Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada with an interesting slant on restoring things.
That’s right! The other night I was looking at the History Channel and they had on one of my husband’s favorite programs, “American Restorations.” The show features this group of guys who take rusty, beat-up items and restore them to their original glory. Whether it's a giant gas pump from the 1940s or a Hopalong Cassidy bicycle from the 1950s, each restoration is kind of like a high-stakes business project where worthless junk is transformed into a valuable collectible. But these restorations aren't easy; there’s always some quirky challenge, some seemingly insurmountable obstacle that makes it doubly hard for these guys to finish the job flawlessly and on time. Anyway, the other night there was this old car being sandblasted, wire brushed, and acid washed; everything dismantled down to the chassis … reconstructed, it was, from the inside out.
And as I was taking in this program, the thought occurred to me: That is a picture of sanctification, it is! When God gets a hold of us, His intention is to restore us from the inside out. He uses suffering to sandblast you; He uses some disappointment to acid wash your pride. Oh my goodness, when it comes to sanctification, often God will strip us right down to the chassis, to our very core.
Amos chapter 9, verse 11 describes it well. God says, “In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be.” I like that part where God says He will build us as He originally intended us to be. But don’t think His blueprint is to restore us to what we were like in Adam before the fall. Oh, no, through sanctification, God's not interested in restoring us to our original glory; no, He has a far better glory in mind. He rebuilds us not to be like Adam, but to be like Christ. Oh, friend, we gain so much more in Christ than we ever lost in Adam.
God wants to repair and restore you and make you like Jesus. It’s why the Bible says, “Be ye sanctified.” We are to partner with God in this restoration work of His; we are to stomp on that natural love of sin and set apart ourselves unto the Lord. Whether it’s willful rebellion, or the tiny transgressions you sweep under the carpet of your conscience, from these things separate yourself. No doubt about it: it’s a tall order, but it is a do-able one.
That’s because you have help from out of this world. The Lord Jesus has undertaken everything that your soul requires to be restored—not to Adam’s original condition mind you, but to Christ. Jesus is not only delivering you from the guilt of sin through justification, but from the dominion of sin through sanctification. How? By placing the Holy Spirit as well as the new principle, a “bent for good” in your heart, you have power to follow through on life choices that please the Lord. And that power is in Christ: “He gave himself for us … to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).
Today, be eager to do what is good. And, hey, if you need some help in this whole journey of sanctification, then I encourage you to please visit my radio page when we’re finished here. Go to joniandfriends.org and ask for Bible Promises for Hope and Courage. It’ll help in that important work of sanctification. Agree with God and partner with His Spirit as together you work to rebuild and restore and repair everything about you that is old and broken, even if it means sandblasting you to the core.
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