Good Morning and hope all of you are doing well! As I sit and write this midweek, I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about what God is doing at Bethany. I believe that God is moving in a powerful way here and we are only beginning to see the purpose that God has for us here at Bethany. I'm also so excited about what transpired on the youth trip and the impact that this trip had on these young people's lives. It is so exciting to see their passion to follow God and to impact their world for his glory and his kingdom.
I couldn’t agree more with Jordan this Sunday when he talked about how excited he is for this generation to impact the world. God has placed in my heart a passion for this church and for all of you, that together we would grow in our faith and experience the healing and restoration that God offers to each and everyone of us. I don’t want any of you to miss out on your purpose and full potential that God has for you as individuals and as a local body of believers. We are living in the midst of God's great restoration, and I couldn't be more excited! God has placed the word restoration in my heart this year. As I begin to study this word in depth and begin to look at the Scriptures, I'm overwhelmed with the thought of what this means for you and I as believers. Throughout all of Scripture we see a God of restoration, and I love the thought that God takes great pleasure in restoring and seeing us become what he created us to be. What we as individuals were created to be has always been there from the beginning, but because of sin entering the world and the effects of it , we sometimes are not able to see our purpose and our value. A big part of restoration is God revealing to us who we are, who he created us to be, and through restoration God is removing the broken down walls and the debris. He is cleaning the dust off the windows, so to speak, and through this we can see him for who he is. We can see that his love is so great for us, and you as an individual. He longs to restore you to who he made you to be. As he restores us, we become better than we ever could before or on our own, with more joy and more purpose in our lives. God takes us back to who we really are and who we were created to be. In the midst of brokenness, failures, sins, mistakes, and hurts that are experienced in this world, God restores. As a Creator, he is able to look at us and see the promise of a total restoration of our purpose and beauty.
We are able to have a better version of ourselves than we could ever know or think possible. God wants us in every day that we live to embrace the gospel promise of a world made new. He wants our lives to be shaped by an uncompromising honesty and undiminished hope. As restorers, not just trying to survive, he wants us to face how bad things really are. He wants to pick us up in his hands and use us as the hammers, saws, and screwdrivers of a brand new world. Because of what he has done there is hope for a new beginning and fresh starts. We live each day in a house that is terribly broken, where nothing works exactly as intended.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Psalm71:20-21. 20 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. 21 You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.
2 Corinthians 13:9-11 9 We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored. 10 This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. 11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
However, God’s redemption is a treasure of restored life. In a life burdened with disaster and disappointment, new life can be born through Jesus to redeem what was once lost. Circumstances on earth are temporary, but God restores our focus on eternal hope. God restores our purpose, our vision, and our relationships with each other. One day, we will forever be completely and perfectly restored. Total surrender and faithfulness will always open the door for God’s restoration to begin. Will you surrender and experience God's restoration?
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