Our God of Second Chances

[Sue J Love]

Corrected by The Lord

Acts 9:1-6 NKJV

1Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, was then a persecutor of the church, the body of Christ who believed in Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Lord, a faith in Jesus Christ which was then called “The Way.” But God had a different plan for the life of Saul/Paul. He planned that Saul/Paul would no longer be a persecutor of Christ’s followers, but that he would become a follower of Christ himself, a servant of the Lord, and a minister of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world. And that he did faithfully to the death.

So, Jesus Christ, in the spirit, visited Saul who was on his way to persecute, and perhaps also to put to death, even more followers of “The Way.” And this is interesting how Jesus approached him. He said to Saul, “Why are you persecuting me?” So why did he say that when it was the followers of Christ he was persecuting? Because, as followers of Christ, we are part of his body, and therefore how others treat us who are truly his followers, they are treating Christ in the same way. And that is an important thing to realize.

For if anyone who claims faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and/or including the Lord Jesus, is mistreating a genuine follower (disciple) of Jesus Christ who is speaking truth to the people, that person is also mistreating the Lord Jesus. For to “kick against the goads” is to fight against the will of God, against the leading and direction of God in the lives of those who profess his name, but out of a desire to go it their own way. And so sometimes the Lord has to discipline his people to get them back on track.

But Saul responded to the Lord’s correction and discipline with the right heart, mind, and attitude. Instead of resisting the Lord out of a stubborn heart, mind, and self-will, Saul submitted to Christ and to his will. And he said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” And this is the kind of response and attitude that all of us should have when we are corrected by the Lord if we are, perhaps, going the wrong direction. I was there once, and the Lord corrected me, and he brought me back, and he showed me, too, what to do.

Called of God to Ministry

Acts 26:14-18 NKJV

And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

Here Paul shared his testimony of his conversion with his opposition. And here we read what Jesus assigned Paul to do. He was to be a minister and a witness of the things which he had seen from Christ and the things which Jesus would yet reveal to him by the Spirit. And the Lord would deliver him from those who would come against him and who would certainly persecute him for his faith in the Lord Jesus, just as he had done to others. And he was in the middle of one of those situations when he shared this testimony.

But he was to go to the Jews and to the Gentiles, many of whom would persecute him, and he was to “open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in” Christ. And this is the essence of the gospel message that, by faith in Jesus Christ, we will now turn away from our sins, and that we will now walk in faithfulness to our Lord and to his commandments.

And this is the call of God on the lives of all who profess faith in Jesus Christ, first that we will be those who repent (turn from) our sins and now obey our Lord’s commands, in practice, in the power of God. And then that we would share that message of the gospel with the people of the world as often as possible, wherever possible, and especially on the internet which is presently still open to most of us to share the truth of the gospel with the people of the world. But it won’t be long before that all is going to change.

But if you are someone who professes faith in Jesus Christ, but who is still living to please the flesh, and not God, don’t think that there is no hope for you or that God could never use you after you did “such and such.” We serve a forgiving God and a God of second chances. But we must turn from our sins, and we must now obey our Lord, in practice, and make him truly Lord of our lives. For this is not something we can do in the flesh, but only in the power of God as our lives are surrendered to him and to his service.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

Servant of the Lord

Based off Romans 1:1-17
An Original Work / July 26, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Servant of the Lord;
For the gospel you’re set apart.
Promised through the prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.
Through Him, and for His name alone,
We receive His grace
To call people, Him to obey;
Coming from their faith.
Servant of the Lord,
For the gospel you’re set apart.
Promised through the prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.

You belong to Christ;
Loved by God, and called to be saints;
Serving God with whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus Christ;
Always praying for others’ needs;
Helping hand to lend;
Giving courage to others’ faith,
For the praise of God.
You belong to Christ;
Loved by God, and called to be saints;
Serving God with whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus Christ.

Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;
For salvation, power of God
To those who have faith.
In the gospel find righteousness:
Being right with God.
Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.
By faith, live in Him.
Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;
For salvation, power of God
To those who have faith.

Our God of Second Chances
An Original Work / May 27, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love