Thursday, March 12, 2015

THE GIFT OF RESTORATION

In Isaiah 57: 18 & 19, we read: “‘I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, and restore comforts to him And to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,’ Says the Lord. ‘And I will heal him.’”

He brought into his workshop a dilapidated piece of furniture...so beat up he must have rescued it from the curb or a trash heap. Next he retrieved from his truck pieces in the same sad state--cracked and discolored. From the size and shape of the parts, it resembled a chest.

When he finished the project and had it on display, it was inconceivable that this was the same chest. The antique banded mahogany chest of drawers glistened in the light. The drawers with their beautiful pulls glided smoothly without effort. The restoration by a master carpenter accomplished this feat.

This is what the Lord Jesus does for us. He takes us as we are, dents, scratches, blemishes, and all. There is nothing we can do; no changes we can achieve on our own. (Have you ever seen a piece of furniture refinish itself?) When we surrender our lives to Him, He lovingly, through His Grace and Mercy, makes us into the person that can benefit the kingdom so that He will be glorified and we, too, will benefit.

Kingdom Thinking. No matter where I have been or what I have done, the Lord Jesus is there and beckoning for me to come to Him. He wants to lead me, to restore me and give me His peace. He wants the same for you. After all, He is the Master Carpenter and can make all things new. Won’t you come to Him. He waits for you.