Paul's
Joy
SINCE
WE HAVE THESE PROMISES, DEAR FRIENDS,
LET
US PURIFY OURSELVES
FROM
EVERYTHING THAT CONTAMINATES BODY AND SPIRIT,
PERFECTING
HOLINESS OUT OF REVERENCE FOR GOD.
2
Make room for us in your hearts.
We
have Wronged no one,
We
have Exploited no one.
3 I
do not say this to Condemn you;
I
have said before that you have such a place in our hearts
That
we would live or die with you.
4 I
have great Confidence in you;
I
take great Pride in you.
I
am greatly Encouraged;
In
our Troubles my Joy knows no bounds.
5
For when we came into Macedonia,
This
body of ours had not rest,
BUT
WE WERE HARASSED AT EVERY TURN--
CONFLICTS
ON THE OUTSIDE, FEARS WITHIN.
6
But God, Who Comforts the Downcast,
Comforted
us by the coming of Titus,
7
And not only by his coming
But
also by the Comfort you had given him.
He
told us about your longing for me,
Your
deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me,
So
that my Joy was greater than ever.
8
Even if I cause you Sorrow by my letter,
I
do not regret it.
Though
I did regret it--
I
see that my letter hurt you,
But
only for a little while--
9
Yet now I am happy,
Not
because you were made sorry,
But
because your sorrow led you to Repentance.
For
you became sorrowful as God intended
And
so were not harmed in any way by us.
10
GODLY SORROW BRINGS REPENTANCE
THAT
LEADS TO SALVATION
AND
LEAVES NO REGRET,
BUT
WORLDLY SORROW BRINGS DEATH.
11 See
what this godly sorrow has produce in you:
What
Earnestness, what Eagerness to clear yourselves,
What
Indignation, what Alarm,
What
Longing, what Concern,
What
Readiness to see Justice done.
At
every point you have proven yourselves
To
be Innocent in this matter.
12
So even though I wrote to you,
It
was not on account of the one who did the Wrong
Or
of the Injured Party,
But
rather that before God
You
could see for yourselves
How
devoted to us you are.
13
By this we are all Encouraged.
In
addition to our own Encouragement,
We
were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was,
Because
his spirit has been Refreshed by all of you.
14
I had Boasted to him about you,
And
you have not Embarrassed me.
But
just as everything we said to you was true,
So
our Boasting about you to Titus
Has
proved to be true as well.
15
And his affection for you is all the greater
When
he remembers that you were all Obedient,
Receiving
him with Fear and Trembling.
16
I am glad I can have complete Confidence in you.
(2
Corinthians 7)
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