Why we can stop making decisions we regret
Think back to a decision you made that you now regret. We’ve all done things that weigh us down and make us wonder, “Why do I seem to do what I know is wrong?”
The apostle Paul knew what this felt like…
“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”
Romans 7:19 NLT
The apostle Paul described this as a struggle between our old and our new natures.
Our old nature is marked by a desire to do whatever seems pleasing to us in the moment, regardless of the consequences. And while this might feel freeing at times, it ultimately leads to conflict, chaos, and destruction.
Before Jesus’ resurrection, the Hebrew people kept this old nature in check by closely following the laws God gave to Moses. These laws were meant to help people draw near to God. But they didn’t fix human nature—they revealed humanity’s brokenness.
The law separated from God by revealing how far people naturally were from God. But all of this changed when Jesus arrived.
His life, death, and resurrection fulfilled the requirements God laid out in His law. His sacrifice gave us access to a new nature created after God’s character, not based on our brokenness.
This nature is available to us through Jesus, because of Jesus. And when we receive this new nature, this is what happens…
When God sees us, He sees Jesus in us. This allows us to pursue God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength without fear of losing His favor or love.
Jesus gives us the strength to wrestle with our old natures and win. We can now overcome our tendency to make choices we regret by asking the Holy Spirit to help us make decisions that honor and reflect Jesus.
Because of Jesus, we are no longer condemned. Even though we will still struggle between what’s right and wrong, we are no longer enslaved to sin, or sentenced to an eternity separated from God.
Today, allow Jesus to show you what He has saved you from, and then take a few minutes to thank Him for all that He has done for you.
The Importance of Unity
What does unity mean to you? In a chaotic and divided world, sometimes the word “unity” can sound like something irrelevant, something that just can’t work in the broken world we live in. Division is nothing new. In fact, it was a challenge very early in church history and something the apostle Paul addressed head-on.
In 1 Corinthians 1, we see that Paul had received reports that believers in Corinth were segmenting themselves based on who shared the gospel with them. They said things like, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or, “I am of Christ.” Rather than being united as one body of Christ, they were dividing themselves into smaller groups and factions.
Paul was very moved by this. In 1 Corinthians 1:13 he asks them these simple questions: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Paul didn’t want the believers of Corinth to get lost in comparisons and separations. He wanted them united under ...