RESTORATION
4th of 7 devotions in Labor Day Rest series
Acts 3:20-21
Acts 3:19-21: “Repent then, and turn to God, so that your
sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and
that He may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes
for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy
prophets.”
This
snapshot of restoration is victory for God’s kids before Jesus returns!
God’s
holy prophet, Jeremiah, links restoration to repentance in 15:19: “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘If
you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me.’”
Sin
has ALWAYS been the problem!
News
flash: People really don’t want to stop
sinning. They make the same mistakes
over and over—never changing old habits or think differently.
Restoration
won’t happen until sin is destroyed for good.
But
how?
Deciding
to cooperate with God’s indwelling Spirit for transforming us into
Christlikeness is a deliberate lifelong
choice.
Repentance
starts up the power saw. 1) We must
acknowledge sin. 2) We must confess
guilt. 3) We must agree with God that the sin needs to stop. 4) Then we must turn away from that sin—and turn towards
God.
Will
you pray with me through the rest of this devotion?
Holy
Spirit, guide the power saw to cut out sin from my heart. Romans 6:6 says, “For we know that our old
self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” (Good-bye old sinful nature).
Ephesians
4:22 tells me why: “You were taught in regard to your former way of life, to
put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its sinful desires.”
Ephesians
4:23 prepares my heart “to be made new in the attitude of your minds.”
Ephesians
4:24 inserts “the new self, [Spirit of Christ], created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness.”
I
believe that my old sinful self is destroyed.
Now I agree that “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer
live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
Himself for me.”
(Galatians 2:20-21).
Take
Home Nugget
Thank
You for transforming me, Lord—freeing me from the chains of sin! Help me to wear my new self of Christ and
forget all sinful desires. I welcome You
to work in my life now to restore what I had lost, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Praise
God for setting you free from the chains of sin, beginning your restoration,
and giving you rest!
Adapted from a
”Daily Grace Ministries” devotion by Joseph Prince. www.josephprinceministries@josephprince.org.
November 13, 2014.
J.D. Griffith
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