The Anchor of Regret

 

…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead… Philippians 3:13

“It is finished!” The cry from the bloody cross echoed through the crowd and left a question in the minds of Jesus’ friends. What was finished? His life? No, Jesus had already prophesied that He would rise from the dead in three days. That cry signaled the completion of a plan put into motion before time began. The meaning of that cry transformed a ragtag bunch of crooks and fishermen into world-changing revolutionaries. That cry has continued to change the world, declaring victory for anyone who would call upon His name. Calling Jesus Lord means that no one need remain captive to past mistakes. Jesus used His own blood to cancel the debt we owe God. Nothing was left to be accomplished. He bought the ticket out of our past.

But regret is an anchor that prevents us from moving on. We even convince ourselves that we are honoring God by refusing to forgive ourselves. But when Jesus cried, “It is finished,” He cut the cable to that anchor. When we place our souls under the blood that cleanses us, we can forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead. We don’t have to be defined by anything except our relationship to Him. Regret is a false humility that reminds us continually how we have failed. But when we transfer ownership of our lives to the lordship of Jesus, regret goes with it. He gives us a new heart and a new future (2 Cor. 5:17).

Has regret prevented you from moving on? Jesus offers to cut the cable to that anchor. 

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