2-8-2025

Good Morning All,

     2 Corinthians 13:11; “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

    I am fascinated by people who restore old cars, trucks, tractors or anything like that.  They can spend years removing the rust and the years of neglect that the vehicle had as it was sitting in someone’s trees.  Or you watch those people who take old houses and restore them to their original beauty.  The time and effort and the cost of these restorations can be phenomenal.

     It takes a lot of patience to restore something to its original shape, luster and quality.  The love and care displayed by the one doing the restoration is apparent.  Even if it takes a lifetime to accomplish; the labor of love is obvious.

    This is what God is doing to us.  He is restoring us back to being ‘human”; back to what we were designed to be before sin corrupted us.  When God created man, He created us to live in his presence with thanksgiving and praise; we were to take care of creation, and we were to take care of each other.  That pretty much sums up what it means to be human. 

     God began to restore mankind immediately after man’s fall into sin.  This process began with the promise of a Savior.  The chosen people of God believed in the promise of a Savior and their redemption.  Then Jesus came and began the new testament or covenant.  Here we cling, not to the promise of a Savior, but to the promise of God that our sins are forgiven because of that Savior.  The restoration of mankind and all creation will be complete when Christ returns.  But until that day comes; Jesus gave the task of continuing the message of salvation and repentance to the church.

    Just as Christ was reconciling the world to himself; he calls upon his church to do this ministry of reconciliation.  Paul tells us in this verse to live the life which God created us to live and then sent Jesus to restore us to live.  First and foremost, we are to rejoice.  Our eternal destiny is set, decided by the blood of Jesus on the cross given to us as a gift from our loving Father in heaven.  We are to aim for restoration.  This is a lifelong process.  God has restored us and gives to us the task of restoring our relationships with others and of witnessing to others our restored relationship with God.  This isn’t done in a day or for a day; it takes a lifetime of love to continue this process.

    Through it all, God’s spirit resides in us and with us.  He is there to strengthen us, to encourage us, to remind us of what Jesus said, to guide us, to gather us, and to enlighten us.  It is through God’s Spirit that we are able to do this lifelong restoration project.  It is through his peace that we are able to have peace with others.  So, until Jesus returns or until our task here on earth is completed; we are to aim for restoration, and we live with and in God’s love and peace.         

Gracious Father, we give you thanks for the gift of redemption through Jesus.  Guard us and guide us as we go about the restoring which you have called us to do.  Move us by your Spirit to comfort each other and to live in peace.  All this we ask in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret