RESTORATION

Psalm 80:3—Restore us, O God; make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

When we bought our house the floor was covered with an ugly (trust me), soiled green '70's style carpet. To the owner, the carpet was special and no doubt held some sentimental value. We could not replace it fast enough! To our amazement, when we pulled up the carpet we discovered a beautiful hard wood floor. Friends came over and lovingly applied the proper finish to reveal the wood's texture in all its beauty. When the carpet (aside from the color), was new it looked good. No one would have thought much about what was underneath. Slowly it began to wear and fray and soil. Eventually it became an eyesore. Finally, it was so bad it was fit only to be destroyed.

The story of the carpet is the parable of mankind. Jesus sees us in our true condition. He longs to pull up and remove the filthy old nature that covers our souls. He only, knows how to give us a new nature--to restore us to be holy as He is holy. Restoration is not pleasant. It hurts to be sanded, to have old embedded tack strips removed. But the deep grain of holiness that shines in breathtaking beauty only comes out when we submit ourselves to the Master's hands. Are you ready for salvation? Let go of the carpet! Does the grain of your character need polishing? Let God do His work. "Restore us, O God; make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved."

Inspiration
There are three facts of our personal life that are restored by Jesus Christ to their pristine vigor. We get into real definite communion with God through Jesus Christ; we get to right relationship with our fellow-men and with the world outside; and we get into a right relationship with ourselves. We become Christ-centered instead of self-centered.—Oswald Chambers in The Shadow of An Agony