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Glimmers Day 11 Hope In A Manger

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 1:1-18
Philippians 2:5-11
Colossians 1:15-20
Luke 2:1-20

Glimmers, Day 11

Touchdowns or tutus?
Guns or glitter?
Little man or little miss?
Cute ideas ABOUND on Pinterest for creative gender announcements!

I’m not exactly sure when these parties became a thing,
but I know they definitely weren’t trending in Mary’s day.
Even if they were, I doubt anyone would have celebrated.
She was an UNWED teenage girl.
Engaged to Joseph, but they hadn’t had “relations” yet.

Or so they said.

Seriously, you expect us to believe an ANGEL told you the Holy Spirit would come upon you and impregnate you with GOD’S SON?! Favored one?  Blessed among women?
You keep telling yourself that, Mary.
Meanwhile, we’re going to shun you and spread rumors about your promiscuity.
We’re going to make assumptions about your purity, or lack thereof.

‘Happily Ever After’ clearly wasn’t happening.
As if shame and being an outcast weren’t enough, just as she was “ready to pop,”
the census ruling required Joseph to go to Bethlehem.

Can you imagine WALKING miles upon miles on dusty roads,
then sleeping under the stars with a rock as a pillow?
When you’re nine months pregnant?!
Topping it off, on arriving in Bethlehem IN LABOR, and finding no rooms anywhere!

As a mother of 4, childbirth instructor, and doula, Mary is my birth hero.
I tell my childbirth students, “If Mary can give birth, AS A VIRGIN, in a cave, then we can have our babies with all the comfort a hospital, birth center, or our home offers!”

Birth is beautiful.  Joyous.  Sacred.

As a doula, I experience births of all kinds,
but I can’t envision one more incredible than Jesus’
on that starry night over 2,000 years ago.

I often wonder what Mary’s labor was like. The Bible simply states, “while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.”

She didn’t have the comfort of a hospital, birth center, or even a living room.
No room period.
Only a shelter where animals mooed, brayed, and cock-a-doodled.
No epidural, no IV fluids, no pillows.
Just hay and straw.
And for Jesus’ bed?
A manger, the feeding trough for those stinky, slobbery farm animals.
No adorable receiving blanket or cute blue and pink striped hat for Jesus.
Just strips of cloth to swaddle the very SON OF GOD.

EVERY time I’ve held a newborn, emotion overwhelms me.
Still, I can NOT imagine all that went through Mary’s heart as she held Jesus and looked into His eyes, the eyes of GOD.
The God who’d created the universe and spoken stars into existence,
now uttered his first cries as a human baby,
completely dependent on her for milk, diaper changes, warmth, and everything in between.

She counted his tiny toes, and kissed his little hands.
The same hands that had hung planets,
parted the Red Sea,
held the sun still,
and brought city walls crashing down.

No wonder Luke recorded, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

No baby shower.
No birth certificate.
No newborn pictures.
No cute birth announcements.

Just lowly shepherds.
Uninvited by Mary and Joseph, but welcomed by God as they marveled at the baby King “wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in the manger”.

In the humblest of ways, God became flesh and dwelt among us, making His HOME with us. God Himself born as a tiny human, covered in vernix, amniotic fluid, and probably even some meconium (poop).
Talk about giving up everything and putting Himself in the midst of our mess!!!

He stepped down from His throne,
laid aside His crown,
and removed His royal robes,
replacing them with swaddling cloth.

Where majestic angels had bowed,
shepherds unfit to even enter the temple,
now knelt in the very presence of God.

Jesus left His throne knowing that one day He would be betrayed, beaten, mocked, and nailed to a cross.
He was born to die that we might live!

I wonder…
As He took His first wobbly baby steps,
was He thinking about the day He would walk up Calvary’s hill?

When He scraped His knee as a boy,
did He anticipate the pain of the wounds He would endure on the Cross?

As He worked alongside Joseph in the carpenter shop,
did the sound of the hammer ring in His ears as He looked ahead to the afternoon when nails would pierce His hands and feet?

From the moment the star shone upon His newborn face to the moment the sky went black and the ground shook as He breathed His last,
Jesus KNEW why He had come.

He’d made His home among us for 33 years
that we might make Him our home for eternity.

He left heaven that we might enter it.
He emptied Himself that we might be filled with His Spirit.
He was born a baby that we might become children of God.

That manger in the center of our nativity scene doesn’t just hold a sleeping newborn.
It holds HOPE.

HOPE in the middle of our death sentence which comes as a result of our sin.
Yes, you and I are walking around with Death has our Ruler
unless we reach out and make this Messiah ours.

Come to the manger and find HOPE swaddled here.
Come, surrender your sin and be filled with indescribable joy.
Come, be awestruck by His glorious majesty.
Come, be blown away by His undeniable LOVE as He offers eternal HOPE!

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The GT Weekend! – Worship IV Week 1

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) What are your personal experiences with worship? Pause, reflect, and journal through those. What are the circumstances and surroundings where you come into deep worship the easiest? What defines worship in your experience? How much do your feelings play into the “how” of your worship time? Spend the next 2-3 minutes writing out unchanging truths about God’s character, then steal away to a quiet place and spend 7-8 minutes worshipping God for being exactly who He says He is. Grab a candle, a journal, your Bible, or just a willingness to speak openly as you worship even now.  

