S)"11 'I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.' And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night."
1 Samuel 15:11 (NASB)
O) I get a little annoyed when people talk about living with "no regrets" - especially with Christians. I know that sometimes it's just semantics, but if it's appropriate for God, the Father and Creator to have regrets, wouldn't that still be the case with us? The difference is that we might regret our mistakes, whereas He makes no mistakes. So, regret doesn't necessarily mean that you think the thing that happened was a mistake, so much as you might wish it could've been a different way.
A) So, if I equate regret with the feeling of sorrow, and not necessarily with mistakes, then my goal to live a life without creating regret, has to be more than avoiding mistakes. The times in the Bible where the Father expresses His regret always have to do with His children living outside His will and perfect plan. So, more than simply avoiding sin, in order for me to avoid having regrets later, I need to pursue His will. I can't simply resist temptation, I need to give-in to His way.
P) Father, You will for my life is undeniably, undisputably good. Words simply fail to adequately describe the blessings You have in store for me. Knowing that Your plan is so good for me is motivation to pursue Your will and do things Your way. I know that sometimes I am easily distracted though, or things might feel, in the moment, like they're not a big deal, but I'm not really qualified to make that determination, and I know that. I do not have Your eternal and infinite perspective, so I know that I cannot rightly judge what will, or will not, be important in the end - let alone in 5 or 10 years. So, Holy Spirit, speak to me now, and daily, even moment by moment to point out the pivotal points in my life where I need to be sure I am choosing the will of the Father and not my own will or not choosing things haphazardly. Show me where the crossroads are and give me the strength, will, and wisdom to choose the right path so that when I am an old man, having lived my life on earth to the end of my written days, I have as few regrets as possible. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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