The God of Second Chances

"Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time . . ." (Jonah 3:1)

I love what this verse says about God and second chances.

Jonah had been told by God to go to Ninevah and preach against them. He went as far as he could in the other direction because he didn't want to go preach to his enemies.

But, even after running from what God told him to do, Jonah wasn't disqualified from doing what God had asked him to do. God gave him a second chance to do what he had originally been asked to do.

God spoke to Jonah again. God gave Jonah the same job again. And the second time Jonah followed through with what God said.

And the good news is that God offers the same opportunity to us. Just like Jonah, we often run the other way from things God tells us to do. When we don't want to do those things, we will look for ways not to do them.

But, if we realize the error of our ways and stop running from God, He gives us a second chance too. We get the opportunity to do what God says the second (or third or fourth, or 100th) time.

We serve a God of second chances. The requirement to get that second chance is that we stop running from what God is saying.