Articles
God Restoring His Creation
How does one restore? The short answer is through love and effort. After losing both his arms, Jia Wenqi, become a forest guard and an avid disability advocate throughout China. In 2002, he moved back to his small village to care for his aging father and that was when he met Jia Haixia, a man who was slowly going blind from cataracts. After noticing the impact industrialization had on the village they grew up in, they decided to team up and restore the natural beauty of the home they loved so much by planting trees. Jia Wenqi was in charge of identifying branches they could replant as new trees and Jia Haixia would climb up and cut them. Other towns people mocked the pair for planting trees in stony wasteland, but the duo had faith with Jia Haixia saying, “I am his hands, he is my eyes. We are good partners." They have had many setbacks on their journey to restore their village, but due to their brotherly love, the love for their home, and their immense hard work, an 861,113 sq. foot forest is coming back to life.
Ever since the devil unleashed sin and its temptations into the world, mankind can spiritually be seen as a desert wasteland with no life. In Ezekial 37, the Lord shows the prophet the sinful spiritual state of His chosen people Israel. God says in Ezekial 37:11, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’” The spiritual state of Israel was the same in comparison to the rest of the world. Ephesians 2:11-12 reads, “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” However, due to God’s immense love for all of His creation, He decided to restore all of mankind.
God continues in Ezekial 37:12-14 by saying, “Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel…And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” God achieved the spiritual restoration of His created people when He sent His son Jesus Christ to teach and become the sacrificial lamb for our sins (Heb. 9:11-28). God’s love was so strong for mankind that it pleased Him to shed Jesus’ blood so that we could be saved. He even prolongs the day of judgment so that as many of His children can be saved. 2 Peter 3:8-9 says, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Once His created children are baptized, they are adopted by Him with the purpose to aid Him in His will. Ephesians 2:10 reads, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Therefore, it is the duty of all of God’s adopted children to become righteously loving and full of grace. Proverbs 10:12 states, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” When His faithful children are truly aligned with God and His teachings, His love works through them for His purpose. God’s effort and love has opened the door of restoration for mankind, but it is each person’s choice to walk through. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2 NIV).
