Photo Credit to Natalie Seth (@ escapingyouth)
Acts 14:26-27 NLT
Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. The believers there had entrusted them to the grace of God to do the work they had now completed. Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too.
If I have to think of returning to where my journey with started with Jesus, it wasn’t easy at all, in actual fact without pretending, it was hell on earth. It was a dingy, disgusting, and messy place. I was too ashamed to allow people to come close to me, living a lonely life of lies and hurt that flooded my heart with rebellion towards God. It felt like a city that was abandoned for years with broken down walls beyond the point of repair. I still looked up to heaven and shouted at God, “Why God, why did you allow this to happen in my life!”
But God was so merciful, whilst my heart was flooded with anger, his heart was flooded with love (Romans 5:20). But my life changed the day I decided to walk through the door of faith. I knew that I was a fallen city and it would take someone Magnificent to repair the damaged walls of my life (Amos 9:11-15). I came to a place called ‘total serenity’ and that’s where I met Jesus.
He only needs one door in your life to start rebuilding the walls, listen to him knocking on the door of your heart. He wants to sit down and have a meal with you in that ruined place (Rev 3:20). He is not ashamed of you and you don’t ever have to feel your life is too messed up for him to clean it up. That’s why he came, not for the righteous, but for those who are lost (Luke 19:10).
Allow Jesus, the Restorer, to rebuild the walls in your life.