2) Who or what is the “glue” that holds you together? Who or what do you rely heavily on for stability? Maybe it’s the relational state of your marriage, likes on social media, the cleanliness of your home, or how you perform at the gym. Consider how often you turn to the anchor of Christ to be your center. When you think of where you would like to be in your daily relationship with Jesus, what practical piece is currently missing? Write down 1 easy thing you can begin doing today to make a shift, taking your walk deeper with the Lord. Then connect with a friend and ask her to hold you accountable to regularly taking that step! 

3) When was the last time you worshipped the Lord right in the middle of the mayhem of your everyday mess? What did you praise the Savior for? As Crystal shared yesterday, we are invited in to “sing Israel’s song” as our great Rescuer and Redeemer. Challenge yourself you to take notes, even just for this weekend, writing down the ways the Lord has been gracious, setting His kindness upon you. Maybe it’s a paper journal or a note on your phone, but actively choose worship by taking note of the gifts of the Father!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Colossians 1:19-20 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

For God was pleased to have 
all his fullness dwell in Him, 
and through Him to reconcile 
everything to Himself, 
whether things on earth or things in heaven, 
by making peace 
through His blood, shed on the cross.

Prayer Journal
Making peace is something we all long for, Lord; it’s something I long for in my everyday life. My relationships need peace. My children need peace. My hurting friends need peace. My finances need peace. My workplace needs peace.  
 
But, these people and places need much more than I can possibly give or bring. As much as I grieve for the unrest, I know I’m at a loss to give anything but temporary emotional support, and even that isn’t possible in all cases. Lord, teach my heart to find peace in one place, Your shed blood for my redemption. Be my anchor, Jesus, and in that place of security, give me opportunities to extend Your peace to those around me. Remind me, Spirit, to lift my loved ones and my circumstances up to You for your perfect peace to surround. How I love you, Abba! How grateful I am for Your deep love and boundless peace!

Worship Through Community

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Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

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Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Worship IV, Day 5 Singing Israel’s Song

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 15:1-18
Psalms 105:26-45
Psalm 136:1-15
1 Peter 2:9-10 

Worship IV, Day 5

There’s a difference in reading something to get through it, 
and studying it to know and understand it. 

Last year I didn’t just read through the Psalms in the Bible.
I studied them.
All 150 of them. 

I don’t say this to toot horns here, I share it because, with intentional study,
I am now convicted of this: 

One cannot discuss Biblical worship 
without observing the Psalms and other songs in Scripture. 

Some may not know that the book of Psalms is made up of songs or poems written by multiple authors. One of them being Moses, author of Psalm 90. 

You know… 

“Baby in a basket” Moses.
“Raised Egyptian, but actually a Hebrew” Moses.
“Prince of Egypt” Moses.
“Murderer of an Egyptian” Moses.
“Runaway” Moses.
“Burning bush” Moses.
“Led God’s people out of Egypt” Moses.
“Crossed the Red Sea on dry ground” Moses. 

Whether a Sunday School teacher first introduced you to Moses, or Disney’s Prince of Egypt did, most are familiar with the story. But did you know that following the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, another song was sung by Moses and the Israelites in Exodus 15. It makes perfect sense that an outburst of rejoicing would follow an escape from the chase of an enemy. 

Wouldn’t you erupt into song after being literally chased by your adversaries only to witness, with your own eyes, that very enemy being swallowed up by the same sea you had just crossed on dry land?! 

I would. 

Many times in the Psalms, as in Exodus 15, we see a consistent intentionality to worship God for who He is and His mighty deeds. 

What I love about Psalm 105 and Psalm 136 is how each of these songs declare the history of God’s people and the LORD’s continual rescue of His people, Israel. In Scripture, worship is often purposefully birthed, not only to rightfully bring glory to God, but also to commemorate historical events, i.e. the Exodus of Israel out of slavery into freedom. 

Naturally, the Israelites, along with Moses, would offer a song of thanksgiving unto the Lord following their rescue. Because God had set them free, praise broke out! 

Bible scholar, Dr. Bob Utley, notes how Exodus 15 consists of two parts:
verses 1-5 focuses on the acts of the LORD (all caps, meaning YHWH, God’s personal name) and verses 6-17 focusing on YHWH’s character.

Biblical worship should, at its core, remind us what we have been rescued from, and most importantly, who our mighty Rescuer is. 

I will forever be convinced that worship is a powerful thing.
No matter the circumstances of our everyday life,
regardless of how dark or how desperate our moments,
we have reason to worship because
we have been rescued from Sin by an eternal Rescuer!

Countless generations before us have carefully preserved and recorded in Scripture
their acts of worship.
Their hymns, their music, their generosity, and the beautiful overflow of their lives as they reflected love back to their Redeemer. Their worship invites us to recall how God has moved mightily in our own lives, remember His faithfulness, and bring Him worship because of His deliverance and His good character! 

Psalm 100 says “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.” 

We are given the beautiful opportunity of coming before the presence of God
thanking Him for His salvation and praising Him for who He is. 

Israel sang to the LORD for rescuing them from the hands of their tyrant enemy (Pharaoh).
God was faithful to deliver His people from Egypt and physical bondage, and deserved their worship.
But one day, the same LORD, through the Lord Jesus Christ, would deliver all people from the overwhelming darkness of our tyrant enemies, Sin and Death.
This Jesus is our Eternal Rescuer; He deserves the worship of our everyday lives! 

