Author: Tawnya Smith

Focus Day 5 Steady Foundation

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 28:16-17
Matthew 7:24-27
James 2:14-26
Proverbs 3

Focus, Day 5

I’ll never forget the day we realized our home’s foundation was compromised.
We’d only lived there six months, but we had big plans for our first home. With the current living space only having two bedrooms, my husband made remodeling plans to finish the basement, effectively doubling the size of our home.

Excitement was in the air until the day he walked upstairs, level in hand, and delivered the news: the cinder block walls were bowed in.
It wasn’t noticeable at first…
But a level doesn’t lie.
In the initial building process, wise steps hadn’t been taken to ensure a secure foundation. There was no way to move forward with our construction when we couldn’t trust the foundation. It would take four years of research, planning, praying, and consulting to find an affordable way to secure our home’s foundation.

A Sure Foundation
Praise God He is nothing like mankind! Proverbs 3:19 tells us, “The Lord founded the earth by wisdom, and established the heavens by understanding.” God, by nature, is all-wise, all-knowing and has no need to be taught, but is Himself the teacher. The source of wisdom and understanding is God.

Job 28:26 says, “the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, to turn away from evil is understanding”.  Likewise, Proverbs 1:7 teaches, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Most would agree that wisdom is a good thing to be acquired and evil should be avoided.  But who says which is which?
And what does fearing the Lord have to do with this?

Who is Wise?
Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”

Did you catch that? Jesus teaches it is a wise person who “acts on” His words. Obedience lays an unshakeable foundation bringing protection, care, and endurance.  Conversely, a foolish person will not act upon or obey the words of Christ; this decision is like building his home on shifting sand, completely vulnerable to destruction and will eventually washed away by storms.

Obedience matters.
It matters as much as a strong foundation matters for your home.  It matters so much that Jesus equates wisdom with obedience and foolishness with disobedience.  His Word defines what is straight and what is crooked (Isaiah 28:17).

This doesn’t mean we obey to receive a gold star, a badge, or a self-righteous rock.
OUR righteous deeds are actually like polluted garments (Isaiah 64:6).
Obedience does mean wisdom is only found in listening to, following and obeying the words of Jesus.  The way of Jesus is the rock. The Psalmist knew this well, “For God alone, Oh my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.” (Psalm 62:5-7)

Our Foundation Shows
James 2:14-26 gives us another angle on what it looks like in real life when our foundation is Jesus Christ.
Verse 14 says, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?”
Verse 17 continues, “faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.”
Additionally, verse 18 continues, “You see that faith was active together with his [Abraham’s] works, and by works, faith was made complete”.

Is James saying we must work for our salvation?
Is he contradicting Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:8-9?  By no means! The order of things matters and we must use Scripture to interpret Scripture, (a plug for proper hermeneutics!).  In Paul’s writings he helps us understand the only perfect, wise, secure foundation is God Himself, His Word, and His way through Jesus Christ.
This means the moment of justification for a person is an absolute free gift from God.

James then helps us understand how, if that free gift has been planted within our hearts by God (Colossians 2:13), it will show itself as our foundation with lives resting squarely upon Jesus.  What will that look like?  Our actions will be in line with the rock of the words of Christ, and not on the shifting sand of our own desires, sin and unbelief.

To be clear, our lives here on earth will never perfectly reflect the glory of Jesus Christ. We will still sin, fail, and stumble. This is not a perfection game, but a remembering discipline (Proverbs 3:1-4).  When I forget my foundation, I start building a side-hustle castle on the sand of my own desires, which God graciously allows to be swept away reminding me of who I really am in Him.

For our daily remembering, it’s important to ask questions like:
To whom and what am I listening?
With what am I filling my mind?

The answer to those questions will answer these:
How will I prioritize my life?
How will I make decisions?
How will I love today?

When the words of Christ as our foundation, we will walk in wisdom and understanding and we will be hungry to take in His wisdom.  We will choose to obey Him, trusting He is, and always will be, our sturdy rock in an ever-tumultuous sea.

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Ignite Day 5 Purposed Orchestration

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Proverbs 21:1-2
Hebrews 1:1-4
John 10:22-30
Ephesians 4:11-16

Ignite, Day 5

It’s easy for me to live as if this life,
this season I’m in,
my community,
issues the modern-day church wrestles with,
and this post-Christian era with its messages flashing from screens,
are all held inside a vacuum of time.

That’s because I forget my (and our) place in history.
I forget the church’s place on the timeline of God’s mission.
I forget just how much of a dot I am on the map and how much of a tick this era is on history’s timeline.

That is, until I look up at the night sky and remember I’m simply one light among the host.
With a zoomed-out lens I see this divine orchestration by which God has used countless people and circumstances on His stage through the centuries, igniting a spotlight on men and women at just the right time, to bring about His purposes.

