The Promise to Restore

We are part of God’s business of restoration (‘bringing back to a former or original condition’). He restores us and we are also used in His plan to restore. In the Bible when something is restored, it 'is always significantly better than its original condition'. From the beginning to the end of the Bible, we see restoration as a major theme. ‘Refresh, mend, regenerate, return, reinstate, reestablish, fix, give back, reconstruct, revive, rehabilitate, energize’ are amongst the words given in the Thesaurus for restore or restoration. These are a few Scriptures on restoration:

‘So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.’

Joel 2: 25-26.

‘….His mercy He saved us, through washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit..’

Titus 3:5

‘…be renewed in the spirit of your mind…put on a new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness’.

Eph 4:23-24.

‘For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem’

Ezra 9:9.

The pivotal personal restoration is the cleansing of sin and restoration of man back to God by the significant act of Jesus dying on the cross and His resurrection. Our salvation is the best thing in our personal walk. The ultimate restoration is the return of the church, the bride of Christ. It will be the time that makes the restoration complete.

Sometimes we feel that God is hiding Himself from us. That the world is just too messed up for it to be saved. Thats why faith is so important. Trusting the God we know in things unseen. In our lives, we are being restored to the image of God everyday. We are not perfect but we are complete in Christ. It was just today that I was down and out. God used His Word to restore me. It was His Word that spoke life into the dust of the ground and created man. With His Word He spoke and there was light, water, birds of the air, fish of the sea, plants and every other living thing. Restoration needs His Word and Him in the center of it. Perfect.

‘Let the ruins come to life
In the beauty of Your Name
Rising up from the ashes
God forever You reign

And my soul will find refuge
In the shadow of Your wings
I will love You forever
And forever I'll sing’

- lyrics of chorus from Glorious Ruins, Hillsongs

Kindness - A dying gesture?

“Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. 

Know how to give without hesitation, 

how to lose without regret, 

how to acquire without meanness.” 

― George Sand

"State ways that you can show kindness to someone in school". This was a question I asked my class of about 44 students. Other than 'helping teachers carry her/his books' and 'helping a friend with their homework', my students found it very difficult to think of something kind to do for someone else. I was shocked when a student said, 'saying hi to the aunties that clean the school'. My initial thought was 'hmmm...and who are you that they must feel privileged that you 'bestowed' them with your time and word'. Being kind is not lost but it doesn't come easy to many of us. Many children are not being taught or shown from example to think of others needs. It is very sad. Doing something kind without expecting something in return is a dying gesture. In a blink of an eye, we have become tremendously self absorbed. I am all for self-improvement. Wanting to look good and develop yourself, is not a bad thing. But when it becomes all you think about, we have a serious problem. As the 'selfie, Facebook, tweeter, blogging' generation, we care too much about our image and what we want the world to see. We are too busy focusing on our latest selfie and post on tweeter or Facebook that we miss opportunities to be a blessing. 

Here are the facts, we make more of a difference when human contact is involved. Having amazing Facebook statuses does not change lives like human contact. Making the time to be with people, talking to them, investing in the lives of people, living life with a positive attitude, etc. changes lives. Technology is an amazing tool to reach out to the world. I am a big fan but we should not let our phones, Ipads, laptops, etc. run our lives. Getting out there and doing 'random acts of kindness', taking the time to spend with friends and family, leading lives that loves others, speaks life into lives, and walks the talk, are a few things that we should be doing. These are things that take the focus off us and causes us to look at others. We become aware of needs. From this, we have opportunities to be kind to others. We are living epistles. I am an epistle of Christ. Our stories are being written and we definitely want to have a story that makes a positive difference. 

Things you can do to show kindness - just think of another persons need and do something nice for them. Even for a day. Babysit for a friend or family member so that they can have a break, write a note to cheer someone up or to tell them how awesome they are, cook a delicious home cooked meal for a friend, buy a drink for the guy who is working hard under the sun, etc. There are many ways to be kind. Just think about their needs and do a simple gesture without expecting anything in return. 

Being kind does not come easy. But if we make it a change in lifestyle from what the world advocates ('Me, myself and I'), kindness will be easy. Actions speak louder than words. Let your actions do the talking. Take a stand to have an attitude of kindness. 

“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” 

― Steve Maraboli