“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.” Titus 2:11
Restoration is possible – nothing is ever beyond repair. When Jesus was on earth, He referred to God more as Father than any other term. He repeated it so often that it would make mischief to deny the same. His apostles repeated the same in all their letters. Peter says we were born of the word (1 Peter 1:23). James says He is the Father of lights, and we are a kind of first fruit of his creatures (James 1:17,18), and the writer of Hebrews affirms he brought many sons unto the glory and that we are His brethren (Hebrews 2:10,11), John exclaims Beloved, now are we the sons of God (1 John 3:1,2).
Jesus, upon His resurrection, says to Mary, ‘go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God (John 20.17). So, this is a fact that cannot be denied about us. One of the most popular parables of Jesus was that of the so-called prodigal Son (Luke 15.11-32). In that chapter, he talked about a man who lost one sheep, left the 99 to seek the missing one, found it, and called his friends and neighbor to rejoice with him. He also talked about the woman who lost her coin, sought it, found it, and started a celebration. He now concluded His narratives with that of the man and his two children (You should read that story again, it’s always a delight).
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
As the story goes, the younger son came to collect his portion of the inheritance, went away into a far country, and spent his life in riotous living. In today’s parlance, you will say he went into drugs, prostitution, robbery, occultism, and whatever you might think of. And what happened? He got burnt, the law caught him, or he destroyed his body. All that said, he never stopped being a son. The moment the son realized how far he was gone, he came to himself and said I would go to my Father. Thank God, he knew who his Father was, ‘The LORD who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in mercy. ( Read Psalms 103.8-10).
He knew the Father only offered forgiveness and reconciliation. He does not delight in judgment. He will not forsake; rather, He heals, restores, and sets apart. He finds the purest gold in miry clay and turns sinners into saints. God is always in the business of reconciling humankind to Himself, offering salvation to men or women who are yet to be saved, or restoring fellowship to any believer who has gone astray. Nothing speaks of our Father’s character, desire, and power more than when people are restored. That’s always God’s desire. Amen. Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Amen.
Prayer:
1. Father, I thank you for the gift of forgiveness and restoration I have in you.
2. Today, I choose to renew my mind to your love and walk in the light of the same. Thank you, Father! Amen.
