Episode 83
The God of Second Chances – Receive Your Second Chances
We are still continuing on our series on-The God of Second Chances, in order to impress on us the point that our failures do not disqualify us from God’s plan and purposes for our lives. So far we have seen that many of the characters who God used in the bible did not get it the first time. We have also seen that God sees beyond our failures because He is focused on our potential to do better. We have seen also that the gift of second chance is rooted in the Grace, love and mercy of God all of which are part of His nature and who He is.
Our objective in this episode is to encourage you to receive God’s second, third, fourth or whatever number of chance He is offering you today. No matter how many times you have missed it and how many chances you have had, you are still qualified for another chance.
Some people struggle to accept forgiveness and a second chance after failure. But the point is- you are not powerful enough to change God’s nature of love or His Grace. God cannot change because of you or because you have missed it so many times. The Word of God cannot change because of you. Again the story of Jonah reminds us that:
God’s mercy is not earned; failure does not cancel calling and repentance restores relationship.
Are you afraid to answer the call of God or to serve Him because of past mistakes that you believe disqualify you?
When Jonah accepted God’s offer of second chance and preached the Grace of God to Nineveh, the trajectory of that town changed- because Jonah accepted God’s second chance. That second chance turned Jonah’s mess into a message. The Bible characters we explored in Episode 81 turned things around not only for themselves but for others, sometimes, like Moses, for a whole nation.
Aside from Bible Characters, there are stories of people just like us who relied on God’s second chance to make great impact on the people around her. Let’s look at one of such stories.
I am sure you have probably heard of the story of Kathryn Kulman. She had a powerful ministry of surrender and great miracles by the Holy Spirit. However, at some point she made a wrong choice in marriage. Like she later testified, she went out of the will of God in choosing a marriage partner and this almost grounded her ministry. Kathryn Kulman realised her error, ended the marriage and came back to God in humility and repentance.
Kathryn Kulman received a second chance to serve God. Her later life, her mega healing ministry and teaching on surrender to the Holy Spirit after her personal failure are clear pointers to God’s Grace, willingness to restore us and to use us despite our imperfections.
You need to accept God’s second chance now so that you also can transform the people around you by making an impact on them.
Again, while we enjoy God’s Grace of second chance, we should extend the same to others.
We have all passed through periods in our lives when we missed it and find ourselves regretting actions we should not have taken. Like I mentioned in Episode 80, we live at a time when people are quick to condemn, and criticize, quick to dismiss others when they blunder; and slow to pardon and offer restoration.
Who are you struggling to forgive? Who have you been quick to condemn and criticize?
God’s second chances are not just to be received—they are to be extended to others.
Jonah’s greatest failure came after his success—when he resented God’s mercy given to Nineveh. To desire justice for others but mercy for ourselves is an act of selfishness and lack of love. Unfortunately some of us are this way. We enjoy the Grace of God in our lives, but when someone else misses it, we are quick to declare that God will never forgive or give them a second chance. This is selective compassion and if you find yourself feeling this way towards others, you need to ask God to deliver you from that spirit of resentment.
The gift of second chance is rooted in the Grace of God. It is rooted in His nature of unconditional love; His nature of mercy and His goodness. It is about God forgiving us, restoring and giving us new beginnings. The gift of second chance shows that God’s love is greater than our mistakes. It shows that God’s nature is greater than our failures.
I encourage you never to allow condemnation, guilt or ignorance of the Word of God and God’s Grace to keep you from grabbing a second chance from God.
Closing Prayer
Father we acknowledge your outstretched hands, inviting us to receive a second chance in order to impact the lives around us. We receive a second and many more chances by faith and determine to show the world the power of second chances as well as extend the same to others.