The Grief That Brings Joy

A human being, unaware of God,
Revels in thrills his sinful nature craves,
Till he learns that God in this same world trod;
Died a ransom; and sinners like him saves!
Then his world seems bleak as repentance reigns;
His heart grieves for previous neglect
Of the Savior his sins shamed with disdain,
But soon, being forgiven ends regret!
He wills to abandon the old-time ways;
To live as Jesus asked us all to do;
To love God and others through all his days;
To let the Spirit guide and make him new!
Alas, into sin all men are sure to fall,
But some are forgiven, by God's free call!

You may have heard the expression, "You must be born again!" In fact, Jimmy Carter stirred up the nation by claiming that he was 'born-again' and was 'guilty of the sin of lust by desire in his heart for a woman'. This phrase is used often by Christians to describe the 'new life' he begins to live after professing his belief in Jesus Christ as Lord. The Bible says that if a person professes with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that Jesus is resurrected from the dead, he will be saved. When this happens, it is usually the result of 'repentance', which is a desolate feeling of grief and shame for his former way of life. You may ask, What is wrong with a life lived without God? Well, for starters, he has broken what Jesus called the two most important commandments of God: To love God more than anything or anybody; and to love all others as yourself. Added to those are the sin of Adam; and no doubt there has been some vow-breaking, infidelity, theft, lying, etc.

As the realization of how his past-life has offended God, Who gave His life on the cross as a ransom for the human race who fell when the first man sinned, a believer grieves for his guilt. This sorrow turns into joy as he realizes his sins, past and future, are forgiven, and he is "saved"---that is, he is headed for eternal life in heaven. God's Holy Spirit, after convicting him that living without God is a mistake, now indwells him permanently and guides him in the renovation of his lifestyle. Now, he is born again, this time to live as God intended for man to live when he was created!