The Restoration of God's People

The heart of God contains no desire whatsoever for the destruction of man. His love for us has such depth and breadth that it cannot be measured. But it can be understood and grasped, as the Word clearly says in Ephesians 3. The beautiful heart of God has a deep longing for the salvation, healing, deliverance and restoration of man. That longing is expressed in everything He does for us, but especially in the enormous sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

His beloved Son was despised and rejected by man, tortured and crucified for our iniquities. Through that sacrifice His grace was released for us. Now we can be free from the grip of sin. Completely free. There is grace and forgiveness, rest for the weary and hope for the broken-hearted.

In this process of restoration it is about finding out who we are. When our hearts are truly opened to God, then the first thing that will strike us is the fleshly nature of our heart and everything that lives within it. That revelation is far from pleasant, but necessary. Firstly because it shows us the need for change. Secondly because it will reveal to us the true value of His grace for us. When we know what He has forgiven us of exactly, then we will understand the value of His grace, and because of that revelation we will then also be able to understand His love for us.

We can try to change our ways, but we will never succeed in it, as long as the root of the problem is still intact. That root is our own heart. We all have the tendency to first make ourselves perfect and blameless, before we enter His presence. We want to offer Him a life that pleases Him. But that is a misconception. You are not able to change your heart. Only the Word of God can and will do that. You are already accepted and loved by your Creator.

When the Bible speaks of repentance, it is not speaking about your attempts to try as hard as you can to no longer sin. It speaks about changing your way of thinking. It is your thinking that has to be brought in line with the Word of God. Only the Word of God has the power to change you from within. That is the kind of change that is lasting and will lead you to the restoration He has promised.