This quarter, we focus on Jesus as our Soon-Coming King in our weekly devotional series. This week’s devotional comes from Matt. 26 – Mark 4.
Have you ever noticed how easy it can be to start over instead of making necessary alterations, changes or repairs? This is the mentality that makes it easy for our culture to look for the next new cell phone, computer, relationship or church family. Sometimes starting over seems easier than dealing with whatever needs to be repaired.
My wife, Sandra, and I owned a small car, and we figured that with some minor repairs it would last a while. As our family grew and we began looking for a second vehicle, we gave in to the pitch of a salesperson who assured us that instead of repairing our current car, it was easier to trade it in and “jump into something newer and bigger.”
After a long payment plan, we learned never to do that again.
Sometimes it feels good to be given a clean slate. Just imagine if we could start over with our credit scores or our college grade point average. But is this the lifestyle the Lord intends for his church to have? Are we to move from one new start to the next because it is easier? Or should we consider that God wants to restore what seems broken, lost, fallen or irreconcilable?
At the Last Supper, Jesus shared with His disciples (Matt. 26:17 – 30) that the New Covenant in His blood would provide forgiveness of sin (v. 28). He told them that the next time He drank of the fruit of vine, it would be in the Father’s kingdom at His second coming (v. 29). The hope Jesus gave them was not only that He is returning for His people, but also that the New Covenant is the beginning of the restoration of our lives in Him here on Earth.
In His New Covenant, God will heal, rebuild, renew and revive the circumstances that burden us. Our lives are restored, not restarted. Rather than giving up and starting over, we need to seek Him for His transformation in our lives. We need to be patient as God transforms us into the image of His Son.
Allowing God to restore the broken parts of our lives glorifies the Father and serves as testimony of His unconditional love. Trusting Him to bring healing and wholeness rather than looking for a replacement reminds us that our situations and conflicts are never without hope, and are always within the reach of His grace and favor.
By: Gus Delgado Jr., grant coordinator for the Foursquare Foundation in Los Angeles
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