Give Them All To Jesus
“There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley
of Achor a door of hope.
There she will sing as in the
days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.” Hosea 2:15
God
is in the refurbishing businesses. Just
like people that can take old furniture, old cars, and old treasures, you place
them in His hands and He’ll make a masterpiece out of them. Years
ago, a women went with her friend to the police to file a report because her
husband was missing. They asked
her to describe him and she said, “He’s 6’ 4”, dark hair and strong build.” Her
friend said, “He is not…He is 5’6”, bald, and heavy.” She said, “Who wants him
back?” Wouldn’t it be great if it worked that easily?
One of the greatest gifts God gives us is to
restore our lives and restore our relationship with Him and others. We
live a world that is loaded with self-help ideas. Everywhere you turn is people giving advice. Self-Help books. Self-Help talk. The more people try to change, the more they stay
the same. Restoration can’t come on our own however, God wants to take our
situation and change us.
Hosea and Gomer’s relationship had been
smashed to pieces and so had God and Israel’s. After marrying the prostitute Gomer as a
symbol of God’s love for the wayward Israel, he shares with His beloved
nation. “There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley
of Achor a door of hope.
There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she
came up out of Egypt.” (Hosea 2:15) Israel had broken her relationship
with God, and in the breaking of that relationship, worship had disintegrated
to the point that the name of God (Yahweh) and Baal were being used
interchangeably.
Worship in Israel reached
its lowest point when God was worshiped as Baal. When the broken relationship between God and His
people was restored, Israel called her God, "My Husband."
Josh McDowell in his book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, writes
of this love and forgiveness.
He states that his father
"epitomized everything I hated. He
was the town drunk. My high school
friends would make jokes about him making a fool of himself around town.
Sometimes when we had company, I would tie Dad up in the barn and tell them he
had to go on an important call." When
McDowell became a Christian, God's grace was able to transform his hatred for
his father into love. Shortly after his conversion to Christ, McDowell was
injured in an automobile accident. His
father came to visit him in his hospital room. At one point as they were
talking together, he broke down and said, "Josh, I've been the worst kind
of father to you. How can you love a man like me?" "Dad," said
McDowell, "six months ago I couldn't. But now, through Jesus Christ, I can
love you." He explained to his father the meaning of God's grace in his
life. Before leaving that hospital
room, Josh McDowell's father had committed his life to Jesus Christ. He was a
changed man! Scores of people who saw the change in his life also came to know
Jesus Christ. A year later, this changed man died at peace with God and at
peace with his son.
These situations remind us that life is not
always filled with silver linings. Life has a way of tearing us apart. Sometimes we make choices that bring
problems, sometimes we are enticed into problems, but many time we are born into them. Whatever the case, no matter what we have
experienced, God restores our lives
The old Christian song written by Bill and
Gloria Gaither says it best:
“Give them all, give them all,
give them all to Jesus
Shattered dreams, wounded hearts,
and broken toys.
Give them all, give them all, give
them all to Jesus
And He will turn your sorrows
into joy.”
Don’t be hesitant to give Him your hurts
today. He’s the Master Craftsman and He specializes
in refurbishment. No limit…no
barriers…He will take them all.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1)
Describe
a time where God restored something in your life?
2)
What
can He do for you today?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyrights 2014- Terry
Risser
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