This Day-4 devotion is adapted from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermon "Vain Regrets"

Vain Regrets

"Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:8-10)

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones had straightforward advice about regrets: "If you can't do anything about a thing, stop thinking about it." Yet many Christians remain trapped in spiritual depression because they continually revisit paths not taken, opportunities missed, and years seemingly wasted.

The apostle Paul had ample material for regret. He had devoted his considerable talents to persecuting the very church he would later serve. He had participated in the martyrdom of Stephen and other believers. By human accounting, these were irretrievable losses—years that could never be recovered.

Yet Paul refused to wallow in regret. He acknowledged his past without allowing it to define his present. "By the grace of God I am what I am," he declared. Note the emphasis on present identity rather than past failure.

Lloyd-Jones emphasized that dwelling on unchangeable aspects of our past is not merely unhelpful—it's foolish. The wise person focuses energy on what can be changed while accepting what cannot. You cannot rewrite history, but you can, by God's grace, write a different future.

This doesn't mean ignoring past mistakes. Paul clearly recognized his unworthiness. But he viewed his past through the lens of God's redeeming grace rather than through the distorting mirror of regret.

Today, ask yourself: What past regrets am I allowing to poison my present joy? What unchangeable circumstances am I refusing to accept? Remember that genuine repentance leads to freedom, while regret often leads to paralysis.

Like Paul, you can acknowledge your past failures while embracing your present identity in Christ. You were what you were, but now you are what you are—a new creation, being transformed daily by God's grace.