ICS Daily Devotions
God Will Restore
Luke 9:54-56 NKJV And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.
The day that Adam and Eve sinned against God in the garden of Eden, the land was cursed and suffering entered the world. From that day onwards, all of mankind have sinned against God and no one can blame or accuse another of greater sin. The world will get darker by the day as the sin of man increases and there will be great sufferings until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
One may look at the suffering during this pandemic, the tragedy of the many that die because of COVID-19 and conclude that God is punishing people for sinning against him by rejecting Him, but this is not in His divine plan for mankind. As Jesus rebuked his disciples when they asked Him if they should command the killing and destruction of the Samaritans who rejected Him, He showed us that He was sent by God to save and not destroy mankind; in Luke 9:55-56 (NKJV) “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”
Jesus who is the exact image of the Father, is one with Him. Whatever Jesus said and did on earth was aligned with God’s will and instructions. When he said that He came to save and not destroy, it shows us that God does not intend to destroy our lives but instead, He loves us and His love is perfect. However, He knows that we as sinners have no ability to stand righteous before Him based on our abilities. This is the reason that He sent His Son Jesus, to show grace and save the ungodly. He continues to reach out today to the people who suffer during this crisis through the church and possibly reveals Himself to those who are lost when they are at the end of their ropes. We are no longer in animosity with God because Jesus has redeemed us and brought peace between us and God, He has no reason to punish or destroy us.
Job 42:10 NKJV And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
James 5:11 NKJV Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
This is all proof that God is a restorer and He wants us to have a relationship with Him. He will restore whatever has been stolen from us as we can see at the end of Job’s suffering. While God is definitely not the source nor the cause of COVID-19 or the global economic crisis, He will ultimately use it to seek and to save those who call upon His name. We as believers have to persevere through our sufferings and trust that our God is indeed very compassionate and merciful.
Sermon Series: Resurrection Sunday – Job & I