A Light in the Night
Constantine was one of those men. He ruled the Roman Empire from 306-337AD and is said to be the first Emperor to convert to Christianity. For over two centuries before his rise to power, Christians had been persecuted, threatened and killed.  The most severe persecution ramped up in the 250s all the way up until Constantine took over the empire. (Read more on the Diocletianic Persecution)

Constantine took power and policies began to change, but the most notable turning point occurred during a battle in 312 AD. Constantine saw a vision of a cross of light in the sky that read “CONQUER BY THIS”.  The message burned within him. He is said to have made a commitment to the Christian God, if he indeed won the battle.  Upon winning, Constantine required all soldiers to don the Greek letters for “Christo” on their armor, a clear message to the world where Constantine believed his power came from.

The years that followed revealed his favor toward Christians by way of new Empire rules.  One such proclamation Constantine was instrumental in establishing was the Edict of Milan in 313AD. It declared religious freedom not only for Christians, but for all religions and cults of that time. Beyond that, it commanded citizens to right any wrongs done to Christians including returning property, church buildings, and belongings previously confiscated.

The second major assist Constantine provided to the Christian faith was to convene together The First Council of Nicaea.  The church bishops gathered with the primary purpose of creating a common belief statement specifically regarding the relationship between God the Father and God the Son, Jesus.  This specific point was sparked because of Arianism, a false teaching which challenged the fully divine nature of Jesus, making Him out to be a created being. From this council came what we know as the Nicene Creed.  It reflects foundational Biblical truths including an affirmation of Scripture’s position on Jesus’ deity, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3), and “He [Christ] is the very image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).

Without this Nicene Creed, and the handful of believers who fought valiantly for biblical truth to be upheld over society’s popular sway, Christianity today would be vastly different! How far the flame they ignited has carried!

Many throughout history have attributed Constantine’s favor toward Christianity to a personal conversion, though he was not baptized until his deathbed.  It’s not completely clear where Constantine’s heart and motives were.  How can we truly know the heart of any man? Only God knows. What we can know throughout history, God has used men to accomplish HIS purposes, whether they knew it or not.  Proverbs 21:1 says, “A king’s heart is like channeled water in the LORD’s hand: He directs it wherever he chooses.”  Constantine’s abiding favor toward Christians was clear throughout his entire reign, which allowed the body of Christ to ignite anew, spread and grow.

Why it Matters
The council of Nicaea proved to be incredibly important in unifying the church and fortifying her against future false teaching.  If Constantine had not been so forward in calling the council together, if the church leaders had backed down from facing hard conversations and challenges to the faith, and if Arianism had gained a stronger foothold, the church would not have thrived as it did as a result of Constantine’s initiatives.
It mattered then and it matters today. 

Paul warned the church at Ephesus saying by “growing into maturity……..we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.” (Ephesians 4:13b-14)

May God fortify and set our hearts ablaze with a fervor for His Word and a passion to spread His good news, while upholding truth.  May we be people willing to do hard things with a long view in mind, knowing the future of the church is built today.  May we turn to this same God who has been lighting up the church since her beginning, for guidance and wisdom.

We may just be another star on the map, but string it all together under God’s amazing plan, and you can be sure His flame will light up the night!

Curious for more on Constantine?
https://www.thoughtco.com/constantine-the-great-112492
https://www.ancient.eu/Constantine_I/

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Worship V Day 8 1,000 Tongues To Sing

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 5:6-10
Colossians 2:13-15
I Timothy 1:15-17

Worship V, Day 8

We love reasons to celebrate, don’t we?
Birthdays
Anniversaries
National holidays that close banks and
National donut-days for indulgences

While most of us celebrate our birthday in some way, (or bless their heart, others celebrate it for us!), have you ever considered the day you were born-again?
The day God first opened your eyes and drew your heart into a trusting relationship with Him.

That’s what Charles Wesley, the great English hymn-writer did.
Of the 6,500 hymns he penned in the 1700s, one of his most well-known was written upon the 1-year anniversary of his conversion. Originally titled “For the Anniversary of One’s Conversion”, it quickly became known as “O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing!”.
This is a celebration story of who Wesley was, who God has always been, and how sinners like us can be saved.

Originally, Charles Wesley wrote 18 stanzas, but most hymnals today use 4-5 of those and have shifted the order around. I’m including all but two of the original stanzas (*explanation for omission in footnote), because this version tells Wesley’s full conversion story we may otherwise miss. Let’s dig in!

Glory to God, and praise and love
be ever, ever given,
by saints below and saints above,
the church in earth and heaven.

On this glad day the glorious Sun
of Righteousness arose;
on my benighted soul he shone
and filled it with repose.

Sudden expired the legal strife,
’twas then I ceased to grieve;
my second, real, living life
I then began to live.

The first three stanzas open with exuberance, calling all who hear to praise God! He recounts the very day God’s light shone on his dark heart. He tells us his “legal strife” is now gone, pointing our eyes to Christ’s work in canceling our legal debt. (Colossians 2:14)

Then with my heart I first believed,
believed with faith divine,
power with the Holy Ghost received
to call the Savior mine.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
close to my soul applied;
me, me he loved, the Son of God,
for me, for me he died!

I found and owned his promise true,
ascertained of my part,
my pardon passed in heaven I knew
when written on my heart.

Here Wesley lays out the foundation of the gospel.  He knew “faith divine” comes from a God who makes us come alive. (Colossians 2:13) Stanzas five and six speak directly to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus to pardon the sinner. Romans 5:6-8 These weren’t simply theological points for Wesley, they were “written on his heart” in true belief.

O for a thousand tongues to sing
my dear Redeemer’s praise!
The glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace.

My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
’tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’tis life, and health, and peace!

Like a geyser that can no longer hold back, Wesley springs forth in praise with that most familiar seventh stanza!  It catapults him into the eighth asking God to help him spread this amazing news to others. By stanza nine Wesley gives voice to the truth that Jesus’ love casts out fear (1 John 4:18, Romans 8:15), and surpasses all else (Philippians 3:7-8)!

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood availed for me.

He speaks, and listening to his voice
new life the dead receive;
the mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.

Look unto him, ye nations, own
your God, ye fallen race!
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
be justified by grace!

Wesley is not only telling us his story, but THE story of redemption.
It’s as if we hear him say “You want to know how I know? He did it for ME!”
He’s making a strong case here, line by line, that Jesus is all of life, for all nations.

See all your sins on Jesus laid;
the Lamb of God was slain,
his soul was once an offering made
for every soul of man.

Harlots and publicans and thieves,
in holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.

Murderers and all ye hellish crew,
ye sons of lust and pride,
believe the Savior died for you;
for me the Savior died.

Okay now Wesley is writing for the back row – for the ones thinking, “no way this includes me”. He’s hitting it home so every last person knows that every sin, in every form, was laid on Jesus. He came for those who know they need a doctor, (Matthew 9:12) and died for every single crime against a holy God (Psalm 51:4).

With me, your chief, you then shall know,
shall feel your sins forgiven;
anticipate your heaven below
and own that love is heaven.

Wesley closes out with a nod to 1 Timothy 1:15, where Paul calls himself the worst of sinners. He wants to make this invitation clear and show his confidence is not in his morality, but in how far-reaching grace is.

Learning from Wesley
Wesley used a hymn to do it. Some give speeches. Others write books, some preach sermons and others sit across coffee tables with tears streaming down as they listen. Some paint the sky, or make a meal for gathered guests, and someone right now might be throwing in another load of wash for that college kid that needs help.

The question is not how you will do it.
The question is, will you?

Will you choose to celebrate God’s redemption of your life with someone else?
Will you choose to embody it, and then invite others into that free gift?
Decide today, that if there’s anything worth celebrating with our lives, it’s that Christ died for the sins of the ungodly, that we might be reconciled to God forever (1 Timothy 1:15-17, Romans 5:10-11).

Footnote:
*Two of Charles Wesley’s original stanzas were omitted in the writing of this article because they contain language that is both racially offensive and also derogatory toward individuals with physically impairment. It is the conviction that these stanzas not be circulated as they do not hold up the basic premise of the imago dei (Genesis 1:27). We can respect the work of many great men and women in history such as Wesley, and rightly recognize where sin still laced their thoughts, hearts and actions as they do ours today in myriad ways. God, however, is the faithful One, and we look to Him as our guide, knowing He will one day make all things right and new.

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Worship V Day 1 All Glory Be To Christ

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Read His Words Before Ours!

James 4:13-16
Matthew 6:9-13
Isaiah 55:1-3
Revelation 21:5-6

Worship V, Day 1

Every New Year’s Eve my husband and I marvel at the crowd gathered at Times Square.  While we are cozied up enjoying the comforts of home, thousands gather hours in advance, often standing in rain or sleet, to watch the ball drop and mark a new year.
“It’s just sooo exciting”, reporters and party-goers repeat on the quarter hour. There’s a palpable energy even from across the screen. Truly, these attendees are up to their eyeballs in anticipation. As that ball finally drops, so does the tune known round the world. You’ve definitely heard it, but maybe you don’t really know it.

It’s the nostalgic piece written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788. Its lesser known title, Auld Lang Syne, can loosely be translated “for the sake of old times”. The song is a celebration of old friendships, good memories, and a plea to not forget or forsake them. It’s certainly a beautiful song and sentiment. We can understand the emotion, the build-up, and the excitement that surrounds the turning of a new year, and paying homage with a song like this.  However, as good and right as it may be to celebrate these earthly gifts, the reality that always pricks my heart and grounds my soul is how much more there is than this.

More to give thanks for, more to anticipate, more to bank on, more to cherish – more to celebrate. Really, Someone to celebrate.

With similar thoughts, worship leader and song-writer Dustin Kensrue felt compelled to pen new lyrics to Auld Lange Syne as he flew home on December 31st, 2011. He explains, “The idea is that—especially at the beginning of the new year—we would dedicate all our efforts to bringing glory to Jesus Christ, to acknowledge that anything else would be of no value, and to celebrate our redemption in him.”

