John 10:10
The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
A few weeks ago, Greg and I
observed the release of a mature bald eagle at a federal fish hatchery
located near our house. The Raptor Rehab of Central Arkansas officials
believe this bird was hit by a car, and they were able to nurse it
through the injury and release it back into the wild. Watching that
majestic eagle step from the kennel and soar into the trees was a sight
to behold. The bird perched in the tree for several minutes, then flew
down river and disappeared from sight.
Today, I looked out the
window in time to see an eagle soaring over the river behind our house.
Of course, I cannot say whether this is the same mature bald eagle we
watched return to its natural habitat a few weeks ago…but I like to
think maybe it was. The bird soared on currents and wove back and forth
for a couple of minutes before disappearing into the trees up river.
I
couldn’t help but think about today’s scripture verse. Some “force”
nearly cost this bird its life. I don’t know what caused a bald eagle
to collide with a car…but I do know that mean-spirited people actually
shoot and/or maim these birds – apparently for sport – which is a
federal offense. And yet, through the efforts of projects such as
Raptor Rehab of Central Arkansas, many injured and/or sick birds are
rehabilitated and released back into the wild. Many of those that
cannot be released are well cared for and utilized in the presentation
of educational programs around the state.
These birds are
“given life in all its fullness”. And surely, the God who offers such a
second chance to birds of prey will do the same for us. Maybe you’ve
been kicked around, knocked down, injured or struck by illness of some
kind. Maybe your hurts are of a more personal nature…and maybe you have
felt like “someone” was out to cause you harm – that their purpose was
to steal, kill and destroy. And you’ve wondered why God has deserted
you. The answer is that God has never left.
You may not see
it…you may not “feel” God’s hand in the circumstances of your life…but
like the loving folks who carefully rehab a bird of prey, God stands
ready to restore you and give you purpose. Things may not be like they
once were – you may not soar to the heights you once enjoyed. But God
may show you another course…He may redirect your path and give you new
objectives. Your job is to open your heart and mind to the
possibilities that He presents.
So what will you choose? Will
you wallow in the destruction of the “enemy”…or will you allow God to
rehab you – and “soar with the eagles”? The choice is yours…and God is
right beside you waiting for an answer. How will you respond?
©2015 Debbie Robus
http://www.rrca-raptors.org/
Showing posts with label God's restoration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's restoration. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for October 5, 2014
Jeremiah 33:6-9
Nevertheless the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s damage and give her prosperity and peace. I will rebuild the cities of both Judah and Israel and restore their fortunes. And I will cleanse away all their sins against me and pardon them. Then this city will be an honor to me, and it will give me joy and be a source of praise and glory to me before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see the good I do for my people and will tremble with awe!
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
One of my favorite TV shows is called “Rehab Addict”. It features Nicole Curtis, a young woman who buys really old, run-down houses in Detroit and Minneapolis...and completely restores them. Her specialty is using restoration hardware and vintage materials that she reclaims from other old homes – or purchases at a local salvage yard and thrift stores. She repairs old hardwood floors...light fixtures...stained glass windows...claw-footed bath tubs and vintage kitchen sinks...and so much more...and creates comfortable modern homes with a vintage feel.
Many of the houses that Curtis purchases were scheduled for condemnation. Some have windows that have been boarded up...graffiti that defaces the interior and exterior walls...and crumbling sidewalks and porches. Nothing seems to be too difficult for Curtis and her team to tackle...and when the program did show an old home that was too far gone being demolished, she was standing on the sidelines with tears pouring down her face.
Nicole Curtis is one of many restoration and renovation experts who have a vision. They see beauty and purpose where most of us would see something that needed to go. They have the foresight and ability to clean away the grime, sand and polish the years of wear and tear, and turn back time.
Most of us are a lot like those houses. We’ve become worn with time and “life”...and maybe stained with our sins and wrongdoings. Some of us are downright sick from all of it and in need of a profound healing and restoration. And God offers us exactly this! He has the vision of who and what we are supposed to be...what He intended for us. God also has the ability to restore us to our former purpose...to cleanse us of the stains of our sins and heal us where the gaping wounds of our bad choices and wrong paths have left us scarred and worn.
