“Guilty as Charged!”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

It is amazing how many people have little or no convictions. They are ruled by the flesh instead of the Spirit. They think, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else and it gives them a sense of pleasure it must be okay. Living for the moment is their rule of life. Boy, how wrong could they be. This kind of living always leads to regrets.

Let me tell you something. To live a life for eternity means you live with certain convictions. It means your life is guided by something greater than your earthly desires and momentary pleasures. READ 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Convictions are more than personal preference. It goes deeper than that. A conviction is a basic scriptural principal which we purpose to follow, whatever the cost. There are things we feel are worth fighting for and maybe even dying for. Convictions are the center core of our faith. Convictions produce an inner strength and provide protection from wrong influences, desires and deceptions. These core convictions guide me and help me live my life. I refuse to compromise the name of Jesus to be politically correct. I live my life with purpose. I take seriously the issue of holiness in my life. I set boundaries for myself. I am motivated to live up to my new identity in Christ. I work at living a balanced life. These core convictions and values help me navigate life. Does it mean I have no regrets? Of course not. There are times I live selfishly and complacently and let the pressures around me dictate my time and actions instead of my convictions. There are times I over commit and lose focus. I have regrets like everyone else. We all have regrets in life. My goal is to minimize my future regrets and help others just starting out to understand what is truly important as we learn to live with eternity in our hearts.

Don’t wait for a crisis to take the steps you need to take now. You can’t recapture this moment, so live it boldly with conviction and with a view of eternity. Listen, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God in our lives. We all have regrets, but when we bring them to Jesus, He forgives them completely. I don’t want you walking around with guilt and condemnation. If you do, you missed the whole purpose of what I’m saying. Let me make it plain. We can’t rewind our lives. This message is about the future. It is about learning some lessons from the past so we live differently. It is about developing some core convictions to guide us in making wise choices as we go forward. The message is about hope. It is about living for eternity now. So shake off any sense of shame or condemnation and lift up your heads. We are all part of the company of the redeemed, and God will continue to redeem our past regrets. Hallelujah!

Well, I don’t know about you, but from this day forward, I want to live without regrets. There is no rewind button on this life. Once this day is over it is forever gone. I want to live with the end in mind, with eternity in my heart. I want you to know that you can live a life of significance. You can become the person God wants you to be (Matt. 7:24-27). But you must know that living a life of few regrets begins with having a set of convictions that we live by. Let’s move forward. James 4:14 ask, “What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Life is short. Do not wait until tomorrow. You need to obey now.

Author: Lou Coleman