Weekend, July 1, 2023
Does God Give Second Chances?
Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12 NLT)
Have you ever wondered whether God would forgive you or extend a second chance to you? Maybe you think that you’ve gone too far.
In Luke’s Gospel we find the story of the Prodigal Son, a young boy who ran away from home and took all the money his father gave to him as his inheritance. But he squandered it on prostitutes, parties, and other things.
Then one day when the money ran out and his friends abandoned him, the prodigal came to his senses. He returned home. And his father graciously welcomed him and forgave him.
Jesus shared this story to give us a picture of God. We’re like the prodigal who ran away from God. But if we will turn from our sin and return to Him, then He will forgive us.
But here’s the problem. Do we want to be forgiven? You see, the Bible warns us about developing a hardened heart. Hebrews 3:12 says, “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God” (NLT).
Make no mistake about it. Sin is powerful. It is also deceptive. People who know better, people who have walked with the Lord for years and know His Word well, still have fallen into sin. We must all be very careful.
As the great evangelist Billy Sunday pointed out, “You can’t get rid of sin as long as you treat it as a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake.”
We might look at something we’re about to do and think, “It isn’t that big of a deal. It’s just a small sin. Surely it won’t do that much harm in my life.” Watch out. We must be careful and not allow sin to harden our hearts.
No matter what you’ve done, no matter what sins you’ve committed, God stands ready to forgive you, if you will come to Him.
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Grief is one of life’s most difficult challenges. Pastor Greg Laurie experienced this truth when his son Christopher passed away suddenly. Discover comfort and healing in times of pain as you read his book Hope for Hurting Hearts. Receive your copy as our gift for your donation of any amount to Harvest Ministries this month.
