Redemption and Restoration

Redemption is instant; restoration is a life long process.

Just because a relationship has been saved doesn’t mean it is instantly restored to health. You may have experienced a relationship with a family member or spouse or friend and they hurt you deeply and you chose to stay in the relationship, but it takes time to allow the trust and confidence you once had in that person to return. God’s plan for you isn’t to save you to altar your behavior. His plan for you is to redeem you to restore your heart….to make all things new.

Redemption is God choosing us; restoration is us continually choosing God.

You can’t redeem yourself. You needed a redeemer. Other than receiving the redemption God offered you, you had very little to do with your redemption. He sacrificed. He forgave. He bought you back. Restoration has a lot more to do with you and I reciprocating God choosing us. As you and I choose to follow God, as we choose to forsake all other lovers, more of our heart is restored.

It is a daily journey and a daily decision to not just allow God to be the savior of your soul, but the Lord of your life.

Restoration isn’t something to be earned; its something to which you surrender. 

Here is the tricky part of restoration….you have a role to play in your restoration. But restoration isn’t about working harder it is about giving up more. The temptation is to equate our religious activity with restoration. We assume we are become more like Jesus because we go to church or join a community group or start giving financially. Those things are important, but they don’t equate to restoration.

Restoration is found as we stop trying to do things for God and surrender the parts of our heart we are keeping from God. Just like God won’t force himself into our salvation, he won’t force himself into our restoration. We have to surrender to him. Freedom is found as we surrender…as we give up the parts of our heart we have kept from God.