Meeting Jesus - the widow’s offering

Pastor Marty shared a story with us recently and I thought it was worth passing along. Marty's uncle attended this church, and one Sunday the pastor announced that a fellow member was in the hospital, and they needed a special offering for medical expenses. The congregation passed the collection basket around once, twice, and even a third time. It seemed like the pastor was not satisfied with the amount collected until that third round.

Now, I'm sure some of you, upon hearing today's message about the witness offering, might have thought, "Here comes another money talk." I won't ask for a show of hands if that crossed your minds; we're all good here.

But let me assure you, that's not my message today. Pastor Joe gets the money talk next week – just kidding. Let's dive into the Word. Turn with me to Luke 21, verses 1-4. Jesus is in the temple, observing people dropping gifts in the collection box. The rich toss in large sums, but then a poor widow enters and puts in two small coins.

Luke 21:1-4

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Jesus says, "This poor widow has given more than all of them, for they have given a tiny part of their surplus. But she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."

Now, let me share a bit of history. In the '80s, there was this guy, Lee Iacocca, an automotive executive. He helped Ford with the Mustang and the Pinto and revived Chrysler. During a Statue of Liberty fundraising effort, he received unusual gifts, including a $10,000 check from an 80-year-old woman requesting his book for free. Another woman sent $1,000, got a thank-you note, sent another $50,000, and later sent three checks totaling $201,000. Iacocca joked, "There's no telling where we'd be if we just sent her flowers."

But the most touching gift was from 78 homeless Vietnamese refugees. They pooled $114.19, everything they had, to contribute to the Statue of Liberty refurbishment.

Their gift was a lot like the widow's in today's scripture. You see, Jesus singled out the poor widow, recognizing her sacrificial giving. Her two small coins were worth about $0.75 each by today's standards. She gave all she had to live on, showing an extraordinary level of faith, trust, and love for God. Most of us may never reach that level, but we can learn valuable lessons from her. First, the Lord observes our giving. Jesus watched as the rich gave, but He saw the widow and her gift. He sees every giver and every gift.

The giving experience in Jesus' time was different – no offering plates, just collection boxes with trumpet-like tops. People made noise to draw attention to their generosity. But the widow, with her faint clink, went unnoticed, except by the Lord. Remember, Jesus observes our giving – the amount, the motive, everything. Don't seek recognition; give out of love.

Next, generosity desires confidentiality, not credit. Give without seeking acknowledgment. Jesus evaluates our giving based on what's left after we give. The widow gave everything, while the rich gave from their surplus. God evaluates our generosity by the leftovers.

Think about it – David refused to offer burnt offerings that cost him nothing. Generosity isn't just about the amount; it's about the cost to the giver. Motive matters; God knows our hearts.

Finally, Jesus evaluates and commends sacrificial giving. The widow's gift wasn't necessary for the temple budget, but her generosity moved Jesus. She gave until it hurt, giving God the leftovers. We should all feel a pinch when we give, not just offering sacrifices that cost us nothing.

Remember, Jesus gave it all for us. His sacrificial love sets the standard. We're called to be generous, not just with our money but with our hearts. God isn't after our money; He's after our hearts. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So, as we talk about giving, let's reflect on the widow's example. She gave everything, voluntarily, out of love for God. Let's be inspired by her generosity as we consider our own giving. Remember, God loves a cheerful giver.

Meeting Jesus - The Garden and Temptation

So I’ve been involved in ministry here at beachCHURCH for a little over 22 years…and in that time, I have participated in a lot of church-wide projects, led several mission trips, and my wife Marlene and I have had the blessing of leading the Celebrate Recovery ministry for the past 19 years.  And over that time, I have seen people experience some really incredible spiritual highs in their lives-they’ve had those “mountain top experiences” and I have seen those same people walk through some really tough spiritual lows, through some really deep and dark valleys. That’s not necessarily been by fault of anything they’ve done and it’s not an uncommon thing in ministry…even Jesus experienced those moments in His life as well. 

After Jesus left His hometown of Nazareth, He has been traveling around Judah and Galilee teaching the Gospel in the towns and villages along the way. But now He’s arrived in Jerusalem. And when He first got there, He was celebrated. In the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John-they refer to His arrival as a triumphant entry because He was basically celebrated as a king. 

The people loved Him, they cheered for Him and laid their garments and palm branches on the ground before Him as He rode into town. But things change pretty quickly for Him because the things He was teaching and the views He was expressing about the religious establishment of the time upset the people in power-because they considered themselves the religious authorities.

