Restoration and Renewal

The power of God to forgive, restore and renew is so wonderfully amazing.

Every believer in Jesus Christ has seen it first hand in their lives.

No matter how hard we try on our own, we are going to stumble. We will have moments of weakness that will lead to days...even years of regret. King David had one of those moments. Out of that one moment of weakness, lives were destroyed and hearts were broken. A kingdom was torn apart.

God, in His great wisdom and mercy restored peace to the one who God Himself described as a man after His own heart. Out of that same moment of weakness came some of the most beautiful and healing psalms.

When we realize our sin, and are truly broken over it, and repent of it with a pure heart, God reveals more of who He is to us. A deeper understanding of God comes with deeper humility. Read Psalm 51.

Simon Peter is another person who understood more than most the restoring power of God's mercy. (Matthew 26:75) Peter had done exactly what he said would never happen. He denied he knew Jesus.
Later, after Jesus had risen from the grave, an angel had a message for the women who were going to attend the body of Jesus after the Sabbath. (Mark 16:1-7) Peter was singled out. "...the disciples and Peter..."
Read in Acts 1-9 what became of Peter after he experienced the forgiveness and was restored and renewed by the Holy Spirit of God. Wow!

Let's look at one more person who made an enormous impact on the world. Someone who, in the church, started out as a villain. He would become one of our greatest heroes of the faith. Saul of Tarsus. Of course, we know him now as the Apostle Paul. He took the gospel of Jesus Christ to the western world.
In Acts 9:1-17, Luke, a physician, believer in Jesus Christ, and traveling companion of Paul, tells of the conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus.

Most of us won't lead lives as exciting as King David, Peter or Paul, but we do have one experience in common. We have been made new by our AWESOME God through the power of the life, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Thank you, Father for this new life. Thank you for restoring me. You called me, and I turned and You made me whole. Thank you for your forgiveness! Thank you for restoring me to Yourself! Thank you, wise Father for giving me to Your Son, King Jesus. (John 17:6) Please help me to think the thoughts, say the words and live the life worthy of that calling.