Do you ever wish you had a second chance? Most preachers I know have felt that way about a sermon we preached. Scott Tatum, my preaching professor, once confessed some of his sermons had needed a “little more time in the oven.” I knew exactly what he meant. You may have thought the same thing about a sermon or two.
Jonah skipped his first preaching opportunity in Nineveh. Granted, his escape plan turned out to be a bit over the top. Why didn’t Jonah want to preach the first time? He was afraid he would succeed. True story! Jonah knew that if he asked people to repent and they did, God would forgive them. He didn’t want an enemy nation to be forgiven, so he ran away from God and his plan. Jonah went overboard to escape the judgment of God in the storm. Mercifully, God appointed a whale to rescue Jonah. Deposited on the shore, Jonah received a second chance and obeyed.
God is the God of second and third and fourth chances. Surely, we, too, have benefited from his grace and mercy. Still our attitude in obeying God matters. We can do the right thing with the wrong attitude. Jonah did what God wanted but he still did not want God to forgive the people of Nineveh. When God refrained from judging the repentant people, Jonah was angry enough to die.
Is God giving us a second chance today? How will we use it? Carefully consider with me: are our hearts right toward others? Do we love the people God loves and rejoice in his forgiveness of them? Do we want God to forgive us?
