Power

Sketched VI Day 7 Cassidy: Digging Deeper

2 Comments

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 Cassidy!

The Questions

1) What does it mean to have “treasure in clay jars?” (verse 7)

2) Why did the Apostle Paul say, “we carry the death of Jesus in our body?” (verse 10)

3) How can I keep from giving up when I am afflicted and struck down?

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak. 14 For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. 15 Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.  16 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Original Intent

1) What does it mean to have “treasure in clay jars?” (verse 7)
The Greek word for clay jars comes from the word ostrakinos, which means earthenware.  The dishes used in most ancient homes were plain, cheap, serviceable clay vessels.   The apostle Paul refers to them in 2 Corinthians 4:7, when he writes, “we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.”  Paul had spent about two years leading the church at Corinth, and he was writing to them after his departure because false teachers had come into the church trying to spread lies.  According to author John MacArthur,  “in order to be heard, they had to dethrone Paul. And so, they started an all-out assault on Paul.”  Macarthur further explains, “they assaulted him on the basis of his physical blemishes, his human weaknesses, the way he looked, the way he spoke.”  To defend himself and keep the church from following false teachers, Paul chose to acknowledge those weaknesses he was charged with and emphasize the power of God in his imperfections.  As John MacArthur  states, Paul was “strongest when he was weakest, because therein the power of Christ took over.”  The apostle Paul marveled that God chose to use ordinary, unremarkable people to share the treasure of His love and salvation to the world, and he expressed this in the metaphor of God putting His treasure in simple, homely jars of clay.

2) Why did the Apostle Paul say, “we carry the death of Jesus in our body?” (verse 10)
Once Paul accepted that Jesus Christ was the Son of God on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-20) his life was drastically changed.  Not only was he no longer persecuting Christians, He was one, and He was trying to convert others to Christianity.  Almost immediately, the Jews started plotting to kill him.  He, and other Christians, were persecuted and jailed countless times throughout their ministry. When Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:10, “We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body,” he was referring to the fact of being constantly subjected to the kind of severe treatment Jesus suffered.  Albert Barnes notes that this statement is “a strong energetic mode of expression, to denote the severity of the trials to which he was exposed, and the meaning is, that his body bore the marks of his being exposed to the same treatment as the Lord Jesus was.”  Author David Guzik suggests that not only did Paul compare his sufferings with those of Jesus, but he also believed them necessary.  Guzik writes, “Paul, like any Christian, wanted the life of Jesus evident in him. But Paul knew this could only happen if he also carried about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. There are some aspects of God’s great work in our lives that only happen through trials and suffering.”  Paul recognized that suffering like Jesus helped him share the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

3) How can I keep from giving up when I am afflicted and struck down?
In 2 Corinthians 4:15-16, Paul writes,” Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.  Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.”  The apostle Paul had endured intense persecution, yet he did not give up.  Why did he persist in proclaiming Christ, even when it brought him ridicule and bodily harm?  He continued so his life would bring God glory.  In fact, he focused on the fact that he was growing in Christ when he suffered for Christ.  Author David Guzik explains that Paul does not give up because “though all his suffering takes a toll on the outward man, yet the inward man is being renewed and blessed.”  Guzik also notes that Paul believed his “death-like trials made for more effective, life giving ministry for the Corinthian Christians. Knowing this made him not lose heart in the midst of trials and suffering.”  Paul could continue his ministry without giving up because he knew he was becoming more like Christ, strengthening the church, and bringing glory to God.