Hallelujah! 

Does that reality not just want to make you echo Israel’s song? 

How could it not?!

When God gave everything to rescue us.
When He forgave us.
When He provided for our every need.
When He takes the time to be mindful of us.
When He gives us far more than we deserve.
When He, even still, hasn’t given up on us.
When He loves us more than anyone ever could.
When He never ever broken His promises. 

How could we not praise Him? 

How could we not open our mouths and sing the Israelites’ song?
Or reach for an instrument as Miriam did?
Or dance in the freedom and joy of the LORD, our great Deliverer!

Let’s be worshippers who open our mouths and declare His goodness!
Worshippers who fall to our knees in gratitude and reverence!
Worshippers who reserve our love, loyalty, and attention for the only One who is truly worthy!
Worshippers who exalt the One true God, YHWH, our Rescuer in the ebb and flow of our everyday! 

Let’s be worshippers who continue singing Israel’s song!

We were once lost, enslaved, and living in darkness.
As Peter writes, we were once not a people, but now we are God’s people.
We once did not receive mercy, but now we have received mercy
so that we might
“proclaim the praises of the one who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Hallelujah!
Let’s sing on! 

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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 IV Week One! 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 Worship IV!

Worship IV, Day 4 Holding Us Together: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Holding Us Together!

The Questions

1) How are theses verses tied to the sections before and after it? 
 
2) Was Jesus both created and creator?  
 
3) On what specific facets of Christ does Paul focus his worship?

Colossians 1:15-20

He is the image of the invisible God, 
the firstborn over all creation. 
16 For everything was created by him, 
in heaven and on earth, 
the visible and the invisible, 
whether thrones or dominions 
or rulers or authorities— 
all things have been created through him and for him. 
17 He is before all things, 
and by him all things hold together. 
18 He is also the head of the body, the church; 
he is the beginning, 
the firstborn from the dead, 
so that he might come to have 
first place in everything. 
19 For God was pleased to have 
all his fullness dwell in him, 
20 and through him to reconcile 
everything to himself, 
whether things on earth or things in heaven, 
by making peace 
through his blood, shed on the cross. 

Original Intent

1) How are theses verses tied to the sections before and after it?
A critical component to studying Scripture is learning and re-learning again, and being reminded again, that Scripture was designed to tell one, grand cohesive story and it was originally written without chapters, verses, and the paragraph breaks we find in our copies. It’s easy to think that where we see a bolded heading in our Bibles, it has always been like that, but it hasn’t. This letter was originally written by Paul to deeply encourage and firmly anchor the church at Colossae in the rich knowledge and understanding of Christ that went farther and deeper than an elementary understanding of “Jesus died on the cross to save us.” (Colossians 1:9) We need to see all of it as one letter. Just before Paul begins expanding on the richness of Christ in verses 15-20, he first starts off with deep gratefulness to God as he describes the glorious grace of being given salvation through Jesus. Then Paul pens a beautiful, doctrine rich hymn of Christ as Supreme Being, finishing it out as if with a glorious bookend, describing again the excellencies of reconciliation and peace with God through the precious blood of Christ.

2) Was Jesus both created and creator? 
The wording in verses 15-16 can definitely twist up an English speaking, western culture reader. Which, again, is why understanding the original language and culture is utterly important to correctly understand and apply Scripture in our modern day. The Greek phrasing referencing Christ “the firstborn of all creation” is, get ready for it: “prototokos pases ktiseos”. Don’t you feel cool now (or dope or or lit or whatever kids say these days…)?! This means begotten before all creation, not created before all creation. It denotes all the rights and privileges of being firstborn without actually being ‘born’ first. (Think of Jacob in Genesis who was the second-born twin of Esau, but was given all the rights and privileges just as if he were born first. This is prototokos pases ktiseos). If you were created before creation, the sentence itself is meaningless because you would be created and therefore a part of creation. Rather, this type of phrasing of “before all” is found throughout Scripture to mean “eternity”. Specifically here, eternity before creation. This understanding fits perfectly with the following phrases and descriptions of “all things being created through Him and for Him”. (verses 16-17) Again, “all” really does mean “all”. Angels, dominions, powers, authorities, all created things were created through and for the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit, all equaling the sum total Beings of God, were never created.

3) On what specific facets of Christ does Paul focus his worship?
While there may indeed be more, each of these aspects are profoundly rich, being deep enough to study for a lifetime without ever plumbing their full depths, here are 7 specific facets of Christ Paul addresses:
1> His deity as a member of the triune godhead. 
Pastor Timothy says this about the Lord God, “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17) Paul, Timothy’s mentor pastor, says Jesus Christ is the exact image or precise representation of this invisible God. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were “created in the image of God”, but this Jesus who walked and talked and lived among humanity simply is the image of God.  

