Regrets! I've Had A Few-How About You?

Frank Sinatra – My Way Lyrics

And now, the end is near; 
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear, 
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full.
I've traveled each and every highway; 
And more, much more than this, 
I did it my way.

Regrets, I've had a few; 
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course; 
Each careful step along the byway, 
And more, much more than this, 
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt, 
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall; 
And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried.
I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside, 
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that; 
And may I say - not in a shy way, 
"Oh no, oh no not me, 
I did it my way".

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels; 
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way! 

Yes, it was my way.

Songwriters: DUPRI, JERMAINE/SEAL, MANUEL LONNIE/RAYMOND, USHER

My Way lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, S U I S A, COOPERATIVE SOC. OF MUSIC AUTHORS & PUBLISHERS

NOBLE WORDS BUT WRONG, AT LEAST FOR A REAL BELIEVER!

I was thinking about what Donald Trump must be feeling after those terrible words were released for public consumption. Hillary has said and done more EVIL than even Donald Trump, BUT SHE HAS THE MEDIA AND THE GOVERNMENT SHIELDING HER. THE FIX IS IN AND THERE WILL BE LITTLE WE CAN DO ABOUT IT EXCEPT TO VOTE OUR CONSCIENCE WHEN THE TIME COMES. THE MEDIA PUSHED DONALD TRUMP ON US TO ATTEMPT TO MAKE US LOOK LIKE FOOLS. THEY ALWAYS KNEW A DEATH BLOW WAS COMING. THESE THINGS THEY DIG UP ARE NOT LAST MINUTE AND THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHEN TO DELIVER THE BIG PUNCH TO THE GUT. THEY DRAMATIZE IT AND MAKE A HUGE PRODUCTION OUT OF IT.

So, my Christian brothers and sisters, what regrets(maybe even evil) have you stored up in your life that haunts you now and again? I HAVE PLENTY THAT I WISH I COULD DO OVER! I WOULD NEVER MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES ON THOSE PARTICULAR EVENTS KNOWING WHAT I KNOW NOW, BUT DOES THAT MEAN I WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING AGAIN THAT I MIGHT REGRET LATER? WE ARE HUMAN AND WE ERR!

What really needs to happen for all of us is a good dose of Phillipians 3:12-14 

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on [h]so that I may lay hold of that [i]for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what liesbehind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I stumbled across Anthony Wades words in a forum I frequented some time ago. I don't know him nor have I ever spoken with him on the forum but this article caught my attention and has changed the way I deal with regret. Believe me there is plenty to regret! I was dealing with some things I said to my father before he died that I have deeply regretted. He and I never saw eye to eye and I could never measure up in his eyes, at least that is what he said once. His words to me were "you will never be the man I wanted you to be." I said, "what, you mean the alcoholic that you are?" I don't know if he ever regretted it but I do regret my words to him. My last words to him were "I hope you die screaming!" 

I would give any body part, any thing of value I own for a do over on so many things...you see the truth is that all of us have said or done things that we deeply regret. How does a born-again, Jesus-loving, believer live with our stupidity? We know the truth about ourselves, and God certainly does! But I write to give you some hope. God really does know us. Read Psalm 139 if you don't think so. God knew us before we were conceived and knew all of our future failings but that did not stop Him from loving us and bringing us to the knowledge of what His Son did for us on that cross. He knew that even after believing and trusting in Him that we would still sin and do stupid things we would regret. You see, Christians aren't perfect just because we come to trust God's Word, but we are perfect in God's eyes because of what His Son purchased for us by His blood on that terrible cross. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins because He was truly God and truly man. He understood our afflictions and yet in His Godhood He redeemed us to the Father. 

Christian! You will fail many times in this life when you regret it the most, but there is hope! Ask Peter the disciple and later apostle how he felt when he betrayed his Master...God has not forgotten you! He chose you to be His own...press on toward the goal!


Discussion in 'Thoughts for Today' started by anthony wade, Oct 2, 2012.
Philippians 3:12-14New American Standard Bible (NASB)
http://www.christianforumsite.com/forums

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on [h]so that I may lay hold of that [i]for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Søren Kierkegaard, a 19th century existential philosopher is quoted as saying, “I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations - one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it - you will regret both.” I expect as much coming from the man who suggested that the human race had outgrown Christianity. In fact – that is exactly what I would expect from someone who thinks that humans have outgrown the need for a Savior. The problem is that there are far too many Bible believing Christians who struggle with the pain of regret in their lives. Sadder still is the feeling that it is some kind of cross they must bear until Jesus comes and takes them home. Nonsense!



