Bible in 365 Days – Day 173

Focus Chapters:

• Amos 7-9
• 2 Kings 14:28-29
• 2 Kings 15:8-29
• 2 Kings 15:6-7
• 2 Chronicles 26:22-23
• Isaiah 6

Standout Verse(s):

Amos 9:11, 13-15 NLT

“In that day I will restore the fallen house of David.
I will repair its damaged walls.
From the ruins I will rebuild it
and restore its former glory.

“The time will come,” says the Lord,
“when the grain and grapes will grow faster
than they can be harvested.
Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel
will drip with sweet wine!
I will bring my exiled people of Israel
back from distant lands,
and they will rebuild their ruined cities
and live in them again.
They will plant vineyards and gardens;
they will eat their crops and drink their wine.
I will firmly plant them there
in their own land.
They will never again be uprooted
from the land I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.

Observation (s):

1. God demonstrates His love for His children by punishing them for continuously ignoring His ordinances and then restoring them to the places He had blessed them to.
   
   

   “In that day I will restore the fallen house of David.
   I will repair its damaged walls.
   From the ruins I will rebuild it
   and restore its former glory.

Application:

As kids, when we were naughty, our parents punished us by giving us a time-out. Oftentimes the time-out was easy, requiring us to go stand, facing a corner, and reflect on our actions and their consequences. Other times, it meant enduring severe punishment such as a beating. However, one thing was sure! When the time-out wass completed, we were then restored to our former positions and made to continue, hopefully with a changed attitude.

In the spiritual realm, God often gives us time-out when we are naughty. It is a guarantee that God will punish His people if they refuse to heed His ordinances. However, the good news is that even God doesn’t punish you and then leave you out in the cold. When He punishes you, His final intent is to restore you completely. Our Good Father designs His punishments to strip us of our prideful and sinful nature that separates us from Him, giving us time to contemplate our actions and their consequences and His role in our lives. Once we are stripped and the duration of our designated punishment is passed, our formal restoration process begins. At the end, He blesses us, returning our restored selves to the lands and glory that He had given to us and blessed us with.

Are you currently in spiritual time-out? Don’t fear! God intends to restore you wholly, spiritually, mentally and physically. Open yourself up to Him.