Everyday Application

1) What does it mean to have “treasure in clay jars?” (verse 7)
There is nothing like the optimism of a new teacher brimming with new methods and ideas.  And there is nothing like an unruly bunch of junior high students to make her scour the want ads every night five weeks into the first semester, looking for a new gig.  As a first-year teacher, I quickly recognized my shortcomings and asked God why He entrusted this “clay jar” (2 Corinthians 4:7) with the call to teach when He was so well aware of my imperfections?  Author John Piper answers this question when he writes that God “puts the treasure of his gifts and his gospel in clay pots like you and me. Your ordinariness is not a liability; it is an asset, if you really want God to get the glory. No one is too common, too weak, too shy, too inarticulate, too disabled to do what God wants you to do with your gift.”  God had given me the gifts of teaching and compassion, and He was calling me to share them with my students the best way I knew how, even though I didn’t do it perfectly.  The more I failed, the more I had to rely on God for help and strength.  It was tempting to pretend like I had it all together rather than trust in God because, as John Piper points out, “The world stresses the classy container, not the glory of God in human weakness.”  But if we let God’s strength be made perfect in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9) we can bring Him glory while we carry out His work and share His Good News.  As a teacher, I found as I relied on Him, He helped me improve and make an impact on my students.

2) Why did the Apostle Paul say, “we carry the death of Jesus in our body?” (verse 10)
I have heard it said that having a child is like carrying your heart on the outside of your chest.  It seems like an apt description to me.  It perfectly describes the feeling of vulnerability and love that arrives when your first bundle of joy is born.  I think something like that happened to Paul when he became a Christian. He seemed to carry with him an intense identification with Jesus and an ardent love for the cause of Christ.   He was frequently bruised, ridiculed and persecuted for his dedication to the Lord.  John MacArthur explains that Paul’s sufferings were “simply carrying about in [his] body the dying of Jesus.  And so, he elevates his suffering to this marvelous level.”  Author David Guzik asserts that for Paul, “the death of Jesus was not only a historical fact, it also was a spiritual reality in his life.”   For Paul, he saw the suffering that came with being a Christian as another way to point people to the marvelous work of the cross.   He taught that “we carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body (2 Corinthians 4:10)  The trials I face may not leave me bruised and shackled like Paul, but they do remind me that Jesus suffered and died so that I could live free from sin and shame.  I want to allow the suffering I encounter to lead others to life in Jesus.

3) How can I keep from giving up when I am afflicted and struck down?
In the past, when adversity came, I endured because I believed God was in control and had a purpose in the pain.  Scripture tells us our “momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17)  But there came a time of extended difficulty where I had trouble seeing beyond the daily struggle to recognize God’s hand in the situation.  Complications from a surgery resulted in a two-year hospitalization for my mother while my sister and I struggled to help my dad care for her, their house, and their other responsibilities along with caring for our own homes and families.  The daily stresses were relentless and exhausting.  I wanted to give up, and I was mad at God for not intervening.  God lovingly revealed what should have been obvious to me all along: He was with us in every aspect of this ordeal.  My mom nearly died multiple times, but she survived.  I could almost feel myself buoyed up on the prayers of my church family, who covered us in prayer daily.    There were meals provided and free childcare and divine appointments in hospital waiting rooms.  There was grace to handle each day, even if the day wasn’t going how I wanted. God was maturing me as I relied on Him when I ran out of my own strength. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I was able to keep going during that two year struggle, not knowing when it would end or what the outcome would be, because I had the grace of God to sustain me as the trials strengthened me. Paul wrote that he looked forward to the “eternal weight of glory” that is being produced by our afflictions. (2 Corinthians 4:17) We don’t give up because we know that God’s blessings and purposes are greater than any troubles we may face; His grace is enough to help us endure and grow.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Cassidy!

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

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Sketched VI Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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 :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Sketched VI Day 6 Cassidy

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Thessalonians 1:2-7
2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Deuteronomy 31:1-8

Sketched VI, Day 6

I used to think my story was boring.
Just your typical, “I grew up in a Christian home, found Jesus, was baptized, and went on my merry way all before I entered second-grade,” kind of story.
Those things are true, but I’ve learned how the Lord uses every story–sensational or otherwise–to show His redeeming power. 

When I was six, my parents divorced. People often ask if I remember my parents when they were married, and the short answer is no.
I do, however, remember feeling confused.

How could you stop loving someone?
How could my mom file for divorce? 