 And my, what new life Kensrue breathed into this song with his new adaptation, All Glory Be to Christ, (recorded by King’s Kaleidoscope)! With a heavy lean on the Word of God, this new hymn ushers us into worship any time of the year reminding us to set first things first.

 Should nothing of our efforts stand
No legacy survive
Unless the Lord does raise the house
In vain its builders strive

 Right at the start, Kensrue pulls from Psalm 127:1, reminding us that “Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.”

 To you who boast tomorrow’s gain
Tell me, What is your life?
A mist that vanishes at dawn
All glory be to Christ!

 The second verse brings in Proverbs 27:1 “Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” Similarly, James 4:13-14 reminds us we cannot make plans without acknowledging that in the scheme of God’s grand design, our lives are like a vapor appearing for a little while and vanishing.

 His will be done, His kingdom come
On earth as is above
Who is Himself our daily bread
Praise Him, the Lord of love

 Kensrue brilliantly ties in the Lord’s prayer as well as the heartbeat of James 4:15-16 teaching us to preface our every move with a submission to the Lord’s will.  The theme of these first three verses rests on humility.

 All glory be to Christ our king!
All glory be to Christ!
His rule and reign we’ll ever sing
All glory be to Christ!

 This repeated refrain is our anthem! Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, may everything be for the glory of God! (I Corinthians 10:31)

Let living water satisfy
The thirsty without price
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet
All glory be to Christ!

 The fourth verse references the sweetest invitation found in Isaiah 55. Although “cup of kindness” is in the original lyric of Auld Lang Syne, it clearly has a different meaning here which is beautiful writing! With this line, Kensrue turns our eyes to the cup of kindness our Savior offers (because He took the cup of God’s wrath upon Himself), which is intended to lead us to repentance and the fullness of life! (Romans 2:4)

 When on the day the great I Am
The faithful and the true
The Lamb who was for sinners slain
Is making all things new

 The lyrics come to a crescendo now highlighting a future grace where God makes all things new for those found in Jesus Christ! (Revelation 21:5-6) Now THAT’s palpable excitement!

 Behold our God shall live with us
And be our steadfast light
And we shall e’er his people be
All glory be to Christ!

And so now, for the “already but not yet” living, we hold fast to the hope that God will never leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5)

A beautiful anthem for this life and beyond! Whether we’re turning over the page to a new job, a new stage of life, a new responsibility, or simply a new day, may we choose to ground our anticipation in the hope of Christ, and may we step into what God is calling us towards with a determination to give all glory to Christ!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Worship V Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Cross Day 13 Two Men From Emmaus

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 24:13-35
Isaiah 9:2-7
Isaiah 53
John 3:14-16

Cross, Day 13

Our feet kicked up dust as we walked along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. It had been a long, strange, eventful week neither of us would forget and now we were grappling over recent rumors. Cleopas was sure it was possible, but I, on the other hand, was adamant it simply could not be. Both our hearts hung low in heated confusion, high emotion, and debate. We talked and argued for several miles, until we were joined by a strange fellow traveler. The heat of our discussion dawned on us when the traveler intrusively asked, “What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking?”. (Luke 24:17)

Cleopas and I stopped in our tracks.  My thoughts went racing. Is this a foreigner? How can he not know what’s taken place? Everyone in Jerusalem, if not the entire nation, knows what has happened! Cleopas asked him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?”. He replied, “What things?”. (Luke 24:18-19)

 What things?!
Only the most earth-shattering possibilities for our nation, people, and time!

We both took a deep breath, exchanging looks of wonder, and relayed what we knew to this aloof traveler. “What things? The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him.” (Luke 24:19-20) Oh how our hearts were discouraged because we thought this Jesus was truly the one who would redeem Israel.  We thought He was the one who would be our King and fulfill all the prophets had told us concerning hope for our nation. Now, we didn’t know what to do with those thoughts.

Our traveling companion listened intently as we continued.
“Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened. Some women from our group astounded us. They told us they arrived early at the tomb, and when they didn’t find his body, they said they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive.  Some of the other followers went to the tomb upon hearing this and reported finding it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see Jesus” (Luke 24: 22-24)

This was what we were in such disagreement about.
How could we believe such news?
Can we believe anything we hear at this point?
How could we entertain such heart-wrenching hope only to be let down again?

Our minds were spinning, and come to think of it, our hearts were burning as well.

As soon as the words left our lips, the traveler responded with shocking authority and knowledge. Here we thought this man was ignorant and foreign to our nation’s history and hope, yet he rebuked us for not understanding! “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 25:25-26)

We barely had a moment to process what our ears were hearing because he immediately began teaching and interpreting the Scriptures for us, shedding light on all we had been discussing. He seemed to be telling us that Jesus indeed was the Messiah, and that we were blind to be doubting this!!
Certainly, there was more to this man than first met our eyes.