If you’re like me, you know at least one person of whom you have said, “If God can fix So-and-so, He can fix ANYBODY!” And maybe that “So-and-So” is YOU! The point is that God does not desire that a single one of us be “torn down and piled into the dumpster”. He sees us as He designed us...and He can get us back into prime condition. Aren’t you ready for a spiritual renovation and restoration...even if all you need is just a “light refreshing”? Isn’t this the perfect time to humble yourself before God and ask Him to “do a good work in you”? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Nevertheless the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s damage and give her prosperity and peace. I will rebuild the cities of both Judah and Israel and restore their fortunes. And I will cleanse away all their sins against me and pardon them. Then this city will be an honor to me, and it will give me joy and be a source of praise and glory to me before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see the good I do for my people and will tremble with awe!
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
One of my favorite TV shows is called “Rehab Addict”. It features Nicole Curtis, a young woman who buys really old, run-down houses in Detroit and Minneapolis...and completely restores them. Her specialty is using restoration hardware and vintage materials that she reclaims from other old homes – or purchases at a local salvage yard and thrift stores. She repairs old hardwood floors...light fixtures...stained glass windows...claw-footed bath tubs and vintage kitchen sinks...and so much more...and creates comfortable modern homes with a vintage feel.
Many of the houses that Curtis purchases were scheduled for condemnation. Some have windows that have been boarded up...graffiti that defaces the interior and exterior walls...and crumbling sidewalks and porches. Nothing seems to be too difficult for Curtis and her team to tackle...and when the program did show an old home that was too far gone being demolished, she was standing on the sidelines with tears pouring down her face.
Nicole Curtis is one of many restoration and renovation experts who have a vision. They see beauty and purpose where most of us would see something that needed to go. They have the foresight and ability to clean away the grime, sand and polish the years of wear and tear, and turn back time.
Most of us are a lot like those houses. We’ve become worn with time and “life”...and maybe stained with our sins and wrongdoings. Some of us are downright sick from all of it and in need of a profound healing and restoration. And God offers us exactly this! He has the vision of who and what we are supposed to be...what He intended for us. God also has the ability to restore us to our former purpose...to cleanse us of the stains of our sins and heal us where the gaping wounds of our bad choices and wrong paths have left us scarred and worn.
If you’re like me, you know at least one person of whom you have said, “If God can fix So-and-so, He can fix ANYBODY!” And maybe that “So-and-So” is YOU! The point is that God does not desire that a single one of us be “torn down and piled into the dumpster”. He sees us as He designed us...and He can get us back into prime condition. Aren’t you ready for a spiritual renovation and restoration...even if all you need is just a “light refreshing”? Isn’t this the perfect time to humble yourself before God and ask Him to “do a good work in you”? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for September 27, 2014
Hosea 14:1-4
Israel, return! Come back
to the Lord, your God.
Sin has made you fall.
Return to the Lord and say,
“Please forgive our sins.
Accept our good sacrifices
of praise instead of bulls.
Assyria can’t save us,
and chariots can’t help.
So we will no longer worship
the idols we have made.
Our Lord, you show mercy
to orphans.”
Israel, you have rejected me,
but my anger is gone;
I will heal you and love you
without limit.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Albert Einstein is credited with saying that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!” By this “definition,” we are all more than a little insane. We know that eating too much and sitting on our duffs will likely keep us from being fit and healthy...yet we continue to stuff our faces with all the wrong things and slack on the exercise regimens. We know that other habits will produce unhealthy results, also...yet we can’t seem to kick them, either!
We understand that a negative attitude breeds negativity in those around us...yet we continue to gossip, backbite, speak and think cynically, and treat others unkindly. We even say we understand that we need to study God’s word, communicate with Him continually in prayer and meditation (listening), and fellowship with other believers who can encourage us in order to be healthy spiritually. But many of us spend more time watching TV and surfing the Internet than we would ever hope to spend strengthening our relationship with God...and then we wonder why our lives seem to be coming apart at the seams – or are far less satisfying and “successful” than we would hope in so many areas.
Quite honestly, we are the modern-day “children of Israel”. God has given us every chance in the book to make changes and do better...and we continue to falter and/or fail. But here’s the Good News. God will not give up on us! He offers us a chance to make things right. If we are truly repentant, He will heal us and love us like we never imagined possible.
We really can break the cycle...we most certainly can do better and “get healthy” – not just spiritually, but in other ways, as well. And it begins with our admission that we have failed to be obedient...that we have worshipped “idols” rather than God – money, fame or “success”, possessions, friends, other people and relationship, and more...that we have not listened to God and sought a deep and abiding relationship and continual dialogue with Him. God will honor true repentance. He knows when we are genuine and sincere...and when we aren’t. IF we come to him with an apologetic heart...and an authentic desire to change, He will heal us and forgive us - and set us upright.
