Day 14 - Restore My Heart

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying,

yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 

{2 Corinthians 4:16}

Sitting at our family dining table with my computer, I have a limited perspective. Outside my large picture window a flock of ravens flies over the roof tops. The sycamore is turning it's leaves, just a sprinkle of golden and amber showing through. All around me the outward life is in a cycle of decadent decay.

Outside of your four walls, even through the virtual looking glass of the internet, you can see that outwardly the world is experiencing a new level of disorder. But if we are believers in Christ, then we trust that God is restoring the hearts of His people.

Weeks ago I wrote about “all things new” (Rev 21:5), sharing the eternal promise of renewal.

When it seems like all hope is lost, God is in the business of restoration. He is renewing broken hearts, restoring relationships, reviving your spirit. He is not content with leaving us as we are. He is always in the work of creation, recreating and remaking us through His Son.

Restoration comes in the form of struggle and change. For some of us that means we are moving into new things. Change comes with sacrifice, and where there is change there is loss. But in God's kingdom change also means renewal. The old has gone; the new has come (2 Cor 5:17).

In the book of Genesis we read the beginning of God's story for mankind. I believe as we look at the creation of the first man and first woman, we can find ourselves in that story. We can see ourselves as miracles of God's creative hand, objects of his love and affection. He designed the earth with a purpose, for us to live with him and experience relationship with him.

When sin separated man from his God, even then it was not the end. Our past sins do not remove us from God's love. Our relationship is restored by Christ's death and resurrection. When we receive Jesus we become part of him, renewed by his blood, revived by his Spirit, restored by his love.

In the beginning, the creation story reveals God's character as our good Father and it reveals our position as his children. We were made to be loved. That is our purpose. Loved is who we are. God is waiting for you to invite him into your story; He has already made you part of His.

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. {2 Cor 4:16 The Message}

Revive My Heart - Write 31 Days