If Only…

Do you ever think like this

• “If only I had been saved sooner…”
• “If only my husband would…”
• “If only we had done devotions daily when my children were young…”
• “If only the Lord had blessed us financially we would have done more…”

The sin nature will leave us with regrets of things we “woulda, shoulda, coulda” done. Regret is not a bad thing in that it can motivate us to move forward and right a wrong.

However, when we get so stuck in our regret that we do not move forward, we make a regrettable situation a sinful situation. James 4:17 says it like this, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

In his book called “Spiritual Depression; Its Causes and Cures,” D.M. Lloyd-Jones points out that these regrets of what we have not done, or how late we came to the faith, can be a cause of depression. He then reminds his readers that it’s not our past that matters as much as our future.

When we pass judgment on ourselves (for what we have not done), we forget that the only righteous Judge is God Himself (though He does expect us to judge our own actions rightly. 1 Corinthians 11:31). He says that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

When we wallow in guilt after seeking forgiveness, we place our own judgment above the Word of God.

“If only…” is futile thinking for the believer. What a coup for Satan if Christians stop doing new works for the Lord (that benefit our neighbors) because we failed in the past.

What a win for the Kingdom of God if believers teach others the faithfulness of Christ to those He has called, regardless of their past failures or lack of faith.

In His patience and kindness toward us, God offers us the gift of repentance. We can see all the “if onlys” in our lives and repent of any sin.

But, some of our “if onlys” are what we think we should have been doing, not taking into account the sovereignty and providence of God to direct our lives.

Intellectually, I know that I came to saving faith when God chose to open my eyes to the Truth of His Word. My own “if onlys” are pretty selfish. As I have seen the blessings of God, it is my own desires that cause me to think it should have started earlier (so I could be even more blessed).

Looking forward, I would like to suggest that we adopt the attitude of Paul in Acts 20:24, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

This is the only “if only” worth working on.