Because Jesus was being proclaimed as the Messiah and the Savior, the religious leaders were plotting to kill Him-because He was a threat to their authority.

This was during Passover, a festival where the Jewish people celebrated their freedom from slavery in Egypt. And on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered up His disciples for their Passover meal-which we refer to as the Last Supper.

After Jesus had this really significant moment with His disciples in the Upper Room, Jesus went from a Spiritual High, to a Spiritual Low... 

At the Last Supper, everything was amazing.

Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Passover

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper

He washed his disciples feet

But now – in Luke 22, they would leave the intimacy and joy in Upper Room, and Jesus would experience such an incredible degree of temptation and internal agony, that blood would begin to drop out of his body like sweat.  

Luke 22:39-46

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened Him. He prayed more fervently, and He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

At last He stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. “Why are you sleeping?” He asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

So there in verse 44 we see that Jesus was “in agony” And right before that, in verse 43, we see that an angel appeared to Him from heaven and “strengthened Him.” In these passages we get a clear glimpse of Jesus’ humanity…

Over the course of history, there have been a lot of twisted and distorted views of Jesus. Some people or groups have tried to minimize Jesus’ humanity, claiming that He was only spirit and His body was merely a shell or not even real at all. But look at Jesus in these verses. He is extremely troubled. Again, there in verse 44 we see that “He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.”

Jesus is troubled to the point that He sweat blood. This is actually a very rare condition that is called hematidrosis and this condition has been observed by doctors on occasion when people face extreme distress. It’s a real condition, you can look it up on WebMD.

So just why was Jesus so troubled? 

It was because He knows the sheer amount of pain and suffering He is going to face. In the Garden of Gethsemane we see Jesus facing the consequences of choosing to become a human. In Philippians 2 it describes how Jesus gave up His divine rights and willingly became a human, even when He knew it would lead to death on a cross. Jesus becoming a human was always leading to this very point in time when He would take on the suffering and sin of the world. He knew this very clearly. But even though He had this knowledge-it didn’t make it any easier. In fact, this knowledge made it that much more difficult.

We’re all familiar with the old saying that, “ignorance is bliss”-but sometimes ignorance is a whole lot easier... If Jesus hadn’t known in detail what was going to happen to Him, He would not have been so troubled. 

But He knew. He knew every scourge of the whip, every hit with the rod, every prick of the crown of thorns, every hateful insult they would throw at Him, every hammer of the nails, every bruise, every cut, and worst of all, He knew the weight of the world’s sin and sorrow was going to fall on His shoulders. Jesus knew exactly what He was going to experience. And that’s what made it so much harder for Him.

So this wasn’t your ordinary religious, churchy kind of prayer…this was Jesus pleading with God that He would not have to suffer the things that were to come.

If I asked you if you would be willing to die for your faith, some of you would probably say, “yes.”  But if we as Christians started being persecuted and we actually faced torture and death right in front of us, that decision would be much harder to follow through with, wouldn’t it. 

Would we finish the fight? 

Would we keep the faith? 

At that moment, facing real persecution, actually doing it is harder than just saying “yes”.

That is the decision Jesus faced now. He could see in crystal clear detail exactly what He would face. Imagine again if you could view a large high definition screen of your own suffering and death ahead of time. That would be terrible-wouldn’t it?!?

And to Jesus His own death and suffering was seen and understood even more clearly than watching it here on this big screen. He knew every detail…

So it’s important for us to see Jesus’ humanity here. And the reason is this: 

JESUS’ VICTORY AS A PERSON GIVES US HOPE.

Jesus was not an alien. He wasn’t some kind of super human being or something like that... 

He had feelings as we do. He experienced pain as we do. He experienced temptation as we do. 

So just what was the temptation that Jesus was so concerned about?

It wasn’t that His disciples were spending too much time on their cell phones on TikTok or Facebook or Twitter getting all wrapped up in the drama. 

Or that they were struggling with porn addiction or lust issues, because they were looking at inappropriate websites on their tablets and computers…

They hadn’t taken Kevin Hart up on his $200 offer on Draft Kings and gambled away all the money they had made off of the big haul of  fish that Jesus had blessed them with that one day…

Yes, they struggled with pride and their egos-wondering which one of them was going to be most important and seated next to Jesus in heaven; but it wasn’t like they were fighting with each other or gossiping and bashing each other on social media (I mean, they weren’t politicians…!).

No, the temptation that Jesus worried about, that He was was cautioning His friends to not give in to was the very same temptation that He was in agony over.  

