No Regerts

“I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day” (2Tim 1:3).

I don’t have any tattoos. Got nothing against them. Just never saw any need for one. One worry is the lack of spellcheck at the tattoo parlor. You’ve probably seen the picture of the dude with the unfortunate ink that reads “No Regerts.” Yup, you read that right. “No Regerts.” I’ll bet he regerts getting that tat!

I have no idea of Paul ever got a tattoo. But in the last months of his life, he made it clear he had neither any regerts or regrets about totally devoting himself to sharing the Good News of Christ. He writes to Timothy, “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day” (v3). No testosterone. No phony machismo. No pretense. Absolutely no regerts.

Walking the Green Mile

The constant threat of death does crazy things to a man. Even to a guy who wrote a big chunk of the New Testament and God used to tell non-Jews around the world all about Jesus. Deep in the dungeon of Rome’s infamous Mamertine Prison, Paul walks the Green Mile. This is where folks count down their final days before execution. 

As he waits, the apostle reflects and writes. In this very last letter, he gets very personal. He reaches out to one of his closest friends named Timothy.

You see, Paul’s service to his Savior has landed him in prison again. And this time he’s knows he’s not getting out. Here in verse 3, we get a glimpse of his walk with Jesus on the Green Mile. 

The man from Tarsus comes from a long line of worshipers and he’s carrying on the family tradition. While behind bars, he spends a LOT of his time praying. And a LOT of his prayers are focused on his dear friend Tim. He flips through the mental scrapbook they share. Looking back, he wouldn’t change a thing. Paul has absolutely no regerts.

An Attitude of Gratitude

First of all, the apostle has an attitude of gratitude. “I thank God” (v3). His execution is not a matter of if but when, nevertheless that doesn’t change anything about the goodness of God. 

I don’t know about you, but if I someone had thrown me in a hole and a visit to the death chamber was a done deal, my first order of business would be to throw myself a personal pity party of epic proportions. For Pete’s sake, I feel like a victim when I get stuck in the long checkout line at the grocery store. 

Not Paul. He looks to the Lord and counts his blessings. No matter how bad our situation, let’s make a point of taking inventory of all God has done for us and given us. Breath? Check. Food? Check. Family? Friends? Check and check. 

But if I’m a follower of Jesus (and I am!), I have the ultimate reason to be thankful. I have Christ. He is my Everything. David knew what I’m talking about and wrote a song about it. “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps 73:25-26). Because he had Jesus, Paul has no regerts.

Getting Your Serve on

The apostle tells Tim that just because he’s in prison, he hasn’t stopped worshiping the God. A little thing like jail won’t get in the way of Paul and the God “whom I serve” (v3). The word “serve” is actually the Greek verb latreuo, which means to worship, venerate, or carry out service as an act of worship. The term originally described people who actually worked at the temple. 

In other words, professional priests. But God makes it clear there’s no such thing as a secular/sacred divide. No matter where we punch the clock, we’re ALL priests (Ex 19:6; 1Pet 2:9). We have the privilege of serving Jesus no matter what kind of collar we wear: blue, white, or clerical.

A little glimpse at the grammar in the original language also tells us Paul’s still getting his swerve on in the slammer. The verb here is in the present tense and can easily be translated as “I am serving.” The apostle’s service hasn’t stopped just because he’s in the joint. A powerful reminder that we can worship God no matter where we are. That’s exactly Jesus’ point to the Samaritan divorcee (Jn 4:21). Our service to Him isn’t limited to a zip code. Worship God wherever you are. You’ll have no regerts.

A Family Tradition

The apostle maintains a family tradition, worshiping the Lord “as did my ancestors” (v3). Paul is talking about more than just his blood kin. He’s talking about his spiritual family. These are all those folks who didn’t know Jesus by name but trusted in God’s promise of the Messiah/Hero who was to come. You can read all about them in Hebrews 12. Hebrew heroes like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and David. 

Hall of Fame Material?

