| Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are like a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. – James 4:14
Second chance (noun): an opportunity to try something again after failing one time.
How many of you love the idea of a second chance? For many of us, “second chances” cover a spectrum of emotions. How do I know? Consider these two extremes. Think about the celebration of victory after finally winning, following countless attempts at the infamous “claw” game at the arcade. It doesn’t matter how many quarters you have pumped into that thing! You have the stuffed animal to prove that “I have won!” Now consider the broken relationship where you just seem to think, “maybe this will be the time it will work out.” We all have experienced some range of second chances. Most of us have given second chances, and even still, others are desperate for a second chance! What about the most significant of matters, like life itself?
The definition above only highlights the negative aspect of second chances. Meaning, based on the above definition, it is only after I have failed, or something has gone wrong, that I experience a second chance. What if we were able to know how something will turn out and make decisions now to alter that failure and avoid catastrophe?
Church, I believe that at the heart of God’s desire, He does not want anyone to perish, and He has sent His Son to be our second chance. To give us a new life now, and an eternity with Him later. Why wouldn’t you want that to be your story? Why would you choose the alternative? As James 4:14 records, we are only here for a short time, and we cannot know what tomorrow will bring. The text this week will teach us that we can avoid failure, catastrophe, and have life because Jesus gives second chances.
I can’t wait to unpack another parable in Luke 16:19-31 with you! See you on Sunday!
Pastor Nate Lott
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