Cleopas and I hung on his every word until we came to our village.  We begged this traveler to stay with us, and he agreed. After all, it was nearly evening. If we were honest though, it could have been mid-day and we still would have found a reason to convince him to stay with us.  This man had answers. Who in the world was he?! We still didn’t know, but he had something our aching hearts needed.  Was it hope?

With comforting anticipation, the three of us reclined at the table together to enjoy a meal.  Our new friend gave thanks, broke the bread and handed it to us. In that instant we were astonished to suddenly recognize this was Jesus! It was Him!
Then just as quickly as we saw Him, He disappeared before our eyes!
Oh how our minds and hearts flooded with thoughts!

How had we not known we were with Jesus this entire time?

Was this why our hearts raced with fiery energy?

Was it why we didn’t bristle at His rebuke, but were drawn into His words?

Or the reason we begged so fervently for Him to stay with us?

We leapt from the table, leaving behind our uneaten meal and raced back to Jerusalem in the middle of the night.  When we found the eleven disciples we feverishly blurted out “the Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” (Luke 24:34). Cleopas and I then took turns delivering every last detail of our day’s encounter with Jesus.  We shared all He had explained to us on the road.  As the words came tumbling out, God’s plan of redemption for Israel became clearer and clearer. Truly, Jesus was sent to the be the Lamb of God, to rescue His people from their sins.
We praised God He’d heard His people’s cries!
He had made a way!

Cleopas and I returned home on the Emmaus Road. This time, no longer squabbling, fighting and saddened, but instead unified and rejoicing over the risen Christ.

The One we had seen with our own eyes.

 The One who made our hearts burn within us. 

 Because of Jesus, we would never be the same.

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A Note About Cross
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters in Scripture and looked through their eyes as they saw the cross. We do our best to research the culture and times and all biblical support surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives as they watched the crucifixion, but we can’t be 100% accurate. These first-person stories are our best interpretation of how these characters viewed Jesus as He gave Himself up for us. Our hope is that by looking through their eyes, we will see the Cross differently as well, and be dramatically changed as we encounter the Savior!
Enjoy!

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Cross Day 10 John The Disciple

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 1:1-18
John 6:27-35
Isaiah 53

Cross, Day 10

In the beginning was….

The Word. The Logos. The Image.

The very expression of Yahweh sent from heaven, to dwell among us. (John 1:14)

This Light in all of its mystery and life,
knelt down to our world to expose our darkness.
(John 1:4-9,  3:19-21, 12:46)

The very Lamb of God sent to take away the sins of the world, to make all things new,
to bring men back to God. (John 1:29)

Standing on the banks of the Jordan, watching Jesus, son of Joseph the carpenter, be baptized produced a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty in me.
Could this truly be The One Isaiah said would be given to us?
Could this be Israel’s redemption?

“For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

I, John, give testimony of this Word made flesh.
As John the Baptizer prepared the way, Jesus of Nazareth has come to reap the harvest of God’s kingdom. (John 3:22-30)  He called us to follow Him. First inviting Andrew, then Simon Peter, Philip and Nathaniel, then my brother James and myself.

We marveled at the speed at Jesus’ glory-following, as we baptized one after another.
James and I, known as the “Sons of Thunder”, were like a lit canon of untamed zeal and ambitious devotion.

In those early days, I could be foolish and harsh, shutting down those who didn’t fit my expectations. (Mark 9:38-41) Other times, I was arrogant and presumptuous, expecting honor for following Jesus. (Matthew 20:20-24)
My heart was on fire, but oh I had so much to learn of Jesus’ perfect balance of grace with truth.

Jesus was ushering in a new Way, a new Kingdom.
Yet, there was an ancient familiarity to Jesus.
Something in His presence, His words, His essence, spoke of Yahweh’s long prophesied suffering servant who would come and be broken, overcoming sin and oppression, for our nation. (Isaiah 53)

He called Himself the Light (John 3:19),
Living Water (John 4:10),
the Bread of Life (John 6:35),
and the Good Shepherd (John 10:11),
progressively showing us greater dimensions of Himself.

We’d seen prophets and teachers before, but Jesus was different.
Jesus performed signs, miracles and wonders no man had ever done. From healing those with life-long diseases and displaying authority over nature, to feeding thousands with hardly any food and even bringing Lazarus back from death itself.
Truly we were awestruck with each move He made!

Everywhere people murmured, questioned, and speculated if Jesus really could be the Christ. Many disputes broke out among the Pharisees, wearying us with their constant questions. After a particularly heated debate, Jesus brought the final word on His identity with one cataclysmic statement,
“Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am”. (John 8:58)

Did He say what we think He just said?
The Pharisees began picking up stones to kill Him.
We all knew exactly what Jesus meant.
So did He.   

Could I believe that standing before us was the great I AM?
The Same who appeared before Moses in the burning bush?
The very God whom our people have been serving from the beginning of time?

The unbridled passion of my discipleship was finally met with unwavering and sincere belief. Yes, my heart only knew one answer.
This Jesus was indeed the Son of God,
the Chosen One, the Christ,
the very expression of Yahweh.

