Do Over

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land" - 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV).

Which of the following would be hardest to forgive?

1. A doctor who prescribes a laxative for your migraine.
2. A beautician who thought you said "shave" instead of "wave."
3. A store clerk who asks for a price check for your zit zapping cream over the intercom.
4. A preacher who preaches on good hygiene and uses you as an example of what NOT to do.

Would you make an appointment to see that doctor or beautician again? Not likely. Could you ever show your face (pardon the pun) in that store again? I doubt it. Would you ever go back to hear that preacher again or would you rather sign up for acupuncture with horse needles?

There are not many places on earth where a person can expect a second chance. But there is a place in heaven. God forgives His children and gives them a second chance.

Whenever you fail God, He does not change His heart toward you nor abandon you. He waits patiently for you to return and repent.

A sin against God means we have moved away from Him, not the other way around. When that happens (and it will/does/has), God wants us to realize our error, return to Him in prayer, and turn away from the sin that moved us away from Him in the first place.

I know it's only Monday, but have you failed God yet? Return to Him with a humble heart and a desire to change. God will hear you, forgive you, and draw you close to His side once again.

A second-chance God begets second-chance children. Is there someone who needs a second chance from you? Follow your Father's example and forgive.

On my 2,456th chance...this year!
Perry Crisp

What's After If?

What comes after "if" in 2nd Chronicles 7:14 is the key to correcting our nation's corruption. Since you may not take the time to look it up, let's talk about it.

"If ________________________ will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

We tend to fill in the blank following the "ifs" of our nation's moral, social, and economic collapses and challenges a little differently than the Bible does.

"If the President would..."
"If Congress would..."
"If the Supreme Court would..."
"If the media would..."
"If government would..."

We fill in the blanks wrong. God put a different set of folks behind the "if." Don't get me wrong, I enjoy tossing blame grenades as much as anyone. But it doesn't transform anything or anyone. It only destroys.

In spite of how I might think the whole world needs to change, God keeps telling me to narrow it down a bit.

Willing to agree with God, I confess,"You're right, God. The whole NATION needs to change."

"Narrow it down a bit more," He replies.

I keep trying and He keeps making the circle smaller until I'm the only one standing in it. What's behind God's "if"? Me. You. Everyone like us who claims to be a child of God.

"If My people who are called by My name..." We thought we were spectators watching a movie called, "Why the World is Going to Hell," and all those other folks were the actors and stars in the movie. We're expecting to see drug dealers, corrupt judges, and liberal college professors on the big screen of blame. God takes our popcorn, hands us a script, and says, "You're needed on the set. You've got the starring role."

We have a part to play.

"But God! THEY took prayer out of our schools!"

"Yes, but who took it off YOUR schedule?"

Solutions to life's problems are not, as a rule, external. They involve us meeting with God at the altar inside our hearts, bowing before Him, confessing and turning away from our sins, and seeking a personal encounter with God. That's when the "if" turns to "then."

THEN things change. When we change.

If...Perry Crisp