"The First of Our Second Chances "

10The Scriptures tell us, "No one is acceptable to God! 11Not one of them understands or even searches for God.  12They have all turned away and are worthless.  There isn't one person who does right.  13Their words are like an open pit, and their tongues are good  only for telling lies. Each word is as deadly as the fangs of a snake, 14and they say nothing but bitter curses.  15These people quickly become violent. 16Wherever they go, they leave ruin and destruction.  17They don't know how to live in peace. 18They don't even fear God."   Rom. 3:10-18 (CEV)

Our loving Father is the God of second chances. His grace is so extensive that He offers countless opportunities to hear the gospel and receive Jesus Christ as Savior. Moreover, He reaches into the muck of sinful nature, rebellious spirits, perverse minds, and unclean tongues to save His beloved creation.

If you think that the Lord takes second chances lightly, read today’s passage carefully—it is a look at humanity through divine eyes. On our own, no matter how much we try to be good, we are foolish, useless, and evil. Thankfully, God’s grace is immeasurably greater than our sin.

Of course, the heavenly Father is a righteous judge who cannot ignore a person’s transgressions. If He did, He would not be the holy and just Deity described in the Scriptures. While humanity might count that kind of passivity as kindness, the Lord considers grace an action word. As a result, He implemented a simple rescue plan for each person on earth: Whoever believes in Jesus Christ as Savior is forgiven. We are justified by faith and at peace with God (Rom. 5:1). The rebellious war we carried out against Him is over. Sins are washed off our heart. In fact, from God’s perspective, His children look as if they have never done wrong.

Jesus is our second chance. Apart from Him, there is no salvation, no justification, and no grace. Look again at the passage from Romans 3. People cannot clean up their own hearts—each man or woman must take advantage of the purity Christ purchased with His sacrifice on the cross.


BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!


DAWN