2> Christ as creator. 
All things were created by Him and for Him. (verse 16) There is nothing made that was not intentionally designed and allowed and held together through Christ.
3> Christ as sustainer. 
In Him all things hold together. (verse 17) Yes, nothing was created without Christ, but one step further, nothing continues to exist without Him holding and sustaining all things. 
4> His supreme authority. 
By being supreme creator of all things, all rulers, all authorities, and all dominions, there simply is no higher authority than that of the Lord Jesus Christ, an authority he shares co-equally with God the Father and God the Spirit. (Philippians 2:9-11)
5> His headship over the church
Being the “head” of the church, doesn’t just mean He holds all authority and we as believers follow only Him. Paul expounds in Ephesians 1:23 that as head of His Bride, the Church, it also means that Christ, who is the fullness of God (verse 19), fills the Church with that very fullness!
6> His authority over resurrection from the dead. 
Just as Christ holds pre-eminence over all of creation, the same is true for the resurrection. Paul isn’t saying Jesus was the first one to rise from the dead, rather He is the only One to rise from the dead by His own power. Because of this powerful resurrection, with victory over death firmly in hand, we have hope for our own resurrection just as He promised. He is the evidence for all who will be resurrected by placing their faith fully in Him. He is the “firstfruit” of the resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:20)
7> Christ as reconciler and redeemer. 
Verse 20 holds the climaxing purpose of Christ’s coming, which is made possible because of all the reasons Paul has clearly laid out previously. Jesus Christ, Lord of all, Creator of all, authority over all, came to rescue us, a sinful and rebellious people, through the shedding of His precious blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:20)

Everyday Application

1) How are theses verses tied to the sections before and after it? 
Paul takes great delight in detailing out the wonder of our salvation, but one can nearly hear him singing at the top of his lungs with tears running down his face as he declares with incredible awe of the majestic, eternal authority of the Lord Jesus Christ! Our salvation is tied absolutely and inextricably with precisely this description of Jesus. If He is not eternal, if He is not Lord of all, if He is not co-equal with God, if He did not have intentional purpose in creating and sustaining all of life, then He is not able to carry the weight of all sin for all mankind for all eternity. The 2 “bookend” descriptions of salvation that Paul eloquently describes are utterly impossible if they do not hang the entirety of their weight upon the fullness of God the Son, co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. The fact that Paul began this section with thankfulness begs the question, “are we praising Him in the same way? For the same thing?” When was the last time you stood in absolute stunned awe at the glorious majesty of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? How worthy He is! How stunning and beautiful our triune God is! Sit with Him, revel in Him, worship Him! Take a pen and paper right now and dwell on His glories! 
 
2) Was Jesus both created and creator?  
The idea of “eternally existing” is incredibly difficult for our minds to comprehend. But when we dig in a little deeper into the meaning and implications of the fullness of Jesus being absolutely eternal, we find solidity and safety, a safe harbor to anchor our souls. Our eternity after death is securely held in the everlasting arms of the Lord & Savior when we surrender to His free gift of grace. Our everyday existence is also seen and intimately known by the One who sees and knows all things. He Himself holds us up with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10), sustaining us for His own glory and delight. This is what it is to be cherished! This is what it is to be eternally loved by an endlessly everlasting God Almighty! As Moses said, “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27)  
 
3) On what specific facets of Christ does Paul focus his worship? 
1> His deity as a member of the triune godhead. 
Through Jesus, we see, touch, feel, sense, and relate to the God of the Universe exactly because He is the image of the Invisible God. Unfathomable! Yet, each day, in every moment, that opportunity exists for you and me through the Holy Spirit! (Hebrews 4:16)  
Our God is always available.  
2> Christ as creator. 
For me, this truth lets me hold fast to peace and lets fear drop effortlessly away. When Christ sees all, knows all, made all, there is nothing left to fear. (Romans 8:31) 
3> Christ as sustainer.  
This truth really puts my own self-proclaimed “authority” to shame. I can’t keep anything together! But Christ. Christ is the eternal sustainer of all things. Knowing He is a good and gracious God, sets my heart to rest in His character and reminds me to turn to Him for big things and the ridiculously small.  
4> His supreme authority.  
It can be easy for us to look around at the visible powers of our nation and our world that we forget Who the true and final Supreme Being is who holds all authority. Don’t let your hearts be troubled, He has overcome this world! (John 14:1) 
5> His headship over the church 
This filling headship translates to our everyday lives as the only source we need for life and godliness as we pursue Christ in the mighty and the mundane. (2 Peter 1:3) He is our fuel, He is our center, He is our divine strength.  
6> His authority over resurrection from the dead.  
With Christ as our Victor over death, we have eternal, incorruptible hope through our death and the deaths of those we love who have trusted Jesus for their own eternities. With Christ as Savior, we are eternally held secure. Not even death shall separate us from His love! (Romans 8:38-39) 
7> Christ as reconciler and redeemer. 
Yes, Christ came as Reconciler and Redeemer to “buy us back” from the grip of Sin and Death, but this gift is not ours simply because we read about it, have heard about it, or grew up in a good family. At birth, we inherit Death and Sin, but Christ offers to buy us back from these fatalities. His offer is extended to you, are you absolutely certain you’ve surrendered everything to Him and His authority? (Romans 6:22-23) 

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

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This is Worship IV Week One!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Worship IV, Day 3 Holding Us Together

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Colossians 1:15-20
Hebrews 12:26-29
Isaiah 9:1-7 

Worship IV, Day 3

Some may ask what the value is of their high school studies in chemistry (let’s be honest: high school math, art, etc.). While I always thought there was some use in what I was learning even if passing the class was the main reason, preparing for this Journey Study highlighted how the Lord can use anything for His glory.
High school chemistry included.  

I read through Colossians 1:15-20 and spent some time pondering the truths nestled there. What does it say about the Lord? What does it say about me? What does it speak to regarding my interactions with the Lord? 

