God of first chances

It is often said in Christian circles that God is a God of second chances. What is meant by that is that we serve a God who is able to overcome our sinfulness and basic ignorance to love us and He extends mercy to us even though we don't deserve it. When we fall down, He picks us back up. This is a beautiful picture of the grace with which God daily lavishes upon the believer.

But what of those who don't yet know Christ? Is God the God of second chances for the ones who have yet to surrender their lives to Him?

Thanks to the power of social media, I have been able to reconnect with many of the guys that I spent much time with in college. I marvel at the careers and families that they now have (and me too) given the many stupid things we did in college. Most of the guys, even though they are now responsible adults with jobs and children, still seem to be stuck in a party lifestyle that has continued to suck them in since they were younger. But there are some who have been given a first chance with God. I want to briefly tell the story of two of them.

The first one I'll call Steven. He was in my fraternity at Wake Forest and we also graduated together. Steven was one of those guys who, when his mouth opened, you knew that nothing good was going to come out of it. He simply lived a life far from God and once we graduated I was sure I would never see him again. How delighted I was, years later, to run into Steven at seminary. You see, after college God had gotten a hold of his heart and not only saved him but also called Steven to serve Him with his vocation. Steven is now serving God in full-time ministry and I rejoice in keeping up with what God has done in his life, just as he rejoices in the ways that God has changed me.

The other friend I want to write about I will call John. While at Wake John and I were also fraternity brothers but other than that connection we had very little in common with each other. John approached life like a tornado, going and doing as he pleased with no restraints on his decisions. Even though I was struggling greatly with my faith, I knew that John was profoundly lost and alienated from God. When God finally got a grip on my heart after college and I got my "second chance," John would often come to my mind and my heart would break for him.

About a year or so ago I was able to reconnect with John through a social media site that allowed me to see where he was in his life today. To my surprise I noticed that he had interest in a certain church, but I could glean little else from what he posted (yeah, I was stalking a little bit but I wasn't being creepy about it). Then recently, on a screen that gives me regular updates, I noticed that John began posting comments about his commitment to Christ. Knowing I had to follow up to see what was going on in John's life, I sent him an email telling him a little bit about where God had brought me and how excited I was too see the change that Christ had made in his life.

The response I got from John almost brought me to my knees in tears.

John told me how he ran across a book that addressed what it means to be a "real man" in the eyes of God. He wrote that this book was a wake up call for him, helping him to see where his life was and where it needed to be. As a result, he reached out to receive his first chance from God, freely receiving His grace and forgiveness through Christ. John finished by telling me how his desire is to live every minute of his life for God's glory and praise.

After reading this email I almost couldn't contain my excitement for John. I immediately emailed my college friend Steven to tell him the news and he too rejoiced in God's grace that had transformed our friend John. I don't know about you, but I love to hear the accounts of how our great God extends His grace to those who we may have deemed as almost "un-savable." I am grateful that God gives to me and those who are His children those second and third "chances" in life when we blow it. But I am even more in awe of the first chances that we all receive when we first understand that "Mercy there was great and grace was free / Pardon there was multiplied to me / There my burdened soul found liberty / at Calvary!"