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.
 

Best "Quote" of the year so far!

 

James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  The story you are about to hear is true, the names have been changed to protect the workers who do not make the rules. They only have the “joy” of sharing the bad news and then receive the wrath from clients.   Lately, I have been afraid of falling due to dizziness. I was told I need to get a spinal tap to see if I have excess fluid in my brain. The doctors are not sure if this is just a one-time issue or a condition called Hydrocephalus, which would require inserting a shunt into my brain to redirect the fluid.   So, I pursued an appointment ASAP. When the nurse, “Sally” called to tell me I had an appointment, I was shocked when she said it would be in May. I told Sally the dizziness gets so bad, I am concerned about falling.  She said based on my chemicals the doctors are not calling it “urgent”, but…wait for it… "If you fall several times please call and I will see if I can move you up!”  What a great quote!   God did give me success as Sally’s response to my response was “Thank you for not yelling at me”. Frustration is never a reason to forget Who we represent. I would appreciate continued prayer concerning this. Thank you, God.

Who is that person in the Mirror?

 

James 1:22–24 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

In Review:

Evidence # 1 – How you handle troubles is an "evidence" of what you believe.
Evidence # 2 – Purposeful living is an "evidence" of what you believe.
Evidence # 3 – Spiritual Maturity is an "evidence" of what you believe.
Evidence # 4 – Wisdom that comes from God is an "evidence" of what you believe.
Evidence # 5 – Standing on what God states in His Word and not how you feel, is an "evidence" of what you believe.
 

What happens when you don’t recognize the face in the mirror? One of my favorite movies is “It’s a wonderful life”. The overwhelming emotional thrust of the movie is seeing the life you have lived, yet not seeing yourself in it!
 
This is where I find myself at this season of my life. I have continued to struggle with my health, which is not anything unusual for me. This has been a thorn in my side all my life. What is different now, is that I am not processing it well.
 
Sadly, the outcome is not good. I am becoming a grouchy old man, which I hate! This has caused my wife and family to feel like they need to “walk on eggshells”.
 
So why am I writing this? Because, this and only this, is how I have learned to deal with issues in life: Confront them! The more secret you are about your life, the greater chance you have of building a hypocritical life that you will become entrapped in! Believe me, I have experienced a season of this. Praise God, He delivered me from it, and I have been experiencing the wonderful fruit of transparency.
 
Please understand, “transparency” does not mean you have no right to any privacy – we all have that right. I don’t walk around and introduce myself: Hi I am Nate – I have these sinful problems…and then name them! However, when we become more focused on our reputation than our character, we fall into a satanic trap that produced “religiosity” instead of “relationship”! The birth of the Pharisees and Sadducees came from this!
 
Have the courage to let God’s mirror - His Word - show you what you really look like. You will grow and never regret it!
 
Meditation Thoughts: How do you see yourself? How do others see you? Do you have someone in your life who you  can ask that question? Are you involved in any discipleship relationships? Consider these verses: James 5:16, Proverbs 27:17