A daddy’s girl at heart, I quickly jumped on board with whatever Dad had to say about my mom. His bitterness, blame, and judgement clouded how I saw my mom. As both of my parents remarried, I initially didn’t think my mom deserved to get remarried. In my mind, Mom was the enemy of my story, the reason nothing was as it was supposed to be.

Quite frankly, there wasn’t much spiritual fruit in my life when both parents got remarried. New siblings were born, I moved across town, and changed churches. Even though I wasn’t a fan of these changes, I can now see that God knew exactly what He was doing. 

After my first year in a new youth group, I attended summer camp. One of the evening sessions ended with a time of response. As the band played Come as You Are, leaders coached us through a time of reflection:
When had I felt like God abandoned me?
Easy.
There was no way He had been in the midst of my parents’ divorce. 

But, in those moments of honesty, God spoke into my brokenness.
“I was with you and I love you.”

Cue the tears. I came to God in the messy form of my teenage self.
He met me and redeemed my story.

That same week I forgave my mom in a prayer room and symbolically washed away the bitterness inside me. She wasn’t the enemy. The brokenness of a sinful world was to blame. God called me to forgiveness, and bitterness had become exhausting.

I really believe God redeemed my sinfulness at seven years old, but the Lord used those moments at camp to draw me back, renew our relationship, and awaken me to real life.
Church became the body of believers with whom I craved community.
Community group became the place where I dug into the Word and asked hard questions.
I began taking active steps of obedience toward Christ as He called out to me.

Several years later, in the same room at camp, after an incredible time of worshipping God, I sat down for another evening session. Even today, I can show you the page of notes where I quickly wrote the speaker’s arresting question:
“After a time of worship like that,
why are you not going where God has called you?”

I didn’t have to wait long for my answer.
From way out in left field, the Holy Spirit clearly called me to vocational ministry.
I told my friends and leaders, and headed home determined to chase this call.

And then I came down from the mountaintop experience.
I loved the teaching internship I’d started that fall.
Maybe I could minister to kids as a public school teacher.
I made plans to study elementary education, was accepted into a school, and even placed a housing deposit for the dorms.

God is a God of peace, and He gives peace when we walk in His call. Ephesians 6:23 says, “Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith,
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I never had peace about pursuing education.
Just eight months before beginning classes, a family friend asked about my college plans. My lack of peace brought immediate tears and the Holy Spirit immediately convicted me for my lack of obedience in pursuing His calling over mine.

I went home and told my parents I needed to attend the undergrad program at our local seminary. There were a lot of questions, but peace set in quickly as I applied and scheduled a tour.

Here I sit, preparing for another year of school, on staff at my local church, and serving in many ways at church beyond my work roles.
Walking into ministry was, and still is, a scary pursuit for me.
I desire security.

Vocational ministry doesn’t provide monetary security.
There is no guarantee I will find “success” or that I’ll see the fruit of the seeds the Lord sows through me.

What I am guaranteed through seminary training is intense spiritual growth and preparation to walk confidently on the path He has laid out for me.
Deuteronomy 31:8 reminds us He goes before us and will not leave or forsake us.
I cling daily to this truth!

God uses our seemingly boring stories to display His glory and redemption.
He redeemed divorce and the bitterness that ensued
into a story of hope.
He redeemed my stubborn resistance to a scary ministry calling
into a story of His guidance and provision.

“So we set our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Sketched VI Week Two! 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 Sketched VI!

Relentless Day 10 The Lord’s Victory

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Judges 7:3-23
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Ephesians 6:10-12

Relentless, Day 10

“I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the one who gave the horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. I was the lion who you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that I came to shore where a man sat wakeful at midnight, to receive you.” 

My eyes began to water as I read (and by read, I mean listened to, because I absolutely listened to this in audio-book form) this paragraph Aslan spoke to Shasta, the hero of this story.

That realization that rushes over each new reader of “The Horse and His Boy”, is the same realization that rushed over me just a few months ago, when God gave me a revelation that altered my perspective on the last ten months of my life.

