God of Second Chances - Day 156 Month 6-5 Week 23-2
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
Joshua 15:21-16:10, Psalm 122, Jeremiah 36:1-19, John 19:31-20:18
God of Second Chances
“Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity which I plan to bring on them, in order that every man will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.” These were God’s words to Jeremiah, once again warning the people of Judah of what is to come but giving them every opportunity to avoid God’s judgement. We see this over and over again in Jeremiah. God is pleading with the people of Judah to turn from their wicked ways.
I for one am thankful that God gives second chances, third chances, fourth chances and on and on. I do things that are outside God’s ways (sin). I sin every day. Some sins are subtle, some are not subtle but it’s sin nevertheless. You see, even what we might call white lies are still sin. I am fortunate though. I recognized my need for Jesus at the age of eleven. As a Jesus follower, I know that all the sins I commit have been redacted by Jesus and that is true for anyone who has chosen to be a Jesus follower.
We read in John 20 after Jesus’ resurrection, Mary Magdalene was holding on to Jesus and He tells her to go to “My brethren” and say “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.” Jesus had completed His task to become the saviour of the world and now we like Jesus share the same Father God. Jesus, who is God, is part of the same family. We’re adopted into Jesus' death and resurrection. This adoption is a free gift and just like any gift, if it is not accepted the transaction is incomplete. God won’t force anyone into His kingdom.
This relates to the many chances God gives to be a part of His kingdom. There is only one unpardonable sin. This sin is literally referred to as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31) but is interpreted better as rejection of the Holy Spirit. My mother used to tell the story of when she was a child about being in fear of committing the unforgivable sin. God, through the Holy Spirit gives many chances to turn to Jesus. He is constantly tugging at your heart. God is “not wishing for any to perish (2 Peter 3:9)” so He keeps pulling at your heart. However, the more and more we reject the prodding of the Holy Spirit, the less and less we recognize His prodding until we no longer feel it and our hearts become hardened. We have rejected the Holy Spirit. We can turn to Jesus right up until our physical death but if we have rejected the Holy Spirit do you really think we’ll accept Him then?
There are no guarantees that you have a tomorrow. Ask my wife. She rejected Christianity very early in life because of the hypocritical experience she had with church as a kid and church-goers who did not act like Christians towards her hard-working immigrant family. As a child, she survived being hit by a car 5 different times, once by a motorcycle, a kidnapping by a pedophile, and a burst appendix. She lived a life of insecurity, poverty, searching for love in all the wrong places, and severe trauma. Then she became homeless for 9 months. During that time, she experienced the power of God and some supernatural events that led to her to decide to give ear to the good news of a new life in Christ at the age of 38. She was a true skeptic. But the rest of the miracle story is for her to tell. She continues to have persistent health issues as well as some challenges with C-PTSD but she will tell you, looking back over her life, that everything pointed her towards the True, relentless, unchanging, forever love of God through Jesus; she would declare emphatically that she would not be here today, were it not for His grace that covered her past, and continues to cover her every day. Now, that’s the Jesus I’m talking about!
If by chance you feel you may have committed the unpardonable sin, please don’t fear, you still can turn to Jesus. Very simply, if you are anxious or fearful of committing that sin, clearly the Holy Spirit is still pulling at your heart and extending an invitation to you. Honestly, if you’ve read this far on today’s post, you also still have time because you have continued to read. However, don’t delay. The more you put off this decision, the more difficult it will be to make it.
Please contact me if you want to know more. I’d be happy to talk. My email is below.
Have a great day!
Steve
You can subscribe to this blog and receive an email each day or week. Just visit the following link. https://follow.it/my-faith-view-from-here-daily-readings-and-thoughts?leanpub
Comments
Post a Comment