| The reality TV show American Restoration features a team of ace mechanics and craftspeople who take rusty, beat-up items and restore them to their original glory. They’ll tackle anything—from cars to bicycles to vintage slot machines. Each restoration is a high-stakes business project in which worthless junk is transformed into valuable collectibles. In our Christian life, that process is called sanctification. When God finally gets ownership over our lives, His purpose is to restore us from the inside out. He might use suffering to sandblast us, or disappointment to acid-wash our pride. Sometimes restoration requires being stripped right down to the chassis, to our very core.
Today’s Scripture reveals that God is into restoration. Israel was one of His ongoing projects. One day, He will reshape us into His original specifications. Like Adam and Eve before the fall? No, He has a far better glory in mind. He rebuilds us to be like His own Son, Jesus Christ.
Father, it’s been quite a restoration project—years and years of stripping away the rust and peeling paint of my old life. And I know, since I’m still here and not in heaven, that You’re not finished yet! Thank You for Your Spirit working in my life from the inside out, gradually shaping me to look more and more like Jesus. |
