Skip to main content

second chances



Ephesians 2:12  NLT
In those days you were living apart from Christ.  You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them.  You lived in this world without God and without hope.

Through the years I have met a lot of people who needed a second chance.  But I have also found that I was one of those people.  I’ve messed up.  I’ve forgotten things.  I’ve missed the deadline.  I’ve not met the standards.  But God used a different set of measures than I thought I deserved.

God gave me a second chance.  No, I didn’t kill someone.  No, I didn’t get drunk numerous times.  I simply missed the mark God set.  Yet the mark God set was met by what God did by giving His son, Jesus.  He gave me hope when I didn’t have any hope.

Second chances, or do overs, happen often on God’s timetable.  It is not about doing what we want so we can get more of God’s grace (see Romans 6).  It is about realizing that we have the opportunity to live a different way totally based on what God has done for us.

My past doesn’t define me.  Your past and decisions don’t define you either.  My actions haven’t tied me up forever.  I have hope.  God promises freedom.  God promises healing.  God promises life when I have not experienced the kind of life that He destined me for.

Each second chance has to do with exchanging our way of thinking for God’s way of thinking.  They have to do with believing the best and choosing the best.  The best is based on God’s treasure list and not ours.  Living a part from God we will miss the freedom, healing and life that God wants to give us.

That is where the second chances come in.  Accept them.  Give them to others.  Be living proof that do overs are the grace of God.  You are a conduit of second chances.

Romans 5:6  NLT
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

NOTE: this post was first shared in July of 2013 and continues to be true.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!
10 comments
Read more

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns.  One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns.  When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her.  Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns.  Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved.  Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?"  Beverly said, "Why yes I do."  Edith said, "Well, what do you ...
Post a Comment
Read more

wash feet, sharing hope

  John 13:4-5,14 NLT  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow.  He served.  He valued and gave value to others.  That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet.  It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives.  Jesus said we should do this.  See the verse above.  Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....
Post a Comment
Read more