In the midst of those questions, my high school chemistry class materialized in my mind. The long black countertops and the silver gray stools that became the backdrop of our scientific explorations set the scene. I remembered the feel of the delightful goggles providing safety as we dealt with chemicals as well as deep imprints on our cheeks announcing to everyone that we had just spend time dabbling with liquids, and solids, and mass (oh my).  

In my mind’s eye, I remember seeing a centrifuge on the counter and clearly recollected this actual day in class. We had a few liquids in our test tube and the only way to separate them was using the centrifuge, which essentially spun the tube at high speeds, the force of which caused the liquids to layer themselves by their densities. Little did I know that learning how to use that machine and comprehending all the science behind it would bring a section of Scripture to life years later.
Yet, here we have on display the goodness of the Lord through His creation.  

Colossians states that the Lord is before all things and in Him all things hold together. 

All things. 
Held together.  

Have you ever had one of those days, weeks, months, seasons where you just don’t feel like you have it together?
That everything is spinning out of control?  

Me too.  

Those personal examples came flooding to my mind after the centrifuge memory.
They marked my own moments of surviving the centrifuge of life.
Moments where life only seemed to pick up speed and everything began coming apart at the seams.

Hebrews 12 says that the Lord will shake things to prove what cannot be shaken. Those times have come and will come again, and I have learned to rejoice in the outcome of those moments because I am then able to separate what is from the Lord and what is not. I have discovered that sometimes that “spinning” of life is the only way to find that dividing line, much like using the centrifuge enables separating the liquids in that specific way as well.   

So if you are like me, may this section of verses from Colossians grant you the permission to quit trying to hold everything together by your own strength and rest in the arms of Jesus.  

Because He is strong enough to hold us together
and to separate what needs to be removed.  

Colossians 1:15
Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
Wait, what? He is the image of the invisible God.
Have you ever known that the Lord has you but you still wanted some “real” arms to hold you?
I have.
It’s comforting to know that Jesus lived and walked the earth. He came to us with skin on and arms that could truly hold us together. Hands that healed the servant whose ear had just been cut off and hands that willingly surrendered to nails at the cross. So while I’ve never experienced the literal arms of the Lord encircling me, I know that they once embraced those that came before me, and He brought to life the picture of God the Father.  

Colossians 1:16
All things have been created through Him and for Him.
I am friends with artists of many kinds. I have watched the love and effort they pour into their creations. Their investment is not haphazard and their joy at the completion is deeply felt. Now imagine Jesus’ response to His creation. (For the record, we are His creation.) Let that soak in for a bit. 

Colossians 1:17
He is before all things and by Him all things hold together.
Read this one out loud. Read it with the understanding that as the Creator of all things He alone has the capability to hold all things together.
Let the words sink into the depths of who you are.  

Colossians 1:18
He is the head of the body and the church and is the firstborn from the dead. Jesus has the authority and capability to lead us into eternal life.
He died and defeated death for us. He has us.  

Colossians 1:19-20
For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Jesus came to earth as fully God and fully man. Because of this duality, His death on the cross and victorious resurrection created the way through which we are reconciled with the Lord God. Without Jesus and His sacrifice, I would be spiraling out of control due to the weight of my sin and the separation from Him it causes.  

So, is your world spinning?
Is the force of life starting to pull you apart?
Run to Jesus.
Surrender it all.
He can hold you together.  

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Incorruptible Day 15 Surprised By Hope

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Peter 3:1-7
1 Peter 4:1-12
1 John 4:7-21
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 

Incorruptible, Day 15

“I hate you!” your overly emotional daughter rages, slamming her bedroom door in your face. 

Spiritual swords clash, unheard, but very real, and very loud. 

“I think my husband is cheating on me,” your friend confides, tears of confusion and disbelief falling into her untouched cup of coffee. 

Flaming arrows are flying, unseen, but aimed directly at our hearts. 

In Ephesians 6, Paul clearly tells us we are at war. 

EVERY day is full of epic battles. 

Satan hands us his weaponry:
Anger, fear, frustration, bitterness, and self-righteousness.
He wants us to attack each other instead of fight against him! 

With our enemy in sight, Paul urges us to choose God’s armor, complete with belt, breastplate, helmet, shield, shoes, and sword.  I personally envision a powerful Roman soldier dressed for battle, protected head to toe, armed and ready against any foe. 

Considering how to “stand firm” against the enemy, another word from Paul in Colossians encourages Believers to also prepare in a very different way. 

 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12-14) 

I picture a woman applying her makeup and carefully selecting her outfit.
She is ordinary, like you and me.
She doesn’t look like a Roman soldier, but she’s just as ready for battle as she cares for her children, interacts with her husband, runs errands, completes tasks at the office, or practices with the worship team. 

In God’s kingdom, 
everything is turned around and upside down
from the world’s perspective. 

As soldiers in God’s army, we are to be characterized by LOVE.
When a disgruntled co-worker complains, again, love responds with kindness, flashing a GENUINE smile or, even better, complimenting him. 
When a rude driver cuts you off, love shows self-control refraining from cursing or flashing a finger.
When your mother-in-law comments negatively about your parenting style, love gently changes the subject, maybe asking the recipe for her delicious apple pie.
When your child wakes up in the middle of the night, scared and screaming, love rocks him back to sleep, joyful you have a baby to hold in your arms.
When a homeless man holds up a cardboard sign, love refuses to make judgments about his situation, but offers him a bag of snacks and hygiene items instead.
When your cousin shares she is transitioning genders, love rejects condemnation, instead inviting her to coffee patiently listening to her story.

