September 29

Hindsight

Psalm 78

The saying “Hindsight is twenty-twenty” is attributed to Billy Wider, the journalist, film maker, screenwriter and producer. The phrase means that everyone has perfect understanding after an event happens. It is easy to look back at history and see how we could have made better decisions.
If I could go back to do my life all over again here are a few of the changes I would make:

1. I would have spent more time in God’s Word.
2. I would have spent more time with my wife and children. I would have scheduled more fun stuff.
3. I would have started devotions with my kids when they were very young and not stopped until the day I sent them off to college... regardless of how they protested. I would even endure hunger strikes.
4. I would have moved to a discipleship model of the church 25 years ago.
5. I would have invested in Wal-Mart and Goggle stocks and sold them in April of 2008. This last one is a joke... if I would have become a millionaire it is likely I wouldn’t be writing this blog and my life would be completely messed up.

In Psalm 78 Asaph is reviewing the history of the nation and he had twenty-twenty vision as he looked back. Here are four of his conclusions:

1. If we could do it over again, we would reach the next generation with the gospel as our highest priority.
Vs 3 What our fathers have told us... we will tell the next generation
Vs 5 Which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children
Vs 6 So the next generation would know them, even the children to be born.
There is nothing as important as passing our faith on to the next generation. So what is your plan to teach the next generation? We all need to be engaged in this mission.

2. If we could do it over again, we would celebrate and appreciate God’s faithfulness everyday.
Vs 11 They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them
Vs 38 Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger ...
He remembered that they were but flesh...
When we get together in our quarterly Bible reading reunions everyone remarks... WOW God is really patient with the Jews. Yes he is... he is also patient with us... celebrate and appreciate that everyday.

3. If we could do it over again, we would place all of our faith in the WORD of God.
Vs 22 for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.
The victorious life is only found as we live believing the WORD of God. It is our faith in his word that supplies the deliverance. Set aside your unbelief and trust totally in the WORD of God.

4. If we could do it over again, we would KILL sin in our lives before it killed us.
Vs 63 Fire consumed their young men and their maidens had no wedding songs.
God doesn’t expect sinless perfection, for none of us could meet that challenge. But he does expect us to sin less! We should be progressing in our holiness. We live in a day when we play with sin. We are taught that sin is not a serious thing. But sin kills people and unless we strike first it will kill us.

What would you do differently if you could do it over again? Once you identify your list, bring that list into your daily agenda today.