Regrets come in a long list and while they are not always the
case, they are often times the result of sin in our life. Maybe you have been
divorced or have had to file for bankruptcy because you mismanaged your
resources out of fleshly decisions or no longer speak to your children or a
family member because of an unresolved dispute. If this is the case, it is
almost assuredly the result of some wrong choice made by someone sowing a seed
of sin. Maybe it is not even your sin but the sin of someone that has
left you with regrets. We must acknowledge that this is a fallen world
and we all mess up all the time. Romans 3:10 says, "There is no one
righteous, not even one." This verse is one of many that shows us
that we all mess up from time to time. Even when we try in our best
efforts to do good, we fall short and cannot always achieve in doing so. The
Apostle Paul says in Romans 7 where he seems to have a discussion with himself
and seems frustrated with the fact that even when he tried to do the right or
good thing, he simply failed to do it. We all fall short, all the
time. And because we often times fall short, we will face difficult
consequences from those short comings. There is a penalty for our
sin. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Death does not have to
be the end. God not only gives eternal life, but He gives us abundant life as we
are obeying Him.
What those verses in Romans show us is that we are simply all
messed up; fallen created beings. Because we fall short, we will have
hard times in this life and often regrets from those shortcomings. We
handle our regrets by doing what God tells us to do in the scriptures.
One place to find answers and comfort is found in the book of Psalms.
Those 150 chapters are filled with broken and contrite hearts crying out to God
with often times laments and asking God for His help. The writers of Scripture
do not try to cover up or act like they have it all together, but simply cry
out to God for help in their personal lives, letting the chips fall where they
may. Looking to the Psalms gives us the reassurance that what God did for
David, He will do for us as we work through our problems or regrets staying
humble, obedient and open minded to the will of God in our lives. Inquire
of the Lord for yourself. For he is not so far, that He will not hear the
prayer of His saints when they cry out to Him in brokenness. Psalm 4:1 says,
"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God, Give me relief from my
distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." We may not know the exact
circumstances of this Psalm but the principle is clear. We have a God who
hears our every prayer. We have a God that is righteous and cares about
our every care and distress. We have a God who shows us mercy even when
we don't deserve it. The rest of that Psalm reveals how God is patient
with us, even when we stray and run after things other than Him.
The God of the Bible is the one true God that loves us and cares
for our every care and hurt. He does not delight in seeing us go through
hardship or pain but often times, that is where we grow in Him. We often grow
spiritually through hardships and trials according to James Chapter
1. We must learn how to live each moment reliant fully on God
alone. We should model our prayers and our life like the writers of
Scripture as they are not afraid to tell God what is on their hearts, nor tell
of the great mistakes that they have made. God can handle our thoughts and our
prayers, He is bigger than we can conceive. For we all will have things
happen in our life that we wish were different, that is why they are called
regrets. But those regrets should never be allowed to control us or keep
us bound by their sinful power. Nor should we allow our regrets to
smother our Christian witness. In one of the memorable stories that Jesus
told shortly before He was to be betrayed and crucified, Jesus told His
disciples that all of the 12 disciples would fall away and deny him. Peter
strongly opposed Jesus and tried to correct Him by saying "even if all the
others fall away, I won't". Jesus told Peter that he, would deny Him
three times before the rooster crowed and of course it happened just as Jesus
had said. Do you think that Peter regretted this? Absolutely, he
did! However, after Jesus restored Peter on the beach shore in John 21,
he was able to move on and continue to serve the Lord. As a matter of fact, it
was after Peter had been restored that he serve the Lord in a greater way than
ever before. While Peter never forgot his sin of denial he chose not to
dwell on it and be defeated by it. He realized that the only way that he could move
forward was to allow God's forgiveness to be his covering for his wrongdoing.
Like Peter, we may never forget our own personal regrets in life, but how we
respond to them will be the determining factor of the victory that we receive.
We should all come to a similar realization that the life that God wants for us
is not a life filled with dwelling on our regrets and sin but by living a
victorious life. The God that we serve has power over sin and death and
He is the One that will day by day give us victory over them as well.
Today, pray to God like the writers of the Psalms and allow Him to lift the
burden that you need taken away and give Him the glory for great thing he has
done. Praise Him til the hurt goes away!
Loving on you today,
Bren
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