Second chances

There are numerous stories in the Old Testament of men and women who received second chances. People like Moses and Abraham would receive clear instructions from God but, for a myriad of reasons, would make decisions that ran counter to God's commands. It was a common pattern but God would prove over and over again that He specialized in second chances.

Over the last few weeks in church, I've been walking through the life of Jonah. Here's a guy who experienced a second chance. Jonah heard God, processed what the mission would look like, and made a decision to avoid the stress of a visit to Nineveh - a place populated with evil people. His decision to run the other way resulted in stormy waters on a cruise ship, walking the plank, and a visit in the whale's belly. After all that, God offered him a second chance to visit Nineveh. He got back on the path.

I wonder if Jonah spent some time in the valley of guilt and shame. Did he go to sleep every night wishing that he had never said "no" to God? I do that on a regular basis and I would guess that you do the same depending on your "sin factor". Those of us who carry a Ph.D in sin usually have the tendency to feel guilty more often than others who don't sin as often (or don't think that they sin as often). I'm glad my sin wasn't chronicled in the best-selling book of all time. That would really stink. That would really pile on the guilt and shame for me. Bummer for Jonah.

Fortunately for us, Jesus showed up on the scene hundreds of years later and dealt a death blow to sin. Many prophets in the Old Testament predicted that a Messiah would come who would deal with sin, once and for all. Daniel spoke about Him and said that Christ would “make an end of sin” (Daniel 9:24). Warning: seminary information ahead...If you look that phrase up in a Hebrew lexicon (that tells the meaning of the original words), you will discover that it means “to destroy or finish.” Jesus didn’t just come to forgive your sins. He came to obliterate them. On the Jordon River, John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. When He died on the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished", referring to His power over your sins and mine. Today, we can live in the knowledge of His forgiveness for everything we've done and everything that will happen in the future.

Have you tripped along the journey? Sure. All of us have scraped our knees but Christ promises the healing power of forgiveness. Second chances are part of His plan and it's available to all of us.

YES!