As I’ve been in my own kind of battle for months, I’ve been amazed every time I’ve seen God’s fingerprint show up in an unexpected way, just like the lion for Shasta. I imagined myself climbing this exhausting mountain with God occasionally choosing to reach out and touch me to give me a push along the way. But one day, God showed me the reason I kept seeing His fingerprints around my life isn’t because He was choosing to reach for me here and help me there…

It was because He was holding me.
And when things are held, fingerprints naturally end up everywhere.

I wasn’t being lightly touched.
I was being tightly held.
Ah-Ha Moment! 

Shasta, the presumed-to-be orphan boy, who was journeying from the land of slavery to the land of freedom on the back of a talking-horse, could see, at last, that he wasn’t the most unfortunate boy, with his continual run-ins with lions and life as the son of a cruel fisherman. Shasta’s life was held by Aslan; the great Lion of Love.

There was love amidst every battle. 

Oh, how I’ve seen God’s love amidst my own battles!

Not-so-coincidentally (thanks to God, who always seems to make things like this happen), the writing of this journey coincided with my reading of C. S. Lewis’ third book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. So, it is easy to compare this book and battles fought and won with Gideon, the prophet of old who defeated a 120,000 army with only 300 men.

In Judges chapter six, we read about God calling Gideon, and Gideon testing God… several times. Our ever-patient Father responded to Gideon’s tests each time, displaying how God would indeed deliver Israel by Gideon’s hand.

Gideon felt small.
Inadequate.
The odds were stacked against him.
He could hardly believe that God would use little ol’ him to bring victory to the Israelites.

I’ve felt that way, too.
Small.
Inadequate.
Stupid and weak.
I’ve felt like the odds were completely stacked against me.
I’ve believed that there was no way God could use me to bring glory to His name.

And yet.

God chose to use Gideon…
God chooses to use me.
And you.

So there Gideon was…
Feeling like he was already a lost cause.

The troupes gathered together, 32,000 in number, significantly smaller than the 120,000-member opposing army. Still, God told Gideon he had too many.
If God handed Midian over to Israel, Israel would only praise themselves and their own strength. Victory must obviously belong to the Lord God.

22,000 men left for home when Gideon commanded only the fearless to remain, and his small army dwindled even smaller to 10,000.

Still not small enough for God.
He needed to be sure that it all pointed back to Him. There could be no way anyone could ever assume victory was won by human strength. 10,000 turned to 300.

300 men.

Against 120,000.
Ridiculous odds.

Remember, God had already promised Gideon Israel would win this battle…
But oh how Gideon must have quaked inside. He’d already doubted God calling him into the battle, and now he entered with a 1 to 400 soldier ratio.

Gideon and all 300 of his men were upheld by God.
He used the weakness of their numbers to showcase God’s magnificent strength.

Sisters, God uses us when we are at our weakest.
He will use that season of feeling small and weak to demonstrate how He is our strength, which ultimately brings Him glory because our story….it really points to HIM!

We’ll never be “strong enough”, if we were, we wouldn’t need Jesus to save us,
and that’s the whole point of the Gospel right there!

Jesus + nothing = salvation.
God + a measly army = victory.

He is the lion pushing us towards our calling,
bringing comfort when we are trembling,
strengthening and upholding us to be all He has called us to be.
His mighty strength surrounds us, holds us, and chooses to use our woeful weakness to make His name known!

He is the God who doesn’t look at odds being in our favor,
– because there are no “odds” with Him –
He just always wins.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

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 Relentless 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 Relentless!

Relentless Day 6 Faith or Fear?

33 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Judges 6:11-18
Lamentations 3:21-26
1 Corinthians 1:26-30

“Thanks for coming for the interview yesterday. We’d like to offer you the job.”

As I stood with the phone to my ear, letting the words sink in, all I could think was there must be some mistake. Surely, they weren’t seriously offering me the job!

Doubts and insecurities flooded my mind. As much as I wanted this job as a school’s worker with a Christian charity, I didn’t feel capable. I was too inexperienced, too lacking in confidence, definitely not good enough to even consider this. Although I wanted the job, the chances of being selected had seemed so small, I’d really only gone to the interview for the experience.

