By: Dale Weckbacher
Psalm 85:13
Righteousness will go
before him
and make his footsteps a way.
and make his footsteps a way.
(ESV)
While the news about the coronavirus
dominates the media and thinking of many across the world, we must not allow it
to take our focus off what is important, our relationship with God our creator. During this crisis, people typically have one
of two types of reactions towards God. Some
will react by lashing out at God who allowed this to happen, believing God does
not love them or humanity. However, this
reaction is a slap in the face of God who demonstrated His love for humanity by
coming to us and dying for sins He did not commit (2
Corinthians 5:21). Others will react
by turning towards God to find peace and comfort during this time knowing Jesus
said there would be trouble and that Jesus overcame that trouble on the cross (John
16:33).
Psalm
85 is a cry out to God for revival. As
we reflect on the events of the last couple of weeks, we observe a lack of
trust in God and the resulting panic as people see what they have placed their
trust in disappear. I must confess to
having times of fear during this crisis as I see my retirement savings disappear,
wondering if I will be able to retire or need to keep on working. However, this crisis has caused me to pause
and reflect on where the treasure of my heart is (Luke
12:34; Matthew 6:21). Fear and panic
over the coronavirus are symptomatic of spiritual heart trouble indicating our
heart treasures something else above God.
This is a time for the people of
God to reflect on and treasure what they have in Christ and share that treasure
with others. Psalm 85 reminds us that as
believers in Christ we have,
1) Security
of salvation (Psalm
85:1-3) – Thankfully our salvation is not the result of our good works but
instead the work of Jesus Christ who knew no sin (2
Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8). If
our salvation were based upon our good works, we could never be certain of our
standing or position with God for none of our works are righteous enough to
bring salvation (Isaiah
64:6; Romans 3:10). However, we can
have certainty of salvation because the sinless savior took our place and took
our death penalty (Romans
6:23) so we can achieve a righteous standing with God by simply believing (John
3:16) and making a public confession of faith in the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans
10:9-10).
2) Ongoing
Restoration (Psalm
85:4-7) – Through the work of Jesus on the cross, we have a right standing
with God and eternal life (2
Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8; John 3:16). However, there is also an ongoing aspect of
salvation that involves our moving from conformity to the world and its way of
thinking to conformity to God and His Word (Romans
12:2). I love to watch home
improvement shows on TV not because I am a great craftsman, but out of
admiration for how they take a home in terrible condition and turn it into
something beautiful. We are like a dilapidated
home that God purchased with the blood of His Son on the cross that God walks
into and begins the restoration of our dilapidated condition. God does not turn around and walk out upon
seeing the dilapidated condition of our lives but sees what we can become and
begins our life renovation project. As
with the home renovation projects on TV, life renovation usually begins with
demolition or as Jesus illustrated, the pruning of unfruitful parts of our
lives (John
15:1-17). God demonstrated the
vastness of His love for us by becoming one of us, living with us, and dying
for our sins. However, the love of God
for us can be painful as He demolishes idols in our lives that stand between us
and God during the restoration and renovation of our lives. While this demolition is occurring, we must
abide in Christ by allowing God's Word to abide in us through prayerful study
and meditation so we can bear the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians
5:22-23; John 15:5). Just as the end
of a home improvement project showcases a beautifully renovated home, our goal
is to be ambassadors for Christ showcasing a renovated and fruitful life lived
for Christ (2
Corinthians 5:20).
3) A
message of revival for those without hope (Psalm
85:8-13) – Just as the end of a home renovation project is the showcasing
of the finished product, a fruitful and restored life is not to remain hidden,
but displayed as an example of the restorative power of the message of the
Gospel. Jesus equates a restored life as
one being both salt or a preservative agent in the world and light or someone
shining with hope. A lost and dying world
needs the preservative and hope-filled message of the Gospel showcased through
a restored and renovated life.
If you are reading this and are
interested in experiencing a Godly renovation in your life, you must first
allow God to purchase your delipidated life for God will not renovate something
he does not own. Romans
10:9-10 reminds us that salvation comes as one confesses belief in the
death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus stands at the door of our lives, knocking
(Revelation
3:20) but only comes in when we open the door of our lives to him so he can
come in and begin the life renovation project.
Please pray with me now and invite Jesus, the renovator, into your life
so He can begin his glorious renovation project,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
A world dominated by the recent
coronavirus crisis needs a message of hope coming from those whose lives have
been saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ who are experiencing the
restoration of their lives and are becoming fruitful. My prayer is that those reading this who have
experienced salvation from God would allow God to demolish the idols in their
lives and begin bearing the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians
5:22-23) to a world in despair. While
this demolition process will be painful as God demolishes idols in our lives we
treasure, God replaces these demolished idols with a relationship with Himself
that will never end. May God bless
everyone reading this post.
No comments:
Post a Comment