Be Still And Know

Isaiah 61:7 NLT 'Instead of shame and dishonour, you will enjoy a double share of honour. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.' Daytime TV is filled with shows about restoring old houses or precious artefacts such as Homes Under the Hammer and Your Home Made Perfect. People have great enthusiasm to return something to its original state; this is also what God has upon his heart for each one of us. While we wrestle with sinful thoughts, some of which give rise to sinful acts, ultimately the call of the disciple is to return to that state of goodness and oneness with God that was his original creative intention for us all. The most difficult consequence arising from sin is the shame it induces. Each of us knows the shame and the fear we have of our failings being exposed to public view. Shame differs from guilt in that it tells me that there is something rotten in the core of who I am. Unlike guilt, which I can address through confession and apology, s