HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 284
page A282
Racism & Prejudice continued
Don’t jump to conclusions about someone before you get all the facts. The western tribes
heard that the eastern tribes had built an altar. Immediately they jumped to the wrong
conclusion—that the altar was built to rebel against God. In fact, it was built to honor God.
Had they not sent a delegation to inquire, war would have broken out. Based on a single
act, the western tribes developed a prejudice that could have been terribly destructive.
PROMISE FROM GOD
• G A L AT I A NS 3 :2 8 | There is no longer Jew or Gentile. . . . You are all one in Christ Jesus.
Regrets See also Accountability; Advice; Convictions; Honesty & Integrity;
Priorities; Self-Control; Temptation
R
If the memories and experiences of our lives were compared to rocks collected and carried
in a backpack, surely guilt and regret would be among the heaviest of them all. Guilt is the
legitimate spiritual response to sin, while regret is the sorrow over the consequences of our
decisions, both the sinful ones and the simply unfortunate. While God promises to remove
the guilt of all who seek his forgiveness, he does not prevent the consequences of our
sin. It is the regret over those consequences that we often carry, weighing us down with
remorse. God promises to help us deal with our regret so we can move on to the future
without carrying that heavy load. He is the God who can bring good out of any situation.
What causes regret?
HelpFinder
• PR O V E R B S 3 :5 -6 | Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own
understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
• PR O V E R B S 1 6 :3 | Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
Regrets will come from not putting God first in your life, because eventually you will realize
you have neglected what is most important.
• 1 T I MOT H Y 6 :9 -1 0 | But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped
by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. . . . Some
people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with
many sorrows.
Regrets come from a life spent in pursuit of money and possessions. Neither bring lasting
happiness, and both are gained at the cost of relationships with God and the people in
your life.
• 2 S A MU E L 1 2 :1 3 -1 4 | Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the
Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.
Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing
this, your child will die.”
• R O MA NS 6 :2 1 | And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to
do, things that end in eternal doom.
Sin always carries unhappy and unhealthy consequences along with the regrets you wish
you didn’t have to live with.
• PR O V E R B S 5 :1 2 -1 4 | You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all
the warnings! Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my
instructors? I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.”
Being rebellious, selfish, inattentive, or unteachable brings regrets. These traits can cause
wasted months and years which could have been used to both develop a better relationship with God and others and produce greater productivity in living life to its fullest.
• DA NI E L 6 :1 3 -1 8 | Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from
Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.” Hearing this,
the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest
of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. In the evening the men