Glad verses regret

2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV)

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

In Beaumont, Texas, there is a fine school: Baylor University.

You may have heard of the school, but you probably haven't heard about the Christian man who gave the money to build that school. The story is an interesting one.

Later in life the benefactor lost all his property. More than one friend asked him, "Don't you wish that you had all the money you put into your school?"

His reply is a solid one. He said, "Not at all. It is all I've ever saved. If I had kept that money, I would have lost it too. I am thankful that I gave that building when I did."

How about you? Are you glad for the good things you've done?

Or do you regret the sacrifices you've made for others?

Mothers, are you sad you did without, so your children could dress right for school? Fathers, do you feel your time and sweat on the job has been ignored as you tried to provide? If so, you need to be like the man in our story.

Indeed, you need to be like the Lord. Over 2,000 years ago Jesus died to save us from sin, death, and Satan. If the statistics are correct, there are hundreds of millions of people who don't believe in Him or the salvation He has won for them.

Nowhere in the Bible do you see any sorrow on Jesus' part for having made the sacrifice He did. On the contrary, there is great rejoicing in heaven for every sinner who repents.

In short, heaven is rejoicing at the good Jesus has done.

Might I suggest we should do the same?

We need to rejoice in the good the Holy Spirit does through us; we need to give thanks for every opportunity He puts on our plate. True, not every good witness we make results in someone believing the Gospel message, but we're not asked to convert people. We're asked to make our witness and be thankful that God has entrusted the job to us.

Dear Lord, we thank You for all that You have done for us. Help us each take the opportunity to do things with our time and money for You so that we may have no regret. In The Name of Jesus, Amen.