“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Life is full of situations and scenarios. The world around us is full of challenges, obstacles, and impossibilities. Two things are certain; we are going to face circumstances and life settings that are difficult, and we are sometimes going to make mistakes. The certainty of both can happen separately or together.
Jesus saw up close the ways of humanity when He walked on Earth for 33 years. His purpose for coming had everything to do with our fallen nature needing saved from sin. While the power of the Holy Ghost helps us to overcome sin, we are still in a fleshly body that is going to mess up at times.
The beauty of it all? God is the God of second chances. In all honestly, He is really the God of many, many chances.
A powerful and encouraging story in John 8:1-11 tells of a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery. She was guilty. A group of self-righteous men dragged this woman into the temple where Jesus was teaching, in front of all who gathered to hear the Lord speak. The men were attempting to catch Jesus in a fault with His answer as to what should be done to her. The woman was basically just a ploy for a deeper plot, but nonetheless, she had sinned and what she had done was exposed for all to see. As Jesus gave the men who had no sin permission to stone this woman, the entire group of them left the temple one by one. None of them men picked up a single stone. With none to condemn her, Jesus told her that He would not condemn her either. He finished the scene by telling the woman to go and sin no more.
The heart of God taught several impactful lessons in this small space of time. He taught those who were looking on that mercy and compassion is His heart. With one simple statement, He also reminded those who were overlooking their own faults that they too were guilty of sins and errors. For the woman whose sin was no longer hidden, He offered her forgiveness with instruction to cease her sin. It wasn’t His desire to see her stoned to death. It was His desire to see her set free from sin.
Our own scenarios play out differently within each of our own personal selves, our families, our friends, and all that we encounter. However, there is one thing that remains the same for all of us: Jesus desires our repentance because His will is that no one should be lost in sin, and because He is truly the God of second chances.
Examples in the Bible makes sure we know that even 2,000 years ago, people were people. They had problems just like we do today, and sins and temptation were among them too. No matter where we have been in life, there is hope for us! There is never a reason for us to wait to turn to Jesus when we find ourselves struggling with sin. He is where overcoming power comes from, and He is waiting to give us our second chances.