Plus, I’d been dealing with some difficult things lately. There was no way I felt strong enough to take this on right now. All too conscious of my weakness, I was sure they could have found someone better.

I imagine Gideon’s feelings may have been similar when the angel of the Lord appeared to him. Cowering at the bottom of a winepress, threshing wheat, hiding from the Midianites who had destroyed the Israelites’ crops and reduced them to starvation, he wasn’t exactly a picture of strength.

When the words, “valiant warrior” are uttered, I picture him looking round in bewilderment to see who the angel is addressing, not thinking for a moment that the greeting is intended for him.

What’s more, the angel announces that God is with him! Gideon has little confidence in either part of this greeting. He struggles to see beyond his fear and his weakness to consider himself a “valiant warrior,” while also finding the idea of God being with him difficult to believe. After all, the Israelites’ oppression at the hands of the Midianites has been going on for seven long years. By this point, Gideon is worn down and out of hope. He can’t help but blurt out his honest question:

“If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?”  (Judges 6:13)

Don’t we all ask similar questions at times?

Whether it’s a significant time of tragedy or loss, a situation where our hope and hard work give way to disappointment, or simply a day when the pressures and frustrations of life seem to mount up, it’s easy to question where God is and why He has allowed these things to happen.

Maybe, like Gideon, we have tried to hold on to God’s promises and the ways we have seen or heard of His power in the past, but, when we look at our current situation, we feel abandoned. The idea of God having a good plan for us can seem hard to believe.

It’s reassuring that God doesn’t rebuke Gideon for asking this question, but neither does He provide an explanation.

Judges 6:14 provides an intriguing twist: “the Lord turned to him.” As He calls Gideon to go forward in the strength he has and lead Israel to victory over the Midianites, it seems Gideon suddenly realises he is not merely talking to an angel, but God Himself.

God’s response to Gideon’s question is not to answer, but to draw close and reveal Himself. He shows Gideon He has not abandoned him, but that, even in the midst of the suffering and oppression, He is right there with him.

As God continues to speak, we see His relentless love both towards the Israelite nation and towards Gideon as an individual. By this point, the Israelites have been spiralling round in a self-destructive cycle of sin for several years. God has forgiven them time and time again, yet still they continue to turn away. It would have been understandable for Him to have rejected them, but instead He remains committed to the rescue.

The manner in which He chooses to effect that rescue is through Gideon, even in his weakness. Despite Gideon’s doubts and hesitation, his lack of confidence, and his fear, God’s commitment to His plan for Gideon is relentless. Gideon still doesn’t understand, and he continues to question his ability and seek reassurance, but despite this he is called to move forward and to step out in faith.

Gideon is faced with an important choice: follow God, or follow his fears.

As I considered my unexpected job offer, I had a similar decision to make. When I looked at myself, I felt inadequate and ill-equipped, but then I remembered my many prayers that God would let the right person get the job, and in the end, I knew my reasons for hesitating were due to fear. Instead, I knew I had to step forward in faith, trusting that God had answered my prayer, that He would be with me and help me, and that His strength would be enough.

As I did so, I saw His relentless faithfulness in providing all I needed and leading me into a place where I could serve Him and flourish. As I look back, twelve years later, still happily involved in the same ministry, I’m grateful He enabled me to choose faith over fear and as God used me even in my weakness!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Relentless Week Two! 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 Relentless!

Focus Day 13 Me Or You?

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

James 5:7-12
Proverbs 8:1-21
John 15:9-17

“Who does she think she is spouting off her credentials as if the rest of us aren’t qualified too? That’s not a great way to

Focus, Day 13

make friends in a new company!”

Whenever she wasn’t traveling and was in the office, I had this same thought, but then the Lord reminded me of a passage in Matthew 7.  Jesus is teaching to stop judging “her” for the splinter in “her” eye and worry about the giant plank in our own.
What was my plank?
Judging her for something I had done months early when I transferred to the department.

