I did some pretty stupid things when I was young. It started when I was a pre-teen and seemed to continue right into my late twenties. If I could undo some of my life and do it correctly, I would go back and unhurt some of the innocent bystanders. Most of all though, I just wish I hadn’t dishonored God the way I did. As a friend of mine once tearfully wrote in a song, “I wandered through His garden taking things that didn’t belong to me!” And as the great Psalmist King David wrote to God, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4a). To hear some Christians give their testimony you’d think they were bragging about their exploits. That type of testimony rarely marks true repentance. Repentance is obvious because the soul that bears it is broken before God. That soul regrets what was done against God. Frankly, regret is the one thing I find hard to live with as a man who didn’t walk with Christ until far too late in life. Regret for the things I did, and regret for the things I failed to do. If you haven’t strayed off the path, don’t let high-sounding testimonies lead you astray. Regret is something you can do without!
“After I strayed, I repented; came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.” Jeremiah 31:19
In Christ,
PastorJimKilby @Kilbin8er Jim@JamesKilby.com
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