Second Chance

Your life is a mess. You are trapped in a mire of sin and can never get out of it. You believed in God at one point in your life, but you feel that you have strayed too far that you’ll never be accepted back into His fold. You believe that you are deep into an immoral lifestyle and there’s no hope to turn it around. You have forgotten God as you pursued your ambition, your own desires, your own definition of success. Amazingly, God in His great mercy, power and love can give you and me a second chance for redemption.

In our recent group study on John MacArthur’s book, “Twelve Extraordinary Women”, we were discussing about the life of Rahab and I am blown away by her story. She is one of the controversial Biblical characters. The Bible did not hide the fact that she is a harlot or in modern day term prostitute. Yet, the Lord transformed her and made a brand-new start for her and her family. The Bible commends her for her faith as she was the first to believe and fear God in Jericho, a pagan city that Israel was conquering. She helped hid the Israelite spies who surveyed the military strength of the city. She helped them escape after. As the story goes, Jericho was miraculously conquered and only Rahab and her family was spared. God indeed has turned around her life as she made a pact to follow the God of Israel and turn away from pagan gods. She became a mother of a righteous man Boaz who was well respected in the community. Above all, she is part of Jesus’ human ancestry and lineage. What an honour and privilege! If you feel that your life is totally unacceptable and there’s no chance for you to be redeemed, just like Rahab, by believing, your life can have a new meaning and purpose.

Another fascinating story is about Paul (formerly called Saul). He was among the fiercest persecutors of the early Christians. He would authorize and witness the killing/stoning of Christians. He valued traditions and religion so highly that drove him to be part of these radical acts. Yet, the Lord met him in the road to Damascus and transformed him to become one of the great apostles that brought the gospel not only to the Jews but to Roman dignitaries and all other regions. If you’ve never encountered Jesus but holding on to a religion or a false god, find the truth that only Jesus holds.

This leads me to another story of the thief/criminal crucified alongside Jesus. Right at that last moment with Jesus, he believed. He asked, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. To this request, Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." Jesus did not ask him to do good works first to merit salvation. Same goes for you and me. No matter how good we would like to be, we can never live up to God’s standards. Only through faith and surrender in the lordship of God’s Son would we be qualified to enter the gates of heaven.

Finally, I am reminded of Peter’s story who was one of the disciples of Jesus. When he was with Jesus, he would defend Him emphatically. Peter knew the truth then and put his faith in Jesus. However, when Jesus was captured and was on death row, Peter denied Jesus out of fear, not just once but three times. Yet when the Lord resurrected and appeared to His disciples, He forgave Peter. You have accepted Jesus before and was on fire in serving Him but for some reason you got lost - be it because of a tragedy, series of wrong decisions, doubt, disappointment, or fear of something/someone. Do not believe Satan’s lies that your relationship with Jesus is beyond repair. His sacrifice on the cross covers our past, present and future sin. Through Jesus, we are forever defended and justified before God.

There are countless stories not just of Biblical characters but present-day testimonies of transformed lives. Your or my story may not be as dramatic. The important thing is we met Jesus. If you are reading this or if someone introduced you to Jesus, then this is not by coincidence. He is knocking at your heart. No matter how ugly your past or how far you’ve strayed, the power of His blood can diminish all sins. He is ready to give you and me a second chance.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. – Romans 10:9-10

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103:11-12

Talk to Jesus now… He is waiting for you…

#Godofsecondchances #secondchance #rahab #paul #peter #forgiveness #startingover #recklesslove #unconditionallove #stayhopeful #staypositive #brightspots #blessed #grateful #spreadpositivity #spreadhope #inspire #encourage #Godisgood #Godisfaithful #Godissovereign #JesusisLord