There in the Garden…in that period of humanity-Jesus faced the temptation to do what HE wanted to do, rather than follow through with what God wanted Him to do.

Jesus was in agony to the point that He was experiencing hematidrosis. Blood was seeping out of His pores, like sweat- because He wanted to be obedient to God; but He didn’t want to have to walk out what lied ahead of Him…

He was in agony because He wanted to obey God, but He didn’t want to have to bear His cross. 

He wanted to obey God, but He didn’t want to be arrested, beaten , and tortured.  He wanted to free us from our sins, but He didn’t want to be crucified.

That is why Jesus sweat blood.

He was torn between what He wanted and what He knew that He had to do...

JESUS FACED TEMPTATION WITHOUT HIS FRIENDS.

The only thing that Jesus asked of His friends was that they would stay awake and pray.  And you know, these guys were more than just friends, they were the group that He had “done life” with for the past three years.

He had poured into them.

Jesus had healed Peter’s mother in law.

He laughed with them, spent time with them, and He invested in them even when nobody else would have thought twice about them.

He gave them hope and He showed them God’s love.

And now, when Jesus just simply asked His friends to pray, they couldn’t even stay awake.

So, Jesus faced the worst time of His life without His friends…

Maybe you know what it is like to face challenges, temptation, losses, and fears all alone. Maybe you don’t have any friends that will come alongside of you and pray with you as you walk through struggles in this life. 

For whatever reason, you’re in this place of isolation; having walked the road of recovery for over 25 years now, I know that’s not a good place to be in. I have seen people overcome the worst of situations when they are connected. 

I’ve watched homeless addicts put their lives back together…

I have seen families that have been torn apart by adultery or other addictions restored…

I’ve seen so many people overcome the brokenness that brought them to their knees and into recovery-because they got connected and they walked out their recovery journey together in a community of people who loved them and came alongside of them in that brokenness and poured into those people the very same experience, strength and hope that had been poured into them, by someone else…

God has a circle of friends waiting for you.  People who will help you learn to trust in God during those challenging seasons and times of change.

And you need to understand that if you are serious about following Jesus, you need to realize that…

TEMPTATION OVERTAKES ALL BELIEVERS

But in spite of that, sometimes we convince ourselves that other believers have it all together and that WE are the only ones who struggle with sin.  

We know everyone struggles with the temptation to sin – but we’re sure  that they don’t struggle like WE DO.  

We think, “They read their bibles all the time, they go to church every Sunday, they’ve got their act together-they don’t struggle like me…So something must be wrong with me…”

I’ve seen some of those same people that have had incredible recovery experiences lose it all-because they got complacent and they disconnected. They became isolated and when they faced new challenges and temptations, they did it without friends…they went into those dark places all alone…

And when temptation overtakes them and they give into that  temptation and choose to sin rather than to obey God’s will..They find themselves thinking:

I was on such a good run…

Things were going so well…

I had my family back…

My marriage was back on track…

I can’t believe I did this….

How did I wind up back here all over again…? 

Why am I at this bottom AGAIN…?

I think that a lot of it has to do with the memories of our past. 

Our MEMORIES can stir up our desires and temptation to sin.

Think about it. Jesus was and always will be God. Jesus existed long before He became a human.  He knew what it was like to EXIST as LORD over all. Before He became a human, He could do all He wanted to do.  

But when He became a human, He gave up His rights as God…He experienced and felt things, just like we do and there in the Garden…Jesus was tempted to TAKE UP His rights once again.

His MEMORIES of His LIFE AS GOD stirred up this DESIRE He faced now,  to take control of His own life and do what He wanted to do. Not what God wanted Him to do…

And you and I need to understand that…with certainty:

MEMORIES OF SIN CAN STIR UP TEMPTATION 

Memories of sin can stir up temptation in our hearts…

Memories of those “good times” can stir up temptation in our hearts…

God doesn’t cause us to be tempted, we’re reminded in 

James 1:13-14

“God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” 

We are only going to be tempted to do something that we find pleasure in. I’m never tempted to go to the opera…but I love a good Christian Concert. I’m never tempted to walk around with club in my hand and chase after a little white ball…but put a gun in my hands and send me out in the woods and I’ll chase after an animal all day long! I promise you that I have never in my life been tempted to eat broccoli or cauliflower, I think I could probably do a 40 day fast and still not be tempted…but Ice Cream or French Fries, I’m all in on that one-Father forgive me, for I have sinned!!! 

