What are the things that we will not regret when we come to the end of our lives? I don't think I will regret...
... quality time spent with friends,
time spent with family,
service to the poor and hurting,
sharing the Gospel,
praying,
laughing a lot,
dying to sin,
taking time to watch the sunset,
writing poetry for my wife,
standing up for the underdog,
holding my tongue in the midst of controversy,
giving compliments,
giving love,
receiving love with grace and thanks,
thinking before acting,
visiting my grandparents,
pursuing excellence in my work,
submitting to godly authority,
serving in a local church...
I want my life to be full of these things. A life well lived will include them. But we only have so much time in the day. Therefore, I want to get rid of the things that I will regret to make room for the things I won't. What are some of the things I will regret?
... spending too much money on myself,
spending too little money in service to the poor,
orienting my life around entertainment,
watching too much meaningless television,
reading books more often than I make friends,
getting angry over not getting my way,
sulking over perceived slights,
gossiping,
lusting,
speaking out of bitterness,
ignoring God,
living on facebook,
giving up on all my dreams,
arguing for the sake of being right,
reading merely for the sake of knowing more,
not really being present for people and just acting like I'm listening,
working all the time,
being lazy...
These lists could go on. I write them to challenge you to live intentionally. What would be on your lists? I think there are some things that should universally be on these lists no matter who you are, and I also believe that God grants some freedom here because we are all unique. But no matter what, it is better to live intentionally than to let life pass you by. Don't waste your life. Patiently, persistently, passionately give your life to the things that matter most.
I write this as a preface to a challenge. Memorize scripture!!! I commend this to you as a simple but powerful spiritual discipline that will most certainly yield fruit in your life down the road. I have never once regretted having memorized a verse that I have memorized. If we take God seriously, we will take his Word seriously. If we take God seriously, we will take our sin seriously, and Scripture used by the Spirit in our lives is the primary means by which we put to death our sin. We don't want or need a surfacy-shallow knowledge of Scripture. We want a weighty, true, helpful, deep knowledge of Scripture to build on for when the storms inevitably come. This deep knowledge comes over time as we intake it in different ways - reading each day, reading with others, hearing the Word preached, singing the Word through hymns, praying the Word, reading books by wise people on the Word. Memorization, too, is one of the best ways to work it into your heart, and I commend it to you. Figure out what works for you, and get someone to help you. But, for the sake of God's glory through your life, do not settle for a shallow knowledge of Scripture. Hide the whole counsel in your heart.
... call insight your intimate friend... (Proverbs 7:4)
