What Could Have Been
Deuteronomy 34:1
"And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,"
One of the saddest stories that I find in the Scriptures is the end of Moses' life. It says that Moses went to the top of Pisgah to see the Promised Land, but was not able to enter because of one sin that he committed. Imagine, one sin kept him from experiencing his life's dream. How unfair it seems that Moses was not able to enjoy the fruits of his labor because of one sin, but sin isn't fair and it always carries unfair consequences with it.
One of the greatest consequences of sin is that you can see what could have been yours. When Moses was on the top of Pisgah, he was able to see what could have been his, but one moment of sin ruined his opportunity to possess it Now the only pleasure he received was that he saw what could have been his.
Christian, you must not allow this to be your story. The one thing that sin's invitation never tells you about is the regrets that you will live with for the rest of your life. You will live with the regret of what you could have had. You will live with the wonder of, "What if...?" Is one moment of sin's pleasure worth living the rest of your life wondering what could have been? I promise you, the regret of what could have been yours far outweighs the pleasure of one moment of sin.
Look at Esau and the regret he lived with for the rest of his life. For one bowl of pottage he lived the rest of his life wondering about what could have been. Saul lived with the regret of wondering what could have been if only he had killed King Agag. Samson lived with the regret of what could have been as he ground meal in the dungeon with the animals. Adam and Even lived their whole lives wondering what could have been if only they had not ate of the forbidden fruit. Judas Iscariot is living the rest of his eternity in Hell wondering what could have been had he accepted Christ as his Saviour. These stories go on and on, and the regret of what could have been is always greater than the pleasure of sin.
So, you think one night of pleasure is worth losing your family and maybe your career? So, you think one moment of pleasure is worth losing your purity? So, you think one moment of disobedience to God's command is worth living with the regrets of what could have been yours?
This world is full of people who are living a life of regret wondering what could have been theirs. Preachers who fell into sin are wondering what could have been. Adults who were unfaithful to their spouse are wondering what could have been had they stayed faithful. People who let money lure them away from God's will wonder what could have been. People who allowed one friend to pull them away from doing what was right are wondering what could have been. Before you decide to enjoy one moment of sin, you would be wise to look at those who live with the regret of what could have been. Don't let this be your story. Don't live the rest of your life with the regret of wondering what could have been if you had not decided to listen to sin's invitation. Sin will always leave you wondering what could have been.