First, everything must be restored (set right)!
This Wednesday morning, while reflecting on Matthew 17, I wrote this short meditation under the title 'The servant of the Lord, like John the Baptist, who prepares for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, sets everything right': 'The servant of the Lord, like John the Baptist, who prepares for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, sets everything right. However, the hypocrites with stubborn hearts, like the Pharisees, who refuse to be set right, will persecute that servant of the Lord. Therefore, the servant of the Lord who prepares for the second coming of Jesus will suffer (Ref.: Matthew 17:11-13, Korean Modern Bible). When reflecting on this short meditation, I thought to myself, 'As a servant of the Lord preparing for the second coming of Jesus, I must first restore (set right) everything.' And as I thought about it, I wondered, 'What is it that the Lord wants to restore (set right) through me, as He called me and anointed me as His servant (pastor)?' I hope to organize these thoughts as I write them down:
(1) First of all, I believe that the Lord desires to restore (set right) me first. And the most urgent thing in the Lord’s restoration (setting right) of me is repentance. The reason is that there is no restoration (setting right) without repentance. Among the things I must repent of, the most urgent are my stubborn heart that disobeys God’s word and my hypocrisy. “Hover o'er me, Holy Spirit, Bathe my trembling heart and brow; Fill me with Thy hallowed presence, Come, O come and fill me now. Fill me now, fill me now, Jesus, come and fill me now; Fill me with Thy hallowed presence; Come, O come and fill me now” (Hymn “Hover O’er me, Holy Spirit,” verse 1 and chorus).
(2) In this process, I believe that what the Lord wants to restore (set right) through me is my family. As the head of my household, I must, through God’s grace, repent and be restored (set right) and, in the process of my transformation, raise the beloved wife and children God has given me as a gift of grace (Ephesians 5:29; 6:4). I must nurture them with God’s word, not only teaching the right way with my lips (Matthew 21:32), but also showing an example through my right life [living in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27)] and having a positive influence on them. Therefore, I pray that my family and I will walk the right path that the Lord walked, becoming people who are willing to lay down our lives for Jesus and the gospel (Mark 8:35).
(3) The ultimate purpose of the restoration (setting right) of myself and my family is the restoration (setting right) of the Lord’s church. Since the Lord, who is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18), has promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18), I believe that my family, and all church members, should pray for the restoration (setting right) of the church they serve with faith, and long for the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing about repentance. I pray that the Holy Spirit will not only break and melt our stubborn hearts, which are like a hammer and fire (Jeremiah 23:29), but also pierce our consciences with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17), convicting us of our sins (1 Samuel 24:5; 2 Samuel 24:10), exposing our sins (Ephesians 5:11), and leading us to confess our sins (1 John 1:9). And I pray that the Holy Spirit will no longer let us conform to the pattern of this world, but transform our minds (Romans 12:2), enabling us to fulfill our role as the light and salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16).