RESTORATION BY RE-CREATION
By Linda Seeber
IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH. AND THE EARTH WAS WITHOUT FORM AND VOID; AND DARKNESS WAS UPON THE FACE OF THE DEEP AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD MOVED UPON THE FACE OF THE WATERS.
The Almighty God of the universe created me. He formed me because of His great love and compassion. As the Creator of all things, our mighty God was deeply grieved when sin came into our world to destroy and mutilate His creations. When he looked down upon me, instead of seeing His image that had originally been stamped upon mankind, He saw that I was without form and void; and darkness enveloped my soul. The only hope of restoration was to re-create me step by step as He created this world. By the breath of His mouth He speaks forth His word and will for my life. The Spirit of God moves upon me in a face-to-face encounter.
AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE LIGHT; AND THERE WAS LIGHT . . . AND GOD DIVIDED THE LIGHT FROM THE DARKNESS
The light of God's glorious character of love and righteousness shines into my cold dark heart bringing hope and life. His first re-creative act in my life is to reveal Himself to me in rays of light or truth that will penetrate some of the darkness surrounding me. II Corinthian 4:6 says "For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The glory of God's character has been revealed through the life and testimony of Jesus. As I gaze upon this spotless life of Christ, my soul is illumined with the beauty of such self-sacrificing love Deep within me stirs a longing to know Him more and to be like Him. The miracle of restoration has begun. His light is shining in my mind and heart revealing the work of darkness in my soul and helping me to discern the beauty of His character in contrast to the evil of my own. My meditation turns toward Him and I think upon the thought in Psalm 119:130 "The entrance of Thy word giveth light."
AND GOD SAID LET THERE BE A FIRMAMENT IN THE MIDST OF THE WATERS AND LET IT DIVIDE THE WATERS FROM THE WATERS. . . AND GOD CALLED THE FIRMAMENT HEAVEN.
As day two of my spiritual life dawns, God begins to divide the thoughts and motives that are within me. His living word to me is "powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb. 4:12) With God's great, endless mercy He forgives all my sins of the past. He justifies me in His sight and looks upon me as if I had never sinned. Micah 7:19 says "He will subdue our iniquities; and . . . cast all . . . sins into the depths of the sea. God says, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness, and from all you idols, will I cleanse you. (Eze.36: 25) As He divides and cleanses, He also creates an atmosphere of heaven within me. God speaks forth, "The kingdom of God is within you. And it is so! From this point on I can dwell in heavenly places with Christ. The new atmosphere of His Spirit around me, causes me to commune with God as my breath of life and drink of Him as my water of life.
AND GOD SAID, LET THE WATERS UNDER THE HEAVEN BE GATHERED TOGETHER UNTO ONE PLACE, AND LET THE DRY LAND APPEAR; . . .LET THE EARTH BRING FORTH GRASS, THE HERB YIELDING SEED, AND THE FRUIT TREE YIELDING FRUIT AFTER HIS KIND.
The words of my Creator ring out clear and strong, "A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." (Eze. 36:26) I now have a fresh, new start just like the Israelites starting out from Egypt to Canaan on dry land though the midst of the sea; like Jonah being placed on dry land after a close-to-death experience in the great fish. On this new dry land of my heart, God speaks forth the life of His Spirit and the beautiful growth begins. Luscious fruit of love, joy and peace spring forth from my heart where only hate, unhappiness, and strife grew before. The attractive fruits of long-suffering, gentleness, and goodness begin to be seen here and there in my actions. Faith, meekness and temperance send forth a pleasing aroma heavenward, and God is pleased with the works of His hands. The sanctifying of my life has begun.
AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE LIGHT IN THE FIRMAMENT OF THE HEAVEN TO DIVIDE THE DAY FROM THE NIGHT; AND LET THEM BE FOR SIGNS, AND FOR SEASONS, AND FOR DAYS, AND YEARS.
I lift up my eyes to the heavens and I see God. Just as the sun, moon and stars have guided many a traveler on a journey, so God guides me with the lights He sets up in the heavens of my life. Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, directs my steps as He did for the children of Israel in the past. Exodus 13:21 tells of His leading, "The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night. David said in Psalm 89:11 "The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory. My Creator and God wants to guide me personally in the decisions of everyday life. He promises He will guide us "continually" (Isa.51: 11). In the daytime of my walk with God He reveals Himself in obvious manifestations of His will. At those times I am warmed by His presence and soak up His Spirit as the rays of the sun.
God also leads me through the nighttime experiences where the Son is obscured and I am not as sure of the way. At these times He has me to rely on the reflection of Himself through His written laws. He has me to walk by faith in His word, not by sight. In Jeremiah 31:35 God declares the ordinances of the moon are for a light by night. His laws and ordinances are to keep my feet from stumbling in the dark.
His stars are God's lights of His messengers sent forth to the churches in Revelation 1:20. They are to shine forth in the darkness of my life to show forth the way. Jesus has set up individuals in my life to shine for Him. He speaks of them in Daniel 12:3, "They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever." Psalm 19 in a spiritual sense speaks of this: "The heavens (His church) declare the glory of God and the firmament (His messengers) showeth His handiwork." I can trust my Creator to lead me in the best path for my life whether I am walking in His felt presence or walking in the dark, not sensing Him yet knowing He is there.
AND GOD SAID, LET THE WATERS BRING FORTH ABUNDANTLY THE MOVING CREATURE THAT HATH LIFE, AND FOWL THAT MAY FLY ABOVE THE EARTH IN THE OPEN FIRMAMENT OF HEAVEN.
The waters of His life in me and the firmament of the heavenly atmosphere around me have blessed my life in amazing ways. Yet with the deep caring of my Savior, He wants to give to me even more. He says in John 10:10, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." On this fifth step in my re-creation He begins to give more abundantly of Himself. He blesses me and multiplies in me gifts of His Spirit. The abundant variety of His gifts causes my heart to admire and love Him more. He freely shares with me of His faith, knowledge and wisdom that I may share with others to edify and encourage them. At times He gives gifts of healing, prophecy or discerning of spirits, according to what is needed for God's glory. As we share together these gifts in the body of Christ, God uses this give-and-take to bring balance into the church and our own individual lives. He uses these gifts of His Spirit to prepare the way for the fullness of His presence to be poured out on the body of believers. It says in Ephesians 4:8-13, "He gave gifts unto men . . . for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."
AND GOD SAID, LET THE EARTH BRING FORTH THE LIVING CREATURE AFTER HIS KIND, CATTLE, AND CREEPING THING, AND BEAST OF THE EARTH AFTER HIS KIND. . . .LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE AFTER OUR LIKENESS; AND LET THEM HAVE DOMINION OVER . . . ALL THE EARTH. . . .AND GOD BLESSED THEM AND GOD SAID UNTO THEM, BE FRUITFUL, AND MULTIPLY, AND REPLENISH THE EARTH AND SUBDUE IT.
God's final work in my life is to restore His image in me. Sin had made my life self-centered and hollow. God places within me the beauty of His righteousness, His selfless love and intense desire to live to serve others. Through the illustration of the four living creatures mentioned in Ezekiel and Revelation, I see the four most important characteristics needed to restore God's image in mankind. The lion represents the power over sin, the calf (or ox) shows the self-sacrificing love, the man reveals the role of interceding for others, and the eagle represents our participation in the judgment. These living creatures in the vision only went where the Spirit directed and moved as swift as lightning. Their message declared to the world about the character of God, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty."
Day six of His re-creation tells me that God wants to use me in a very significant way to end sin and establish righteousness. He calls me in Revelation 1:5-6 saying, "Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness …and the prince of the kings of the earth . . .hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever." He has a high calling to work with Him as He destroys sin and brings in His eternal kingdom that can never be destroyed. His voice declares to us, "You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9) Our Creator can and will restore His image in His children. He has promised to give us "all the fullness of God." (Eph. 3:19) The words that come from His mouth will not return unto Him void. What He has declared will come to pass because of who He is. In Isaiah 43:13 He speaks the awesome insight of how this will all come about; He says, "I will work and who shall let it?"
THUS THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH WERE FINISHED, AND ALL THE HOST OF THEM. AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY GOD ENDED HIS WORK WHICH HE HAD MADE; AND HE RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORK WHICH HE HAD MADE. AND GOD BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY, AND SANCTIFIED IT; BECAUSE THAT IN IT HE HAD RESTED FROM ALL HIS WORK WHICH GOD CREATED AND MADE.
My Sabbath experience with my God is best understood in the light of Hebrews 4. He calls me to labor to enter into His rest and to cease from my works. Here in this secret place of the Most High I can abide with Him under the shadow of the Almighty. This is where we can enjoy the fruits of the labor and commune together in ecstasy. Zephaniah 3:17 lets us know, "He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing." He finds His rest and joy in dwelling in His temple of my soul. He continues to dwell in me and with me forever in a blessed and sanctified relationship. We celebrate for eternity the amazing marriage of our lives and the strong union of our love.