Limitless Chances

Last week, Miss Rebekah sent me a message on Facebook. Yes, we have the same name, spelled exactly the same way. How do you tell us apart? Well, she’s 16, and I am…not 16 anymore. Our families have known each other for some time and she was asking some questions about missions, life overseas, and sharing a little of her heart with me. I read in her message what I heard in my own heart at that same age - a strong desire to make an impact in this world. And not just any impact, a God-sized impact. Here is a young lady who is already using her talents for God’s glory. She likes to take pictures and she writes, and she is using those gifts to bless others. I asked if I could share some of her work here from time to time, and the very first piece she sent was titled “Limitless Chances” - a sermon that she wrote for a Fine Arts competition, but that is already making an impact in the world.

As you read the piece, please consider how you are using your chances.
I’m pretty sure I’m not always using mine very well.

Rebekah asked if I would pray for her, as she continues to work at making a God-sized impact in her world. I asked her if I could share her prayer request with you, in her own words, because it caught my heart.

“…I ask that as I start this journey you would join me in prayer as I not only pray that the door may be opened for me to be able to minister to people, but that this generation will set the example and break down these walls and break these chains,
that there will be a revival.”

Would you join me in praying for Rebekah as God brings her to mind? Would you pray that, indeed, this generation would rise up to be the hands and feet of Jesus, that we might see a revival across our world?

I’m happy to say that Rebekah’s post marks the first guest post that I’ve shared on this blog. It’s a blessing to find others who share a heart for God, and it’s a tremendous privilege to share her words with you!

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LIMITLESS CHANCES

I remember reading an interview about a man who accomplished many things in life. He was famous and had it all going for him. He made some bad decisions and became infamous, as a result. His name was Lance Armstrong. He was the most accomplished cyclist in history before he cheated. This man once said “If you ever get a second chance at something, you’ve got to go all the way.”

How many of you have received a second chance in life? Have those opportunities been wasted or taken for granted? We as human beings are undeserving of them, and wasting them is irresponsible. But we’re blessed that we serve the God of second chances, whose love is never ending. Whose mercies are new every morning. God’s redemptive plan, his forgiveness and mercy, are limitless.

I began to think about many of the stories in the bible and how God blessed countless people with second chances. Jonah, disobeyed God. Our Lord redeemed him in an amazing and miraculous way and then used him to save Nineveh. Moses, killed a man but was still used by God to save Israel from the pharaoh. Peter, denied Christ 3 times but was later used to preach to thousands of people who became followers. There is one person however who is mentioned in each of the 4 gospels who received another chance but we don’t know how he used it.

His name is Barabbas.

If you think about it.. Barabbas was the ultimate redemption story. He was a murderer and Jesus, the Son of God, was literally crucified in his place. Picture this: Barabbas is in prison but he can hear the distant crowd shouting at Pilate. First he hears them shouting his name then he hears them shouting, “Crucify him, Crucify him!”. Soon after that, Roman guards are dragging Barabbas out of the prison. He has to be thinking, “This is the end”. But our gracious and limitless God even had a redemptive plan for a murderer like Barabbas. THIS is the concept that defies all understanding. If Jesus wasn’t sacrificed, Barabbas would have been crucified and WE would never get our second chance.

The Bible never completes the story of Barabbas which leaves us with several questions. Did Barabbas take this opportunity for granted? Did he continue to murder other people or did he turn his life around? Most importantly, why was the story of Barabbas even in the Bible? It’s just a fragment: A story with no beginning and no end. Regardless of how Barabbas lived from that moment on, Jesus still chose to die in his place. Christ gave his life that day even though Barabbas’ future actions are unknown or unrecorded. God so loved Barabbas that He gave His only begotten Son. How grateful we should all be that we, much like Barabbas, have been given the ultimate second chance. The difference is we still have time and our future actions can be known and recorded IF we choose to live our lives for God.

There is yet another person in the Bible who is different than Barabbas. His life is recorded in great detail. He, too, was given another chance. The Apostle Paul was persecuting the very people of God when he had a direct encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul used this opportunity to preach everywhere about how Jesus was the Son of God. His life was transformed. It wasn’t easy at times and he was even thrown in prison and eventually martyred. Paul’s response to God’s calling was almost limitless. He was not confined to human constraints. What he accomplished in his life is super human. No it was supernatural. We could say he went all the way. Or as many athletes say, he left it all on the field.

Barabbas is an unbelievable example of God’s radical love for us. Christ literally took the place of a common criminal. He is also a warning that we can slip into obscurity and completely waste our lives in spite of God’s calling. Lamentations 3:22 says, “The Faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.” If his mercy never ceases then our response to His love can never cease. The only thing we deserve is death. But Christ died on that cross because he loves us so much! He died on that cross so we didn’t have to. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while WE were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Yes, we are sinners. But we’re blessed with the gift of salvation. Let’s respond to God’s call and leave it all on the field. Let’s go all the way. We all have the potential to respond to God like Paul but the enemy wants us to be a Barabbas. Which one will you be? I challenge you to go all the way and bring honor and glory to his kingdom.

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Many thanks to Rebekah, age 16, for this post! I’m looking forward to sharing more of her work in the weeks and months to come. Would you pray with me that the desire of her heart would continue to be a love for God and that, indeed, she would make a lasting impact in our world!

original photo source

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