God is willing to forgive and restore us. It may seem like insanity to think that He would do this over and over again, but the only “insane” thing about it is how madly in love God is with each of us! He is willing to do whatever it takes to maintain a relationship with us...but we have to be willing to give Him our heart and soul – quite literally.
We have to be ready to truly lay down our “idols” and do whatever God asks of us...whenever and wherever we are needed. In return, He will say, “My anger is gone, and I am ready to heal you and love you without limit.” Are you ready to accept His gifts and be healed?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Israel, return! Come back
to the Lord, your God.
Sin has made you fall.
Return to the Lord and say,
“Please forgive our sins.
Accept our good sacrifices
of praise instead of bulls.
Assyria can’t save us,
and chariots can’t help.
So we will no longer worship
the idols we have made.
Our Lord, you show mercy
to orphans.”
Israel, you have rejected me,
but my anger is gone;
I will heal you and love you
without limit.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Albert Einstein is credited with saying that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!” By this “definition,” we are all more than a little insane. We know that eating too much and sitting on our duffs will likely keep us from being fit and healthy...yet we continue to stuff our faces with all the wrong things and slack on the exercise regimens. We know that other habits will produce unhealthy results, also...yet we can’t seem to kick them, either!
We understand that a negative attitude breeds negativity in those around us...yet we continue to gossip, backbite, speak and think cynically, and treat others unkindly. We even say we understand that we need to study God’s word, communicate with Him continually in prayer and meditation (listening), and fellowship with other believers who can encourage us in order to be healthy spiritually. But many of us spend more time watching TV and surfing the Internet than we would ever hope to spend strengthening our relationship with God...and then we wonder why our lives seem to be coming apart at the seams – or are far less satisfying and “successful” than we would hope in so many areas.
Quite honestly, we are the modern-day “children of Israel”. God has given us every chance in the book to make changes and do better...and we continue to falter and/or fail. But here’s the Good News. God will not give up on us! He offers us a chance to make things right. If we are truly repentant, He will heal us and love us like we never imagined possible.
We really can break the cycle...we most certainly can do better and “get healthy” – not just spiritually, but in other ways, as well. And it begins with our admission that we have failed to be obedient...that we have worshipped “idols” rather than God – money, fame or “success”, possessions, friends, other people and relationship, and more...that we have not listened to God and sought a deep and abiding relationship and continual dialogue with Him. God will honor true repentance. He knows when we are genuine and sincere...and when we aren’t. IF we come to him with an apologetic heart...and an authentic desire to change, He will heal us and forgive us - and set us upright.
God is willing to forgive and restore us. It may seem like insanity to think that He would do this over and over again, but the only “insane” thing about it is how madly in love God is with each of us! He is willing to do whatever it takes to maintain a relationship with us...but we have to be willing to give Him our heart and soul – quite literally.
We have to be ready to truly lay down our “idols” and do whatever God asks of us...whenever and wherever we are needed. In return, He will say, “My anger is gone, and I am ready to heal you and love you without limit.” Are you ready to accept His gifts and be healed?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for June 27, 2014
Psalm 23
You, Lord, are my shepherd.
I will never be in need.
You let me rest in fields
of green grass.
You lead me to streams
of peaceful water,
and you refresh my life.
You are true to your name,
and you lead me
along the right paths.
I may walk through valleys
as dark as death,
but I won’t be afraid.
You are with me,
and your shepherd’s rod
makes me feel safe.
You treat me to a feast,
while my enemies watch.
You honor me as your guest,
and you fill my cup
until it overflows.
Your kindness and love
will always be with me
each day of my life,
and I will live forever
in your house, Lord.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Medal of Honor recipient, Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter was interviewed on “Late Show with David Letterman” recently. Carpenter becomes the 8th living recipient of the nation’s highest military award. William Kyle Carpenter was injured in Afghanistan in 2010, when he threw himself on an incoming grenade to protect a fellow marine, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio, who was also injured. Carpenter suffered multiple injuries, including a shattered jaw and arm, loss of his right eye, shrapnel to the brain and legs, and a severed carotid artery. He said that when he arrived at the first military hospital, he was tagged PEA…”Patient Expired on Arrival”. This now-24-year-old soldier was resuscitated at least twice and spent more than 2 years in hospitals undergoing treatments, surgeries and therapies.
