Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Turnaround – Nah, I’m Good

August 23, 2022/in Week 3, Bible Study

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Last week, I wrote a devotional about second chances and how Jonah realized, while he was in the belly of the fish, that God rescued him on purpose for a purpose. That same truth applies to you and me, but what are second chances in life, and how do we get them?

Second chances are opportunities for us to look at the mistakes and things in our lives we regret and turn them around for better results. What a great concept!

The times in my life when I accepted an opportunity to turn things around to achieve better results felt great. But other times I was given an opportunity for a second chance, and I basically said, “Nah, I’m good.” I regret those times—because I missed out on a potentially rewarding occasion in my life.

What is the key difference between the two results? In one word, Trust.

As Lead Pastor Ben Snyder explained last weekend in the bottom line: Every turnaround starts with trust. Think about that in light of your own experiences. I believe you will find that every successful second chance was because you trusted the result would be better. You trusted that what you were doing the second time was the right way.

For example, when I get the opportunity to hit a mulligan in golf, I trust my second shot is going to be better. (Let me interject here—this is one area where trust doesn’t always create a turnaround for me.) Jesus reminds us our faith doesn’t have to be big.

Matthew 17:20

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

When we trust God, even the tiniest amount of faith is enough to open the door for him and the opportunity for a turnaround that can lead to something big.

Jonah finally took advantage of God’s second chance. He had enough faith to trust God (even if just a little bit) and chose to obey his command.

Jonah 3:3-4

3 This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. 4 On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!”

Even though Jonah’s delivery was a bit lackluster, God ran with it! Jonah’s story demonstrates the wonderful thing about God—even just a little trust can make a big difference.

Spoiler alert: Because of Jonah’s basic trust and obedience, a great city and over 120,000 people were saved from destruction. They too received a second chance from God that turned around their wicked ways.

Questions:

What is your reaction when God says, “Go!”?

Do you display the kind of trust for a successful turnaround?

Next Steps:

Read the story of Jonah, plug yourself into his life, and honestly contemplate how you would have reacted.

Tune in next weekend for the conclusion of the Nah, I’m Good series.

21 Days of Prayer

Day 16 Focus – Surrender to Him (Romans 12:1)

Heavenly Father, thank you for all you have given me: all the time, resources, relationships, and abilities. I now give them back to you. I surrender it all. I am only a steward, someone you have entrusted these things with to care for while I am here. It all belongs to you. God, guide my actions. Help me to listen for and obey your directions. Teach me to trust you and use what you have given me according to your will. May your will be done in me and through me. Amen.

Today’s Parent Prayer