She Reads Truth: Fresh StartSample

It all has a point He creates. He restores. He redeems. We live these little patterns over and over and day in and day out. We prove to be human and fall away. He proves to be Good and Holy and Amazing and picks us up and gives us a fresh start. Again. And again. If we get caught up in the repetitive nature of life in Christ - I daresay that it could almost feel exhausting if we only see it from our small human view. But again, in His grace, He gives us a small picture of more. In Matthew 24, we find Jesus and a group of disciples who are about to walk through one of the craziest events in the history of man. If we had the time to recap all of Matthew, it would be so beautiful and meaningful to watch the scene shift. A few chapters ago, he was walking with them - telling them parables, healing the sick, answering their questions. And now, the mood has changed and He is alone with his guys, on the Mount of Olives, and they’re wondering - “What’s really going to happen? How does this story end?”. Maybe it was that he’d predicted his death so many times by this point, or the fact that He’d just lamented publicly over Jerusalem - maybe it was because His words were getting weightier by the moment with the many “woe to you” and “Truly, I say..” type phrases. Something in those disciples was beginning to shift + connect and they were seeing - it’s not always going to be like this. This pattern of us not understanding, him explaining and setting us right has to have an ending place. Do you feel it today too? I don’t think for a second we should lose the joyful, grateful response towards Him who is continually picking us up and setting us right. But - the continual redemption process has a purpose and it has an end. A beautiful one. It isn’t a fairytale, just like what we believe happened in Genesis isn’t either. It isn’t a fable or a false promise or tall tale told to bolster our moral. Our Savior, the One who took us from death to life, the One who extended grace yesterday + today, the One we’re trusting for tomorrow - He is coming back. He’s going to come in power and glory, and He’s going to gather us up.