It’s the last day of the year. As with previous years, I’ve been discarding unused items to eliminate the never-ending clutter in my life. I don’t like to “throw things away.” I prefer the term “finding new homes” for these items.
Since tomorrow is the first day of the New Year, I’ve been thinking about my New Year’s resolutions. I no longer join the gymnasium mistakenly believing I will lose 60 pounds in 30 days. Every time I tried this before, I would stay with it maybe a week, then go back to my same old habits. I guess my resolutions are like second chances.
I’m grateful that God is a God of second chances. With me it’s been third, fourth, fifth, and umpteenth chances. God is the God of the second chance! The Bible says that God “is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (Joel 2:13).
We all make mistakes. But no matter how far we’ve wandered from him or how much we’ve messed up our lives, He still loves us and wants to help us get our feet on the right path. People need to hear this. They need to know God does not give up on us when we mess up (and we inevitably do).
The Bible has multiple examples of second chances. Moses, Peter, Mark, and Paul to name a few. I’ll let you research them on your own. There’s no doubt God is in the business of second chances to remind us that he is the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Second chances are God’s way of showing grace, constantly reminding us to trust Him. He’s delivered you before and He’s not going to stop now.
In the New Year, you can have a second chance, and God can use you. If you feel like your story is over because of mistakes you’ve made or a sin you’ve committed, then get up, brush yourself off, and begin again. Your story isn’t over.
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries. Learn more about the ministry by liking our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CJEMinistries) and downloading our FREE mobile app (get.theapp.co) from App Store or Google Play. Once downloaded, allow notifications to keep you up to date on what’s happening in Cary John Efurd Ministries. Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com
