Topic: God of second chance
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 7-9; Luke 13:1-21
Memory Verse: “And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:” Luke 13:8 (KJV)
Peter was a great disciple of Jesus Christ while he was here on earth and he distinguished himself as a leader of the disciples but when the challenge came and Jesus was taken away for persecution and crucifixion, Peter did not only distance himself from Jesus Christ, he denied ever knowing him. John 18:25 (KJV) says, “And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not. “ However when Jesus rose up and went to see Peter again, he did not only strengthen him by feeding him, he committed discipleship to him by asking him to feed his sheep. In John 21:16 (KJV), “He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”
Jesus gave Peter another chance to be a good shepherd who would disciple several others as shown in John 21:15-17. Similarly in our Bible reading for today, the Lord told of a parable of a man who had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and when he did not find fruit on it, he would have cut it down but decided to give it another chance to produce fruit as the vine dresser asked for a year’s grace to nurture the tree and see if it will yield the desired result. In Luke 13:8 (KJV), “And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:” In the same vein, God is ready to give everyone a second chance to leave the kingdom of darkness and come to God’s kingdom and be fruitful.
Are you a backslider, or you never gave your life to Christ before, thinking you have been so wicked that you are not sure you can be saved? God has saved those who have committed more atrocities than yourself and He is ready to save you once you are sincere about your repentance. Hebrews 13:8 (KJV) says “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” All you need to do is to repent of your sins and ask for forgiveness while accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Thereafter ensuring you do not go back to those sins again but living in accordance with the ways of Christ as stated in the Bible. This means you should read the Bible regularly so that you can know the ways of God.
Action point: Father, give me the grace to live a life pleasing to you for the rest of my life in Jesus name.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero