First, everything needs to be restored (set right)!

First, everything needs to be restored (set right)!

 

 

 

                On Wednesday morning this week, while meditating on Matthew 17, I wrote a short reflection under the title "The Lord’s servant, like John the Baptist, who prepares for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, sets everything right": "The Lord’s servant, like John the Baptist, who prepares for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, sets everything right. However, hypocrites, like the Pharisees, who have a stubborn heart and refuse to be corrected, will persecute that servant of the Lord.  Therefore, the servant of the Lord who prepares for Jesus' second coming will suffer (see Matthew 17:11-13, Korean Modern Bible)."  Reflecting on this short meditation, I thought to myself, "As the servant of the Lord, in preparing for the second coming of Jesus, I must 'first set everything right'." The thought that followed was, "What is it that the Lord wants to restore (set right) in me, since He called me and anointed me to be His servant (pastor)?"  I hope to organize my thoughts as I write down a few things that come to mind:

 

1.       First and foremost, I believe that the Lord wants to restore (or set right) me first.  And in restoring me, the most urgent matter is repentance.  This is because there is no restoration without repentance.  Among the things I need to repent of, the most urgent are my stubborn heart, which disobeys God’s Word, and my hypocrisy.  "Hover o'er me, Holy Spirit, Bathe my trembling heart and brow; Fill me with Thy hallowed presence, Come, O come and fill me now.  Fill me now, fill me now, Jesus, come and fill me now; Fill me with Thy hallowed presence; Come, O come and fill me now" (Hymn "Hover O’er me, Holy Spirit," verse 1 and chorus).

 

2.       In this process, I believe that what the Lord desires to restore (or set right) through me is my family.  As the head of the household, I must repent and be restored by God's grace, and through that transformation, I must raise my beloved wife and children, whom God has given me as a gift of grace (Ephesians 5:29; 6:4).  I believe that I should raise them with God's Word, not only teaching them the right way with my lips (Matthew 21:32) but also showing them the right example through my life [living in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27)], and by doing so, I should exert a good influence on them.  Therefore, I pray that my entire family and I will walk the right path that the Lord walked, and become people who are willing to give up our lives for Jesus and the gospel (Mark 8:35).

 

3.       The ultimate purpose of the restoration of myself and my family is the restoration of the Lord's church.  Since the Lord, who is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18), has promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18), I believe that my family, along with all the members of the church, must pray for the restoration of the church they serve, in faith, according to the Lord's promise.  We should eagerly long for the work of the Holy Spirit in repentance.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will break and melt our stubborn hearts as His Word, like a hammer and fire, touches us (Jeremiah 23:29), and with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), He will pierce our consciences (1 Samuel 24:5; 2 Samuel 24:10), exposing our sins (Ephesians 5:11) and leading us to confess them (1 John 1:9).  I also pray that the Holy Spirit will not allow us to conform to the world but will renew our minds and transform us (Romans 12:2), so that we may fulfill our role as the light and salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16).