Our church helped sponsor and support a Cowboy church in our area this past year. This young congregation will have been meeting for a year in September. Tonight we were able to hear from one of the young men whose life had been touched and changed through the influence of this church. This church does things a little differently than we do for our services, but that doesn't make either one wrong - just different. Actually, if I had the choice, I would probably enjoy the Cowboy church, but am not really a part of that lifestyle. I would not want to make anyone uncomfortable by my presence, so we remain at our church home. I think what made the biggest impact from this young man's testimony is the number of times he was given another chance. Those chances looked to come from man, but I believe it was God trying to get his attention. He made the same mistakes over and over again, trying to change in his own power but failing every time. Finally - at a point in time - this man realized he could not do this in his power, but only through the power of God could he change! He did that - recommitted his to life to Christ and is now walking with Him each day!

His story is unique to him but the God of second chances is not. I serve a God who will use whatever He can to draw us to a relationship with Him. He will give chance after chance after chance, to bring each one to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, His Son. His desire is that no one leave this earth without that relationship - BUT - He will never force His will on anyone. It is always a choice left to us to make. Someone may ask how a loving God could condemn someone to eternal hell - but that is not God's choice. That is the choice we make when we refuse His free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Our choice - not His!

I am and will always be so grateful for the God of the universe, and His love for me. If I had been the only person on earth who needed the salvation that could only come from Jesus Christ - He would still come to earth, live as a sinless man, walk that path to Calvary, and die in my place! Nothing is more important to me than that realization!