Then recently,  I judged a friend for getting into some serious trouble. Oh, I was high on my horse, passing out judgement like it was free candy day.
God’s words in John 15:17 crashed over me, “Love one another.”

What was my problem?
Why was I doing these things?

I was looking at others through my own lens.
Unfortunately, I still do that much too often. It’s pretty easy for us to get caught up in our own standards of “I would never”,
“That’s not a good way to handle things”, or even
“That’s not very godly or Christ-like.”

We pass our judgement and think nothing of it.
But what about when their “I would never” is the very thing we struggle with?
What if the way we would handle that situation isn’t what’s best for them?
Suppose we worried about our own areas for growth instead of focusing on theirs?

We forget that God never told us to judge others with condemnation because He doesn’t condemn. (Romans 8:1) In fact, He says “Do not judge.” Not just once, but over and over, in places like Matthew 7:1, Luke 6:37 and James 4:12. This kind of judgment of one another comes from a heart of jealousy, competition, arrogance, and self-righteousness.
All of which are in stark contrast to God’s character. (Note that we aren’t talking about righteous, brotherly/sisterly confrontation of sin, which we are most definitely called to do!)

James doesn’t only call out believers for this arrogant judging though, He doesn’t want us complaining about each other either. (James 5:9, James 4:11, 1 Peter 4:9) If you think about it, when we judge, are we not also complaining about that person’s imperfect nature?
But aren’t we all imperfect here on earth? This was Jesus’ point!

Instead of judging others we should be doing something else God commands.
Love.
So how do we go from judging to loving?

When God convicted me about judging my friend, I felt nudged to pray for her.
I hadn’t done the most loving thing you can do for someone — pray.
It cost me just a few minutes, but changed my entire perspective.

If given the opportunity, sharing your struggle with the same or similar thing moves you from self-righteousness to caring and understanding. Sharing verses of encouragement is also a very practical way to love instead of judge. You never know how much one verse can give someone just enough hope for that moment, day, or journey.

These loving acts are also acts of wisdom.
Proverbs 8 describes the importance of wisdom and the rewards for living wisely, which includes loving others without condemnation. In verse 18 a few rewards for living wisely include: riches, honor, lasting wealth, and righteousness.

Wisdom is God’s gift!
But His benefits include much more. Revelation 5:12 says Christ received power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing. Since we are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), these valuable treasures are also available to us! It doesn’t mean we all walk around with exquisite material possessions, but it does mean we have an inheritance in Jesus that will never fade!

I tried to compare the short-lived satisfaction I might get from judging others with the eternal riches of Christ, but it’s not even worth mentioning.
Is it better to do things my way or to focus on living like Jesus?
How does my “wisdom” for life stack up against what God has appointed me to do by living wisely for Him? (John 15:16)

Two words.
It doesn’t.

The best, most wise thing I can do, day after day, is to focus on following Jesus with all that I am, which means loving others well and growing in understanding of who God is through studying Scripture.

As I focus on following, my Father will delight my heart in much sweeter ways than any temporary pleasure I might have in straying into sin with my words or heart attitudes.

I’m learning to follow better by asking myself some questions when I start to judge, complain, or do something unloving.

Am I judging this person because it reminds me of my own past or current behavior?

 Will doing this draw me closer to God in any way?  Will it draw this person closer to God?

Does this reflect God’s wisdom?

How can I turn what I am headed toward into an act of love?

Sisters, let us be rich in the Lord and rich toward each other by loving wisely!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Focus 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 Focus!

Focus Day 1 Do I Really Want To Follow Jesus?

2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

I Kings 3:3-15
Proverbs 1
James 1:1-18

Focus, Day 1

If you could be granted one wish,
for what would you ask?

King Solomon was given such an opportunity.
He encountered God in a dream where the Lord asks, “What should I give you?”

We don’t know if Solomon pondered this for some time, or if he just came out with it, but we know he asked God for wisdom. Of all the things Solomon could have requested, he asked for wisdom: something intangible and internal versus a thing of earthly value and external form. 

