September 4, 2107

“.. For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.” Luke 19:10 The Message

Jesus didn’t have to look very far to begin His mission. You were it. You’ve never seen the real you like that the Son of Man has seen. He saw you lost .. directionless ..  dislocated .. and very determined. Successful .. self-sufficient .. focused .. productive? Without Him, your best was always a disguise. Deep down you knew it but everyone else was trying just as hard not to be found out. You were never disposable in Christ’s eyes. He came looking far and wide. He never had to travel far to find  restorably-lost men and women. He’s the only One who knows what a restored-you would look like in the Father’s eyes. There were countless distractions and accusations but He never wavered until He found you. Christ is the greatest builder of relationships*. Each one is different in degrees but all of them receive ALL of Him. You’re never restored to what you were but who He is .. whole and accepted in God’s presence. That’s the power of the cross and the unfailing reach of His grace. It doesn’t matter if you’re wandering .. aimless .. or paralyzed. Every crease .. every scar .. and every minute is covered in restoring grace. He finds lives drained away by running scared and holding on to hurts. And your life? If you want to know what your life looks in Christ .. then look at Jesus. He could have picked the best .. the brightest .. and the brilliant. That wasn’t and has never been His mission. He came to find the lost .. restore the broken .. and leave His indwelling life. In His restoring grace scars become a story and loveless living becomes resurrection love. He came looking and found you. Used-to-be-lost lives become Never-to-be-lost-again alive. Jesus is the Restorer of broken lives .. broken loves .. and broken hearts. He’s come for you and He’s found you. His mission becomes yours. If He’s found you .. you’ll begin to find others just like you were once. And you know what He wants that life to look like. It only takes a moment …

“He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of His Son.” Romans 8:29 The Message

Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent to Restored Shapes following Jesus (kchesterp1@gmail.com) * Thanks to Brian Biggers@Lambs Chapel