28 January, 2017
“He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” Psalm 23:3
“He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” Psalm 23:3
Psalm twenty
three is one of the most popular chapters of the Psalms and the entire bible.
Almost all Christians can recite it from beginning to the end. It was
written by David who was once a shepherd before becoming the king of Israel.
There are a lot of lessons we could draw out of the whole chapter but we would
look at what it meant for David and us today to say, “He restores my soul.”
The word “Restore”
means to bring back, return to the original state, rebuild, reconstruct or
remodel. The restoration of the human soul is a continuing process and not an
already completed phase, “He restores.” We have been totally redeemed but our
soul is being transformed, redemption and restoration of the soul are uniquely different.
The soul of man is the citadel of his desires, appetite, emotions and
willpower. David was saying God rebuilds his emotions, appetite, desires and willpower.
Do you wonder why drug addicts seem unable to do away with drugs though they
invest time, money and effort to rid themselves of it? Do you know why there
are certain sins that easily beset you? It is because we lost our appetite and
willpower to certain habits. To have no control over your soul is a terrible
thing. Originally, God created man and everything to please Him (Revelations
4:11). But when man fell, he cultivated habits and lifestyles that are contrary
to God’s design –craving things outside of God and His purposes.
The LAW
(Torah) was given by God to reveal this helpless nature of man –No matter how
hard he tries, he cannot attain to the Holy standards of God on his own (1Sam
2:9). Often times even as Christians, we find that struggle to retain control
over our soul and ultimately our body. God daily restores or reconstructs our
souls by giving us back that holy desire, appetite, emotions to crave Him from
within and he gives us the willpower to act upon that thirst.
The
continual restoration of our souls is evident in our relationship with God. We
cannot outgrow the need for the continued restoration of our souls. When you
are faced with one temptation or the other simply ask the Father to restore the
original cravings of your soul through his son Jesus Christ our Lord.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so
my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When
can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2
One Week Reading
Plan
TODAY Psalm
23:1-4
SUNDAY Romans 7:18-25
MONDAY Psalm
84:1-4
TUESDAY Philippians 2:12-13
WEDNESDAY Psalm 42:1-8
THURSDAY Matthew 11:28-30
FRIDAY Psalm 63:1-5
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