photo: canva.com

Have you ever laid in bed at night agonizing with regret over a particular incident in your life. You lie there reliving every detail and nuance. What you said or did. What they said or did. Why what you said was so dumb or hurtful. Why you were so thoughtless or you ask yourself: What was I thinking?

It is almost impossible to turn off regret and the voices that go with it. They continue to nag at you incessantly.

As the hours tick by, your agony gets worse and worse. You are rarely unable to talk yourself out of that aspect of the action that you regret. Instead, your self-flagellation only gets worse! The only way you are able to get to sleep is either to pray and give it to GOD or to determine to make it right with the person the next day. There have even been times I have gotten up and written out what happened and what I need to say or do to make it right…if it is even possible. (That is, the person is still alive or I know how to reach them.) stop

Think how that would feel if there was no way to stop it…forever!

Imagine with me the eternal regret for those who make the wrong eternal decision regarding Christ. The Bible talks about Hell being full of people who will be gnashing their teeth. Do you know what that is? That is people grinding their teeth and saying, “Oh no! I had the opportunity to receive Christ’s offer of salvation here and there, but I didn’t. Instead, I ignored my chance.”  The only problem is that for these people there will be no respite. There will be no relief from the regret! That mental agony will last forever! Can you imagine the horror of it all?

That is Hell. That is what it is going to be like. It is not going to be one big fun, wild party.

• It is going to be regret upon regret upon regret!
• It is going to be depression with a capital D and no antidepressants. No people who care to give any comfort or hope.
• It is going be darkness of all kinds with not a drop of light.
• It is going to be misery upon misery.
• And on top of all of it, there will not be one person who will be there who will say, “I wasn’t treated fairly. The reason I’m here is a totally just decision!”

What worse regret could there be than to know you had opportunities to do the right thing, but didn’t do it…in the most important arena possible.

What could be more horrible?

When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door,
and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying,
‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say,
‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’
But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from.
Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’
In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,
when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets
in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from east and west, and from north and south,
and recline at table in the kingdom of God.
And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Luke 13:25-30

**PS. I may be like you and others. I have been affected by the coverage of Billy Graham’s death this week. I have been pleased to watch it. Because of his simple message, it has been difficult to ruin it.

• GOD loves you and has provided a way of salvation for you.
• That way is through Jesus Christ.
  
• He died on the cross to pay for your sin. His resurrection showed He was successful and victorious over sin and death!
• The truth about Jesus is found in the Bible.
• You can accept this truth or ignore it to your peril.

The genuineness of his life has made it difficult for people to criticize him  for being one thing in public and another in private. That is the power of a humble Christian life lived out.