GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE

1 Peter 5:6-136 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He maylift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while,will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.11 To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to youbriefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true graceof God. Stand fast in it. 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.

Tucked away at the end of Peter's first letter are three men with very different track records (1 Peter 5:12-13). The reference to Peter, Mark, and Silas is almost an afterthought and might be easily by passed. Let's slow down for a brief background check of these three men.

Peter preached with power on the day when the Holy Spirit was given to the church (Acts 2:1-47). He entered the home of Cornelius and gave a gospel message that opened the door to Gentiles (Acts 10:1-48). But he also carried some heavy guilt. Earlier in his life after insisting he would die with his Lord, he had denied Him three times (Matthew 26:30-35; 69-75).

Mark is called Peter's "dear son" in the faith. At that time Mark had become valuable to both Peter and Paul (1 Peter 5:13; 2 Timothy 4:11). Yet in Mark's background there was an embarrassing failure. He had become a "dropout" on the first missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas. Then when Barnabas tried to include him on the second missionary journey, a heated argument arose because of Mark's past failure. As a result, Paul chose Silas and sailed in a different direction than the route taken by Barnabas and Mark (Acts 15:37-41).

Silas replaced Barnabas as Paul's ministry partner on the second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-40). He was beaten and imprisoned with Paul (Acts 16:12-40), and later he became a personal secretary to Peter when he wrote his first epistle (1 Peter 5:12). His record appears to be sterling, but more than likely his failures just aren't recorded in Scripture.

Just as God gave second chances to people in biblical times, He gives us second chances too. By His grace, past failures evaporate. Like early believers, each of us can say, "You are forgiven, I amforgiven, and we are forgiven. " Let's keep serving Jesus together. --Dennis Fisher

DESTINATION POINTS

* Do I feel unworthy to serve Jesus? How have I found fault withothers for past failures?
* How have I experienced God's grace bygetting a second chance?

LINKS:
To Keep Your Faith Growing and Growing and . . .
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/7c4/7c4008.html
bottom line: Forgiveness frees the church to function.

soul journey