Who among us can say we have never had any regrets in our life? We all travel that road. If you disagree, maybe you are not being totally honest with yourself.

In my opinion, regrets primarily come from bad decisions we make throughout life and even from missed opportunities. Some regrets may be the result of sins in our lives and some may not, but they are there nonetheless. Some affect us deeply, and some do not.

Allow me to point out several examples and the possibility of eliminating the regrets that haunt us.

Your test score arrives and the result is clear you did not study. (Some of us have felt that regret.) So how did you fix it? You studied for the next test and your score reflected your effort. Didn’t the sun shine a lot brighter on that day?

You were warned by family and friends, but you married the “love of your life” anyway. Everything was peaches and cream for a while, but when the honeymoon was over, the person you couldn’t see arrived to make your life miserable. Is this regret fixable? Yes it is possible, but it will take a lot of work from both parties involved.

You bought a beautiful new red sports car, but after only a week it is clear that it should have been painted yellow. You have had it in the garage so many times you have lost count. Regret! Regret! Can you fix this? Yes, but it will cost you.

You regret that you did not finish school. Go back and finish. You regret that you never learned to play a musical instrument. Start now and learn. It won’t be easy, but these regrets can be turned into joy.

Most of the world today scoffs at any mention of the Rapture, but soon and maybe very soon, it will happen. Jesus Christ will come down from His Father’s house in Heaven and remove His bride (the true Church) from this earth. He will take all who know Him as Savior and Lord to Heaven while He pours out His judgment upon this earth for a period of seven years. Immediately after the Rapture occurs where will you be, on earth, or in Heaven? One will result in overwhelming joy, but the other a frightening regret.

You have died. You are in hell, awaiting judgment. This is the worse regret, by far, you have ever experienced. Can it be fixed? You know the answer. Your regret comes from knowing that if you had come to Jesus before you died and asked Him to save you, you would be with Him in Heaven instead of hell, waiting for Him to judge you. This regret will be an albatross around your neck for eternity.

When we are alive upon this earth, everyone will have regrets of some kind, believers and unbelievers, but a believer in Jesus Christ will go into eternity with no regrets … only everlasting joy.

While upon this earth, many regrets can somehow be reversed (some can never be reversed), but once an unbeliever dies, the regret of denying Jesus will never go away. It will be a constant reminder. Maybe you, as an unbeliever have made some terrible decisions while upon this earth, but the worse decision you will ever make is rejecting salvation through Jesus Christ.

Take a minute and consider the regrets in your life. Now don’t tell me you have none, we all have them. How do they make you feel? Is there a smile on your face that hides a broken life? If you could change anything in your life, would you?

Maybe society sees you as the most successful and blessed person of the century. On the other hand, maybe society sees you as the biggest failure who ever walked the earth. Depending on the cause of your regrets, some could be like a pebble in your shoe or a hungry bear on your back. Whichever it is, it doesn’t matter. You do have regrets, but will you have eternal regrets when your time is up on this earth?

Four of the promises Jesus gives us, from over 7,000, in the Bible are:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” (John 6:37)

To all believers Jesus promises:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:10-13)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

For those who are interested in spending eternity in Heaven with Jesus and being regret free forever, consider this. There is only one way, and that is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Hear Him as He speaks:

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Grant Phillips

Email: grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

 

This is a subject near and dear to my heart. Ask me “Why?” This subject is near and dear to my heart because I am a new member to that special club – Elderly Christians. I’m thankful to be here, because otherwise I would have missed a lot of birthdays by leaving this world years ago. My Dad always said to enjoy each birthday, because it means you are still alive to do so.

I am thankful that I am still in relatively good health. Many folks in their later years cannot make that claim. We all know however, at least those who are wise know that circumstances can change very quickly.

I am 71 now. It is interesting that those in their 80s and 90s still look at me as the young kid on the block. On the other end of the spectrum those in their 50s and younger probably wonder what is keeping me from falling head first into the grave.

