Second Chances

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

When someone hurts us, our first, fleshly instinct is to distance ourselves from that person. We don’t want to have anything to do with them. If we are really hurt, we might just walk away from the relationship entirely. If we look at how Jesus handled being hurt by His friends, we will see that giving up is not the course of action we should take.

Do you realize that Jesus never abandoned Simon Peter? If Jesus had been like us, He probably would have forsaken him. However, Jesus was not like you and me; He never abandoned His friend. He knew that Simon Peter had real promise in him. He knew that Simon Peter’s best days were ahead of him. He didn't give up on Simon Peter.

You might be ready to abandon your spouse, child or friend. God doesn't want you to concede. When you love like Jesus, you don't give up on your spouse, children or friends. You simply don't concede! Even if they have broken promises, and their broken promises have crashed your dreams; don't abandon them.

We are never more like Jesus than when we love someone else enough to give them a second chance. We should give those we love another opportunity, especially when they have wounded us, disappointed us, and maybe even damaged us. As we do, we need to lean on the power of Jesus to give them a second chance. After all, we can’t extend grace and mercy in our own power. We are only capable of doing that through the power of the Holy Spirit. By being gracious and merciful and giving second chances, you can love more like Jesus.
Posted in
Tagged with , ,

6 Comments


Vann Whitley - February 16th, 2023 at 5:38am

Being that these are the words of the Lord Jesus one is to take it at face value. However in very abusive situation, one is to set boundaries that does not allow the other party to continue the abuse..

R Bryant - February 16th, 2023 at 5:56am

You can forgive, love, and move on from the abuser. Praying for them often to change their sinful ways.

Betty Jane Laughlin - February 16th, 2023 at 7:54am

May I be more loving, merciful and gracious like Jesus.

Jim Everett - February 16th, 2023 at 8:40am

Jesus forgives us of every sin not just some. How many times have we hurt him and yet is mercy and grace fills our souls. Forgiveness is not an option, it is a commandment. We must forgive and extend that second chance. How many chances has Christ given us and he will continue.

James W. Howell - February 16th, 2023 at 1:45pm

JESUS is Lord. PRAISE The FATHER. GLORY TO GOD. Thank YOU

Joan Andersen - February 17th, 2023 at 9:25am

What do you do when the person that sexually assaulted you in a date rape because he had been drinking and I had been drinking for the first time ever at age 15! And things got way out of hand! I said no several time’s and then gave up! And now this man is in a relationship with my big sister. She says he’s has changed and knows God. And tells her he doesn’t remember the assault that happened. And now my big sister and other family members are doubting it ever happened because their friends with him! After my big sister believed me all these year’s. My sister and I use to be best friends. And I have had memories n flashbacks for 30 year’s and therapy throughout the year’s because of what happened. But not like I do now because he’s now in a relationship with my big sister!

I wake up a lot through the nights and barely can eat. Stomach always in knots and sick to my stomach! Panic and anxiety a lot of the time!

Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags

Kingdom abandoned abandoning abandon ability acceptable acceptance accepted accepting accomplishment accomplish accountable acknowledge activity addiction admitting admit adoration advancing advice affection afraid aligned aligning align alive allowed allowing allow almighty altered amazing anxiety anxious appeared apply approach argument assurance assures assure attention attentive attitude authority banished baptized beaituful behavior beieve beliefs belief believed believerrs believers believer believes believe believing belong benefits blend blessed blesses blessings blessing bless bond brokenhearted burden burial buried capable careful cares care caring carving celebrate challenges change changing charges charge churches church clarity climate combat comfortable comfort commanded commandment commands commitment committed communicate communicating communion community companion comparing comparisons compassion competition complete comprehend compromised compromise concerning concerns concern confessed confess confidence confident conflicts conflict confused confusion connected connection connect consistent contact contentment content context contradict control conviction convict convinced convince corrected correcting cover created create creation critical crucial crucified crucifixation crucify culture cure curiosity customers daily decided decide dedicated defend delivers departure depression description deserved deserves deserve desie designed desired desires desire desiring desrtuction destiny devastated develop devotional devotion dictates difference different directing direction directly direct disappeared disciples disciple disconenct discouraged discovered discover discuss display disruptions dividend education effort embrace embracing emotional emotions emotion emplower employer encoraged encounter encouraged encouragement encouragers encourages encourage encouraging encouragment endured endure energy engaged engagement engage engaging enjoyed enjoys enjoy enouragements enslaved ensure equip eternal eternity ethical evaluate everlasting evil example excited excitement expand expected experiences express extended faithfully faithfulness faithful faith family famous favor fearful fear feelings feeling fellowship finish focused focusing focus followed followers follower following follow forgave forgiveness forgiven forgive forgiving fortunate foundation founders freedom free fresh friendship friends fulfilled fulfillment fullness future gave generation generosity generous gifts gift given givers giver give giving glady glad glimpse glorfiy glorified glorify glorious glory godly goodness gospel goverment grace gracious grateful gratitude grave gravity grieve growing growth grow guidance guided guides guiding guilty guilt handling happy hardship healed healing health heal hearing heartbreak hearts heart heaven help hesitate holy honest honored honoring honors honor hopefulness hopeful hopeless hopes hope hoping horror humanity humbly identified identify ignore impacted impactful impact importance important influence information inherent innocent inspiration inspired inspires instance instant intentional interest intimately intrude investment invitation invite itimacy journey joy justifying knowing knowledge known laborers leadership leaders leader leading lead leaning learning learn legacy lonely longing lordship loved loves love loving manipulate marriage married mature meditate meditation members memeber memorable memory merciful mercy message minds minister ministry miracles miracle missing mission moment motive moun notice nourished nourishment obedience obedient obey obligation observer offering operate opinions opportunities opportunity oppressed outcome overcome overcoming overpowered overwhelmed overwhelming ownership parenting passage passing passion pastors patient peace peae perfectly perfect perform persecuted personal plan pleasing pondering powerful power praised praises praiseworthy praise praising prayed prayerful prayers prayer praying pray preached preachers preacher preaching preach prepare presence pressure prevent pride primary principle probelm problem process proclaim produce productive promised promises promise promote prosperous prosper protecting protect proud proved prove provides provide purify purity purposes purpose pursuing raise realized realize realizing rebelling receive recieved recover recuperation redeems redemption reflection refuse reignite rejected relationships relationship religion religious remedy remember remembrance reminds renewal repentance repent resist resolution respect responsibility resurrection retreat return reveals righteous royalty running sacrifice safest safe salvation satisfied satisfies satisfy saved save saving scriptual scripture secured security seeking seek seperate seperation sermon servants servant served server serve service shame share sharing showed significance silent sinful sinless sinners sinner sin solve soul speak spirirt spiritually spiritual spirit spread srve stability standing strength stressed stressful stress strong struggles struggle struggling submit substain success suffering supportive support surrendered surrender surrounding surround talents teachable teachers teaches teachings teach tears temptation tempted thoughtful thoughts together tolerance tradition treat trouble troubling true truly trusted trusting trustworthy trust truth trutyh unbelievers understand unshamed validation valuable values value verbally victory violated vulnerable wants willingly willing wisdom wise witnessed witness wonderful wonder worried worrying worry worshipping worship wrath