God is a God of new beginnings

God is a God of new beginnings, second chances, restoration, new chapters. Nowhere in the biblical narrative do we see God saying to His people, after a losing battle: "That's it, there's no way around it, there's no point in trying again, defeat is certain, there is no possibility of restoration." On the contrary, when God's people were enslaved by great nations, He promised deliverance; when the people fell into sin, He promised forgiveness; when Jesus' disciples forsook Him, He stretched out His hand.

We can be sure that this forgiving character of God is still at work in our lives today. The new beginnings offered by the Lord do not remain in the past, but also in our present life, but we need to believe in Him!

When we sin in something that we struggle so hard to overcome, it is common to have thoughts such as: “This was the last straw for God, I certainly exceeded the limits of His mercy for me. No doubt I missed my last chance to get it right.” But let us compare these thoughts so common to us with the way God acted in the life of the apostle Peter.

Peter deliberately denied Jesus three times, as the Lord Himself had already predicted. Peter could not hold back his tears as the rooster crowed, reminding him that he had rejected all the grace Jesus had given him and dishonored the mission that had been entrusted to him. He probably lost all hope of being accepted by God and having his honor restored, so much so that he wasn't even present at Christ's crucifixion!

“For those who are justified by His sacrifice, defeat and failures do not mean an end point, but a new opportunity to get back up and try again.”

But the Bible tells in John 21:1-14 that, contrary to what Peter expected, the resurrected Jesus went to meet him while he was fishing on the shores of the Sea of ​​Tiberias and invited him to share a meal. He invited Peter to sit at His table and again enjoy fellowship with the Lord. Not only that, after His ascension, Jesus also fulfilled what He had promised Peter, that he would be entrusted with shepherding His Church.

When Peter felt unworthy and thought he had exhausted the Lord's mercies, Jesus showed him that his mistakes could not hinder Him from keeping His promises, and He also showed what the Apostle Paul would teach the Romans: “Where sin increased, grace overflowed”.

There is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For those who are justified by His sacrifice, defeat and failures do not mean an end point, but a new opportunity to get back up and try again. When our flesh sees the end, the Lord sees a new beginning. Let's embrace this reality, seek His forgiveness and live in the Father's grace!

Joe Souza serves as the ethnic ministry coordinator at the Baptist Convention of New England.