I have always had a soft spot for the older folks, especially those much older than I am at the time. I’m starting to understand first-hand what I have heard the elderly say on occasion. Over the years I have heard them complain of not being respected. So many times they are treated like they’re stupid and worthless. Of course this most always comes from those who are quite young and think no one is as intelligent and in tune with the truth as they are. Boy do they have a lot to learn. I remember when I was a teenager, and even in my 20s and 30s. I thought I was brilliant and my parents were totally out of the loop.  George Bernard Shaw is credited as saying, “Youth is wasted on the young.” I’ve heard it as, “Youth is wasted on youth.” If you understand this and believe it, you may be over the hill. If it just flew over your head, you are still walking in the valley of confusion.

There is so much we can all learn from those who have walked this earth longer than we have. Yet, few are smart enough to realize that, and miss so much. I really wish I had spent more time listening to elderly Christians like my parents and grandparents.

Now I’ll stop rambling and get to the point. Many elderly Christians feel they are no longer of much use to anyone and even for the Lord, especially those who are crippled by bodily aches and pains. I remember one man saying that he spent a lifetime learning his trade and when he finally got to be one of the best, he was too old and broken down physically to continue. If you will think about it, this eventually happens to us all if we live long enough.

Allow me to provide some examples to clarify what I am hearing from elderly Christians.

• An elderly man/woman can no longer drive, so they can no longer drive the church bus and bring the little ones to our church.
• The elderly person can no longer preach or teach because of an illness.
• The elderly person’s health prevents them from attending church services.

These are just three examples, but they are typical as age and its maladies overtake us. These folks love the Lord and so want to serve Him as they once did, but time is taking a toll.

If their health prevents them from being physically active, even in a small way for Christ, what are they to do? If the younger ones already know everything and are too involved in their own little world, how can they possibly minister to them?

There is one ministry the Lord Jesus has provided every Christian, regardless of age and/or circumstances that is probably the most important of all, but yet may be the most neglected. That ministry is “prayer.” Even if I am unable to speak, if my mind is functioning, I can pray, and we all need prayer.

My Mother was the greatest prayer warrior I have ever known. She used to sing in our local church and had a beautiful alto voice. She used to teach Sunday school, but her health prevented her from continuing. The one thing she had always done during her time spent on this earth though was pray, and she never stopped until she went home to be with our Lord. I have seen the results of her prayers. Not even Satan could take that away from her.

Since my wife was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, she and I have mightily increased our activity in prayer and Bible study. Isn’t it odd how something like that can change ones priorities? Every weekday evening now, we have our prayer and Bible study, and on the weekend we enjoy this time in the morning. I can’t begin to tell you what a joy it has been and how it is changing us within. I will also add that we have seen God move in our prayers, and it is always a blessing. We have taken up the mantle that my Mother and Dad did in their later years. Each day they studied their Bible together and prayed for those on their prayer list.

Prayer is so important, but I often wonder just how much it is enjoyed by most Christians. The Bible relays to us from the Old Testament through the New Testament just how important prayer is to God’s people. Daniel and the apostle Paul are just two out of many, many others in God’s Word we can use as examples. Not everyone can preach, or teach, or drive a bus, or sing, or “whatever,” but any and all of us can pray. If God heard Daniel and Paul (and He did), will He hear us? Of course God will hear us. He will hear us just assuredly as He heard Jesus in His humanity. Jesus even gave us a prayer to learn as beginners. It is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-3.

If you are an elderly Christian and want to feel needed, pray. Isn’t being needed the very thing that most of us want? There is no greater need in the world than prayer. Our prayers will fill that “need” in our hearts and also fulfill the need in another person’s life. We all have spiritual needs, physical needs, family needs, financial needs, emotional needs, etc. Pray for those with addictions. Some are addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. Some are filled with hate. Some are eaten up with greed. Some are being led astray by a false gospel.

I directed this toward the elderly in the last paragraph, but every Christian, regardless of age can enjoy the closeness and importance of prayer, and should be doing so.

Notice carefully the prayer the Lord taught His disciples (Matthew and Luke above). Start your prayer off by giving praise to God. Recognize Him. Praise Him. Honor Him. Thank Him. The more we thank Him, the longer the list gets, because He has made so much possible and provided so much for us. We could never exhaust the list of things to thank Him for.

So if you are elderly and no longer feel needed, your prayer life will bless you while it also blesses others. You are needed, and your prayers are needed. Maybe you are not elderly. Maybe you are young but incapacitated; don’t miss out on the joy of prayer.

Grant Phillips

Email: grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html