Second Chances
Despite our past failures, God gives us second chances. When we succeed after renewed devotion to Him, we recognize that we only accomplished what we did because the grace of God enabled us to do so. Before the holidays, we read Chapter 7 as part of our Sermon Series in the Book of Joshua. In our reading of Chapter 7, we learned that God made it clear that Israel had sinned and not just Achan alone (Josh. 7:1, 11). Why would God blame the whole nation for the disobedience of only one soldier? Because Israel was one people in the Lord and not just an assorted collection of tribes, clans, families, and individuals. The application of this narrative continues in Chapter 8; God gives us second chances.
The presence of the Lord returned to Israel after the death of Achan. Now the Israelites were empowered to take Ai in the Name of the Lord. He gave them victory after their defeat, once again fulfilling His promise to provide them with the land if they obeyed him. Upon receiving this new opportunity, Israel acted in obedience, following the commands of God. Not only were they given the victory, but they also were given the spoils of the city, as they had not been in Jericho. On Sunday, we will be discussing the defeats that we experience in life and how God has the power to turn those defeats into victories.
Now that Israel was confident that the Lord was with them, they were prepared to follow Joshua into battle. Joshua devised a plan to lead the people toward Ai in obedience to God. They would set up an ambush by night so that the people of Ai would be fooled into attacking the Israelites in the same way that had initially given them victory. But the Israelites would be prepared this time, and they would have the Lord on their side. Ai would not stand a chance, and they would pay the price for defying God and His chosen people.
Friends, When was a time that you learned that God’s way for your life was better than your plans? In what ways has the Lord blessed you through learning to trust and obey Him? What have you had to sacrifice so that you might know Him better? What has been the fruit of this sacrifice in your life? God gives us second chances so that we can bring glory to His Name. He provides us with the power to overcome areas that have previously brought defeat. Learning from the first attack on Ai, Joshua was not overconfident in himself or the ability of the people to defeat Ai. Instead, he was dependent on the Lord and faithfully obedient to do as God commanded. Missed opportunities for obedience in the past often provide us with the opportunity to trust God in the future. In this, we are showing that we are not dependent on ourselves, and we bring Him glory.
Like the Israelites, we often learn obedience through missed opportunities and discipline. What challenges in your life have caused you to fall in your relationship with God? How did God use these moments to bring you to greater trust and obedience of Him? How has the pain of past failures brought you to a deeper reliance on God? How can recognizing past failures and rededication to future dependence on God be a tool for evangelism to those around us?