Good Morning Friends,
Well I have been into next week’s lectionary initially intentionally for a while and forgot exactly where I was and kept a week in advance beyond where I had hoped to stop. So, I guess it is about time to fess up to my mistake. Thankfully, today’s lectionary is about the good side of what can happen when people get a second chance. The examples are some stubborn people. We have Jonah, who finally goes to Nineveh and revival comes. And then we have the story of Mary and Martha and busy Martha, if we continue to read, even gets a second chance at choosing the better way. Along these lines I ask, Would You Like To Have A Do Over?
Scripture: The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
Jonah 3:1-10 (NRSV)
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42 (NRSV)
Message: I am so glad that God gives second chances. After Jonah experienced the inside of a fish for three days God instructed him a second time to preach the message of repentance to the people of Nineveh. And though it was a surprise to Jonah the people responded. God gives second chances. That is what God does. When we make mistakes, or disobey Him, He will usually correct us, but God lets us start over. David got a second chance after his experience with Bathsheba. Paul got a second chance after helping to stone Stephen. I imagine you have experienced mercy in your own life. No, it does not always work but, I for one, am very thankful that God gives second chances. If God was less merciful you probably would not be reading this.
And So, if you would like a do over, ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Jesus will put things in perspective. It is that simple. At least to begin with because just because you are a Christian, it does not mean one no longer makes mistakes. The point is this: wrong thinking results in wrong living. Actions begin as ideas. If our ideas are wrong, then the things we do will be full of error. We need to fill our minds with the Word of God, just as we need to fill our lives with the love of God. Sometimes we need a do over to get it right. We need faith. We need God’s grace. We need to believe the way God would have us to believe. We need to act in a way that reflects the power of Christ in us.
Pray we reflect on how we think related to how we act. Pray we understand that what appears to be failure is not final. Pray we realize that even bad results can be used for a greater purpose. Pray that the future is not yet set. Pray that true change will happen in our lives when we seek the truth and change our actions. Pray we realize that life is more about thinking differently than it is about trying harder. Pray we have balance in our lives of work and play. Pray we maintain a healthy attitude. Pray we have faith in God’s grace and believe differently than the world would have us believe. Pray we not lose our joy in serving by focusing on what others are or are not doing. Pray we experience the great power in the great pardon of God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 