Daily devotional, October 25, 2023 The Only Regret
"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" Isaiah 30:18
The song entitled “Bakit ngayon ka lang” has been one of the mainstays in the singing repertoire on any videoke night. It speaks of regrets on why the singer met the person he is singing to, when his heart has already been committed to someone else. It is basically a song of regret, and to some degree, a song of betrayal.
As a Christian though, there will only be one regret that will linger in your mind once you commit your life to Jesus. That regret is your belated decision to forge an intimate relationship with your Lord and savior. That you should have tried knowing Jesus long before you became wayward; long before you were beset with the consequences of your ungodly choices; long before you needed to know your life’s purpose.
There is nothing to regret about knowing Jesus except the time in your life when you have still yet to know about Him and his loving mercy.
"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness," PSALM 30:11
It will be comforting to know though that He is working in our lives long before we decided to follow Him. That He has been pursuing us so that He could shower us with His boundless mercy and grace:
"For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me." Isaiah 45:4
It is never too late to start and nurture a close relationship with Jesus. He is always waiting for us, for our repentance. He promises that if we will come to terms with our sins, He will wash it away and take us into the shadow of His wings and guide us through life. In Psalm 32, a remorseful King David prayed:
"Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.' And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." PSALM 32:5-8
The same truth was echoed in St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians: “yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)
So how do you foster a relationship with the Lord? Sit by His feet. Have intentional quiet time with Him early in the morning, before you start your day. Spend time listening to Him, by setting apart time for bible reading. At night, make sure to thank Him for His faithfulness throughout the day, and praise Him before going to sleep. Devote Sundays for worshiping God along with fellow believers, and try to find time studying His word with others, and spreading His truth to the unchurched. It is never too late nor too early to have Jesus in your life. When you come to really know Him, you will only regret the time of your life when you failed to recognize His presence.
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 32, to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you have an intimate relationship with the Lord? If none, what hinders you from pursuing Him?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father,I praise and thank you for your loving kindness and mercy. For continuously calling and waiting on me to finally turn to you, and foster a close relationship with you. Help me remove the barriers that hinder me from acknowledging your presence in my life, so that I could enjoy time with you and live your will and purpose for me. Amen.