Proverbs 23:20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
Arthur drank, smoked, gambled, and danced his way through the corridors of sin. During those years he met a young man by the name of Elvis Presley. Arthur and Elvis played and sang in the bars on Beal Street in Memphis, TN. But as Arthur said, “Back then Elvis wasn’t very good at singing or playing the guitar.”
One after another sin was heaped on to the pile of past sins. Arthur was miserable in his quest for happiness. He felt guilty in his attempt to find peace. Late at night he would crawl through his bedroom window in order not to alert his vigilant mother. The knife of regret cut deep into his soul time and again as he heard his mother in another room where she was on her knees pleading for the soul of her son.
His life was almost spent now as he told me his story. His mother was in heaven rejoicing with the angels because her prayers had been answered. Her prodigal son Arthur had finally knelt at the foot of the cross where he found Jesus. The wonderful grace of Jesus was spilled over his life in merciful forgiveness. But even as Arthur praised God for taking him into the family of God, he lamented over his wasted years. The grace of God heals the wounds of sin but does not remove its scars.
by Dr. Gayle Woods