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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Praise Him for Restoration!

Is there anyone out there who doesn’t need a little restoration from time to time? I don’t know about you, but there are times that my soul just cries out to God for a good dose of it.

As I sat in the dentist office yesterday, I had a tooth that was in need of a little restoration. It wasn’t just new decay that needed removal. It was an old filling that had gotten some new decay around it. Just because that tooth had been filled previously, it didn’t prevent some further decay from creeping in.

The LORD spoke to me while I was calmly (ha!) waiting for the dentist to come in to begin the process. He showed me that we Christians are just like that tooth. Just because we have been covered in the blood of Christ, it doesn’t prevent us from getting some areas of decay or sin in our lives. We still have to guard ourselves against the wiles of the devil. We still have to guard ourselves against our own flesh. We can still let sin creep on in and take hold and begin the decaying process in our spiritual lives.

Our salvation is in no way an automatic protection against our sinful nature. We still have to take up the Cross on a daily basis. We still have to constantly be strengthening ourselves in the Word of God to help us guard our hearts from sin.

When the dentist came in, he didn’t just put a filling in that tooth on top of the decay. He had to get all that decay out before he could begin that process of restoring the tooth. He had to make sure he removed every trace of the decay so that the filling would take hold. The filling had to have a clean surface to adhere to. If any of the decay was left behind, it would just continue to spread further.

We are just like that. If we don’t fully get rid of the sin, it will just fester and continue to grow and spread until it does even more damage. God absolutely cannot begin to restore us until we are convicted of our sin and come face to face with it. He has to start with a clean surface. There has to be a cleansing before the renewal process begins. We have to acknowledge our sin and become broken by it. Once we get to that state of brokenness over our sin, we begin to seek His forgiveness. We have to totally turn that sin over to Him. We have to come to a place of repentance so we can rid ourselves of that sin once and for all.

Then and only then, can our precious Father begin to restore our souls. He continues to cleanse us. He can begin to send His rain of mercy and grace down upon us. He can wash us in the water of His Word. He will pour out forgiveness like a flood. The waterfall of His restoration will flow down upon us and over us and bring us back to full fellowship with our sweet Savior. To bring us back to full restoration in the One who satisfied His holiness with the sinless Lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world so that we could become His righteousness.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit”

(Psalm 51:10-12)

Beth

12 comments:

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

I love how you said you were "calmly" waiting for the dentist to come in. Girl, I'd rather give birth than to have anyone putting their hands/instruments into my mouth! There is no calm when I go to the dentist. Still and yet, it's my necessity sometimes. As it goes with the dentist, so it goes with my spiritual life. Thankfully, I'm more trusting of Jesus than I am of my dentist. Plus, the "bill" is much smaller; the price has already been paid.

Take good care. Love your new "look" here at your blog.

peace~elaine

petrii said...

Beth,
What a GREAT analogy!! All of the decay has to come out before the new can go in. What a GREAT post!!! Thank you for always pointing us to the cross.

Have a Blessed day my sister,
Dawn

Yolanda said...

So so true, and I appreciate you encouraging us to confess and come "clean". He already knows, but we have to participate as well. Psalm 19:13 my current memory verse as well as verse 14 comes to my mind....Love to you, Yolanda

Anonymous said...

This is so true and an awesome way to describe sin! I love how God speaks to us in ways that help us understand Him better!

LisaShaw said...

First I have to say calmly does not describe me at the dentist last year when I had my first and hopefully last root canal. :)

Your words here blessed me so much especially this:

"Our salvation is in no way an automatic protection against our sinful nature. We still have to take up the Cross on a daily basis. We still have to constantly be strengthening ourselves in the Word of God to help us guard our hearts from sin."

You're always such a blessing Beth. I enjoy my visits whenever I am able to get here.

Thank GOD for removing all the decay in our lives and bringing restoration!

I love you.

Laurie said...

Great analogy sister! Isn't it great how God speaks to us right where we are! Love you sis, Laurie

Leslie said...

Loved this!

Anonymous said...

How funny-the DH made a trip to the dentist yesterday...but he had to get the whole tooth removed! HA...

This is so true...and it is so nice when God reviles things to us in simple (or not so simple) day to day things.

Thank you for the Truth!
Tessa

Sue said...

I love this post.

Best thing about it is getting to the end and seeing that bible verse - that is my song, that I sing, when I'm struggling. It brings me peace.

Unknown said...

Good word Beth. That can be a painful process sometimes, remaining in humility in the dentist chair,but will allow the Holy Spirit to keep our hearts in check. Thanks for sharing!

Beth E. said...

Calmly waiting?? Sheesh, not me! Like Elaine, I'd rather give birth!

What a great post, and what a great scripture! One of my favorite praise and worship songs comes from those verses. :-)

A Stone Gatherer said...

What a wonderful picture! Thanks for sharing it!