Second Chances
Easter Monday
Jeremiah, say to the people, "This is what the Lord says:
'When people fall down, don’t they get up again?
When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back?'" ~ Jeremiah 8:4
A third time Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter became sad because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” and so he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!”
Jesus said to him, "Take care of my sheep." ~ John 21:17
KEY IDEA:
The Lord gives his fallen people second chances.
PRAYER:
Lord, I'm so grateful that you are more interested in restoring sinners than in punishing them.
You give us second -- third -- and fourth chances -- maybe even a lot more. Help me to not take your grace for granted. Use it to restore me so that I don't stumble so much. Praise be to the Risen Savior who raises up our fallen lives. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
