Second Chances

I read this statement on a friend's blog: "We only have one life on this planet, but whoever said we only have one chance? Christ is the God of the second chance and more if we need it."

How true that is. It's amazing to consider that God takes us as we are with all our faults and frailties. He cleans us up and gives us a new life. Then, what do we do? We blow it. But when we come back to Him and ask for forgiveness, He graciously gives us another chance. . . and another. . . and another. That's the goodness of God.

We are all going to make mistakes. We are all going to fall. It has been this way since the beginning of time. We can read in the Bible where even great men and women of faith fell short sometimes. They messed up just like we do. Yet, God picked them up and was still able to use them to do mighty things.

I got this list in an e-mail and it seemed to fit here. The next time you feel like God can't use YOU, just remember...

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer...
AND Lazarus was dead!

Don't let your past keep you from doing your best to serve God. If you mess up, ask for forgiveness and get back up. Christ really IS the God of second chances.