Love shares YOUR story of how God’s redemption is transforming your life.
Love ask if you could pray for someone. 

The enemy would have us do battle according to our worldly, fleshly desires.
Our words. Our judgments. Our standards. (1 Peter 4:3) 

God’s Word, however, is consistent, straight forward, and VERY simple.
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) 

Love.
No “when it’s convenient, comfortable, or easy” clauses.
No exceptions.
No excuses. 

Just as God has loved YOU, love others. (1 John 3:16-18)
Just as God has forgiven YOU, forgive others. (Matthew 6:14-15)
In the same way God has given you second and third and 435th chances, do to others. 

Love.
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S THE HARDEST TO DO SO. 

Jesus taught that others would recognize His disciples by our LOVE. (John 13:35)
A deep, genuine love REFLECTING God’s own love. (1 John 4:7-12)
JUST as God loves us, SO we are to love others. 

Love for these…
Hormonal child.
Unfaithful spouse.
Annoying co-worker.
Impatient drivers.
Frustrating family members.
Unfair boss.
Obnoxious neighbor.
Persons of a different sexual orientation.
Persons with a different faith.
Those from a different country. 

We have ALL experienced the love of God without regard to race, gender, ethnicity, economic status, age, or any other earthly label. 

“…but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
(Romans 5:8)
We are called to live out this SAME love.
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
(1 John 4:11) 

God love is inconvenient, uncomfortable and EXTREMELY costly. 

During His final days on earth, Jesus was arrested, mocked, beaten, and crucified. In the most brutal death possible at the time, He was stretched across rugged timber, hands and feet nailed to the cross. 
He died in love that we might live for love.
With this love, love others. (Ephesians 3:14-21)

Love.
With a new battle plan that doesn’t use the enemy’s weapons.
Instead, plan sneak attacks of forgiveness, ambush with kindness, overwhelm even our enemies with compassion, grace, and mercy. 

Peter’s letter calls us to bravely link arms with those around us, joining forces, allowing LOVE to bind us together, making us strong for battle. 

The world is surprised when we live out love. (1 Peter 4:4)
They notice.
The gospel is preached when we lovingly speak gracefully and truthfully of the extravagant love Jesus generously gives us!

The war is real.
The end of all things is near.
And so Peter calls us to arms, urging us to “maintain constant love for one another.”
Constant.
Because the battle never wains. 

Love.
Because it’s the only weapon that has already won the war. 

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Incorruptible Day 13 Sweet Sufferings

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Read His Words Before Ours!

James 1:2-18
Romans 5:1-11
1 Peter 4:12-19 

Incorruptible, Day 13

I distinctly remember standing in the pantry searching for an after-school snack. I absent-mindedly looked at my options and stood there for quite sometime trying to decide what would satisfy. In hindsight, I can see that the indecisiveness probably stemmed largely from the fact that I sought something to soothe my wounded heart more than something to fill my snack desire. I don’t remember what age I was but guess I was in late elementary school or early junior high. I lack the details now of what had caused the heart wound, but I do know it was fresh enough that I had not yet decided how to respond to the pain.

As I stood there in indecision, I clearly remember these words coming to mind: “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2-3)
In that moment I decided to choose joy, to look at my current situation and invite the Lord into it. The hurt did not go away, but joy and hope bloomed alongside it filling that void in a way that no fruit snack or granola bar ever could have. I remember leaving the kitchen knowing I’d just made a choice that pleased the Lord. Little did I know how foundational this decision would be throughout my life.  

A short while later, still pondering this encounter, I told a friend from church about it. Her response both shocked and surprised me. “That is not a trial,” she said with a finality that ended the conversation. I knew she was right as calling it a trial may have been a stretch in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time, I knew her response was horribly wrong.  

Yes, most trials are categorically more horrific than my Jr. High experience.
Abuse, natural disasters, persecution, heavy responsibilities, and health problems are all items that come to mind as trials. Scripture promises we will have trials and suffering. My friend had wisdom in her young age to remind me of the power of perspective and the need to be aware of my word choice as others may not view my situation as a trial at all.  

However, I also knew that my pantry encounter with the Lord
was not one to be dismissed.

While not necessarily a trial, the wound proved to be the perfect platform for the glory of the Lord to be both displayed and rooted in my life.  I walked away from that moment in the pantry with an understanding of the Lord’s response to a heart surrendered to Him regardless of the cost.
A heart that chose to believe Him at His Word.

I had made the decision to let Him take the pain of my current scenario and use it for His glory, a lesson that prepared me for much harsher circumstances to come. My friend may have closed the conversation between us with a somewhat brunt statement, but the Lord has kept the conversation alive between Him and me in the years since, though quite often I discovered this by reflecting on those hard choices to trust Him in the dark.

Lord, am I really failing they way they keep saying that I am? My future resides on passing this year. I keep trying my hardest and I keep praying for You to come.  

Are you enjoying our times together as you read My Word? I specifically chose that verse to come to life for you today to help you. Yes, your love for Me and My Word will be multiplied by the end of this season.

Lord, that person just mocked me for believing You are the only way to heaven. What am I supposed to do with that?  

