“I just got busted,” I said, somewhat embarrassed. I had called my twin brother Roger at his office. For those without military experience, the term “busted” means “reduced in rank.” Roger was always ahead of me in rank. We were both Sergeants, but he had been promoted quite a bit earlier than me.

While working as a criminal investigator in Yuma, Arizona, a situation occurred in which I found myself in conflict with local law enforcement. Even though my military superior knew I had done nothing wrong, he did not have my back. I was demoted to Corporal and transferred to a Marine barracks with the responsibility of guarding nuclear weapons. Within six months, I was promoted back to Sergeant, proving that my Good Conduct Medal was harder to earn than a Purple Heart.

The Marine Corps is not the only place where people are given a second chance. Our current culture isn’t big on forgiving and forgetting. God, on the other hand, is all about second chances. Scripture abounds with examples.

Lot “pitched his tent toward Sodom” (Genesis 13:12) and God had to send some angels to pull him out of town before destroying it.

Rahab the harlot had a bad reputation in the neighborhood, but she knew that the God of Israel was the one true God, so she hid the spies until they could leave Jericho. She ended up in the lineage of King David and ultimately the Messiah.

David disgraced himself with Bathsheba. Nathan confronted David on his adultery, saying, “You are the man” (2 Samuel 12:7), which brought immediate repentance on David’s part.

The Apostle Paul is the most prominent second-chance guy in the New Testament. Known as Saul of Tarsus, he was an avid persecutor of the followers of “the way” until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus could have terminated him, but instead, He extended grace to the man who ended up writing a significant portion of the New Testament.

I could go on, but you get my point.

But what about those of us who struggle as Christians with sin in our lives? What do we do when the condemnation of the enemy accuses us before God and we just want to crawl into a corner? I’ve been there. Those are the times when we need to remember, like King David, who we’ve sinned against.

David’s confession of murdering Uzziah didn’t shift the blame. He said, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). It is the Lord from whom we seek forgiveness, and Scripture shows us His thoughts about it.

Peter found out when he “came up and said to him ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times’” (Matthew 18:21-22, ESV). The rabbis taught to forgive three times, so Peter surely thought he was mastering forgiveness. Jesus must have blown him away when he said, “seventy times seven” (KJV). That doesn’t mean counting to 490 offenses. Jesus was telling Peter to not keep score, because Jesus does not keep score. And because He does not keep score, I can come to Him when I stumble and fail, knowing that He grants forgiveness.

I can assure you that everyone who has trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior are well past the “second chance” marker on the road of life. God spoke to Israel through the prophet Isaiah, telling them that, despite their turning away from Him, “His hand is stretched out still” (Isaiah 9:12).

Need another chance? His hand is still stretched out to you and me.

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!