The Lord granted his humble (and wise!) request and Solomon went on to wisely rule God’s people while increasing in wealth and fame, he then penned Proverbs, taking truths given him by the grace gift of God and making them available to everyone. In the opening chapter of Proverbs, Solomon directs us to both the Source of wisdom and the path on which to find it: “the fear of the Lord.”

God is the Source of wisdom;
fearing Him is the path on which we find it. 

Fearing God can be a biblical concept with much confusion surrounding it. I appreciate the way R.C. Sproul draws from Martin Luther’s explanation of biblical fear of God when he quotes Luther:

[The one who fears God] has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves, not because he’s afraid of torture or even of punishment, but rather because he’s afraid of displeasing the one who is, in that child’s world, the source of security and love.

Fear of God is a grasp of both God’s love AND His power that informs the kind of respectful, awe-filled fear we are to hold for Him. This posture toward God is the starting line on the path of wisdom.

The book of James, which we will be studying for the next several weeks, fills in the proverbial skeleton Solomon sketched for us on what wisdom from God looks like in the everyday life of the believer.

In the first chapter, James describes how the quest for wisdom begins by asking for it, just like Solomon did. And, just as God gave to Solomon, so He will give wisdom to us.
Only here in James, God provides qualifiers on how He will give wisdom: generously and without finding fault to the one who asks in faith, without doubting.  (James 1:5)

If you’re anything like me, you are pumped when you read God’s promise to give you wisdom generously, but nearly immediately sink, crestfallen, when immediately following, you read how the one asking must not waver in faith.

I tend to expect the worst while hoping for the best with fingers crossed for extra, superstitious good measure. Not exactly the poster-child for God honoring faith. 

I think part of my finger crossing comes from my own double mindedness as James references in verse 8. I have divided loyalties. God’s wisdom vs mine.

You see, the goal of the world’s wisdom is to avoid pain and be promised prosperity.
The goal of God’s wisdom is a steadfast abiding with Him no matter what our lot holds.

When James exhorts wisdom seekers not to be “double-minded,” he is telling us not to vacillate between the world’s wisdom and God’s wisdom.

Later in the book of James, we will see how peace accompanies God’s wisdom.
One of the qualities of a peace-maker, something God calls all His children to be, is wisdom. The two work in tandem. 

Many know James to be a book of “to-do’s.” If that’s the case, I make the case that here in the first 18 verses, he is essentially saying,
“In all that you do, do wisely that which promotes peace.
And, as you seek to apply God’s wisdom to pursue peace,
it is going to take you through trials, in which you’re going to need a
whole lot of endurance!”

If like Solomon, I was given the opportunity to ask for anything from God, I must admit my default is asking for a pain free life.
My divided loyalties are showing….

I ask God, but I move forward shakily NOT because God has withheld wisdom, but because
I don’t always want the wisdom HE supplies.

Because God’s wisdom, while promoting peace, does NOT always promote a pain free life.

Divided loyalties.
And I must decide….

Do I really want to follow Jesus?

Do I want my comfort more than I want to look at the cross and remember why walking in the fear of God, the beginning of wisdom, is worth it every time?

More often, I want my ease more than I want God to be glorified.
I want success as the world defines it, not a steadfast spirit.
I want escape from trial, not endurance within it.

As we delve deeper into the book of James,
I pray our minds will be renewed and our hearts transformed
to see the lasting beauty and goodness of pursuing wisdom that comes from God.

I’m praying His Spirit will gently, yet definitively, reveal where and how we are being double minded, holding onto our divided loyalties.
These divisions that steal life despite their promise of comfort, peace and ease.

Only one can give those gifts.
Jesus.

Do we really want to follow Him?

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Focus Week One! 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 Focus!

Open Day 8 Casting Out Fear

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 8:14-17
1 John 4:18
John 8:36
Isaiah 61:1

Open, Day 8

Freedom. Such a profound word, but it carries a vague meaning when it comes to my mind.

