Text: Matthew 24:29-31
He creates. He restores. He redeems.
We live these little patterns over and over, 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. This repetitive nature of life in Christ could almost feel exhausting if only seen from our human point of view. But again, in His grace, He gives us a glimpse 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 and connect, and they were beginning to see, It’s not always going to be like this. This pattern of us not understanding, him explaining and setting us right, it 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 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 and 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.
What a refreshing study!! Sometimes I get stuck in the hear and now, in the continual drudge of falling and failing and beating myself up for not being perfect. It is so comforting to know that, YES, someday all things will be made right and we will be in perfect relationship with the Father. While I am so thankful for grace, I am also really looking forward to the time when sin will no longer have a place in my existence.
That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling lately. Like I need to be perfect at everything and not make mistakes but it’s so encouraging to know I don’t have to and that it’s ok for me to fail sometimes because I’m human and I’m not perfect but that hope that one day, everything will be made right and Jesus will come back to bring us home.