His Nature of Restoration

I cannot help but smile every time I walk through my Shepherd’s woods and behold the beauty of His creation. In the quietness of God’s creation is a voice that whispers the power and majesty of God’s will: in His plan to bring restoration and redemption to all things.

 The sunbeams testify of the light that will break through the darkness.

The breeze brings a refreshing that reminds me of a near Spirit that dwells within.

The roots speak of being rooted and grounded in His love.

The dried colored leaves show the change in physical season and also show the consistency of the cycle of changing seasons that point to an Unchanging God who is constant through every season.

Falls sets in, leaves fall down, but the hope of a season of new life to come bring expectancy through the long winter months.
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it will bear no fruit.

The leaves fall, making the branches appear barren, but the beauty of the spring and grace in which restoration unfolds will not be seen unless the bare branches endure through the orchestrated time. In the midst of a broken world where tragedy cuts deep, pain pursues, and evil engulfs, there is a Living Hope whose love speaks a better word. He speaks mercy. He pursues the soul of every being made creatively and knit together in His image. He sings songs of joy over His beloved and works to redeem every injustice, because He longs to dwell with His creation and His throne is founded upon justice and righteousness. There is love, joy, peace, and righteousness in His kingdom. He ever lives to make intercession and He will not rest until salvation comes, for He is the Mighty Redeemer: the one who parted the Red Sea so His people could journey into freedom and pursue the promise. He is the one who came from heaven to be called Immanuel: God with us. He is the one who will split the sky and come again, making every wrong thing right— because His heart is for restoration, redemption, and freedom.

His heart is for love... to freely give love— even when He is crucified for it. The deeper I journey onto the path of abolition, the more deeply my heart rejoices because it sees the beauty of God’s relentless plan to bring forth restoration from depravity. God’s restoration is powerful because it is divine grace working through human weakness, for the glory of God to be made manifest upon the earth, showcasing a picture of heaven and what His original intent was: wholeness – perfect shalom – God dwelling with His people in perfect love, joy, peace, and righteousness. His restoration cuts deeper than tragedy. His joy turns the deepest sorrow around into a testimony of the living grace and hope that is found through embracing the cross. His righteousness has power to conquer evil and set captives free. And so we must continue to fix our eyes upon Him who patiently endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him, giving us an example to follow. His love is deeper and stronger than anything else, and it reconciles us back to the Father, so we can have the spirit of grace living on the inside of us, which works restoration through our being.

The cross shows us the way to the beauty of restoration.The cross shows us the way of perfect love.The cross shows us the power that is found in submission to the Father’s will.