give them another chance…

in building up people we need to never give up on them.

1 corinthians 13.7 (phillips paraphrase), love knows no limits to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope. it can outlast anything.

we all fail in life. one of the most important things you can do is teach people how to forgive themselves. even after we’ve felt GOD’s forgiveness we often don’t forgive ourselves. if you want to be a good parent, when your children fail, don’t rub it in, rub it out. if you want to be a good mate, if you want to be a good friend, when they fail, don’t rub it in, rub it out, give them another chance. give them the gospel of grace. your heavenly FATHER gives you chance after chance and GOD wants you to give your children and your mate and your friends that second and that third and that fourth chance.

in thinking about all of this and the relationships in your life you may feel a little guilty. you may feel like a failure. or you may feel worried. you may say, “what does it take to be a good parent? what does it take to be a good husband, a good wife? what does it take to be a good friend?”

let me say it as simply as i know how to say it: the secret is to become a GODly person. you become a great parent or a great partner or a great professional by being first a GODly person.

these things i’ve shared with you are from GOD’s word are how GOD treats you. your heavenly FATHER does these things with you. then HE wants you to turn around and do them with other people and the more GODly you become the more these will be built into your life.

psalm 103.13 (niv), as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear HIM.

who’s our model for parenting? it’s not dr. spock. and it’s not oprah. or anybody else. it’s GOD and HE has told us how we are to parent. HE’s given us these principles.

when you look at the life of JESUS, JESUS always brought out the best in people. HE took people who were at the lowest level in life and lifted them up and brought out the best in them. HE wants to do that in your life. HE can do that in your life. the more you give HIM of yourself the more HE can bring out the best in you. then HE wants you to bring out the best in other people. but it’s only possible with HIS power through you.

by nature, i don’t care about other people. by nature, i’m self-centered. by nature, i’m not interested in bringing out the best in others. i’m interested in me. and so are you. but when GOD comes into your life and begins to make changes all of a sudden you’re interested in helping other people become better too. it happens through CHRIST.

just a thought from the front porch…