Living With No Regrets

2 Corinthians 7:10
"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."

The life of a man controlled by the sinful nature is one filled with many worldly griefs. This man has placed his ultimate source of worth and satisfaction in the things of this world and naturally those things have failed him. He has built his shelter on the sands of physical beauty, only to have it washed away by the ebbing waves of time. He has found refuge in the caves of earthly pleasure, but darkness conceals its foul contents. He has placed his trust in his finite possessions only to have them destroyed by moth and rust. Woe and grief fills the heart of the man who has tasted every pleasure under the sun and has climbed to the loftiest peaks of human wisdom, yet at the end of his life cries, "Meaningless!"

Wretched is the one who sees the goodness of God, vows to follow the Lord, and yet is filled with regret. A pillar of salt is all that remains of the one who flees from the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah yet turns to look back at the life left behind. This man attempts to walk between this world and the next, fooling himself into thinking he can get the best of both. But alas, the regrets of the life left behind taints his every drink of the sweet living water; his guilty conscience haunts him as he tries to fully partake inthe world. He does not know what he truly wants and is a slave to the torn desires that wages war in his soul.

But blessed is he who has not only seen but has tasted that the Lord is good. The Spirit has shone forth so much revealing light and truth into his heart that he despairs at the wretchedness of his sinful condition. God has produced a godly grief, a holy frustration, a righteous dissatisfaction with the sin that has entangled every aspect of his life. Looking inward, this man woefully cries out in godly grief, "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" and looking upward to the cross shouts forth glorious praise, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!" His eyes have seen the King, he has glimpsed the Lord's glory, and there is no turning back. His repentance is a complete turn away from this world, and counts all things as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. He has found the pearl of great price. He has uncovered the hidden treasure in the field and has left all behind to keep it. This blessed man has a salvation without regret. He forgets what lies behind and strains forward to what lies ahead.

Let us be this man who realizes he is not who he wants to be nor what he was made to be, understands that he could never do enough to attain righteousness alone, and throws himself at the utter mercy of God to be molded and shaped into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us seek daily after the unsearchable riches of Christ, never regretting having left behind our old lives to follow the King of Kings.

To live is Christ, and to die is gain.