Jeremiah 18: Blessing or Curse?

If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,  and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. - Jer. 18:7-19 NIV

With God there's always a second chance.  Even kingdoms and nations destined for destruction can be brought back from the brink if they humble themselves and repent.  The same is true for us.   In fact, none of the paths we choose have to be our final destination.  And, no matter how righteous we think we are, we can still lose our way; we can forget the God who brought us to life in the first place and reap the consequences.  Obedience versus confession and repentance, both lead to God's favor, both come out of recognizing that we are nothing without our creator. Most of us learn the hard way.  Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven.  We could be even more blessed if we would learn that without going astray in the first place.

2010 Post - Jeremiah 18:  In the Hands of the Potter