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Restoration Instead of Condemnation
Andrea Lende • November 26, 2020
II Corinthians 5:19
Restoration Instead of Condemnation
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Restoration-Instead-of-Condemnation-en012u
II Corinthians 5:19
“It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of restoration to favor).”
Paul’s words here are powerful.
God was actually present in His Son, Jesus Christ.
As I consider this statement Paul made, I am taken aback.
The Creator of all we know, God Himself, allowed Himself to be “personally present in Christ”.
Jesus lived on earth for about thirty-three years.
And they were not charmed years.
As far as I can deduce the years were difficult for Jesus.
He obviously didn’t have the simple luxuries of our modern day.
Things like running water, plumbing, heat, and other comforts we enjoy.
And during His ministry He said He didn’t have a home – no place to rest His head.
He was often found praying in the middle of the night on the bank of a mountain.
I’m sure there were evenings when He was cold and shivering.
His physical body was probably uncomfortable more than not.
He often turned down eating because He needed to pray.
He moved about to different towns so he could minister to as many people as He could.
He also spent forty days in the desert without food and without a bed to sleep in.
Sometimes I take for granted the simple pleasures of our modern-day world.
Jesus allowed Himself to experience the difficulties and physical uncomfortableness He underwent.
Why?
Our passage says He came to reconcile us back to Him.
All His suffering, including dying a most horrible death on the cross, was to bring us into relationship with Him.
Our sins died with Him on the cross.
They were cancelled out.
Paul said He was “reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them]”.
All of His pain and trouble was for us.
God’s plan was for restoration not condemnation.
A beautiful plan to bring us into relationship with Him.
His love is beyond our ability to understand or measure.
Today I choose to praise the Lord for His sacrifice and the difficulties He went through just to restore our relationship with Him by cancelling our sins and making us pure in His sight.
May you find that praising the Lord is healing to your mind and spirit as you thank Him for restoration and reconciliation instead of separation and condemnation.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for putting Yourself through the difficulties You faced in order to reconcile me back to You. Thank You for the suffering You endured to save me. Thank You for putting me before You as You left heaven’s door. Help me fully worship You as You deserve to be worshipped. Help me revere You Lord as You are worthy of all reverence. Help me understand more and more of You and the sacrifice You made. May it lead and guide me through this life, Father. As You gave up so much to draw me to You and be in relationship with You, help me give up whatever I need to give up in order to be fully Yours. May Your Wisdom guide me. May Your love transform me. Mold me and make me into the person You desire me to be. Ready me in all ways to serve You here on earth and in heaven. Help me do all that You ask me to do, Lord. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I desire relationship with you, My child, and will continue to draw you closer to Me.
Response: I am undeserving of such love and grace, thank You, most gracious God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.