分类: Restore - Jethro TOOLS

Restored

3/16/2025

Romans 6
The old shed on the back corner of our property seemed like a worthy investment. So in the spring, after thinking and planning repairs all winter, I started. The building had settled and rotted its original support beams, requiring the foundation to be rebuilt. Once the shed was level and stable the roof and the door were replaced to keep the structure dry and free from roaming critters. Since the outside was able to withstand the extremes of weather, I turned my attention to the inside to make the shed functional. A simple shelf and some hooks made a once rundown and deteriorated building useful again. In many ways we are like an old shed. God sees us, and purchases us, to restore us to the functional purpose that He designed us to be. In Romans chapter 6, Paul calls this process sanctification. From the point of salvation, God begins a process of removing the practice of sin from the life of the believer. The control of sin is broken (1-14) through what Christ has accomplished on the cross for us. But God does not just leave us there. He wants to restore us to the true servants that He originally intended us to be. There is a change that takes place as the believer no longer serves sin, but gives the control of their life to God (15-23). Gradually, the practice of sin is replaced with purity and a righteous life that pleases God. Sanctification is God’s life long process that He works in us to restore us to His standard. Speaking of our relationship with Jesus, Peter writes, “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You Shall Be Holy, For I Am Holy. (1 Peter 1:15). What we believe will change the way that we live. What we live will prove what we truly believe.

For More See ROMANS or SHEBA

Rejected

3/9/2025

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
The unison trumpet like blast startled my peaceful quiet walk. Immediately I shifted my eyes toward the lake and scanned for the source of the racket. There, through the trees I saw four swans cruising the shore line looking for open water. Their arrival and their thunderous trumpeting honks announce the arrival of spring. The problem is, we may look around and see little evidence of that. Snow is still in piles and ice is still on the lake. We face a choice. Will we believe the message of the swans that spring is coming or will we reject their message and dismiss them as nothing but silly swans. In the book of Isaiah the people faced a similar situation. In chapter 1-39 Isaiah records God’s message of judgment for their sin and rebellion against Him. Then beginning in chapter 40-66 Isaiah records God message of hope and restoration for sinful people. And within this Isaiah records “Who has believed our message…(53:1).” Isaiah tells us that very few people have believed God’s message that a savior will come to take their sin upon Himself. The first twelve verses of Isaiah 53 describe what this suffering servant will do. Through Isaiah’s eyes the nation is to see the hope and restoration to a right relationship with God through a coming savior that is ultimately Jesus. This message of hope and restoration was declared to the these people yet many looked around and did not believe. Today, we need to hear the message and believe the message that a Savior has been sent to save us from our sin and restore us to a right relationship with God. That is a message of good news and hope that is worth believing regardless of our surroundings. Isaiah trumpets a message of hope for sinners just as swans trumpet the message of hope for the end of winter.

For More See ISAIAH or SHEBA

Rescued

3/2/2025

Luke 15
In 1878 Margaret Wolfe Hungerford first penned the phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” This old saying describes how each person will see things differently. Thus, what one person finds beautiful another may find bland. I was reminded of that fact this week during a walk where I saw a small table placed on the side of the road. Alongside the table was a sign that read “FREE.” Who does not like free things? Yet free often means that the item no longer has any value to the owner. After years of use and perhaps abuse the table was discarded because it lacked beauty and value. In Luke 15 Jesus, confronts the criticism of the religious leaders who questioned the value of His time spent with sinners. In response, Jesus told three parables that outlined His clear value of the sinner who is lost and in need of rescue. He uses the story of a lost sheep that is returned (4-7), a lost coin that is recovered (8-10) and a lost son who is restored (11-32). Each portrays their helplessness and need for grace from the savior who steps in and does what only the savior can do. In the end there is a celebration as the lost has been found and the sinner rescued. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Over the years I have fixed old tables, worn out chairs and beat up cabinets using glue and screws. I then cleaned, sanded and painted or varnished them and the piece again displays its beauty. All because the rescuer saw value and beauty in what others viewed as trash. God does the same for us. He calls us to Himself, rescues us from ourselves and sin, then cleans us up and makes us useful for His purposes. Jesus sees the rescue of sinners as a valuable thing of beauty that is worth doing and celebrating.

