Brittany Rust

“Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”⁣ Matthew‬ ‭28:1-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Happy Resurrection Sunday! 🙌🏼

Jesus had suffered unimaginable turmoil while on the cross. And while the physical demands were certainly intense—he even refused the wine mixed with gall, a common pain reliever at that time in order that he might feel the full weight of suffering—it was the weight of every sin that burdened him so. As he prepared to say his last words, he asked for a small drink in order that he might wet his dry throat. ⁣
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After receiving the sour wine Jesus declared, “It is finished.”⁣
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There is so much power in these 3 words. The Greek word tetelestai means “paid in full.” But Jesus wasn’t talking about his own debt that was paid—he was referring to ours. When Jesus declared those 3 words and gave himself up as an offering, he was declaring that the debt you and I owe to God was paid in full.⁣
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You see, there is absolutely nothing you and I could ever do to make us right with God. We are born into sin and live in sin. Jesus, however, became the spotless sacrificial lamb to atone for our sins. He is the only way to reconciliation with God. ONLY. There are not many paths that lead to God; there is one. And his name is Jesus.⁣
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After saying those words, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. In a voluntary move, Jesus willingly offered up himself as a ransom and sacrifice to God.⁣
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Warren Wiersbe notes, “In Luke 9:31, His death is called a ‘decease,’ which in the Greek is ‘exodus,’ suggesting the Passover lamb and the deliverance from bondage.”⁣
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Dear Reader, you could never make right the wrong you have done. And you have done wrong. Romans 3:10 states, “None is righteous, no, not one.” And so yes, you need Jesus to do what only he can do—save. And until you believe him and put your faith in him, you cannot be made right with God.⁣
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We remember today the sacrifice Christ made for you and me. He paid our debt in full! Will you trust him with your life?

In Numbers 21, the people of Israel are worn down in the wilderness and they begin to speak against God and against Moses: Why did you bring us out here? There’s no food, no water… and we hate this food.

Their complaining is really rebellion, and as a result, the Lord sends poisonous serpents among them. And people start dying.

They go to Moses and say, “We have sinned.” They own it, which is the right thing to do. And then they ask him to pray that God would take the serpents away.

But God doesn’t remove the snakes.

Instead, He tells Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. And anyone who is bitten can look at it to live.

It’s such a strange instruction… until you realize what God is doing.

The pole becomes both a reminder of their sin and their need for God, but also an invitation to trust Him. Because healing didn’t come from the bronze but from the Lord. But they had to look. They had to respond in faith.

Maybe that’s why God didn’t take the snakes away. Because every bite became an opportunity to depend on Him again.

Sometimes we pray for God to remove the situation and He doesn’t. Not because He’s absent, but because He’s inviting us trust. To keep looking to Him. To keep depending on Him.

And then Jesus brings it all into focus.

In John 3, He says that just as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him would have eternal life.

That moment in the wilderness? It was always pointing forward. To Him. To the cross. To the Savior who would be lifted up so that all who look to Him in faith would not just be healed, but saved.

Today, we don’t look to a pole. We look to Jesus.

And while He may not always remove the struggle, He does meet us in it… inviting us to trust that He is still working.

Today is the beginning of Holy Week—those last days of Jesus on earth and the Resurrection. It’s a week we take to intentionally reflect on all Christ did for us those final moments.

Save this post and reference the second slide for the readings of the week, or you can access the plan on YouVersion. But I hope you’ll carve out time each day this week to read these Scriptures, reflect on the text, and spend time with the Lord ❤️

Today is the beginning of Holy Week—those last days of Jesus on earth and the Resurrection. It’s a week we take to intentionally reflect on all Christ did for us in those final moments.

Save this post and reference the second slide for the readings of the week, or you can access the plan on YouVersion. But I hope you’ll carve out time each day this week to read these Scriptures, reflect on the text, and spend time with the Lord ❤️

Looking for gifts for your kids this Easter? I got you covered…

▪️ 5-Minute Family Devotional: short devotions for families with kids under 10, working through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

▪️ Pr***en Devotional for Girls: 52 devotions—1 for each week of the year—working through aspects important to young teens in a biblical way.

