Loving God of second chances, give to this reader that understanding of Your grace; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Jonah 3: 1 Next, God spoke to Jonah a second time: 2 "Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They're in a bad way and I can't ignore it any longer." 3 This time Jonah started off straight for Nineveh, obeying God's orders to the letter. 4 Jonah entered the city, went one day's walk and preached, "In forty days Nineveh will be smashed." 5 The people of Nineveh listened, and trusted God. They proclaimed a citywide fast and dressed in burlap to show their repentance. Everyone did it - rich and poor, famous and obscure, leaders and followers. 10 God saw what they had done, that they had turned away from their evil lives. He did change his mind about them. What he said he would do to them he didn't do. (The Message)
"Do over!" How many times have we not said that during an intense game with family or friends? How close we were to victory and we flubbed it so we said, "Do over!" Depending on the friend or family member, you probably heard, "NO WAY! That's it, you had your chance and you blew it!" Game over. You lost. God doesn't play that way. In fact, God gives do overs time and time again. Jonah found out. Jonah was asked to share his faith in the Living God and he fled at first, then tried to hide from God and the task and you know where he ended up for three days. Then he finally did what God had asked, he shared his faith and the message God asked him to share. And what a message! "In forty days Nineveh will be smashed." I truly think that's the condensed version of the message the old boy preached, but the point was, he finally was obedient and he finally shared the message and guess what, the people believed! They "trusted God, (and) proclaimed a citywide fast and dressed in burlap to show their repentence." Verse ten, here's the do-over: "God saw what they had done, that they had turned away from their evil lives. He did change his mind about them. What he said he would do to them he didn't do." They got a second chance. So do we.
Have you ever talked to someone about your second chance? Don't you think someone could benefit greatly from hearing such a message from you? Don't wait until you're in the belly of a whale...
PRAYER: Loving God, I thank You for the many do-overs I have had in my life, thanks to You. I ask that I receive the courage and the boldness to share my faith with someone today. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