Did you see the way they watched you to see your reaction? Did you catch the surprise in their eyes that you did not lash out in anger? Another seed planted. 

Lord, my coworker just yelled at me in front of the office for something I did not do. I wanted to correct them in front of everyone just to prove my point.   

What if you are the first person to show them My love for them? What if you are the last? 

Jesus has taken the short conversation with a young girl and transformed it into a lifelong invitation to know Him. Intimately. Deeply.
Suffering, by its very nature, seems to be something to avoid and despise.
While I have never reached the point of loving suffering, especially while in the midst of it, I have come to love more deeply the One who leads me through the pain, the One who redeems it.
Each time I embrace the suffering, He makes me more like Him.
Sweet sufferings for Your glory, Jesus.
  Behold, Daughter, nothing given to Me will be in vain. I redeem all things! 

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Incorruptible Day 12 Food For Life: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
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The Questions

1) Putting away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander… that’s pretty straight forward. Easy peasy, right?

2) What does it mean to be a “living stone”?

3) So, are we all considered little priests?

1 Peter 2:1-5

1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.
2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation,
3 if you have tasted that the Lord is good.
 4 As you come to him, a living stone– rejected by people but chosen and honored by God–
 5 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Original Intent

1) Putting away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander… that’s pretty straight forward. Easy peasy, right?
Peter knows the people he’s writing to are under extraordinary pressure and are high risk for being overtaken by fear in their surrounding circumstances. Christians at the time are being scapegoated (burned at the stake) for simply identifying themselves with Christ.  According to human reasoning of the flesh, no one would blame them if they decided to turn on each other, disband as a church gathering, choosing instead “every-man-for-himself’. But doing so would mean returning to a life lived for self. 

On the contrary, Peter reminds his readers of the call to be holy even in such drastic situations. He reminds them they are “given new birth into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3) by a Savior who is “without blemish or spot” 1 Peter 1:19.  Since they are born again “of imperishable” seed they are both called and empowered to love one another differently than the wavering love we attempt to muster up ourselves from our human flesh. Our flesh is weak and crumbles easily. The Holy Spirit is a mighty bond one cannot understand. Peter leads into verse 2, “desire the pure milk of the word” knowing one cannot respond moment by moment in a holy manner without the “meat” of regular intake of Scripture teaching us obedience.  

2) What does it mean to be a “living stone”?
To answer this question, commentaries point to a couple of things. First, who is THE CORNERSTONE? Jesus. Who is Peter writing to? Dispersed Christians under persecution, many of whom are also Jewish.
In recalling the Old Testament, the physical temple where God’s people worshipped and offered sacrifices is a key parallel pointing to God’s ultimate plan of salvation through the blood sacrifice of Christ. Christ proclaimed that He is the temple that was torn down and rebuilt in three days.  

Stones are a parallel imagery to what God is working out spiritually. Christ is the foundation upon which God’s kingdom is built. Christ is both alive and bringing life to dead stones. Those who identify with him are “living stones”; people risen from the dead spiritual state through the life of Christ. These are not inanimate stones of the physical temple, rather these building blocks of God’s spiritual kingdom are believers! 

3) So, are we all considered little priests?
1 Peter 2:4 introduces Christ as the living stone (corner stone is more specific in other Biblical texts). Those who identify with Christ by asking Him to save them from the death brought on by sin are also “like living stones”. Verse 5 then expands that the church of living stones is as “a spiritual house”. Gill’s commentary explains, “these living stones (are) being laid, and cemented together, in a Gospel church state.” Here there is a circling back to 1 Peter 1:22 where Peter instructs to “love one another earnestly from a pure heart”. United in Christ, living out a unique love for our Christian brothers and sisters, God is binding us together in a way that is unbreakable, unending, and incorruptible. 

Peter brings the “royal priesthood” analogy back again in 2:9-10. Again, he uses the language in plural form- “holy nation” and “a people for His own possession”. Verse 5 notes the specific purpose of this is “to offer spiritual sacrifices” and in verse 9, again, states, “that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who called you”. No, this priesthood is not about Christians as individual “little priests”, but rather imagery of the whole church being an example to outsiders that Christ is the living foundation.

Everyday Application

1) Putting away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander… that’s pretty straight forward. Easy–peasy, right?
Ever think, “Duh, Lord, of course acting this way is not loving. I’ve got this”?
What happens when you start to feel uneasy? Maybe feeling outcast at work, just wanting to bond with those around you, and suddenly “innocent gossip” starts slipping off the tongue.
Or disappointment from a spouse and suddenly harsh words feel justified. 
Living a Holy Life is a struggle and hard work. Seasons of busy mundane, are excellent training grounds to return to the cross daily in repentance, seeking the Lord’s strength. 

1 Peter 2:2 compares the Christian’s need for God’s Word to feeding infants. The Matthew Henry Commentary notes how infants are hungry frequently throughout the day. Every couple of hours they are fervently screaming for more pure milk to fill their bellies and get them through the next couple of hours. Reflect on the last 24 hours. Ask God to help you erase your own justifications for words off your tongue and tones in your heart. Should we be so prideful as to think we do not need the Word of the Lord and strength of the Holy spirit to get us through even the next 2 hours?