Each glimpse of glory made my heart swell all the more, and yet ache as we watched hostility and hatred from Pharisees grow toward our long-awaited Messiah. We had grown to not only follow, but truly love Jesus. Why?
Because He first loved us. (I John 4:19)

He came not to be served, but to serve us. (Mark 10:45)
It was a stunning paradox that rattled my heart.
Little did we know we were on the cusp of His greatest service to mankind.

It began one night in the garden.
Soldiers and traitors came to arrest Jesus.  I, along with the other disciples scattered in shameful fear.  From afar, we watched a whirlwind of accusations, threats, beatings, mockery, torture and insults hurled at our beloved Jesus.

Was this really happening?  Weren’t we all just riding the wave of His glory-wonder? Weren’t we just feasting together, safely tucked away in the upper room?

And yet, it was happening and His words began to echo through our hearts.
“A little while, and you will see me no longer…”. (John 16:16a)

Standing at his blood-drenched feet, nailed to a crucifixion cross, I knelt in heart-aching horror.  Beside me was Mary, Jesus’ mother.  With pounding hearts, we both stared up, hanging on every mustered word He could give.  When Jesus assigned me the honor of caring for His mother, and taking her as my own, a rush of new energy and devotion came over me, even as we failed to understand this mystery before us.

With His last breath, darkness covered the earth.  And our hearts.

But the Word still reverberated. “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while and you will see me” (John 16:16)…… “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19)

In a daze with wrung out hope, our hearts nearly burst within us come Sunday morning! Mary Magdalene came running through town spreading the word that Jesus’ tomb was empty, she’d actually seen his face, and that He was alive!  Later that evening, her words were confirmed. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to us in flesh and bone!  We, the disciples were stunned and shocked back to vibrant life, now with unshakable fervor.

It all became so much clearer now. Jesus truly was the Lamb of God, sent to take away the sins of the world! What once was a hard saying, now nourished our souls.
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) ….”For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” (John 6:55)

He gave His flesh and blood as the final sacrifice for the sin of all mankind!
This was our rescue!  
This was our redemption!
The power of God raised Him back from death, conquering over sin and death once for all.  The promised Helper came like a rushing wind and with Him came our eternal peace. (John 14:16-17, 27)
This was our rest!

I made it my aim going forward to be a defender of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ with the same gracious humility our Savior demonstrated for us.
I will not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man gave to me. I walk with confidence in His Spirit knowing that on me God the Father has set his seal (John 6:27) to be a light and guide for the faith of others.

This is the Word and He dwelt among us.

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A Note About Cross
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters in Scripture and looked through their eyes as they saw the cross. We do our best to research the culture and times and all biblical support surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives as they watched the crucifixion, but we can’t be 100% accurate. These first-person stories are our best interpretation of how these characters viewed Jesus as He gave Himself up for us. Our hope is that by looking through their eyes, we will see the Cross differently as well, and be dramatically changed as we encounter the Savior!
Enjoy!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Cross Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Gospel Day 15 But Have Eternal Life

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 3:16
Romans 6:22-23
John 11:25-26
John 10:27-29
Revelation 21:3-5

Gospel, Day 15

If you’ve been tracking with us in our in-depth study of John 3:16, then you know we’ve reached the final phrase today, but have eternal life.  What exactly does eternal life refer to? Is it something that begins when we die?
How did Christ’s death purchase it?
How is it sustained?

We need to ask these questions so we have a full, robust understanding of what God gives.  In previous Journey Studies we’ve seen how those who believe in Him [Jesus], are the ones referenced here who have eternal life.  We also understood how this kind of belief is not simply agreeing to facts about who Jesus is, but it is entrusting oneself to the very Son of God.  When we believe in this way, we will not perish, (experience eternal death), but have eternal life.

In Christ
Eternal life is not a distant destination, a rank to check off a list, or a dusty chapter of a theology book.  It’s a person – Christ Himself. There’s no getting eternal life without getting Jesus; there’s no getting Jesus without eternal life. They go together because He came ushering it in.

Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” Christ’s missional focus in coming to earth was to bring abundant life to mankind. Life is found only in Him, and it is His life that brings light to all men. (John 1:4)

We see another contrast between life and death in Romans 6:23 when it tells us that the wages sin pays is death.  When we are a slave to sin, whereby it is our master, Sin will only deliver us over to Death.  Sin does not love or provide for us, but steals, kills and destroys. Yet when God is our master, He gives us an undeserved gift, eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Eternal life cannot be found through any other means, religion, person or spirit.
It is only in Christ Jesus because only He is a flawless sacrifice taking the punishment of Sin, which is Death, upon Himself.

In John 11:25-26 Jesus comforts Martha when grieving the death of Lazarus, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Not even death puts a stop to life as Jesus gives it!  The body may die and pass away from this earth, but it is not the end.

The Substance of Life
So what IS eternal life? When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman he compassionately told her, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life. (John 4:13-14)

The life Jesus came to give fully satisfies our soul’s needs and lasts far beyond any physical need.  If Christ Himself is eternal life, then He has actually come to give us Himself.
Our soul’s needs are met in the very person and work of Jesus Christ.
All of who He is, is the substance of eternal life.