▪️ The Bible in 52 Weeks for Teen Girls: one year in the Bible… comes with a reading plan and teaches the Bible along the way.

One thing I care very much about in books I write for young people is to provide something a bit meatier than most books for them. It’s the mom and the pastor in me. Personal testimony: I worked through 5-Minute devotions with Roman and after reading the one about baptism, Roman asked to be baptized (after already surrendering his life to Christ a year before) and was baptized at church soon after! And the amount of testimonies from girls reading the teen devotionals is astounding 🙌🏻 I hope you’ll pick a copy up for your own kiddos!

A link to all my books is in my bio link but you can also get them everywhere books are sold.

Looking for gifts for your kids this Easter? I got you covered…

▪️ 5-Minute Family Devotional: short devotions for families with kids under 10, working through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

▪️ Pr***en Devotional for Girls: 52 devotions—1 for each week of the year—working through aspects important to young teens in a biblical way.

▪️ The Bible in 52 Weeks for Teen Girls: one year in the Bible… comes with a reading plan and teaches the Bible along the way.

One thing I care very much about in books I write for young people is to provide something a bit meatier than most books for them. It’s the mom and the pastor in me. Personal testimony: I worked through 5-Minute devotions with Roman and after reading the one about baptism, Roman asked to be baptized (after already surrendering his life to Christ a year before) and was baptized at church soon after! And the amount of testimonies from girls reading the teen devotionals is astounding 🙌🏻 I hope you’ll pick a copy up for your own kiddos!

A link to all my books is in my bio link but you can also get them everywhere books are sold.

Working out some thoughts on suffering…

While we’re discussing moral failure and church discipline on the gram, leaving this here from a course I did for on the topic.

If you don’t have an account but would like to watch this or one of hundreds of courses over there (like church history, systematic theology, apologetics, and more), shoot me a DM and I’ll send you a link and promo code to get the first month free!

HER Night was beautiful ❤️ God showed up in a thousand ways! I’m truly grateful to be part of what God is doing in and through NL Women, and for the team I get to do it with.

What’s happening in America right now feels eerily familiar to 2020. The volume is rising and the sides are hardening.

But as I scroll, I don’t see much “quick to listen, slow to speak.”

I see certainty fueled by experience and emotion. I’ve watched believers make sweeping assumptions about others simply because they disagree with them. I’ve seen people invoke their theology degrees as if education itself grants moral authority. I’ve also seen Christians publicly call other Christians to repent for how they voted. And really, that’s assuming authority you don’t have.

We can all find Scripture to support our positions. That’s easy. What’s harder is submitting ourselves to the full context of Scripture, not just the verses that serve our argument. That takes humility.

Honestly, it reminds me of Job’s friends. They were confident, articulate, and sure they were right. They assumed and accused. They even spoke about God, but they were far from understanding His intentions. And in the end, God rebuked them.

You might feel certain you’re on the right side of history. You might feel morally clear. But not a single one of us can say with absolute authority we know exactly how God would respond in this moment.

Putting ourselves above others because of education, experience, or political alignment is not Christlike. So maybe the posture right now isn’t certainty. Maybe it’s humility. Maybe it’s saying, “I don’t know—but I will love my neighbor well in every way I can.”

Please don’t mishear me: there is a time and place for truth. But remember, Jesus came in truth AND grace (John 1:17). There’s a balance we all must find. I’m also not saying we should all be silent. There are some things I will die on a hill for and tragedy calls for a response. But perhaps some of that energy is meant to be channeled into building the Kingdom in your small corner of the world, but reprimanding others on social media in a one way conversation.

I’m honestly just exhausted of people I consider friends writing things that are about someone like me. And if I were to say anything otherwise I might be unfollowed, blocked, or my faith questioned. Help me make that make sense. 💔