A DESIRE to sin occurs only because we have EXPERIENCED it or something SIMILAR to it before…and we liked it! It made us feel good…

Maybe the experience came through people, places, or your past.  

Trust me, there are things I don’t do and there are places in Myrtle Beach from my past, that I need to stay away from and guard against.  Places and things that I used to find pleasure in-before I found my way back to Christ…I have to stay on guard against those old memories…

Memories of experiences or places that appealed to us in the past, can stir up temptation in our present and future. If we liked it in the past, our flesh tells us we will like it again. Put up guardrails to help you stay away from those kind of temptations.

WITH PRAYER AND FRIENDS EVERY TEMPTATION CAN BE OVERCOME.

If you feel like you have been walking blindly and stumbling into temptation after temptation…strengthen your prayer life. Pray more, and pray harder!

Begin to pray on a regular basis what Jesus prayed in the Garden – not my will, but your will be done.  

Ask God for His will to be done in your marriage, with your children and how you parent them, at your work…Ask God to help you be content and trust in His plan for you. You’ll be amazed at just how much better His plan is-than anything that you ever could have planned or imagined...God’s not trying to tease you.

God’s desire is to BLESS you not to MESS with you.

The brother of Jesus writes in

James 4:7-8 (NLT) 

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” 

This passage is what we see Jesus demonstrate there in the Garden…

He humbled himself before God. He bared his soul. He resisted temptation and God strengthened Him. 

God gave Him the willingness and courage to face what laid ahead of Him…

Jesus walked away from His prayer differently. He was no longer distressed and troubled. He walked away as a man on a mission!

He was resolved. He was assured. He was confident. 

His prayer didn’t change the outcome, He still was tortured and crucified; but He knew His Father had a plan and He knew it was a perfect plan.

Jesus will strengthen you today.

-Whatever it is that you are facing.

If you surround yourself with friends. If you begin to pray like never before and humble yourself to God…Every temptation you face in life CAN be overcome.  You have Jesus on your side fighting for you…

Since He himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested. (HEBREWS 2:18)

He has given us friends, He promises to help us himself.

God does not promise to deliver us out of our difficulty. He may not save you out of your trial. But if you come to Him in prayer, He will give you what you need to get through it and to be victorious.

Homecoming - The Prodigal Son

Prodigal:      /ˈprädəɡ(ə)l/ adjective
      1. spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.

      2. a person who spends money in a recklessly extravagant way.

“The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’’
Luke 15:12 NIV

“A man’s worst difficulties begin when he is able to do just as he likes…”
~ Thomas Huxley ~

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”
Luke 15:13 NIV

When we declared our independence from God, we began to live in a foreign place.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.”
Luke 15:13-16 NIV

We waste our life… seeking what can no longer be found.

“After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.“
Luke 15:14 NIV

When we venture out on our own, we end up in a foreign land, left to our own devices outside of life with God.

“So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.”
Luke 15:15 NIV

“He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.”
Luke 15:16 NIV

“We often meet our destiny on the road we take to avoid it”…
~ Jean de La Fontaine ~

We can’t run from ourselves…We can only run so far until we come to the end of ourselves.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’’
Luke 15:17-19 NIV

Hope begins with coming to our senses…

“The meaning of the younger son’s return is succinctly expressed in the words, “Father, …I no longer deserve to be called your son.” On the one hand the younger son realizes that he has lost the dignity of his sonship, but at the same time that sense of lost dignity makes him also aware that he is indeed the son who had dignity to lose. When he found himself desiring to be treated as one of the pigs, he realized that he was not a pig but a human being, a son of his father. This realization became the basis for his choice to live instead of to die.”
~ Henri Nouwen ~

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
Luke 15:20-21 NIV

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”
Luke 15:22-24 NIV

God as our Father will welcome us with mercy and restore us.

Anticipation… - Joseph

• Just
• Righteous
• Good

“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 1:18 NLT

Engagement:
…can be broken off at any time, without penalty

Betrothal:
…morally & legally binding

1)  Get better acquainted

2) Give families time to prepare

3) Confirm chastity

“Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.”
Matthew 1:19

“Joseph, son of David, ” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:20-22

God was asking Joseph to raise the Savior as his own son.

RIGHTEOUSNESS
…love God’s Law and desire God’s will.

COMPASSION
…give priority to love and mercy as opposed to judgment and retribution.

FAITH
…trust God and make the difficult decisions.

How different would the Christmas Story have been, without Joseph…?

Who would have raised Jesus?

How would the prophecies have been fulfilled?

