Hey Brother,
I love Thanksgiving. There’s the feast, the family, the food… Okay, so feast and food are pretty much the same things, but who doesn’t go back for seconds?! God has blessed me with so much, but one of the things I’m most thankful for is second chances.
I don’t know about you, but I have made a lot of mistakes. It’s easy to get wrapped up in those mistakes and focus so much on them that I lose sight of God’s grace. Let me remind you that our Lord is a God of second chances. In fact, when Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone, Jesus told Peter he should forgive them “Seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). So not only is the Lord the God of second chances and third chances – He’s the God of 490 chances!
So, as you take a second helping of pumpkin pie, take a moment and remember all the second chances the Lord has shown you.
We often look at God in the Old Testament and consider Him the God of wrath and judgment, the fire and brimstone God. Growing up in Texas, I sure had my share of fire and brimstone preachers. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of examples of God getting angry in the Old Testament, but they were always after extended periods of grace and warning. He’d repeatedly remind the Israelites through His law and through His prophets to turn from their evil ways and turn back to Him. If we look at the entire history of events in the Bible, God spends way more time showing grace and mercy than He does raining down fire and brimstone. “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 103:8).
We all make mistakes. God-fearing ministries make mistakes. Family Radio has made mistakes. All humans are flawed; therefore, all human institutions are flawed. Our faith should be in the Lord, not in any one person or ministry. Thank God for that!
So, as you take a second helping of pumpkin pie, take a moment and remember all the second chances the Lord has shown you. Take it as an opportunity, not to be downtrodden at the severity of your sin, but to be thankful for His wonderful grace and mercy! No matter what physical blessing we have, we always have God’s grace to be thankful for, and that’s something worth celebrating.
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” – Psalm 100:4
Kristopher Galuska
Family Radio Staff