Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “Another Chance” – Sunday, 14 September 2014 - Scripture: Exodus 32:1-14

Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “Another Chance” – Sunday, 14 September 2014 - Scripture: Exodus 32: “Make Gods for Us”
1 When the people realized that Moses was taking forever in coming down off the mountain, they rallied around Aaron and said, “Do something. Make gods for us who will lead us. That Moses, the man who got us out of Egypt—who knows what’s happened to him?”
2-4 So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me.” They all did it; they removed the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from their hands and cast it in the form of a calf, shaping it with an engraving tool.
The people responded with enthusiasm: “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from Egypt!”
5 Aaron, taking in the situation, built an altar before the calf.
Aaron then announced, “Tomorrow is a feast day to God!”
6 Early the next morning, the people got up and offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings and brought Peace-Offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and then began to party. It turned into a wild party!
7-8 God spoke to Moses, “Go! Get down there! Your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have fallen to pieces. In no time at all they’ve turned away from the way I commanded them: They made a molten calf and worshiped it. They’ve sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are the gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt!’”
9-10 God said to Moses, “I look at this people—oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people! Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them. But I’ll make a great nation out of you.”
11-13 Moses tried to calm his God down. He said, “Why, God, would you lose your temper with your people? Why, you brought them out of Egypt in a tremendous demonstration of power and strength. Why let the Egyptians say, ‘He had it in for them—he brought them out so he could kill them in the mountains, wipe them right off the face of the Earth.’ Stop your anger. Think twice about bringing evil against your people! Think of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you gave your word, telling them ‘I will give you many children, as many as the stars in the sky, and I’ll give this land to your children as their land forever.’”
14 And God did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people.
"Another Chance” by Nina Gunter
Israel’s impatience with God’s providence led them to compromise true worship for the passions of the flesh. When Moses pleaded with God to remember His people and not destroy them, God changed His action and extended mercy. The true intercessor gains a response from the heart of God as he or she becomes a co-worker with God.
Two significant truths speak to us about this story:
1. God listens to us. He always hears our prayers.
2. God forgives our sins. God gave the Hebrews another chance, and He continues to do so for all humanity.

How good are we at giving people another chance? Do we want to give them what we think they deserve, or do we show mercy? Perhaps today is a good time to ask God to examine our ministries, individually and corporately. Are we reaching out in love and mercy to the weak, poor, disenfranchised, and homeless? As John Wesley commented, "See here, the power of prayer, God suffers himself to be prevailed with by humble believing importunity. And see the compassin of God towards poor sinners, how ready he is to forgive."(John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament). God offers a clean slate when we repent. He is the God of second chances.

Hymn for Today:

"Amazing Grace" by John Newton
1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
2. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
3. Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
4. The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
5. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
6. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
7. When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.

Thought for Today:

“Grace is demonstrated in God's willingness to relent from judgment when we truly repent and receive His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior.
Prayer Needs:
For developing Christian leaders in Dominica.
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