Tag Archives: Restoration

Restored-The 10th Day of Christmas

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On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a message of restoration (Amos 9:11-15).

Many of us come from a line of proud people. We pride ourselves on doing things ourselves and say things like “I ain’t got nobody else” or “If I didn’t do it, it wouldn’t get done.” I think deep down we know this isn’t true. When we look at the sun, we know this isn’t true. When we see the stars and feel the breeze, we should know this isn’t true. But strong black women who got to be strong black women—alone—believe we bring our own sunshine, twilight and refreshing winds to our lives and others. How else would we get them?

But the prophet Amos tells another story.

“In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the LORD who does this. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the LORD your God (vv. 9:11-15).

For the majority of Amos, the prophet tells of divine judgment on Israel for following their own way. Even though their pride and arrogance cost them, that last chapter of Amos tells how God will still empower them to bring brightness to their lives. Even though the verses say “they shall rebuild” and “they shall plant,” the beginning and end of the passage says what God will do. We only bring sunshine and twilight and refreshing winds because God first gives them to us and He continues to carry us. This passage in Amos is a perfect picture of Jesus Christ, who restored us “while we were yet sinners” (Romans 5:8). And He restores situations for us through us, as one of my favorite scriptures tells us: “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

So be proud of God in you working through you to bring brightness and prosperity to your life and others. If it wasn’t for Him, it wouldn’t get done.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Built Up After a Blow-The 24th Day of Christmas

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On the 24th day of Christmas my true love gave to me the power to build anew (Nehemiah 2).

You had any blows dealt to you lately? I mean those life changing hits that have thrust your body back, knocked you down and out? If you haven’t, I know you can remember a time when you did. Life was pretty messy, but somehow you got up, got yourself together and rebuilt your life. Maybe God used somebody, like He did Nehemiah, to be that Christ-like figure to help you stand strong.

Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the Persian king and lived in a palace. He lived a life of comfort but wouldn’t rest, knowing the wall of Jerusalem lie in ruins. Having a sad countenance the king asked Nehemiah what was wrong. After hearing his plight, the king gave Nehemiah permission and all the resources needed to lead his people back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. God gave Nehemiah, a powerfully prayerful man, the favor, power and tools he needed to rebuild in 52 days the wall that lay in rubble for more than 90 years. His enemies couldn’t stop him, no matter how much they lied and threatened him, and they even marveled “that this work was done by our God” (Nehemiah 6:16). Nehemiah typifies Christ as a restorer.

Jesus voluntarily left His high position in heaven to do God the Father’s will, so that we who believe in Him “might have life” and have it “more abundantly” (John 10:10). He said, “… Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus’ body was broken, destroyed, and restored to life so that through Him we might be restored and built up. It’s one thing to have peace with God (restoration). It’s another thing to actually flourish in that peace (being built up). Like Nehemiah, and Jesus on earth, through prayer and other spiritual disciplines we can flourish (Nehemiah 1; John 17; 2 Peter 1:1-10). When life deals us wind-expelling blows of lies and job loss, troubled children and bodily sickness, we have to focus on the power of Jesus. We have been given His Holy Spirit, who longs for and waits to give us the power we need to get up from the hits and build again.

What types of blows have knocked you out? How did Jesus help you build again?

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Childish Ways-The 25th Day of Christmas

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On the 25th day of Christmas my true love gave to me His faithfulness and restoration too (Ezra 10:10).

Children do childish things; they’re supposed to; they are children, and adults are charged with helping them to grow out of their childish ways as they grow in stature. These obvious nuggets have kept me for the last two weeks from being mean and screaming at my kids. When I embraced that my children continually show me their need for me, my heart opened with compassion, and now I do whatever it biblically takes to spur them on to maturity. This is the job of a parent, and I am so glad that God Himself is the greatest parent of all. When I read Ezra I see the great challenge of parenting: being faithful to guiding children that stray in order to restore them to the right place.

Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, “The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, [doing] according to their abominations, [even] of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites” (9:1).

This was after Ezra had led this remnant from years in Babylonian captivity back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. He gathered people from various tribes, including the Levites so they could have “ministers for the house of our God” (8:17). And before the return, Ezra led the group in a fast “to seek of (God) a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance” (8:21). They knew the right thing and did the right thing, but they eventually snubbed God and showed their childishness by marrying and following the abominable ways of other people. But God is faithful. He not only restored them to their land but restored them to Him (10:10-12).

Faithfulness and restoration are the constant themes in Ezra and typify the chief work of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was faithful to His mission to leave heaven to come to earth to teach us about salvation through Him and provide that for us by dying on the cross for our sins. Through Jesus we are restored to God, having been separated from God after Adam ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. The blood of Jesus Christ, the second Adam, covers those of us who accept His death, burial and resurrection in the pardoning of our sins. God the Father sees that Jesus’ blood covers our sins. And when we pray, Jesus Christ still intercedes for us while seated at the right hand of God the Father.

I need to be covered. Just like the Israelites, I know to do right and do right, sometimes, but there are times when I lose my head and start acting just as childish as the children I’m supposed to be teaching. I remember how God dealt with the Israelites, how He deals with me, allowing them to turn away from their waywardness and walk with Him. He is my great stabilizer. When in my sin, I seek to quickly remember His mercy and thank Him for His grace and allow them both to carry me to maturity. I remember what He does for me and offer the same to my little men, wanting them to know through me God’s faithfulness and restoration.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith