Painful Regrets
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, forgive us on the days when we think we know better and tend to leave you by the wayside. May I encourage others today, as Paul exhorted in Ephesians 4:29, NIV, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
Luke 14:16-24, NIV
REFLECT:
We all have times in our lives when we look back and wish we had done things differently at some point. They may not seem major in the scheme of things, but they could be life and death. One such time for me, my wife and I were only married a year or two when we had just got back from a fun vacation together. At that time, I was working for a grocery company as an assistant manager, and I was concerned that I needed to get to the store and check in on things as soon as I got back. The weather was a bit strange, and we knew rain or storms were coming, but I would be quick. My wife even questioned whether it was wise for me to go…but I quickly scoffed at that concern. I got in the car and headed to work, which was about a 25-minute drive. I didn’t stay long, but as I was driving back, the sky looked ominous as I drove into darkness. The wind was whipping, and I was basically driving into a tornado but didn’t know it. All the power was out and if it wasn’t for the fact that I knew where my turn was to my neighborhood, I would not have been able to see it. I pulled into the apartment complex, ran inside, and hid in the closet with my wife. The next morning, I went outside to see all four tires flat on my car with some body damage, all while I was driving back! I should have listened to my bride!
In Genesis, in the story of Noah, as he was building the ark, many scoffed at him, as well. When the rains came, the scoffers washed away! There will also be regrets one day when Jesus returns and the opportunity to accept Him as Savior and Lord has passed. This will be the biggest regret for all eternity! Matthew 24:44, NIV says, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
APPLY:
What distractions do you have in your life? Is it the news? Perhaps, like many of us, you devote untold hours of time to your phone, scrolling for endless things. Do you put off things that seem inconvenient, such as working out, cleaning, preparing lunches for the next day? Whatever that may be for you, we all face distractions. Distractions disguise themselves quite nicely as ‘excuses’ as well. Whatever it is for you, lets all of us determine to get focused and start afresh. Start afresh with taking steps to do what it is God has called us to do…to reach out and call that acquaintance…to bring a plate of cookies to our new neighbor…to invite someone at our workplace to church. Whatever that something might be or if you are not sure what it should be…start the day seeking God and asking that He use you to build His kingdom. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” (Matthew 6:33, NIV).
CLOSING PRAYER:
Heavenly father, teach us to share your word freely, as I Thessalonians 2:8, NIV, encourages us, “we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”