No Regrets?

Sometimes we hear people say, "I have no regrets."

Knowing the sinful state of man, that's really hard to believe. Maybe they've deadened their consciences enough that they can rationalize all the sinful choices that they have made. Or maybe they've become so arrogant that they don't mind that they've hurt others or even themselves through their sinful actions.

It doesn't seem possible that we can live a life of "no regrets."

Take Joseph's brothers for example. Almost 20 years after they had sold Joseph to the slave traders, they stand before him, wanting to by food. Joseph knew who they were, but they were not yet aware that this was their brother.

Joseph drilled them and placed heavy demands on their purchase of grain. The brothers say among themselves, "It's because of what we did to our brother that we are being treated this way."

Twenty years of guilt. Twenty years of regret. Twenty years of keeping a secret. Twenty years of lies.

It doesn't appear that they ever confessed and repented to God, to their father or to their brother.

The regret was there.

And think of Paul, "...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost" (1 Tim 1:15).

Paul's life before the Damascus road experience was a life of sin. He was a murderer. He brought innocent people before the courts to have them executed.

Did he forget that? No. He reminds the readers of that life often throughout his letters.

But look at the next verse: "But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life" (v 16).

Paul's memories of his past life did not disappear at the moment of salvation. Instead, they served as a reminder of God's mercy and patience. He could remember the past to remind him of God's mercy.

And that served "as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life."

Think of someone arguing with Paul that their sinful life was to great for God to forgive. Paul could say, "Listen to my story."

No regrets? No way! Your past may be filled with sinful choices. And while we don't glory in those choices we can see that God has displayed His mercy in our lives by remembering the change that He has made.