Woulda, shoulda, coulda…leads to regret!

Probing Proverbs 14:33-34 Wisdom is enshrined in an understanding heart; wisdom is not found among fools. Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people. 

One thing I believe we all have in common is a dislike of “missed opportunity”! No matter how badly we may want to go back in time, it cannot be done.  
 
Missed opportunities can be much more expensive than we can imagine!
 
When the movie E.T. was made the Mars company could have allowed M&Ms to be the candy E.T. ate. Mars did not take the offer. Hershey grabbed the opportunity and E.T. became a Reese's Pieces fan…on screen! Reese's Pieces sales jumped 65 percent in 1982, the same month E.T. hit the theaters!
 
An executive at Decca Records believed musical guitar groups were not going to remain hot. A producer in his company came to him with a demo tape made on New Year’s Day that year. The executive passed on signing the band. They signed with EMI…the year 1962, the band – the “Silver Beatles”! In 1964 alone, 50 million dollars worth of record sales took place in the USA by the Beatles, and in 1968 they started their own label – Apple Records.
 
This principle has a lot to do with our passage. “Wisdom” is the key to knowledge! How?
 
Knowledge is the collection of “data”. Wisdom is the application of that data! To realize you possessed all the right tools to accomplish some great thing, but never knew how to use those tools is heartbreaking. God almighty is the One that allows nations to become great or fall. When a nation remains close to God it will experience His blessing and favor, and can accomplish great things! When that same nation turns its back on its Creator and deliberately celebrates sin…at some point God will draw the line and allow that nation to get what it wants…to be on its own!
 
However, there is no spiritual “vacuum”. When God ceases His control, the “god” of this world, Satan, takes control. His joy is to destroy anything or anyone God loves. When regret finally sets in, it is too late. Also, history has shown us that most times our regret is over the consequences of                                   our sin, not the sin itself.
 
Having my Doctorate in sin…I know what I am talking about! However, due to the tenacious love of the Holy Spirit, God has continued to lovingly convict andguide me to true repentance.
Remember, the Pharisees could quote many verses from the Scriptures, but they crucified the Messiah those Scriptures testified of! They knew what the Scriptures said…but they did not understand them!  
 
The So What: What do you know about yourself? How are you taking what you know and applying it practically to your life? Humble your heart and seek God to teach you how to use the knowledge you have collected.