He Will Not Turn You Away

In Luke 7:36-50, we read the story of the sinful woman. Now, Scripture does not tell us what makes her a sinful woman, but then again, we are all sinners so it doesn't really matter. All sin is a rebellion against God - it is a debt none of us can pay. It doesn't matter what the sin is or how big or small we think it is. We are no better than this woman.

Apparently her reputation is known, but when she hers that Jesus is having dinner at a Pharisee's home, she decides to 'crash the party.' Now, this is a big scandal. She is certainly not welcome at the Pharisee's home, much less dinner. Perhaps you have felt the same way. Yet, there she is. The woman comes to Jesus and weeps.

You see, Jesus attracts and welcomes sinners who come in humility and repentance. Jesus knew exactly who she was and He knows exactly who we are. There is no hiding from the Son of God. But as the story shows us, while others may reject us, Jesus will not.

When others reject us, we can always come to Christ in humility. The sinful woman, demonstrates that if you come to Jesus and ask for forgiveness with all your heart, He will not turn you away.

Second Chances

When we fail God, does He give us a second chance?

For our answer, we need only look as far as Peter in the New Testament. In Matthew 26, we read of Peter's declaration that "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus then tells Peter that he would deny Christ three times which we read about in Matthew 26:69-75. When Peter denies Jesus for the third time, "he went out and wept bitterly."

Fortunately, that is not how it ends. God provides Peter and us, with a second chance. In John 21:15-19, Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love Me?" Peter responds, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."

Yes, God gives us second (and third) chances. God's desire is to take us from where we are, and bring us to where He wants us to be. In the face of failure, don't give up - God is not finished with you.