A Fresh Start

Have you ever felt like you've done so much wrong that you'll never be forgiven? It's a feeling that I think mosy of us have experienced at one time or another. So what does the bible say about this?

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:9

Have you ever felt you need a second chance in life? I heard a story of a man whose name was printed by mistake in the obituary column. He awoke one morning, opened the newspaper and there was his name listed as someone who was now deceased. He was so angry that he drove to the newspaper office and demanded to see the editor.

“I am so outraged,” he said to the editor. “You printed my name in the obituary column. Obviously, I am alive and well. This is going to be a cause of great embarrassment for me. I will probably even lose business.”

The editor said, “Sir, I’m sorry. It was an error, but there is nothing I can do.”

The man would not be appeased.

Finally the editor told him, “Cheer up, Buddy. I will put your name in the birth column tomorrow and give you a fresh start.”

Wouldn’t that be great — to just start all over again? When we look back on life and see some of the mistakes we made and some of the things we did that we have come to regret, it would be great to start over. But for all practical purposes we can, because we serve a God who gives second chances.

Maybe you have made some serious mistakes this year. Maybe you feel you have gone too far. You have done too much. You have given up, and you think there is no possibility that God would ever give you a second chance. I want you to know that is not true. God does give second chances. You can have a fresh start today.

Knowing that we're all forgiven,
Pastor Mike