NOVEMBER 1

Psalm 23:3

“Don’t these old cars look funny, Grandpa?” asked Chris, when he and his grandfather visited a vintage car exhibition one day.

Grandpa smiled. “Well,” he said, “they look a bit funny to us now, but they were pretty fancy in their day, you know.” He pointed to one of the cars. “That is like the one my grandfather drove when I was about your age. It came in any colour you wanted, as long as what you wanted was black.” Chris laughed.“ Some of these old cars look brand new!” he exclaimed, peering through the window of one of them. “This one doesn’t look like it’s ever been out on the road.”

“Oh, but it has,” said Grandpa. “It’s very old and must have travelled many miles, but it’s been restored.”

“Restored?” asked Chris. “That means it’s fixed up so that it looks just like it did when it was new, right?”

Grandpa nodded. “Worn out parts have been replaced,” he said. “The old paint was removed, and the car’s been repainted with shiny, new paint; as if it’s brand new again.” After a moment he added, “It’s kind of like what Jesus does for us when we confess our sin to Him. He takes it all away and makes us clean again. The Bible says He ‘restores’ our souls. It’s like He refreshes us and makes us new again.”

“When an old car is restored, it must have looked way different than it did when it was worn out,” observed Chris, “but Jesus doesn’t make us look different.”

“Well… I’m not so sure about that,” said Grandpa. “I was thinking about changes He makes in attitudes, not in physical appearance.” Grandpa paused. “But now that you mention it, I think we often look different, too,” he added. “When we’ve had our sins forgiven-when we’re restored, we might wear a smile instead of a scowl and have a happy, cheerful outlook on life! Don’t you think so?”

Thought: Thought: Do you need to be “restored”? Perhaps you have trusted Jesus as your Saviour and had your sins forgiven, but you have done something that you know is wrong. When you are sorry for your sin and confess it, God will restore you to fellowship with Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know I need your help in cleansing me. I know I can be refreshed and cleansed in Your eyes again. When that happens, I will let it show in my smile, so others can see Jesus in my cheerful, helpful spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.