Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.
Yes, we do have hope of eternal life, and yes, we can individually make good choices that would last for eternity, but in the meanwhile, we still have to deal with the natural fallout of the choice that was made, and in many cases, continues to be made. In other words, on account of squandering that first golden opportunity, the interim period between sin and our final redemption will bring to us the natural fallout of the choices then made.
We must deal with inflation, cancers, pandemics, wars, hurricanes, and politicians who make promises they cannot keep. Being genuinely sorry for squandering your golden opportunity does not always change the raw facts on the ground, and though we encourage everyone to redeem the time, there might still be a lingering, nagging effect that in some instances, may never go away in this life.
With king Saul, God gave him a golden opportunity, not only to rule, but also that his posterity would sit upon the throne of Israel for many years to come. In his choices, and decisions, king Saul could pave the way for success or failure, for God grants to persons the opportunity, success is what we make of it.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!