1 Chronicles 15:25: “So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-Edom with joy.”

September 3rd, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

David had tried to bring the ark into Jerusalem, but he hadn’t followed the Lord’s commandments on how to transport it properly. After 3 months, David attempted it again, this time the right way. We need to stop every now and then and think about the last time we were given a second chance. When was that? How about that time you got pulled over for speeding but the cop let you go? Or when you should have been charged that late fee but the store let it go? Or maybe it was the last time you came to the foot of the cross and asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins. That is where second chances, or forgiveness, really come into play in our lives, and joy quickly follows. That’s what David was experiencing when he was dancing in public as the ark entered the city.

Do you struggle to believe that you can have a second chance? The Bible is filled with stories of men and women who experienced God’s forgiveness as He gave them a second chance, a third, a fourth, and so on and so on. There is a great story from when Thomas Edison was working on his crazy new contraption, the “light bulb.” After discovering that carbonized cotton thread worked as a filament, it took a whole team of men 24 straight hours to put one together. When Edison finished the bulb, he handed it to a young boy who nervously carried it up the stairs. Step-by-step the boy cautiously watched his hands, frightened he might drop the priceless piece of work. But, in spite of his care, at the very top of the stairs, he dropped it. It took the men another 24 hours to make a new bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison finished. He turned and handed the second bulb, to be again carried up the stairs, to the very same boy who had dropped the first one. That’s true forgiveness.

“Thank You, LORD, for Your heart of forgiveness, open to all who will humble themselves before You.”