Second Chances

Tonight's Seed: "And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. "
(Jeremiah 18:4 KJV)

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Have you ever seen a potter working on a pot at the wheel? It is amazing to see how evenly and beautifully the clay takes shape. Sometimes the clay will contain a lump that ruins the shape of the pot as it spins. The potter doesn't throw the clay away. Instead, he stops the wheel, removes the hard lump, and begins again making a new clay pot.

The Bible is full of stories about people who were given a second chance. Instead of going to Ninevah, Jonah disobeyed God and got swallowed by a great fish. When he turned back to God, he got a second opportunity to go to Ninevah. David sinned greatly. When he confessed, God forgave him and allowed the throne of Judah to remain in his family line for generations. Peter was a loudmouth who acted on impulse and even denied that he knew Christ, yet he became one of the greatest preachers of the first. century. It is impossible for us to erase our actions, but it is possible to start over today. Every twenty-four hours, God gives us a brand new start. Our job is to repent of our sins, forgive ourselves, and give God an opportunity to develop us. A quick note: keep in mind that repenting means MORE than saying your sorry. It means truly turning away from sin and not committing that sin again. In other words don't say I'm sorry, then a few days later do it again. Truly mean it.

A potter may work on a piece of clay for days before he puts it on the wheel. He will knead it, wet it, dry it, tear it apart, and put it together again. He may even put it on a shelf for a while. Through all of this, the clay becomes perfectly pliable. God will allow you to experience all sort of ups and downs in your life. Then when His timing is right, he will form you into the person he want you to be. I also think that He allows you to go through trials and tribulations to strengthen you, to increase your faith. He wants you to rely upon Him, not yourself. When we realize that we can do nothing without Him, and our faith increases in HIM, that's when He is most pleased with us. This is why He gives us so many chances. unfortunately for people such as myself, it took me many times of being molded and remolded and molded again before I finally accepted the fact that the more I tried to do things "on my own" the worse I made them. Once I figured out how much better things went when I prayed and ask God for guidance and DID WHAT HE SAID, I was a lot happier and felt like my relationship with God had grown leaps and bounds.

As far as giving others a second chance and maybe even a third, we should do no less than what God does for us. This is how a "true Christian" shows who they really are. This is how we let God's light shine through us. We don't act like "the rest of the world". We keep our temper in check as much as possible, and apologize to the person when we don't, and we treat others as we would like to be treated. We GIVE SECOND CHANCES.

Questions to think about: What failures and mistakes do you need to put behind you?

How can you keep circumstances form ruining your attitude?

Prayer for the Day: Lord, this morning I face a new day and I will start anew with you by . . . (Insert your thoughts).

Good Night to all and May God Bless!