Let's Not Allow Regret To Rob Us Of Our Joy

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, John Adams:

All of us probably have times in our lives, and some of us might be experiencing that right now, when we wish out loud that we could just start over. If only we could go back and have another chance in some area of our lives, we would sure do things differently. Have you had that thought recently when it seems that everywhere you turn, things are just not going your way. Well, the truth of the matter is that we can't go back and probably shouldn't want to because, in some sense, it means that we are then trying to take the control of our lives away from God, where it rightfully should rest.

So, how do we live our lives without allowing regret to rob us of the joy that God promises? One of my favorite Scriptures is Proverbs 3 -"Further Benefits of Wisdom", where God shares:

"My Son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years, and bring you prosperity... TRUST IN THE LORD with all your heart and LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; in all your ways, ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, and HE WILL make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:1-2;5-6

At those times when I dare wander away from faithfully holding onto the promises God has given me, that's where the real troubles begins. Self doubt can start to take over, and pretty soon, it seems as if nothing is going as planned, so I must be doing something wrong, and only if I had done "thus and so" differently. Is there really any guarantee that if we had done any of the things in our lives differently, that the outcome would have ended up differently? The real answer is "no" because to answer "yes" means that we believe that we are directing our paths, not God, and we should know that this is not the case.

So, I for one am going to keep clinging on, in faith, by trusting in the Lord with my mind, soul, and whole heart, that He directs the outcome of ALL THINGS (not me), and He alone will do that which needs to be done in my life. Just a little reminder to myself today, that I so desperately needed, and so, I hope that this was a message that might minister to some of you today as well. Be reminded that "By wisdom, the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding, He set the Heavens in place. (Proverbs 3:19) He remains in control, at all times, and for that reason, JOY is ours for the taking.

Wishing you a joyful and joyous weekend.

John

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