YOU MATTER TO GOD AND HE HAS PLANS FOR YOU!

Not A Fan. - The Cross

Fan:
\ˈfan\
noun
an enthusiastic admirer

“Jesus never asked us to sit on the sidelines and cheer for His cause…”
~ Craig Groeschel ~

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 9:23

“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord…”
John 10:18

What have we sacrificed in return???

“When Christ calls a man, He bids him-Come and Die…”
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer ~

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
1 Corinthians 1:18

Why would God use a symbol of torture, of death, of weakness to save the world?

Does the cross represent WEAKNESS or does it represent STRENGTH …?

“Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles… for the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”
1 Corinthians 1:22

Who else but God…
• …could take a cross that represented defeat-And turn it into a symbol of victory?
• …could take a cross that represented guilt-And turn it into a symbol for grace?
• …could take a cross that represented condemnation-And turn it into a symbol of freedom ?
• …could take a cross that represented pain and suffering-And turn it into a symbol of healing and hope?
• …could take a cross that represented death-And turn it into a symbol of life?

When you are at your weakest - you are exactly where you need to be for God to be the strongest!

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
1 Corinthians 1:27

“I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in…” (and Paul gives us this list of “not so comfortable” things) weakness, insults, hardships, persecution and difficulties) and he concludes–“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Strength comes when we realize our weakness.

Will you, like Christ did before us, trust God enough to let your weakness be His strength, will you trust Him to make all things new for you???

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Colossians 2:13-15

There’s no comfortable way to carry a cross…

“For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him…”
Philippians 1:29

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4

Christ says, “Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there. I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out.”
~ C. S. Lewis ~

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”
Matthew 16:25

No Ragrets - Personal Guardrails

• Remember

• Recall

• Repent

“Godly grief produces a repentance…
2 Corinthians 7:10

• Refocus

“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.”
Isaiah 43:18-19

“Great is His faithfulness; His mercies are new each morning.”
Lamentations 3:23

“We all sin and we all fall short of the Glory of God.”
Romans 3:23

“The prudent see danger and take refuge. But the simple keep going and suffer for it.”
Proverbs 27:12

The simple keep going and drive off the cliff.

Where do you need guardrails?

Career?
Marriage?
Finances?
Personal Integrity?

Many of our greatest regrets in life probably could have been avoided IF we had put personal guardrails in place…!

• Personal guardrails are standards of behavior that HAVE TO become matters of conscience!

• You can wreck your finances without spending unethically.

• You can ruin a relationship without doing anything sinful.

• Guardrails aren’t just meant to keep you on the safe side of right vs. wrong.

• In light of my past experiences, my current circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams, what’s the wise thing to do?

What’s the wise thing to do?

If you’re living too close to the edge, it may be time to set a guardrail.

Eventually our behavior (on the outside) will mirror what’s going on-on the inside.

• Guilt
• Anger
• Greed
• Jealousy

Guilt says, “I owe you.”

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Psalm 32:5

“I am about to die, and I cannot forget my pain. I confess my guilt; I am troubled by my sin.
Psalm 38:17-18

Anger says, “You owe me.”

“For a man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”
James 1:20

“In your anger, do not sin; Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold.”
Ephesians 4:26-27

“Fools give vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.”
Proverbs 29:11

Greed says, “I owe me.”

“A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.”
Proverbs 28:25

“Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.”
Proverbs 15:27

Jealousy says, “Life owes me.”

“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
James 3:14-16

“So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy and unkind speech.”
1 Peter 2:1

Ignore the warning and regret will be waiting on the other side.

“Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.”
Proverbs 24:16

No Ragrets - From Our Regrets to His Glory

Regret
   /rəˈɡret/
    noun
a feeling of sadness, repentance or disappointment over something that has happened or been done.

“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

“Great is His faithfulness; His mercies are new each morning.”
Lamentations 3:23

“Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14

Bitterness
• the belief that God got it wrong.

Anxiety
• the belief that God’s not going to get it right.

Regret
• the belief that the mistakes I made are so bad that God can’t make it beautiful again.

“Christ died for a million regrets.”

“Today, you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:43

“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”
Psalm 130:3

“Remember regrets to a point.”

“A life without regrets is a life built on a mirage.”

“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Ephesians 2:12-13

“This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” -and I am the worst of them all.”
1 Timothy 1:15-16

“Press on in faith.”

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. That is, I haven’t become perfect. I haven’t arrived yet. But one thing I do: Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14

“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death..”
2 Corinthians 7:10

“Come and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28