Sunday Shorts: Released from Regret

Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (NIV)

We all make mistakes in our lives and there are things in our past that we often regret. Sometimes it’s about something we’ve said or done, or it could be something we neglected to do or say. Whatever the case, we feel regret and wish that things could have been different.

The burden of regret can cause us a lot of disappointment with ourselves and may even lead to some form of depression. Because we’re human, we try to suppress thoughts and feelings about our mistakes, so we seek instead to console our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls by obsessing on other things, other longings, and even other people. Sadly, for some folks, this creates an addiction to food, alcohol, substances, or even porn, leading them down a path of no return. Their regrets have been artificially nullified by their obsessions; their guilt has been numbed by their addiction. When I struggled with alcoholism, it was largely as a response to some major mistakes I made as a teenager, including a suicide attempt. Decades later, I'm beginning to understand what led me to my addiction.

One of the first things that Jesus does when He begins His ministry is to offer people a way to be released from the captivity of regret. He urges people to repent of the past, so that the Kingdom of God’s love can enter their hearts and minds, bodies and souls. God’s grace is evident because it has the power to liberate people from the past and enable them to live without regret in the present. It’s a beautiful gift and one that everybody needs, including ourselves.

Today, Christ offers us the same opportunity to cast off our ragged regrets and put on the robe of renewal. We are allowed to begin again and to have our hope restored. Jesus will repair our joy; Christ will reconnect us to God. All we need to do is to repent – to let go of the past and let God lead us into the future. As the Apostle John wrote to the young Christians in his time: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NIV)

Point to ponder: What is my biggest regret? Am I willing to hand it over to Christ and receive His forgiveness?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us completely. Every mistake we have made, every false word we have spoken, every wrong path we have taken are not unknown to You. You also understand the burden of regret that we carry from those mistakes; please help us to come to You, to confess our secrets and receive Your grace. In Your Holy name, we humbly pray. Amen.

 

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Short devotion: Burden Bearers - Psalm 55v22

 

Psalm 55:22   Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. (NIV)

One of the greatest burdens in ministry, as well as in other counseling or caring professions, is the amount of indifference that you come across from folks you attempt to help or try to support. I can remember in Scotland spending many hours each week with drug addicts and alcoholics trying to enable them to overcome their addiction by inserting faith into their lives. I felt compelled to do this because I had come through the same sort of experiences. I wanted to show them the path to Christ which I had found, for I believed (and still do) that it would potentially enable them to begin again.

Sometimes it worked, but most of the time they reverted to their old ways, habits, and addictions. Looking back, I would say that about 20% changed their lives and today I am still thankful to God for sustaining them. As for the others, they drifted away and some of them ended up dying at an early age. It broke my heart to see this happening.

Over the years, God has allowed me in both Scotland and the U.S. to help others overcome troubles, deal with their addictions, and even avoid going to prison, but the resulting numbers of success are still the same. About 20% are grateful for what God has done in their lives and take every opportunity to serve, worship, and praise Him when they can; four out of every five, however, don’t feel that need to be challenged or changed, faithful or thankful, so they just move on. It’s sad to see, and it still breaks my heart, but no doubt other pastors, counsellors, and caring professionals will feel and say the same.

So, next time you have burden to share with a pastor or a professional counsellor, remember that there is a person behind that title. He or she will certainly do all that they can to help and guide you, but they cannot make you change; only you can do that part. However, please know this: with God’s help, it is less difficult to accomplish.

Question: Have I ever sought help from a pastor or a counselor? Do I pray for them?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are our Guide and Comforter, but You also provide caring counselors and loving leaders to help us through challenging times. May we not take them for granted but keep them in our prayers. In Your Holy Name, we humbly ask. Amen.

 

 

 

 

4 Minute Devotions: Payback

Sometimes we are too zealous in our outrage at the world that we want to payback evil with evil. Payback belongs to the Lord; we are meant to love our enemies and forgive those who hurt us.

Podcast version here

2 Thessalonians 1:6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you.

Many years ago, I befriended a drug addict in Maybole, Scotland called Davie. We shared a common interest in art and throughout my years there, we drew some great religious pictures together. I still have some of them on my office wall here in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Davie’s conversion involved kicking his drug habit, which was very hard to do and extremely painful to watch as he went through withdrawal. He never fully beat it, but most of the time he managed to stay clean. Outwardly, he changed from an untidy, sour and angry person to becoming a brighter, happier, and smart looking guy. His new faith in Christ transformed him and I felt privileged to know him as a friend.

But sometimes his new faith got him into trouble. One night he decided to pay back one of the drug pushers in Maybole by beating him up. Davie’s zeal got the better of him, which made him choose the wrong moment to try this. The pusher was surrounded by a couple of heavies, who set upon Davie like a pack of wild animals.

