Now that both of my parents have died, it is taking me and my sisters years to go through all of their old photos and mementos. All of this has me thinking about my youth, and reflecting on the many things that I regret doing. Sometimes, I treated my parents badly. I disrespected them and ignored their rules, and it usually cost me dearly. I got involved in relationships that my parents warned me against, and I endured suffering that I could have easily avoided had I taken heed of their wise counsel.

As the verses above say, I did what I felt like doing. I was ignoring God, His Word, and His wisdom, and I wasn't bothering with right thinking or right living. All I wanted was my freedom, but I didn't realize that I was actually a slave to sin. And what did I get out of it all? Nothing that I am proud of now, just like the Scripture says. All I have to show for those days are regrets and dead ends.

The saddest part of all of this is that I was raised as a Christian, but I didn't truly surrender my life to the Lord until I was almost 40 years old. By that time, every area of my life was a mess. Then I met the Risen Christ. And the next two verses in this passage of Scripture became a reality in my life: "But now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way!" (Romans 6:22 MSG)

Jesus has saved me from myself, and I will be singing His praises all the rest of my days into eternity. This passage of Scripture ends with some powerful truths: "Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master." (v. 23) Have you allowed Christ to save you from yourself yet?

Prayer: Lord, I want to live a life of freedom through Christ. Save me from myself, and from all the powers of darkness. Deliver me from regrets and dead ends. Lead me into right thinking and right living. I repent for all the wasted time that I have spent living apart from You and Your plans for me. Fill me with Your Spirit. Heal me and make me whole in every way. Thank You for Your precious gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ!