well done steak when you ordered medium rare, are not valid things to cry over; but realizing you have offended God, or that you have taken His love for granted, those are things worth crying over. Not only is it okay, but it is strengthening on almost every level. I find it weakening, both physically and spiritually, if I don't weep when I realize that I have sinned against God; it just cannot go without saying, if you don't get it taken care of, your going to feel sick inside, until you do. The passage of Scripture was 2 Corinthians 7:6-7, and the point was about Comfort and Rejoicing being the "Bookends" with Earnest Desire and Zeal being sandwiched on each side of Mourning. It is very interesting how little we forget what real repentance feels like. We might go through the same motions, but just because we are sorry does not mean that the sorrow we have leads to real repentance; not without earnest desire and zeal! But when we do get it right, and when we have earnest desire, mourning, and zeal, then comfort and rejoicing are on every side of our issue with God. Basically, it all comes down to getting right with God, no matter what the cost or discomfort. The way Pastor Rick put it, "It's the upside-down action of the Kingdom of God." You would think that people would not like you or treat you with respect, but not so; when you get right with God, you're comforted and there is rejoicing in the congregation of God. Those that do not take on that kind of character are not in line with God's character of forgiveness, and are basically outside of the congregation of God. They might be part of a church, but they are not living as though they are part of the Body of Christ; if they were, then they would be comforting a sick part of the Body, and rejoicing over any healing that takes place. Whether or not this has anything to do with Psalms 71:18, I don't really know; but if we are really talking about showing God's strength and power to anyone, then should it not be about changing a life? That is where the power of God shows up and remains, for those that are to come...  
"I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants His people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right." (2 Corinthians 7:8-11) NLT