2) What does it mean to be a “living stone”?
Christ was rejected as He turned the tide away from physical blood sacrifices and worshiping in the Jewish temple towards Himself as the ultimate sacrifice and living temple. Christ was rejected as His grace, mercy, and sacrifice threatened the assumption of many that they have the power to earn, work for, or “be good enough” to obtain their salvation on their own. Those who identify with Christ and walk freely in His gift of grace, perplex those that are striving hard through good deeds on their own merit. This does not give a Christian freedom to walk in sin, but rather freedom to cast all their cares on Christ, lean on HIM instead of their own understanding and efforts. In the process of becoming loosened from the grips of fleshly desires, we are freed to walk unhindered in the new life of the Holy Spirit.  

3) So, are we all considered little priests?
To state that we are each like a little priest can bring the wrong implication that one has individual power. Or, perhaps, that an individual can have greater access to God than another or is an access to God for someone else. Each of these are false. 

Christ is the High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16)…period. Only in Him is there access to God, a right relationship with Him, forgiveness, and communion with Him. As a whole of believers, when we are bonded together in Christ, we are built up into a “priesthood”. As such we are imploring each other to sacrifices of denial of self, together we gather for songs of praise and prayer, and united, we point the lost world to Christ as head of the church.  God can use us as individuals, but His further purpose is to use us as a whole as we love people around us despite our struggles and shortcomings. That church down the road that does things “a bit different”, the person across the aisle with idiosyncratic habits, the person who seems to argue about theology and the person who is all feels… Christ is hugely glorified and made known to the nations when His church loves each other earnestly with grace and humility.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Incorruptible Day 11 Food For Life

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Peter 2:1-5
1 Peter 5:1-6
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
Hebrews 5:12-13
Ezekiel 36:22-38 

Incorruptible, Day 11

My husband has the biggest sweet tooth I’ve ever known.
Actually, the second biggest.
My Papa had him beat by just a little bit.

Because of Matt’s love of all things sweet and mouth-watering, I knew our twin daughters would be exposed to delicious desserts sooner than most babies, and I chose to embrace that and laugh whenever the time came…

At six months old, their daddy gave them a taste of his strawberry ice cream. I can still remember their big eyes as that freezing goodness slid onto their tiny tongues. They continued opening and closing their mouths as trying to figure out exactly what they were experiencing, because it certainly wasn’t their mama’s milk… it was better!
Their big eyes shifted into a sparkling gleam and the corners of their mouths turned upwards into grins, as they savored the new delicacy.

Eventually, their teeth came in and as they grew and developed, so did their love for food, expanding from mama’s milk and strawberry ice cream to vegetables and protein.
With that first taste of ice cream, they knew that “grown up food” was good and they began their journey into developing their palates for solid food. 

It is natural in our physical lives for the food we eat to change and broaden as we grow.  

Just as with our physical palates we grow and broaden in flavor profile and food choices, so it with our spiritual lives. As we spiritually mature, our spiritual taste for spiritual food deepens and widens, moving from beginner’s milk to nutrient rich “meat and potatoes”.  

But sisters, we can’t do it alone or overnight.  

I never expected my daughters to transition from milk to solid food in the span of 24 hours, or without my guidance. They needed me to provide them with milk, then they needed me to cook and mash their food for them, and now, I still need to cut their food into small pieces before they can digest it.  

We cannot grow deep in our faith on our own. 
We cannot live a holy life by sheer will power and determination.  

Scripture teaches this truth, but I also know it to be true from experience. 
Trying to live like Jesus on my own strength is not only exhausting,  

It is impossible.  

We MUST have Jesus living in us and transforming us from the inside out.
We MUST surround ourselves with biblical community, walking alongside brothers and sisters who also are being transformed by God’s Spirit, who can encourage us and hold us accountable to grow deep.

A simple Google search on the importance of community reveals hundreds of results on the significance of surrounding yourself with people who are encouraging and uplifting.
That age-old quote, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” is hard to argue with.

To grow in maturity with Jesus, it’s simply a non-negotiable to surround ourselves with a community who reflect 1 Peter 2:1, people who have “rid themselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander”.  

Yes, Jesus loves the lost and broken, the slanderers, the liars, the gossip, the adulteress, and the murderer, but He never intended them to remain in their sin.
He came to free us!
He offers depth and maturity and full redemption!

Jesus spent plenty of time with people who weren’t walking in God’s redeemed grace.
These were who He came for!
But these were not the people He made His community.  

Redeemed people, those who have intentionally crossed the line of faith and said yes to Jesus, were designed to grow.
We were given a new heart and the Spirit of the Living God inside us,
we were made for more! (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

The Lord designed our palates to move beyond mushed up carrots and peas,
but to get there, we must consistently spend time in His Word.

Just as any relationship, growth means investment.
We invest by joining community groups and small groups at church, studying the Bible, consistently worshipping at church, and in our own precious time with our Father through Scripture and prayer.  

When we invest like this, we’re moving beyond milk, growing our appetite for maturity in Christ. We’re starting to get the really good stuff! 

Sisters… if you’re wondering,
“There has to be more? This isn’t everything I thought it would be?”
THERE IS!
There is so much more.

If you feel your walk with the Lord has plateaued, or maybe even slowly dwindled,  then you’re still just drinking milk.

Are you craving His Word like sweet strawberry ice cream?
Taste and see that the Lord is good, His food is rich for life! 

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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 Incorruptible 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 Incorruptible!