Way Better Than The Weekend

As the weekend approaches for so many of us it represents rescue. It represents peace and freedom and escape from the week that was. TGIF – “Thank God it’s Friday” rings out and we dig deep one more time for the week’s last gasp. No matter what stress or fears or regrets or failures this week entailed at least it’s almost the weekend, we tell ourselves.

But the thing is, the weekend makes for a really terrible saviour. It can only promise distractions that don’t change anything and a rest and peace that doesn’t last.

So, if we find our minds and hearts set on the weekend to rescue us let’s consider recalibrating. Let’s apply the gospel and consider our better Saviour.

The Better Saviour

No matter what failures or mistakes or sin you’ve seen in your life this week the weekend is not your Saviour. Your Saviour is way better than the weekend.

Never again do you need to carry the weight of your failures and mistakes and sin. That’s over

Your Saviour says, because of Me and My perfect life that I’ve given you; and My death, for not My sin but yours (2 Cor 5:21); and My resurrection, through which you were born again to new life (1 Peter 1:3); I have freed you forever (John 8:36).

Never again do you need to carry the weight of your failures and mistakes and sin. That’s over– dead and gone (Rom 6:6-11). You’re a new person now and you’re with Me (2 Cor 5:17). This new person isn’t alone, isn’t left to make their own way, their own record, their own life (Gal 2:20).

The new person you are now shares in My life. And My life is pure and good and victorious (1 Cor 1:30). It is sustained and protected and empowered by Me and My faithfulness and My strength. Even while you still experience weakness for now you can’t break it or ruin it or fail it or lose it. And so you are always pleasing and delightful and celebrated by God. You are always His absolute favourite child.

Nothing can separate you from His pure, unadulterated love (Rom 8:38-39). And nothing can derail the epic, glorious plan He has for you as He redeems all things and will one day soon completely finish the work He’s begun in you (Phil 1:6)– freeing you from even the presence of sin and giving you a perfect, resurrected body (Rom 8:22-25).

Weak Weekend Promises

The weekend promises just a couple days break and distraction from the stress and regrets of the week that will all come rolling back over us on Monday. At best it’s a partial, temporary escape. The regrets and fears and stress and disappointments aren’t gone, they’re just ignored for a moment or two. But they still lurk. The weekend can’t free us from their power. When the sun rises on Monday morning we realize once again how it has failed to truly save us.

Better Promises

In Jesus we find a Saviour who says He loves us, He’s pleased with us and He delights in us.

We have a much greater Saviour than the weekend. And if we place our belief and our hope in Him instead we find there enduring perfection and unbreakable life and constant faithfulness and unending peace.

We find in Jesus the real victory already won, the true enemy already defeated, the stress already taken, the fears already met and overcome (Rom 8:33-35,37). We find in Jesus, regardless of appearances, our lives safe and secure and truly alive with all the glory and honour any life could ever attain (Col 3:3-4).

We find a Saviour who says He loves us, He’s pleased with us, He delights in us and there’s nothing we can do to lose or diminish that– even if we’ve ignored Him all week. In Jesus we find a Saviour that doesn’t simply promise to distract but to vanquish and overcome and finish and free us from our fears and sin(2 Cor 1:20-22). We find a Saviour who never leaves us and is constantly working for our good (Rom 8:28).

In Jesus we find a Saviour that doesn’t promise us a short break, a temporary respite, but a freedom that is complete, a peace that endures all things and a joy that never stops satisfying (2 Cor 6:10 NLT).

Not Our Failures – His Successes

Instead of thanking God it’s Friday, let’s thank God it’s Jesus. Because Jesus is the way better saviour. He’s so much better than any weekend. He loves you and approves of you and is pleased with you and is completing you and has amazing, eternal plans for you no matter how you may have failed this week. With Him our failures don’t decide our life, His success does –every time. All we need to do is take Him at His word and actually believe Him.

Happy Friday, friends.