“I thought I blew it but then I realized – it’s not all over. It’s not too late to change because I still have TIME. Yes, I have wasted time. I have made mistakes in the past. I even have regrets about yesterday. But this morning, God’s Word reminded me that regardless of what’s lost, what’s behind me, what’s been wasted, I do still have TIME.”
That’s the beauty of God’s Word. Day by day God speaks to us through His Word. When was the last time you got something specifically from your Bible that was very relevant to your current need?
What was the verse the mistake-maker and time-waster received as he read his Bible? This is the verse:
“…that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God.” 1Peter 4:1-3 RV
If you are filled with regrets over mistakes or failures in the past, then this verse should burst into your heart like a shaft of welcome light.
Read it again and claim this reality for yourself: “Yes, Lord!! I have the rest of my time to live for Thee! Sorry about the past – but help me to focus on the rest of my time.”
Perhaps you ‘think’ your blunders have been too great, that you have squandered precious time and wasted precious years of your life. You ‘feel’ your life has gone down the tubes. Maybe you ‘feel’ you are nothing more than a piece of twisted and rusted scrap metal in God’s junkyard.
You are not the first person to feel miserable and ashamed. Listen to this one man’s lament:
“Forget it! I could never be used by the Lord again. I denied Him three times and I didn’t do it quietly or tentatively. I said to those people so emphatically that night: ‘I don’t have a clue who you are talking about. He’s not a part of my life – never has been and never will be. I know Him not.’“
God used this very same man to communicate to us the encouraging and uplifting and reassuring and comforting and hopeful words: we have the rest of our time to live to the will of God. The Apostle Peter was his name. Knowing his past, adds weight and meaning to his words.
The Lord picked up the shattered pieces of Peter’s life and refocused his eyes on the ‘rest of his time.’ Dear child of God, only look back long enough to genuinely confess your sin and to learn a life lesson. Then quickly swing your head around to the future and open your eyes wide to see how the Lord wants to use you and the rest of your time in the path of His Will.
Put an end to the whipping and the flogging you have been inflicting upon yourself. If you have confessed your sin, it is high time to move on. Use your energy and mind much more productively. Stop beating yourself up and start living again for Christ – YOU STILL HAVE TIME!
Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.
Warmly in Christ
Peter Ramsay