Charles Haddon Spurgeon, known as the great “prince of preachers”, once told the story of a duke who boarded a galley ship and went below to talk with the criminals manning the oars. He asked several of them what their offenses were. Almost every man claimed he was innocent, blaming someone else or accusing the judge of taking a bribe.
One young fellow, however, replied, “Sir, I deserve to be here. I stole some money. No one is at fault but me. I’m guilty.” Upon hearing this, the duke shouted, “You scoundrel, you! What are you doing here with all these honest men? Get out of their company at once!” The duke ordered that this prisoner be released. He was set free, while the rest were left to tug at the oars. The key to this prisoner’s freedom was his admission of guilt.
That’s also true of 0ur salvation. Until a person is willing to admit, “I am a sinner in need of salvation,” he cannot experience freedom from guilt and condemnation. In Luke 18:13, Jesus praised the man who prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”
Tags: freedom, guilt, regret, release
When I reflect back over my life, I have plenty of regrets, even as a Christian. You probably do, too. I wish I could go back and do things differently. I wish I could undo some things, or at least make them right.
The power of regret moved an ex-GI back in 1974 to send a note to the US government that read, “I’m sending $10 for blankets I stole in World War II. My mind could not rest. Sorry I’m late. I want to be ready to meet God.”
His money was placed in a “Conscience Fund” begun in 1811, which receives an average of $45,000 each year and has taken in a total of more than $3,500,000.
The Apostle Paul had regrets, too, when he wrote, “I am…not worthy to be called an apostle…But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10. What is one regret you have from 2010?
Tags: conscience, regret