Revelation 7:16-17 and 21:3-5 give us heart-bursting images of this eternal life to come, when “He will wipe away every tear” and “Death will be no more” and He will make everything new.  It’s difficult for us to imagine this world because we’ve never experienced it. We will spend eternity with God, knowing Him more, and will never bore of His beauty, love, and goodness. Why? Because it’s the world we were actually made for.
It’s the truest life there ever will be.

Yet eternal life doesn’t begin only when our bodies die.  John 5:24 says, “anyone who believes…. has eternal life”.
Do you see it?
That’s right now!
We have eternal life the moment we entrust ourselves to Jesus.
His Living Water rescues us from the bondage of sin today.
It awakens us to obey our Master today.
It compels us to love others today.
It ushers in hope and peace into our soul today.

The Securing and Sustaining Savior
This eternal life was purchased for us by Jesus, fully-God and fully-man.
Having lived a perfect, sin-less life, He offered Himself freely in death on the cross, to make atonement for the sin of mankind.  The chastisement that was put upon Him is what brought us peace with God (Isaiah 53:5, Romans 5:1-2), which is how we are offered the gift of eternal life.
Because there is nothing we’ve done to earn this gift (Ephesians 2:8-9),
we must accept the reality of Christ’s working power on our behalf.
Because there’s nothing we have done to achieve this salvation,
there’s nothing we can do to lose it. (John 10:27-29)

We praise You Jesus for coming that we may have life and have it abundantly into eternity! Fix our eyes on this true life – that we may walk in it now and have hope for a future!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Gospel Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Gospel Day 11 Believes In Him

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 3:1-21
Daniel 7:9-14
Numbers 21:4-9
Hebrews 2:17

Gospel, Day 11

The beauty of John 3:16 is the simplicity of the gospel as it captures a fly-over view of God’s master plan. Many of us who grew up in the church memorized it as a small child.  Perhaps some of us have quoted this in a brief conversation with a stranger. It’s likely most of us have clung to its foundational promises in our own struggles.

Believes in Him
As we’ve been unpacking this verse phrase by phrase, we’ve already seen the first two action-words: loved and gave. These both speak of God’s initiation toward mankind. Now, however, we come to the third verb found in the phrase, “believes in Him”.

While this phrase is simply stated, we still must ask ourselves, “what does it mean to believe?” and, “what exactly must one believe in”?

On the one hand, the immediate context of verse 16 helps us understand we are simply to believe in Him, in God’s only Son, that is Jesus.  Yet, that word believe…we need a little more information on it, don’t we? The Greek word here for believe, pisteuó, also specifically means “to entrust”.

This sheds a bit more light on what this kind of believing looks like. Jesus actually gives us an example when we’re told He chose not to entrust Himself to men because He knew what was in their hearts. (John 2:24-25) Instead, He entrusted himself to the One true Judge. (I Peter 2:23) The essence captured in these passages signifies that “to entrust” oneself to another indicates embracing that person’s authority; you trust their heart and you hand your life over to their care.

This believing in Him is more than simply agreeing to facts such as Jesus is God. After all, James warned the church how even the demons do that and shudder in fear! (James 2:19) To believe in Him, is to entrust oneself to God the Son, Jesus, whom God gave as a sacrifice to the world for its sin. (1 John 2:2)

But still, who is this Son we are to believe in?
We can agree that if we entrust ourselves to a false version of the Son then it is not true Biblical belief.  We need to be certain who this Son is.

 The Son of Man
It’s important to understand how verse 16 is right in the middle of a long conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.  As they’re talking, Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man (3:13), as He often did throughout His earthly ministry.  This name speaks both to Jesus’ humanity, (‘son of man’ was a common title used in that day), and for the ear tuned to the kingdom of God, it was also a subtle, but very clear revelation of Jesus’ deity.  It alludes to Daniel 7:13-14 where the Son of Man is described as an exalted being whose kingdom will have no end.  In addition, Jesus says of Himself in Matthew 24:30, ”…they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with power and great glory.” 

 Jesus then makes another Old Testament allusion.
In Numbers 21 the Israelites complained to Moses about their circumstances and God punished them with poisonous snake bites.  This consequence softened their hearts and they admitted their sin, turned to God, and asked for the snakes to be removed. God tells Moses to make a bronze image of a snake and to lift it up high.  When the people who’d been bitten looked at the snake, God healed their wounds.  With this story in mind, Jesus says to Nicodemus, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (3:14-15) Jesus speaks of Himself and His coming sacrifice.  The Son of Man would be lifted high on a cross for the healing from sin of all who believe in Him. When those who know they are sin-sick look to Him, entrusting themselves to His atoning work and not the works of themselves or other men (Ephesians 2:8-9), Christ’s wounds will heal their hearts (Isaiah 53:5, I Peter 2:24)

This mystery of Jesus being fully-human and yet fully-God is why His sacrifice could be acceptable and pleasing to God the Father. Hebrews 2:17 says it this way, “Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.”

