When rest is not enough, we serve a God who restores

Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God, our Father, and Jesus Christ. Welcome to my blog! I hope the thoughts you find here will encourage you and inspire you to diligently seek God’s Kingdom. This week was week two of Women’s Month at In His Presence Family Worship Center (IHP), and it was a privilege to be in the room with such powerful women. It was an opportunity to hear some of the gifts that God has placed in our midst. This week’s gift was Evangelist Meredith Boyd. She was our speaker for the morning. Preceding her was one of our gifts, Marchette Swindell, who is a daughter of the house, who with her husband has relocated but this week came back to share with us a sermonic solo. After her, another daughter of the house, one born in IHP, was the actual daughter of our speaker, who did a sermonic dance for her mother before she spoke. Evangelist Boyd has two daughters who are a delight to our church, and we thank God for them both. Let’s look at the text that the evangelist shared with us. 

Psa. 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. KJV

Her message, “When rest is not enough, we serve a God who restores,” centered around verse 3 of this familiar Psalm. She made a point of saying there is a difference between rest and restoration. She said, “You can rest your body and still feel weary at heart. You can pause your calendar and cancel your meetings and still feel empty inside. You can sit down and stop moving and still not be settled in your spirit.” The difference she articulated is “rest is what we do to stop and take a break.” Restoration is what “God does to heal us.” She said, “ Rest is your pause, but restoration is God’s power.” 

Restoration is to rebuild, to repair, and to revive. “God doesn’t just calm you down; He starts fixing what’s broken.” She made the correlation: when your car starts making noises and driving strangely, you can pull over and shut the engine off. That will quiet the motor, and you will not hear noises or see it drive strangely, but that does not fix the problem. In order to fix the problem, you should take the car to a qualified mechanic. In order for him to fix the problem, you will have to give up control of the car. So, in order for you to be restored, you need to give up control of your situation, your life, your ideas, and leave it with the qualified mechanic, Jesus. 

Also, I know from experience that it is not a good idea to try and be “Co-Mechanic.” Leave the car with the mechanic, then leave the garage. When I bring my car in for service, I listen to the qualified people who are going to fix my car. I do not go into the garage to show them where everything is. They know my car better than I do. I take their advice. When they tell me this is going to take a while, I ask them for a ride home. I leave the car with them. I do not text them what I think they should do. As a matter of fact, when I get home, even with my car in their hands, I do whatever I want. Watch television, clean up the backyard, or even get some rest. 

Let God restore you. Do not try to be Co-Mechanic. When I go back to get my car, it operates like new. I can go on long trips, stay out all day, and I know I can depend on the car. When God restores you, you can operate like a new creation. You can go on long trips and not get weary. Let God restore you. It’s more than just rest. “When rest is not enough, we serve a God who restores.”

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Remember to invite someone to church with you this Sunday. I would like to extend a special invitation to join us at In His Presence Family Worship Center this Sunday at our new home. That’s right, we have moved into our own building. Join me at IHP. Remember, this is Women’s Month. We now meet at 11 Woods Place, (formerly Johnsons Place) in Brooklyn, NY. Join us at 10 a.m. I look forward to seeing you there. Seek God’s Kingdom first. And, visit our website to get more information about In His Presence Family Worship Center. 

Yours Because I am His,

Leo Colon, D.Min., M.Div.,

In His Presence Family Worship Center

http://www.ihpfwc.org