Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

21 September 2025

Reading From II Corinthians 13

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.”

—II Corinthians 13:5-11

     Faith is tested in hard times.  When hard times come, if we abandon the holy life marked with love that God has called us to, then is God truly living within us?  Faith is tested in the face of opposition.  When the pressure is on, do we roll over and acquiesce to whatever the enemy of our souls would have us do?  Would Almighty God do that?  Challenges have a way of exposing what we are really made of.  Sons and daughters of God are not yet perfect, but when they are tested, the Holy Spirit within them partners with them in girding them up in the armor of God, empowering them to stand firm in the faith and they are proven tried and true.

     Paul’s goal was not to tear people down.  He wanted to build them up.  When people falter due to moral failure of any kind, his goal was not to see them permanently cast out of fellowship, but rather to see them restored.  Restoration, after all, is the goal of the Gospel.  God wants to see humanity restored to the condition He intended for them in the Garden of Eden.  Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree and Jesus paid for the sins of all humanity on the tree of Calvary so that by choosing to accept His grace and mercy, we may eat of the Tree of Life in the New Eden. God wants to see us in healthy, life giving relationship with Him and with one another and He knows that sin spoils that.

     In this chapter, Paul assures the Corinthian believers who have sinned that their restoration is what his leadership team prays for and then goes on to remind them in verse 11, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”  I am to pray for restoration and aim for restoration for myself when I falter and for my brothers and sisters when they are struggling.  Pray and aim for restoration, comfort, agreement, and peace.

“Heavenly Father, thank You that Your desire is not to condemn, but to restore.  I am so grateful that You want good things for Your creation.  You want the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve to become Your sons and daughters, adopted and sealed into Your eternal family.  Thank You for loving us.  Thank You for loving me.  I pray that we would acknowledge and confess sin for what it is and receive healing and restoration by Your shed blood.  Wash us clean and make us whole.  Take us from the miry clay of sin and set our feet upon the rock of Christ Jesus and Your Word.  Help us to honor and glorify You every day.  In the merciful and loving Name of Jesus I pray these things.  Amen.”

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

—Galatians 6:1

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

—James 1:2-4