In his new book If,
Mark Batterson examines the If’s in life, Trading
your if only regrets for God’s what if possibilities.
Having read the cover alone I opened this book expecting to
read about if only regrets, the things we’ve wished “if only I hadn’t
done/said/bought/gone” but instead he says the greatest regrets are the things
you didn’t do but wish you had. Of course as Christian we tend to hold on to
the things of the past and practice holiness by subtraction (the don’t do this,
don’t do that). The problem with this mindset is that while we might not be
doing something wrong we are also not doing something right.
“Righteousness is more
than doing nothing wrong-It’s doing something right. It’s not just resisting
temptation-it’s going after God ordained opportunities. Holiness by subtraction
is playing not to lose. Righteousness is going all in with God. It’s playing to
win. It’s living as if the victory has already been won at Calvary’s cross. And
it has.” (Pg. 12)
Don’t fixate on the wouldas, couldas, shouldas and strive to
make the most of your God given potential.
Potential is God’s
gift to us. Making the most of it is our gift back to God. Anything less
results in regret. (Pg. 12)
Mark examines Romans 8 verse by verse. The ten ifs in Romans 8 add up to infinite possibilities. (pg 15)
God led Israel out of Egypt in one day but it took years to
get the Egypt out of the people of Israel. It takes time for us to leave the
past in the past but if you are in
Christ, you are no longer defined by what you’ve don’t wrong. You are defined
by what Christ has done right. You are a new creation, but sometimes it takes
time for your new nature to become second nature. (Pg. 32)
Just like Israel, God forgives us the day we call upon His
name, but it takes time to break old habits and create new ones.
We need to define ourselves by what Christ has done right
and not hold onto the things we’ve done wrong.
Just like Hester Prynne in the Scarlet Letter and the woman
caught in adultery in John 8, we label others and ourselves for the things
we’ve done wrong but Christ labels us with F for forgiven. Grace is the catalyst that turns guilt into gratitude. (pg. 31) The
moment Christ said “go and sin no more” turned her if only regrets into what if
possibilities.
To find out more about If or Mark Batterson checkout the links below.
