Spiritual depression - Lloyd-Jones - VI - Chapter 6

Required reading
Spiritual Depression by D. M. Lloyd-Jones (available from Amazon) - Read Chapter 6, 'Vain regrets'. 

My notes and thoughts
Today Lloyd-Jones examines how to deal with the vain regrets that result in spiritual depression: 'These people are depressed by the fact that they have wasted so much time, wasted so many long years, and that they have been so slow to become Christians at all.' 

We should not be depressed by vain regrets because common sense tells us:
(i) 'that to be miserable in the present because of some failure in the past is a sheer waste of time and energy';
(ii) 'that to dwell on the past simply causes failure in the present';
(iii) 'that if you really believe what you say about the past...the thing to do is to make up for it in the present'. 

Also, we should not be depressed by vain regrets because Scripture teaches us:
(i) that what 'matters first of all if you are a Christian is not what you once were, but what you are';
(ii) that 'it is not the time of your entry into the Kingdom that matters but the fact that you are in the kingdom';
(iii) that if you are spiritually depressed by vain regrets then you are 'morbidly and sinfully preoccupied with self' and should look at Christ more;
(iv) that 'nothing matters in the Kingdom but the grace of God'. 

I appreciated how Lloyd-Jones defended the use of common sense to defeat the devil's snares: 'There are some people who seem to think that it is wrong for a Christian ever to use common sense.  They seem to think that they must always do everything in an exclusively spiritual manner.  Now that seems to me to be very unscriptural.  The Christian is in no respect inferior to the unbeliever; he is always superior.  The Christian can not only do everything that the unbeliever does, he can do even more.'   

This leads Lloyd-Jones to make the comment: 'The world in its wisdom tells us it is "no use crying over spilt milk".  Well, quote that to the devil.'  Terrific line! 

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.