Let us all realize today that everyone could live with regrets. That is the nature of humanity in a fallen world. Our lives are made up of choices. Some of those choices are inconsequential and some are of dire importance. Some are big and some are small. Some we will choose right and some we will choose wrong. Some will determine the very course our life takes. We will look back on some of these choices and wish we had done something different. Wish we had taken the other path. This is normal. It is the pre-occupation with the choices and the continuing pain we experience that is not the plan God has for our lives. How do we know? Because the Bible tells us so!



I look first to Peter, who had made the most regretful decision anyone could have made when he denied even knowing Christ three times, despite Jesus predicting he would. Here was what had happened after the third denial, where he literally called curses down upon himself:



At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly. – Luke 22: 61-62 (NLT)



Can you imagine the moment? You just spent three years walking with and learning under the man you know and believe to be the Son of God; the Christ. He specifically warned you that you would deny Him despite your bravado. Then He stares right at you, as His prediction comes true. Over the next few days you watch as He is killed in one of the most gruesome manners ever concocted by the devious working of the human mind and then buried. You never got a chance to say you were sorry. You never got a chance to beg His forgiveness. The last time He saw you was when you were denying you even knew Him, just to protect your own skin. If that is not a recipe for regret, I do not know what is. Yet how long did Jesus allow Peter to wallow? Now very long at all according to Scripture:

Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.” – Mark 16: 7 (NLT)



Whose words are these? The angel that greeted the women who went to the tomb on Resurrection Sunday! The first order of business? Tell the disciples that He has risen and is going ahead of you into Galilee! And don’t forget to include Peter! God hasn’t forgotten him! Make sure you tell Peter! The Lord doesn’t want any regret setting in because He has many more works for Him to do! Hallelujah!



And God always has more for us to do and higher levels of blessing for us if we are properly focused on Him in the here and now. This brings us to the key verses for today. The Apostle Paul writing his letter to the Church at Philippi. What is amazing about this statement is that he is now in prison in Rome and knows that the end of his life is near. Yet there is no regret – only expectancy. Within these two verses are God’s instructions for us when it comes to regret. Paul could have had a lot of regret. We know that he always remembered how he had once persecuted the church and many including myself believe it may have been the thorn that haunted his life. But there is a difference between not forgetting the poor decisions of our lives and allowing ourselves to live in regret. 



According to the verses, the first and most important step in dealing with regret is in to check where our mind is focused. Too often beloved we live in our past. We allow ourselves to be chained to our past. Bad decisions, bad marriages, lost loved ones. Things we wished we had done differently. Things we wished we had said. In Peter’s case, things we wished we had not said. The only one who wants us living in our past is the devil. Why? Because he knows there is absolutely nothing we can do about what has already passed. All living in your past can do is rob you of your future. I do not care how old we get or our own negative view or ourselves and our abilities – God does not see us that way. There is someone who can always benefit from our wisdom and our trials. The Bible says that God does not waste a single tear that we shed. Peter may have thought his future was over but God had so much more for him to do. He did not know it yet but he would give the first sermon of the church and see 3000 people saved in one day. He would go on to preach the Gospel and die on a cross standing up for His Savior. 



That brings us to the second part of the focus. It is not just enough avoid focusing on the past. We must choose to focus on what lies ahead. The verses actually say we must look forward to what lies ahead. We need to anticipate the great and mighty works God wants to do through us. The human mind is apt to wander. If we sit alone long enough it will wander into areas we do not want it to, such as areas of regret. We must choose to focus on the future; trusting the God we serve will be faithful to complete what He has started! 



The last part of not living in regret is action. The first two parts deal with our focus and our thought life but now we see that we must actually do something. We must “press on” into the future God has for us. Too often we can sit idly by and claim we are waiting on the Lord and sometimes God does want us to be still. But more often than not He is waiting for us to move in faith. Paul was in chains, surrounded by Roman soldiers. If anyone had cause to say it was over – it was Paul. Instead though, he recognized that he needed to press on, so he wrote his letters extensively and witnessed to the very people who were imprisoning him! He had no idea when he penned the letters that they would become the New Testament! Think about that for a minute. When we are busy about the Lord’s business we may not know what fruit might be borne later on for our pressing on. 



Beloved there is nothing you can do about your past except learn from it. Regret will consume your present and blind you from your future. God has something better for you! Jesus said He came to give you the abundant life now! That abundant life is not filled with regret it is filled with blessings. The very thing that you regret is the very thing that Jesus died on an old wooden cross for. He wants to take it from you today. Focus in anticipation towards what God has for you in the future and press on into it!

See you next blog,
Ted