Love is Restoration in Action

Amos 9:11-15

11 “In that day I will restore the fallen house of David.
I will repair its damaged walls.
From the ruins I will rebuild it
and restore its former glory.
12 And Israel will possess what is left of Edom
and all the nations I have called to be mine.”
The Lord has spoken,
and he will do these things.
13 “The time will come,” says the Lord,
“when the grain and grapes will grow faster
than they can be harvested.
Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel
will drip with sweet wine!
14 I will bring my exiled people of Israel
back from distant lands,
and they will rebuild their ruined cities
and live in them again.
They will plant vineyards and gardens;
they will eat their crops and drink their wine.
15 I will firmly plant them there
in their own land.
They will never again be uprooted
from the land I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.

I love the fact that the Lord does not forget about His children. Even when they don't listen to His voice or follow Him as they should. How many times have we seen parents not communicating with one of their children because of bad choices they have made or because of hurtful words that may have been exchanged? I have witnessed it in my own family. The one who suffers the most is usually the parent. I can imagine the disappointment in Jesus knowing the sacrifice He made for everyone and that a lot of people don't accept His sacrifice. The pain and suffering He went through was impossible to fathom in this day and age.

I am probably most thankful that He did it and would have done it if it was just to redeem me from being lost. He loves me that much. These verses today remind me of the story of the prodigal son. The previous two chapters in Amos deal with the sins of God's people and what their punishment should be for their disobedience. Thankfully God does not stop with what their punishment should be but He also talks about what He is going to do for them to restore them. God is not the God of destruction and punishment, He is the God of restoration and love. Love does require punishment sometimes, but it usually hurts the one doing the punishing more than the one being punished. Most parents can attest to that.

I am thankful that I do not need to wonder around worried about how God is going to punish me. Having accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior I know that all my sins, ones already committed and ones yet to be committed, are covered under the Blood of Jesus. Through that blood God sees me as righteous. Not by any works that I can do, but because of the sacrifice of what Jesus did for me on the cross. If salvation were up to what we can do then no one would be able to be saved. It is only through the atoning work of Jesus that we can be made holy in God's eyes.

Father I thank You today for showing Your love to me by sending Jesus to die on the cross for the sins I commit. I thank You Jesus for being obedient unto death to make it possible for me to approach the Father as righteous and to have access to heaven. I thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit and His influence and guidance in my life. I thank You that You set the bar for what true love is and how we can show that love to others. I thank You for the work You are doing here on earth and can't wait to see You face to face. Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved