Samuel was giving quite a harsh speech to the people, reminding them of their their unfaithfulness in the light of God's grace. But one thing I love about Samuel is his unceasing committment for the Lord and Israel. Instead of giving up on them, he gives them a new chance:

And Samuel said to the people, "Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.

Israel did a lot of bad stuff, but it's not too late to turn away and start following the Lord! I absolutely like the fact that God, no matter how often we failed and behaved unfaithful, still gives us the opportunity to repent, follow him and "do it better" next time.

One of my "favorite preachers" is Mark Cahill, a man of God with a true passion for the lost, who challenges Christians to stop being lukewarm. You really feel convicted listening to him. But he almost always finishes his talk with the encouragement: "Today is a new day!"

That's exactly the case: Today is a new day (to start again). As long as you breath, you can follow him all the way. Of course we should not play with these chances, but rather appreciate them, use them and thankfully praise God for being a God of second chances :)

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