Restoration Is Possible
Do you feel rejected? Are you afraid that you have failed so miserably that there is no hope? Do you think your past makes you unlovable? I have good news for you.
Because of Christ you are never out of reach of grace.
Because of Christ you have hope everlasting.
Because of Christ restoration is possible.
For every single person on this green earth.
No exception.
All because of Christ.
The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
on him, on him.
(Isaiah 53:2-6, MSG, emphasis added)
Jesus carried our pains, our disfigurements, our failures on the cross. Our sins ripped and tore and crushed him. People did the worst they could think of to him. But how did Jesus respond? He did not resent us. He did not reject us. He did not retaliate. But he did the best he could think of to us. He blessed us. He poured out grace upon grace. He forgave us.
Okay, you say. That’s all wonderful but what does it have to do with you today? Everything. Because Jesus carried all our failures, disappointments, hurts and sins on the cross, we don’t need to be buried underneath them. Instead we can give them by faith to Christ and receive hope and healing. Because of Christ we can be made whole. Through Christ’s bruises we can get healed. Okay, you say. How does that happen? By simply turning to God. By pouring out our heart to God. By submitting ourselves to God. By coming clean with God.
When I kept it all inside,
my bones turned to powder,
my words became daylong groans.
The pressure never let up;
all the juices of my life dried up.
Then I let it all out;
I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.”
Suddenly the pressure was gone—
my guilt dissolved,
my sin disappeared.
(Psalm 32:3-5, MSG)
There’s nothing better than being saved by grace.
There’s nothing more exhilarating than being made whole by Christ.
There’s nothing more wonderful than being loved by God.
And all this is freely given for anyone who desires to be one with God. Our past, our failures are nothing against God’s redeeming power. We are saved and made whole by grace through faith in Jesus. We are free to live in God’s love. The past is gone and the future is full of hope. Let us rejoice!
Gracious God,
Thank you for responding to us with grace.
Thank you that our past, our sins, our failures
are nothing against your redeeming power.
Heal us, Lord, make us whole.
Thank you for calling us to forgive others,
empower us to do so.
Fill us with the joy of salvation and hope everlasting.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: How has God’s grace touched you?
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you live your life with Jesus!
Image courtesy of Marian Trinidad. Linking up today with Linking up today with Heart & Home, One Word at a Time: Failures Blog Carnival and
4 thoughts on “Restoration Is Possible”
God is soooo good! Just the other day a friend of mine called to say God had provided all the money she needed to be able to go on a mission trip. How it all transpired was definitely from God.
Yes! God is AWESOME! Thank you, TC, for sharing. May God bless this mission trip! May God bless you and yours!
Such wonderful thoughts here that even though Jesus suffered, he was not a failure! He was rejected but not a failure. He accomplished the work of Salvation for us. That is a success story!
Quite a success story indeed! Thank you, Hazel! God bless you!