Jonah 3:1
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. (NIV84)

I wish I had a log of how many hours I spent playing Super Mario Brothers as a kid. I don’t wish that time back because it was entertaining, but out of curiosity, I wonder. I did end up beating the game. I rescued the princess and basked in the glow of my seemingly endless quest. The only way I got to that point was by failing over and over again. You get a few lives to “spare,” but when those lives run out, you have to start back at the beginning of the game. Starting over can be cumbersome, but starting over in life brings a sense of refreshing and newness.

One thing often said of God is that He is a God of second chances. His mercy and grace have given us 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 500th chances to work on getting it right in life. We achieve salvation through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and we grow in sanctification through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we surrender more of ourselves to God daily. That’s where the chances come in. Jonah gets a second chance to obey God and go and preach to the Ninevites.

Jonah does just that, and these evil, destructive, and vile people repent. They listen to his prophetic message and turn away from their sins. God spared them, and it all happened because Jonah was willing to listen to the word of the Lord after running in the opposite direction.

What do you do with your second chances? Maybe you’ve failed again. Maybe you took that second chance and made the most of it. Today, I’d like us to consider an area of our life we sense God wants to do more with.

Thursday’s Reflection

Ask God to reveal places in your life where you need a new start. Ask Him to lead you as you pursue His perfect will in this aspect of your life.