We have a sign in our kitchen that reads, among other short pieces of advice like “Forgive quickly” — “Never regret anything that made you smile.” I’m going to shorten that to just, “Never regret anything. Period.”
Regret is a dangerous thing. Mostly it isolates you and prevents you from moving forward. It locks you in the past. Regret locks you in a prison of shame and remorse and throws away the key. It keeps you small and helpless.
Regret works with the worst about us because it says we must pay for our sins, and the payment is our self-inflicted prison sentence. We secretly like this because as long as we regret, we don’t have to change. We don’t have to change because we can’t. We’re too focussed on the past to do anything about the future. Besides, what can you do in prison? As long as we stay in the prison of regret, we cannot move forward.
The only way out of the prison of regret is forgiveness, and the only one who can forgive is Jesus. Only Jesus can forgive because only Jesus has paid for our sins. No one else, including yourself, can put your sin away. In Jesus, our sins have been nailed to the cross, buried in the tomb never to surface again. When Jesus walked out of the grave, our sins were gone forever. Look at Jesus walking out of the tomb victorious. There is nothing in His hands. He’s not carrying even a splinter of that cross. It’s gone, and with it, our sin. He is free, and so are we.
The way out of regret is to have nothing to regret, and that is the way of the Christian. There is nothing to regret because all sins are paid for and gone. A believer still indulging in regret is saying that in spite of what Christ has done, they have to pay for their sins. That is to say that Jesus died in vain. That means that for me, as a believer, regret is an insult to Christ. Stop that. Step out in faith and freedom and look forward to how you can change, now that you are free. If there is nothing to regret, there is nothing to hold you back.
John Fischer The Catch 
I regret the consequence(s) of my sin(s), especially when I have caused hurt and harm. So I ask forgiveness where I can, and try to make restitution to those I have hurt where I can. And I trust Jesus to bring a good thing out of my failure(s). Romans 8:28 / Phillipians 1:6. And I thank God He has freed me from eternal debt.
Manny Pacquiao is a Filipino world champion professional boxer. At age 32, he was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives; he also has been involved in acting, singing, and playing basketball. By all accounts, Manny is a huge success. But it’s what happened after his widely publicized fight against Floyd Mayweather, in which Manny lost, that tells the real story about who he is.
After the fight, Mayweather went on to celebrate his win, spending $1.2 million on champagne alone. Manny, on the other hand, proceeded with his plans, which had been finalized before the fight even took place. Win or lose, Manny was heading straight to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, a supportive housing program for homeless youth, just as he had done every time he had fought in Las Vegas.
Manny explained that at the start of his career, a good friend advised him, “Manny, don’t you ever forget where you came from. If you forget that, it doesn’t matter how much you win. If you lose where you come from, you lose it all.”
You see, Manny grew up so poor that he had to drop out of school to help support his family. By 16, he was literally fighting for his life. Throughout it all, Manny never forgot where he came from, and that’s why he continues to bring boxes of gifts and toys for the poor children at St. Jude’s whenever the opportunity presents itself.
In order to serve God fully we must be remain connected to our past, cognizant of the future, and most importantly, rooted in the present. Only through that lens can our service be complete.
Remembering our past is important because it gives context to our present actions. We understand that we are another link in a long chain going all the way back to Eden and forward to eternity.
But, no more regrets…
(Excerpted from Holy Land Moments Daily Devotionals:
Remember Where You’ve Come From 02-10-2020)
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I AM SPARTACUS!
Are you?
Very powerful Catch Today Pastor John and thank-you for it…
A tear of thanksgiving came to my eye, after I read this: “When Jesus walked out of the grave, our sins were gone forever. Look at Jesus walking out of the tomb victorious. There is nothing in His hands. He’s not carrying even a splinter of that cross. It’s gone, and with it, our sin. He is free, and so are we.”
Amen, praise God & thank-you Jesus!
Hooray! Thank. you, Mark.