In the wee small hours of the morning, the phone rang at the manse. It was Davie. He needed help, so I drove to where he was and was shocked to see him. His face was all bloody and bruised. He was shaking and could hardly stand. I wanted to take him to hospital, but he wouldn’t let me. Instead, I drove him up to the manse and helped to clean him up.

Davie wanted to pay back the drug dealer for all the misery he was causing in Maybole, and to show him what the vengeance of the Lord looked like. But all he got for his one man crusade was a bruised face and bloodied nose. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, to hug him or chide him. He had the right intention but he just went about it in all the wrong way.

Payback is something that we should leave to the Lord. As Christians, we’re meant to forgive those who hurt or harm us. It’s hard to do and sometimes we feel that the wicked go unpunished. However, that’s not the case, for there will come a time when God will take care of the unrepentant wicked. It’s not our responsibility. It’s not our cause.

Prayer: O Lord, forgive us for wanting payback in our lives and for being mad at those who are unjust, wicked, and evil. Teach us the hard lessons of loving our enemies, and of leaving justice to You. Help us to do whatever we can to make this world a better place through the strength of Your love. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Overcoming Addiction

One of the saddest things about addiction is that the consequences of feeding a habit can destroy our dreams and annihilate our ambitions. When I left High School, I could have gone to Stirling University to study history. I met with the leading professor of the History department, and he interviewed me, along with a few other candidates, early in the spring of 1975. I was guaranteed a place and looked forward to becoming a student in the heart of historical Scotland.

Podcast version here

But my addiction got the better of me and I gave up my dreams. When the acceptance form came in, I ripped it up and went out to look for a job. In my heart, I wanted to go to Stirling, but I didn’t want to give up my boozing friends or the pubs I frequented. Regrettably, I set aside something special, in order to feed and maintain my alcoholism.

Bible Verse of the Day
Job 6:13 Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me?

I’ve known people to do the same and I’ve watched them destroy themselves, year after year. I want to reach out to them and tell them that God has the power to wrench them away from their addiction, to transform their lives. I want to protect them from giving up on their dreams, nursing their fears, and embracing their disease. I want to tell them that life with God is much, much, much better than life with a bottle, a drug, or porn.

I am truly thankful to God that despite my selfishness and stupidity, He took a hold of me and turned my life around. I may not be the historian that I once desired to be, but I am happy with where God has led me. It took a lot of hard work, prayer, self-examination, and revelation to get me to this place. Anyone who is addicted can also do that, but only if they first surrender themselves to God. What I discovered was this: if you want God to change your life, you can’t hold back anything from Him.

I know that there are some of you who are reading this who have similar problems. If I can help you find God, then please email me. There are also some of you who are carrying the burden of an addicted love one. My prayers are with you. Get help. Find a church that cares. Let God carry you for a while. There’s nothing that is too big for Him. There is no problem that He cannot help us overcome.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, today we need You to live up to that Divine Title of ‘Savior.’ We need You to save us from ourselves, our addictions, our fears, and our burdens. We are tired of trying to do it on our own. We are weary and exhausted, stressed out and alone. Come to us and save us. Free us from our fears and help us to hold on to You, so that our lives, dreams, and hopes can be renewed. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today's message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

Erin devotions: Joyful Dreams

Psalm 126 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It resonates with what I’ve experienced in my life. When I was a teenager and had no control over the sadness in my home life, I hated myself and my circumstances. This self-hatred took me away from my family and friends because I supplanted them with a love of alcohol. I put myself into danger and exiled my emotions, using beer, whisky, and wine to escape from my frustrations and fears.

Podcast version here

Bible Verse of the Day

Psalm 126:2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.Then it was said among the nations,” The LORD has done great things for them."

And then I found the Lord and rediscovered my joy of Jesus that I had in my heart when I was in elementary school. I still struggled with alcohol for a while, but eventually I was able to let it go because I became addicted to God, Jesus and the Gospel. It was like coming out of a self-imposed nightmare and going into a God given dream.

Throughout my life I’ve seen people struggle with the same demons of drink and emotional attacks. I’ve tried to help them overcome their addiction and show them the joy of the Lord. I’d love to say that I’ve been successful every time, but sadly some people are more self-destructive than others and eventually they ruin their relationships, empty their emotions, and destroy their bodies. When that occurs, I feel heart broken because I know that things could have been so much different if they truly let Christ into their lives.

If you’re struggling with an addiction or an obsession, or you know someone close beside you who is, get help. Don’t leave it until it’s too late or ignore it, hoping that it will all go away. There are lots of good counselors and godly pastors, specialists and experts who could empower and enable you to overcome. With their help and Christ in your heart, you can turn those horrible nightmares into hopeful dreams. Seize the day and let that transforming moment begin in your life now.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know everything about us, so we can never hide or conceal anything from You. You are completely aware of our weakness and addictions, secrets and obsessions. Help us to find help and seek assistance in overcoming those demons of deception that want to destroy our hearts and happiness, our spirits and souls. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.