DAY 1. UPHILL CLIMB Do you remember your first day doing something you’re now good at? Or the first day of that diet, or that sport? Starting is not always easy. When we begin the path of restoration, it can feel like an uphill climb. It might even feel exhausting to imagine it. Whether you’ve been distant from God, whether reading His Word stopped being a priority, whether you’ve spent time in the dark and murky waters of sin, or even if you seem to be doing everything a Christian would do but your heart feels far from Him—let me remind you that there is only one way, and that is to follow Christ. Nothing outside of Him will ever fill our hearts. Even if the way forward feels steep, there is good news: we don’t have to walk it alone. The Father is waiting with open arms, ready to restore your heart, your life, or even your faith—no matter how fragile it may feel today. Today is a good day to ask the Spirit of God for guidance on the road to restoration. In Philippians 1:6, Paul reminds us that the One who began the GOOD work in you will carry it on to completion—when?—on the day Jesus Christ returns. God has given us a gift: GRACE. Grace lightens the load. Receive the grace the Lord offers you personally, so you can fully return to fellowship with Him. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away—today, the Father rejoices to see you come back. In the days ahead, I’d like to talk to you about the new beginning God offers. I pray that He opens our hearts, that He speaks to you in a direct and personal way—and also in a practical one. And remember: it’s NEVER too late to begin again and live from now on by and for the Lord.

God Is ‘Good’ If you’ve been around church culture any length of time, you’ve probably heard this scripture countless times. It reminds us that God is the master artist behind all the details of our lives – no matter how messy they may seem – bringing them all together in an ultimate display of good. Our familiarity with it though, can sometimes undermine the weight of its meaning. When God speaks of making all things work together ‘for good’, what is this ‘good’ and how does He do it? What does our ‘designed purpose’ have to do with His intent to weave our lives in such a way? Ultimately we know as Christians that our purpose is to become more Christ-like. We’ll live that out in all kinds of different arenas, but the intended sum of all our actions and attention is that we’ll express His image in us more and more each day. So when God weaves the details of lives together ‘for good’, it means He makes sure the direction of every single one of our footsteps, sidesteps and detours, ultimately furthers that journey. In my life, I’ve seen God’s ‘good’ plan mean the end of friendships that’d had their season and the building of new ones. I’ve seen it bear peace through pain, and allow for celebration in the aftermath of heartache. Whenever you read that verse, let it remind you of God’s restorative power, and His ability to bring your life into line with His love, peace and enduring presence. Written by LAURA BENNETT

True Christlikeness How many times have you heard or said – ‘I’d do anything to have that relationship restored’? And yet we seldom know what the ‘anything’ is. Interestingly, in this modern, sophisticated, and complex world, Jesus has an answer. The scripture above is a clear and powerful key. Expanding on that truth further perhaps is the answer to that long-yearned-for restoration by asking God to grant us real, practical and visible ‘Christlikeness’ in our own lives that others may see us and be inspired also to change. True Christlikeness has no shred of religion, judgement or aloofness but has genuine care and humility. If ‘we’d do anything to see that relationship restored’ why not become the example of what you’re praying others to become? How ironic is it to hear a parent scream at their kids, ‘How many times have I told you not to swear and shout at each other?’ Now, as tempted as we are to see others change and yet reluctant to change ourselves, there still remains another key to give us motivation and sustenance. That is, that the proper focus for restoration is a God-ward act rather than either other-focussed or self-focussed. The Apostle Paul wrote – ‘And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men’ (Colossians 3:23 NKJV). So our prayer is – ‘Lord, because I am yours and I love you, help me to live in such a way that others are restored to you and to me. In Jesus name, Amen.’ Written by JOHN SCOTT

A Real Superhero It’s a marvel to watch people rush to see the latest superhero film. Even though each offers a different costume, and villains to fight, the message is generally the same. Each of these comic-book-inspired storylines is like an object lesson in the depravity of humanity. These fantasy-world messages can lead many to ask the question, ‘What is God doing to fix this world?’ Especially when Superman, Spider-Man and Captain Marvel cannot get it done with any lasting effect. To answer people in pain with the quip, ‘God has a plan’, is not comforting and may lead to an adverse reaction towards God. In the end, all hope seems lost. Yet is that the case? It’s a significant question that can be answered in the person of Jesus who proves time and again to be the true hero to mankind. When you look into His life and death the answer is evident. When you dig into the Bible, you can see that the world is broken due to humanity’s choices. Also, when we try to find the solutions within ourselves, we make things worse. But then we get to the biographies of Jesus – the Gospels – where the message points to an answer to the brokenness of the world. Within the four different accounts of His life, death and resurrection, you can begin to find the solution to the problem of pain, death and salvation. Is life hard? Are you feeling broken? Stop for a minute and take time to read through one of Jesus’ biographies and ask God to show you who the true superhero of the world is today. Written by RUSS MATTHEWS

Grace And Restoration The fact that Jesus didn’t condemn this woman’s sin does not mean He didn’t care about it. His intention was to redeem her life from the destructive nature of that sin. And it’s the same with you. Yes, Jesus is so ready to pour out His mountain of grace on your life. That grace is so much greater than all your sin, even though you have hurt Him deeply and personally. He wants to restore your relationship with Him and make it even better than it was before. And the beginning of that restoration, the foundation of all future spiritual growth in your life, is for you to come back to step-one of all spiritual growth. Bring your life, and especially that area of sin, back into a total commitment to the leadership of Jesus Christ. Then feel the growth process begin to operate once again. You’ll be like the tree in Psalm 1:3 – ‘That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers’(NIV). Written by JOHN NORTH