A God of Second Chances — Morning Devotions

Subscribe to the ‘Morning Devotions’ podcast

Transcript

Mervyn Thomas is a Christian writer in the UK. He’s president of the Christian Solidarity worldwide, helping people who are persecuted for their faith. I hadn’t heard of him until recently, and what grabbed my interest was his story about meeting up with a well-known UK politician. His name was Jonathan Aitken.

Jonathan was a politician from 1974 as a young man, but in 1995 he was accused of committing perjury and perverting the course of justice and subsequently jailed in 1999. He was sentenced in the UK to 18 months’ imprisonment.

He only served 7 months when he was released, but it meant that his career in politics was over. His reputation was ruined. But one day, Merv Thomas, who had met Aitken one day, felt led by God to go and knock on his door and talk to him about Jesus Christ. Aitken had attended what’s known as the Alpha course and was starting to become curious about God, but it was Merv who helped him become a committed Christian as he faced the worst time of his life in jail.

You see, God has His own way of overriding our circumstances, because in 2018, Jonathan Aitken was ordained a deacon and then a minister with the Church of England. It was a remarkable turnaround, and even more amazing was his move back to the jail where he had been held as a prisoner – where he was now a chaplain, and he told the prisoners, God is a God of second chances.

Sometimes I feel the best glimpses of God are not in church ceremonies but in the face of prisoners, the poor, broken hearted, the sick, the dying, the frustrated, and the frightened.

So I want to emphasise this morning that God is indeed the God of second chances. Have you ever heard that expression?

It’s one of those things we like to say about God. It’s a Christian cliche that I guess we respect because we understand the need for and benefit of getting a second opportunity. And just because you’ve made a mess of your life doesn’t mean that you’re beyond hope. In the Bible, Proverbs 28:13, we read, people who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

And another translation of this proverb says he gets another chance. How wonderful to know we needn’t stay in our sin and in the regrets of the past. I’m sure each of us have had opportunities that we’ve missed or where we’ve failed or we didn’t do what we should have. And deep down we know this that somehow, we rejected God’s direction.

Hope 103.2 is proudly supported by

How many times have we wished to just go back and fix the things in life?

I’m sure we’ve all had those sort of thoughts. So much could have been undone or redone in a far better way. We would have thought, spoken, or reacted in a better way, and some of these mistakes can be overlooked and have not caused us serious damage, but others might just leave a scar in our hearts for a long time.

But God knows your heart and mind and your motivation to become a better person.

The 2nd or 3rd time around, for God is always good and true. He never changes, and that means he will continue to be good and truthful. The Bible says that if you have sinned, then you can repent and confess your sins, and God is faithful to forgive you. The New Testament says in 1 John chapter 1 verse 9, God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, He will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we’ve done. He will make us pure.

Ask God to shine some light on your path today if you’re desperately looking for answers. He may not show you the entire answer straight away, but he will give you enough light to tread every step you must make. Embrace the journey and don’t allow the past to dictate the present. Whatever mistake or wrong you’ve done, God is love.

Now, of course, everyone makes mistakes.

But I believe we all need a second chance in life. No one’s perfect. I’ve messed up, and my guess is that you have too.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, this morning we do admit we have messed up in various and many ways. We need a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 10th chance at doing things again and again. Thank you, Lord, that you’re a patient heavenly Father who looks at us with love and understanding and compassion. Give us the patience to sometimes forgive ourselves and to allow you to make us all over again. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Feature image: Canva