The Son God gave to the world.
The Son we are to believe in.
He is not just another teacher, prophet or good man.
He is not even just another type of god, as if there could be more than one.
No, Jesus is God Himself, who dwelled among His people, for His people.

This is what sets Christianity apart from any other religion.
This is why we are to believe in, entrust ourselves to, surrender our weight to JESUS!
God’s perfect plan is displayed in the combination of sinless flesh and holy reign, providing redemption, forgiveness of sins and a way back into fellowship with the God of this universe. Believe in Him!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Gospel Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Gospel!

Anchored Day 10 Fabric Of Life

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Colossians 1:1-4
Colossians 3:12-18
Genesis 1:26-27

Anchored, Day 10

Be Who You Are?
Look around and you’ll see all kinds of inspirational quotes encouraging you to
“be yourself”, “be who you are”, “you be you”.

Absolutely! God made each of us uniquely (Psalm 139:13-16) and we can celebrate that! However, found hiding underneath these pithy statements is a subtle message to focus on whatever you’d like to say or do regardless of what others think or care about.
Surely this must be the “real” you.

The problem?
Who you are depends on you.

When I became a mom 11 years ago, I slowly had to face the painful reality of
who I thought I was,
what I felt defined that identity,
and the stark contrast of who God says I am in Christ.
Who I thought I was, wasn’t good enough.
I needed something much more solid.

Perhaps you’ve had a season like this, where God uses circumstances and people in your life to patiently reveal where your identity had wrongly been resting.
Perhaps like me, you didn’t even know it was resting there
and it was God’s grace He showed you!

The book of Colossians gives us a different framework to, “be who you are”.
It’s actually the most hope-filled message of identity there could possibly be!
Colossians 3:12 begins, “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved…”.  
What glorious truths!
God chose me of His own will!

His redemption makes me holy!

The Father already dearly loves me!

 Paul purposely sets the Colossians up to be rooted in who God has
already established them to be.
If we go back to the beginning of chapter 3, He also reminds those in the church:
1) We have died and been raised with Christ
2) Our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-4)

So in a sense, this is Paul’s case to “be who you are”.
Perhaps a better way of saying this is be-who-you-already-redemptively-are.
(but that doesn’t fit quite as nicely on a bumper sticker, now does it? 😉

 The Clothes Laid Out For You
Paul continues by telling us what to “put on”.
It’s as if these are the clothes that the Holy Spirit has laid out for us.
Among them are compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (3:12), as well as forgiving one another and bearing with others, and above all the garment of love, which has the ability to weave all things together in unity (3:13-14).
It’s important to note these all relate to our relationships with others.
Whether with family, neighbors or co-workers, we all feel hard-pressed in the very things we’re told to put on!

This is a tall order in our own strength and impossible to muster up.
Which is exactly why Paul started by reminding us to step into these clothes
from a place of being chosen, holy and dearly loved.
This identity is fitted by the power of God.

We don’t show compassion and kindness so that God chooses us.
We don’t respond with humility and gentleness to make ourselves holy.
We certainly don’t show love to be loved.

When we know and understand our position in Christ,
it frees us to step into the character God has designed us to show others.   

Reflecting The Father
In 3:13 Paul implores, “forgive as the Lord forgave you”.
In verse 15 he asks us to “let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts”.
In 3:16 Paul insists “the words of Christ should richly dwell (take up their home!) in us.”
With wide strokes and vibrant colors, Paul paints what a life reflecting the character of Christ looks like when we put it on.

When Genesis 1:27 tells us God created mankind in his own image, it supports what Paul is saying here.  Since you’ve been crafted to reflect the image of God – so reflect Him! Do It!

We are given ample opportunities to do this through the relationships God has placed in our lives. Remembering we were created to reflect Him helps us turn away from seeking our own comfort, pleasure and happiness in those relationships, instead asking God’s glory to be revealed even as we struggle and brush up against others.

When we are rightly rooted in reflecting God’s image,
we’re not stuck trying to be filled by others as we relate to them.

Drilling Down
At first glance, it seems Paul begins an entirely new thought in verses 3:18-4:1, but if we think about the whole chapter, it becomes clear Paul is simply drilling down to another layer.
He’s already encouraged us with who we are in Christ.
He’s told us what to put on.
Now He’s showing us what our daily relationships will look like
if the first two areas are embraced.

Tying it up, Paul circles back to what could be the second side of the same coin.
Instead of stating his point from the place of our identity,
this time he states it from the place of our ultimate motivation:
to bring glory to our Master!

“Whatever you do, do it from the heart,
as something done for the Lord and not for people,
knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord.
You serve the Lord Christ.” (3:23-24)

What are you wearing today, Sister?
Does your apparel reflect the rich identity you have as Beloved Daughter of God?
be-who-you-already-redemptively-are
Wear it well and may it bring glory to God!

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Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Anchored Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Anchored!