Father of Another Chance

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Dwight Gooden pitched a no hitter on the same week Franklin Graham appeared on the cover of "Time Magazine" with his famous dad, Billy Graham. Not that big a deal at first glance. But dig a little deeper and see life resonate with one of the most important truths about God, our Father.

Dwight Gooden's promising career was cut short because of drug and alcohol addiction. His year started very poorly. He was fortunate that he even had the chance to prove himself again. Little by little, he began to regain some of his old mastery. He pitched a no hitter because he was given another chance.

Franklin Graham spent much of his early life rebelling against the expectations others had for him as the son of the most influential evangelical preacher. But after fully committing himself to Christ and proving that commitment through several years of incredible challenges, he is now poised to step into father's footsteps because he was given another chance!

God is the Father of another chance. It's not that we deserve it. It's often not that we asked for it. He knows us, and knows that without another chance, we're often doomed. We usually need another chance to prove ourselves.

Our best hitters only get a hit once in three tries at bat. Our best passers miss their target nearly half of the time. Our pole vaulters and high jumpers get three misses before they are out. If we need another chance to do our best in sports, imagine how important it is in life! What would happen if we only got one chance at doing it right? What if we blew it once, or even twice, and we were finished!

Jesus' ministry is the great reminder of our need for another chance. God sent Jesus because his people blew it. God chose his people because all humanity had blown it. Even while Jesus was here, his closest followers repeatedly blew it. Jesus' best loved story is about a son who blew it, came to his senses and came home. The crowning moment of Jesus' ministry was when everyone blew it: Judas betrayed him, Peter denied him, the other apostles abandoned him in fear, the legal system failed, and the religious leaders had Jesus murdered. But God gave all of them, and all of us, another chance by raising him from the dead.

No matter where we are right now, God promises us another chance! Wow, what a concept. We're offered another chance every time we sincerely ask for forgiveness and turn our lives back toward God. God is the Father of another chance. So don't waste any more time on looking at your failures. Don't help Satan defeat you by focusing on your weaknesses and faults. Let the Father of another chance help you set your sight on what is yet to be! Look at what he did with Peter and the rest of the apostles. Think of what he longs to do with you!

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