The Morning After

Read Proverbs 5

In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body. You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings!”

Proverbs 5:11-12

Regret is our anguished wishing to be able to turn back the clock and undo foolish choices . . . and the haunting realization that we cannot. Few things in life are more devastating than a heart filled with bitter remorse.

In Proverbs 5 it is the adulterer who groans in anguish. Following the sweet, short-term pleasures of illicit sex, the foolish person is left to wallow in the bitter, long-term consequences of his or her sin—including disease. What a timeless passage! Talk to anyone who has lost spouse, family, reputation, health, and/or spiritual vitality because of sexual misconduct, and you’ll find a person overflowing with regret. Contrast this with the wise person who lives a disciplined life and submits to God’s ways rather than his/her own passions.

“If only I had not . . .” is a sad statement made all the more tragic by the realization that we brought the nightmare upon ourselves.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Seed determines harvest.

Today, Lord, I pray for the grace to avoid sexual sin. Father, keep me pure, for your glory and for my own health.