Regret? No Regrets.

I had the pleasure of visiting an old friend and mentor at his church this last Sunday. The day was awesome. You could feel Yahweh’s Spirit in the entire service. It was truly a blessing. Bro. Brad was Shelly’s and my high school principal back in Utah. And some of the best memories of high school revolve around the year that I was under his teaching. I learned HOW to study the Word from Brad Strand and the responsibility that goes along with what we learn.  

A couple of things that Brad shared with me over me this last week came from his sermon Sunday and from a text he sent me earlier in the week. In the text he shared:

Don’t let everything that pops into your head……be said. Prov 10:19.

And in the Sermon He shared:

Ecc 11:4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. (I think he enjoys stepping on my toes.)

Now the first one came after a week of dealing with consequences of “being rude to a customer”.  This is something that I repeatedly have to answer for. I come across to many as intimidating. This is actually rather funny because I have spent the better part of my life up being intimidated in one form or another. I was scrawny and week. I was kind of nerdy and naive. I had a hard time fitting in. And I always seemed to say something that would cause me to be made fun of. I am not making excuses for myself nor am I here to shift blame. I do tend to be rather stern and/or abrupt in my words. This is not a good thing.

The second comes after many, many years of not following after The Father’s will, but my own. I have made so many mistakes in my life with my children, marriage, work and my church. My family and friends have watched me wallow in the pig’s mire of this life and accomplish my selfish feats. The seeds that I had sown have caused so much damage. However, that being said, I KNOW I am forgiven. I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded, that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day. And this really is the main issue, Regret. If we spend our days dwelling on regret, we miss out on what is happening today. Personally, I think we need to remember where we came from so we don’t return to Egypt.  But the point is, if our God Yahweh forgives us, who are we to keep rehashing it?

Now this all being said, I was sitting there last night and rehearsing my week in my mind. And James 3:1-2 (kjv) comes into my thoughts:

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

Maybe this is a little obscure for us. Let’s try a different translation:

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.  Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. (NLT)

There is a higher standard for those who KNOW what the Father’s commandments are then for those who have not learned yet. Numbers 15:29-31 tells us:

Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the  Lord ; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

As we grow from new born babes in Christ to mature Christians, we learn truth, or at least we should. That truth takes us from our darkened, ignorant past down a pathway of Light. We begin to learn what our God desires. We learn what He hates and what He loves. Just as we teach or have taught our own children to be upstanding members of society, the Word teaches us how to be the children of God.  All we do or say should be a direct reflection of what His Word is doing in us.

We are to put off the things from our past lives striving to “be Holy, as He is Holy” because “we know better”.  Ah! That is something our parents told us and we tell our children, correct? How many times did my mom, my dad, tell me “you know better than to act that way….. I have taught you better than that”? Well Yahweh tells us that as well. Once we didn't know what we were doing was sin. Once what we did with our friends was just about having “fun”. Now as we grow in the Spirit, we “know better”. And if “we know better”…..

Eph 4:17-32 tells us:

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Ruhroh! If we are to live with “No regrets” as my dear friend was preaching, we need to refrain from doing the things that bring that regret. Plain and simple, ‘nuff said.