You might be surprised at some of the rather shady characters also in the Hall of Faith. People like Samson and even a non-Jewish woman known as Rahab the hooker. You see, Scripture includes them NOT because of what they did but the God they trusted. Paul points to them NOT because of what they did but the God they served. And remember, they didn’t know their Messiah would be a radical Rabbi/Carpenter from the boondocks of Galilee named Jesus. But they had no regerts.

Just in case you think you’ve done too much wrong and are too far gone for God to adopt into His family, just remember Paul’s own rap sheet. Long before he was the Apostle Paul he was the assassin Saul (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1; 26:9-11; Gal 1:13; Phil 3:6). He readily admits, “I persecuted this Way to the death” (Acts 22:4). Despite his considerably bloody background, Jesus showered him with His grace and made him part of the family.

We become a spiritual descendant of Paul’s not by what we do but in Whom we trust. Jesus lived the perfectly obedient life to God’s commands that we’ve certainly failed to live. He died the brutal death for our sin that we should have died. He rose to a spectacular new life that we in no way deserve. Lean hard on what Christ has done. Serve him with your life. You’ll have no regerts.

Reading the Conscience Gauge

Paul may be on Death Row but he’s there “with a clear conscience” (v3). The conscience is our God-given warning system that sounds the alarm when start breaking bad (Rom 2:14-15). We jacked it up at the Fall but it still works pretty well. Even a wonky conscience can still tweak and poke us when something’s gone wrong. 

When the apostle looks over at the conscience gauge on the dashboard of his life, it’s at zero. He’s repented of all of the sin he’s committed and the pain he’s caused. It’s been a wild ride since Jesus got ahold of him, but he wouldn’t change a thing. He has no regerts.

The Warning Lights Are Flashing

Are the alarms sounding in your head? Are the warning lights flashing down at quality control? That’s probably your conscience giving you a heads up to deal with an issue. Don’t sweep it under the rug. Don’t pretend you don’t notice it. 

Go to God and confess your crap. It will come as no shock to Him. He’s God. He already knows. But confession is the key to cleansing. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn 1:9). Confess. Repent. You’ll have no regerts.

Paul's Prison Prayers

Paul wants Timothy to know his name always comes up when he’s talking to God. “I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day” (v3). We get a glimpse into the apostle’s prayer life in the final weeks and months of his life. Two big points. He prays for his dear friend Tim. He prays constantly. 

It’s no surprise he’s praying for the Timster. Paul consistently prays for the people to whom he writes (Rom 1:8-10; 1Cor 1:4-9; Eph 1:15-23; Phil 1:3-5; Col 1:3-5, 9-12; 1Th 1:2-3; 2Th 1:3, 11-12; Phm 4-6). Who are you praying for? Who needs your help in talking to God? 

The apostle prays “constantly” (v3). This is the Greek word adialeiptos, which means continual, uninterrupted, unceasing, and nonstop. Paul is just letting his walk match his talk. He encourages folks at the Thessalonian church to “pray without ceasing (Gr. adialeiptos)” (1Th 5:17). 

Keep the Line Open

Now is he saying we need to live our lives with our head bowed, eyes closed, and hands folded? There’s no doubt times of deep and focused prayer should be a regular part of our schedule. But Paul’s talking more about regular, consistent communication.

The great Charles Spurgeon hits the nail on the head when it comes to non-stop prayer. He said he never prayed more than five minutes but never went more than five minutes without praying. Take it from the Prince of Preachers. Stay in constant contact. 

Keep the line open. Remember, God’s not limiting our minutes or data charges. He loves hearing from us. Pray constantly. Pray unceasingly. Pray non-stop. Pray like you can’t stop. Pray like you won’t stop. You won’t regert it.

Prayer and Tattoos

What a great life lesson here from Paul. His final days give us a blueprint for whatever time you and I have left. We can serve and worship God no matter where just like our spiritual ancestors did. Unlike real estate, location is not a big deal. 

We have the privilege of praying for those He puts on our hearts. We can call on the Lord 24/7/365. And when it’s all said and done, we’ll have no regerts. Well, unless we get that tattoo.