As I sat and listened to this young man recant his experience and conduct himself with seemingly such peace and confidence, I couldn’t help but think about what he must have endured. David Letterman asked Carpenter what he remembered. Carpenter said that the first time he awoke was five weeks later, when he saw his mother. She had hung Christmas stockings for every member of the family on the wall in his hospital room. I couldn’t help but think about my own little nieces, nephews and friends…I tried to imagine what such an experience would be like for one of them, were they in his position – or for anyone. Carpenter said he knew the grenade was coming. He knew they were under attack. Imagine the fear…the anxiety and confusion of such a moment…the overwhelming sense of incredulity as you know bad things are happening – but you can’t stop them!
I thought of Carpenter’s mother – and other family members. Imagine being told that your child or loved one had suffered such devastating injuries…that someone was so filled with hate that they would want to inflict this kind of atrocities on another human being…and there was nothing you can do except stand by, watch, and beg God for mercy and healing. Surely there were days when everyone involved must have felt that death would actually be easier to bear than the suffering that this young man bore.
After all of this, young Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter says “I wouldn’t change a thing.” He now studies psychology at the University of South Carolina. His appears to be wise beyond his years…and filled with incredible peace.
All around the world, people endure incredible challenges and sufferings each and every day. Hopefully, you and I will never experience anything akin to such atrocities or heartaches…but our “burdens” are often troublesome, all the same. The message of the 23rd Psalm is for us just as much as for Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter - or anyone else. If you are like many, you have this Psalm memorized in one form or another. But I encourage you to read today’s presentation of it again. I particularly like how “valleys as dark as death” are described.
I also like the first few verses. They speak volumes to us as Christians. These words offer a glimpse of the hope and peace we find in God…the incredible rest we enjoy in Jesus Christ.
I pray that you never have to experience something as devastating as what happened to William Kyle Carpenter. I hope you never have to watch a child or loved one suffer…that your life is filled with a series of happy events and positive happenings. But I also pray that you know that…no matter what comes your way…the LORD is your Shepherd, and you will never be in need.
Are you dwelling in the house of the LORD and resting in God’s fields of green grass? Isn’t it time you were?
©2014 Debbie Robus
You, Lord, are my shepherd.
I will never be in need.
You let me rest in fields
of green grass.
You lead me to streams
of peaceful water,
and you refresh my life.
You are true to your name,
and you lead me
along the right paths.
I may walk through valleys
as dark as death,
but I won’t be afraid.
You are with me,
and your shepherd’s rod
makes me feel safe.
You treat me to a feast,
while my enemies watch.
You honor me as your guest,
and you fill my cup
until it overflows.
Your kindness and love
will always be with me
each day of my life,
and I will live forever
in your house, Lord.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Medal of Honor recipient, Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter was interviewed on “Late Show with David Letterman” recently. Carpenter becomes the 8th living recipient of the nation’s highest military award. William Kyle Carpenter was injured in Afghanistan in 2010, when he threw himself on an incoming grenade to protect a fellow marine, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio, who was also injured. Carpenter suffered multiple injuries, including a shattered jaw and arm, loss of his right eye, shrapnel to the brain and legs, and a severed carotid artery. He said that when he arrived at the first military hospital, he was tagged PEA…”Patient Expired on Arrival”. This now-24-year-old soldier was resuscitated at least twice and spent more than 2 years in hospitals undergoing treatments, surgeries and therapies.
I may walk through valleys as dark as death,
but I won’t be afraid.
but I won’t be afraid.
You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe.
You treat me to a feast, while my enemies watch.
You honor me as your guest,
and you fill my cup until it overflows.
You honor me as your guest,
and you fill my cup until it overflows.
Your kindness and love will always be with me
each day of my life…
each day of my life…
I also like the first few verses. They speak volumes to us as Christians. These words offer a glimpse of the hope and peace we find in God…the incredible rest we enjoy in Jesus Christ.
You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need.
You let me rest in fields of green grass.
You lead me to streams of peaceful water,
and you refresh my life.
You let me rest in fields of green grass.
You lead me to streams of peaceful water,
and you refresh my life.
Are you dwelling in the house of the LORD and resting in God’s fields of green grass? Isn’t it time you were?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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