Friday, March 2, 2018

Make Despair the Pathway to Hope




fiveminutefriday.com
Just rough drafts and maybe incomplete thoughts to whet your appetite for the Word of God
Todays word is ‘regret'

But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. “My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside. Job 23:10, 11

Do I have regrets? Am I sorry for careless decisions and impulsive acts of my will and passions? Is regret the same as repentance? Do I look at my consequences and just wish nothing had ever happened the way it has transpired? What about God,  does he regret me as he regretted creating man before the flood? That's what it says in Genesis 6. Is God a God who repents and regrets what He has done? Num 23:19 “God is not a man,  that he should lie; neither the son of man,  that he should repent….” Is that contradictory?

Where it is true we all make mistakes and suffer consequences,  our hope is in the redemption of God rather than the remorse of our fallen wills. The way to redemption is through our godly sorrow. It works to salvation not to be repented of.

I can,  and often do,  regret things all day long. I think we have to always keep a check on ourselves,  not to lead us to despair but to remind us of the perfect salvation we possess. Grace shows us our inheritance but does not diminish our responsibility. God hates our sin. Before the flood He had foreknowledge. He saw the wickedness of man. One translation says “it repented Him”,  it all brought sorrow and grief to His heart to know they would never respond anyway no matter what He did. He saves whosoever wills but He knows who they are.

Frank Sinatra made the song famous “Regrets,  I've had a few,  but then again,  too few to mention.”  I wonder if now he would do it his own way.

2 comments:

  1. Keep this going, Mary. It's beautiful. Can I suggest that you add the link to this site on your poetry blog. It will make it easier and more likely that others check it out. Victoria

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  2. If I can figure out how to do that I will. Thank you for reading and commenting.

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