For More See LUKE or SHEBA

Message of Joy

12/29/2024

Isaiah 6:1-3
The Christmas letter… Long or short, it has turned into an annual feat that tests our writing skills and organization. As we attempt to summarize a year in words, or even photos we find ourselves being forced to become even more concise. What is the main idea that we want to communicate? What happened this year? What matters most that others need to hear? How can we communicate those key, life defining highlights of the past year? Have no fear, Christmas cards are here. If you are like me you will notice that many of the Christmas cards carry a theme of peace, hope or joy. Notice that the card companies do not promote happiness. Why is that? Happiness is a short term pleasure, whereas joy is long term sense of satisfaction that all is well. As we turn to Isaiah 61, we find that message of joy. This chapter opens with God’s select servant declaring the message of good news that He will bring (1). This people centered savior will bring joy that is found in God’s favor (2) to those who are broken, and held captive in the darkness of sin (1). That is definitely good news of great joy that is worth celebrating. The people looked forward to the day when this savior would come and deliver them from sin and restore His joy to their life and their land. Fast forward and we see Jesus quote these same words in Luke 4:14-21 as he began His earthly ministry. In His own words He stated that He is the promised one spoken of in Isaiah 61. Jesus brought God’s good news of salvation to all people. For us, that good news should still bring a deep sense of satisfaction. That is joy worth writing about in the annual Christmas letter. The joy that we have in Jesus as our savior needs to be heard from us all year.

For More See ISAIAH or CHRISTMAS

Jesus Role as Priest

12/22/2022

John 17
Have you ever gone to a doctor and felt like they did not listen or care? You probably walked out and looked for another doctor. We expect doctors to have our best interest in mind. They are giving us advice and researched opinions regarding our health. They have the job of making us better. Similarly, Jesus as a priest is deeply concerned about the spiritual health of people. A priest will offer sacrifices for sin, guide in true worship and help restore mankind to God. In John 17 we see Jesus express a passionate interest in His disciples and other future believers in Him. He is requesting that the Father guide, protect and unify His disciples. He desires that His followers accept His gift of salvation and know that they are kept securely in that salvation by the Father. He also seeks their transformation through the revealed word of God so they will share the greatness of Him with others. Jesus, as priest, is the one who seeks God’s best for mankind. This Christmas I hope that you grow in your joy knowing that Jesus came to save us, change us and cure us from the sickness of sin.

For more see JOHN or PROPHET, PRIEST & KING

Priority of Prayer

10/16/2022

James 5:13-20
Have you ever had someone stop and pray for you? It is amazing how that moment in time can change your perspective regarding the difficult life situation at hand. This week I had someone stop and pray for me, and it encouraged me to pause and trust God yet again for the difficulties I was facing. On the other hand, over the course of this week, I have had the chance to pray with and for others involved in various situations. I realized that I was incapable of bringing a solution to the situation, but by faith I trusted God to work His solution. In these verses, James wants his audience to pray to God about their personal situations (13). However, we as people often do everything else and talk to everyone else but God. James challenges his audience to call others to pray over them when they have been spiritually weakened and have lost faith in God (14-16). He wants his audience to see that faith in God in impossible situations is possible. James illustrates this by giving the example of Elijah as one who prayed and saw God respond (17-18). As James closes the book, he provides an encouragement and challenge to rescue and restore those who have wandered from their faith in Christ (19-20). Today we can still display the reality of our faith by praying in the good and bad times. We can encourage the faith of others who have become weak by praying for them and we can share the burden of restoring the faith of others. Our faith is strengthened when we pray because we practice our belief in God by calling out to Him regarding the situation. May God help us see the value and necessity of a mature faith that prays. Who are you praying for and who is praying for you?

For more see JAMES

Love Mercy: Deliverance for Sinful People

6/19/2022

Micah 4:1-5:15
When we think of Father’s Day our mind goes back to Dad and what he was like. Men are often known as being able to work with their hands. For me, the memories are fond. I remember my father as the one who was able to fix most anything. My fathers hands were used to build our house and make it a home. However, I remember my Dad often working on the family car to keep it running. In the process of trying to keep the car on the road and road worthy he ran into repairs that he knew nothing about. Instead of giving up on the repair Dad went out and bought a repair manual that was designed specifically for that car. I remember him studying the words and absorbing the pictures in order to restore the car to a useful condition. My father sought help from an authoritative source, he did the repair work, and the car became a testimony of what he could do. In Micah 4-5 the prophet offers a message of help and hope to the people. Micah communicates that God is the authoritative source and in the future the people will turn to Him alone for instruction (4:1-5). Micah tells the people that God will accomplish this work through a new king that is yet to be born (5:2-3). The result is that in the future the people will be enabled to live a transformed life because of God’s mercy (5:4-15). The same is true of our relationship with God. He is the authority that does the work and we are to be the living testimony of how He has renewed and restored us to operate as vessels to bring Him honor. Do we love God’s mercy? He alone offers a message of hope that brings transformation.

For more see MICAH

Where Are You?

4/10/2022

Genesis 3:6-11
The other day we discovered that the floor mop had broken. I tried to fix a plastic part, but to no avail. So a trip to the store for a replacement was needed. I could go to the store and wander around hoping that I would eventually bump into the isle of mops. Or, I could respond to the question from a store employee… What can I help you find today? The response of the employee will give me directions to the proper location, or perhaps they will even take me to the exact spot in the store. The store employee is trained to greet customers and ask what they need because it creates a relationship, builds trust and provides increased sales. We may know where the right store is but not know where to find what we need to solve our problem. In a good store a question starts a conversation that leads to a solution. We see the same thing take place in Genesis 3 as God calls out to Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” (9). This question defined the position of Adam and Eve as hiding from God (10). They thought they could hide and that was faulty because God knows everything. Secondly, the question of “Where are you?” has to do with the relationship that Adam and Eve had with God. He was still pursuing them even though they had sinned. Thirdly, the question of “Where are you?” directs our purpose of living to return to God and be forgiven and restored by Him. I pray that you will desire Jesus because He desires to be your savior and the leader of your life. He alone gives purpose to life and hope for all eternity. He alone determines the process of restoration as we trust in Him for salvation. He alone defines our position as children who are close to Him.

For more see QUESTIONS FROM GOD

The Chase, The Crash, Time to Carry On

11/15/2020

The other day I was talking on the phone and I saw a hawk chasing a dove in flight. In a distracted error the dove flew into a screened window and bounced off and onto the ground. At the last second the hawk swerved and took a perch in a nearby tree in order to locate the dove. I thought the dove was dead, but stunned as it was it hobbled over and hid in some bushes next to the house.

I watched the dove as I talked and also kept a look out for the hawk. At one point after about 15 minutes I crept closer to the bushes and gently separated them so I could see if the dove had died from some injuries sustained in the crash. Much to my surprise the bird was very much alive and instantly took flight with a furry of pounding wings.

The problem was that the hawk was still watching. Instantly the predator took up the chase again. Again the dove escaped by flying into some thick brush for protection.

As I reflected on this I saw a spiritual parallel. Often in life we may feel like we are chased and pursued by Satan and his temptations. We may get distracted from the path that God has for us and crash with the sin. We can find the rest, protection and renewal close to God just as the dove found in my presence. Renewed, restored and rested we are able to take flight and live the way God designed us to live for His glory and honor.

Regardless of your current condition remember the importance of being close to God and remember that the hawk did not win.

Restoration for a Purpose

5/18/2020

2 Chronicles 7:14
Recently there has been an explosion of new TV shows dealing with home renovations. They may be from the simple one room job to the whole house. A time frame is given, the work begins and we watch the transformation take place before our eyes. The problem with a renovation is that the builder has to deal with the original building design. If any of that is changed … well the cost goes up. Upon examination of 2 Chronicles 7:14 we see that God is the one who acts to restore His people in response to their humility. The difficulty for us today is that we say we believe in the strength of God, but very often do not live as if God is strong enough to redeem and restore our lives for His purposes. God desires to return people to their original purpose as worshipers in relationship with Him. You may look around at your world right now and think it is a mess. God is in the business of redemption and restoration. By His strength He will do more than renovate. His work in our lives is always the very best.

For more see 2 Chronicles 7:14 Series

The LORD Restores

5/15/2020

Psalm 23:3
Old cars have been a favorite in my family. There are a number of family members who love to tinker with some old car and get it running or keep it going. Cars are expensive so I have settled on a cheaper version… restoring old machinery. The other year I tore apart an old saw, cleaned it, greased it and reassembled it. The problem this saw had was at the center of its operation. Two bearings the size of golf balls were worn out. Years of use and perhaps abuse had taken their toll. In verse 3 David continues to picture what God does as his shepherd in restoring him too full operational mode. Not only does God provide physically as noted in the previous verse, God also restores the internal emotions to a position of strength and courage to move in a right direction. God works for His sheep physically (vs 2) and emotionally (vs 3) to bring about what is right or beneficial for His sheep. A shepherd that does not lead sheep to places of growth and health is known as a poor shepherd who has a bad reputation of not caring for his sheep. The LORD cares and provides for His people because of His reputable name. Right now you may be in need of inner strength and future direction. Remember that The LORD restores and guides because of His reputation as the good shepherd (see John 10:10).

For more see Psalm 23