When defined, freedom means, the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

Initially, when I read that definition I thought, “I’ve always acted in freedom”, but as I look back on my life I see a different story, I see a girl who was very afraid.

Afraid to talk to people.
Afraid to speak my mind.
Afraid to use my God given gifts.
Afraid of being vulnerable.
Afraid to get hurt.
Afraid to truly live.

Fear has always crippled me.
Even though I gave my fear other names, like being shy.

As Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Meaning that my spirit of fear was a stronghold the enemy had in my life and was using against me. Satan had me where he wanted me, cowering in fear and not living up to my call.

But, though the years, the Lord has been chipping away at the enemy’s territory.
He has been cutting out all the things I was afraid of and replacing it with His perfect love.

I was afraid to sing, yet God has placed me on stages leading worship.
I was afraid to speak, yet God has placed me in front of audiences speaking.
I was afraid to write, yet God has placed me in this ministry writing His word.
I was afraid to be vulnerable, yet God has allowed me to open my heart to others.
I was afraid to make mistakes, yet God has redeemed those mistakes for His glory.

I have been engulfed by a love so captivating, welcoming, and endearing that my fears are swallowed up by it.
This love fills all voids.
This love transforms.
This love empowers.
This love casts out all fear.

Through this vast love, the Lord has shown me the truth of John 8:36,
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!”

A few months ago, I was meeting with a brother and sister in Christ as they shared some things they felt God pressing upon them for me. They described the image of a heart completely black, but then God took a paint brush and painted the heart completely red as the once-black-heart began to beat.

This was my own heart.
Black from my sins and brokenness, but God didn’t allow my heart to stay that way He took His time to repaint my heart, giving it color and new life. He pursued me, chasing away my fear, and bringing me freedom through His love.

That is true freedom. Being transformed from the inside out.
God’s sweet love cascading into our lives radically shifts our hearts, overflowing into our everyday lives.
Freedom is allowing God to remove you from bondage and give you a new life!

I had been walking into freedom for years, but in that meeting, I was shown how God wanted me to claim the freedom He had already given me.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Which means I can say in full confidence that God has freed me from my spirit of fear.
This doesn’t mean that I never get scared or think fearful thoughts but it does mean I’m not in bondage to those fears. I can point out when Satan is trying to attack me, and I have strength through the Holy Spirit to walk in the freedom afforded me through Christ.

How does this transformation connect to living with open hands,
ready to live out the hospitality of Jesus?
Because I’ve experienced this love, I am deeply passionate about sharing it, helping others to experience God and His perfect love in the same way I have.

In Matthew 8, Jesus performs another miracle and heals Peter’s mother in law. After she is healed, she gets up and begins serving Jesus. That night, many people were brought to Jesus and also received healing of their bodies and souls.

This woman encountered the perfect love of Christ and gets up, goes out and serves Him. And her serving results in others encountering that same love.

Sisters, this is our call as believers!
We are not simply to help people meet the Christ who profoundly loves us, but also be small streams of Christ’s love flowing outward onto others.

Isaiah said, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”

Sisters, what has God healed you of or freed you from?
How have you allowed this good work to transform the way you serve and love and live and operate with openness?

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Open Week Two! 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 Open!

Open Day 3 Pineapple Power

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Kings 17:8-16
Romans 5:12-21
Hebrews 11:1-40

Open, Day 3

“Did you know pineapple is the symbol for hospitality?” Someone asked my friend this over the weekend. While I found myself nodding because I did actually know that random fact, it was not until I googled the why behind it I began to realize the timeliness of that question.

Based on the articles I read (just google: pineapple hospitality), the pineapple originally became a symbol of hospitality in the 1600s in Europe. Pineapples had to be shipped from tropical locations, and this, in turn, required significant investment by those purchasing them. They became a marker of the wealth and status of that home. If someone attended a party with a pineapple present or served, they knew their host had spared no expense for their guests and the overall experience. Articles stated that people even rented pineapples for their parties to have on display in order to achieve this goal.

As time passed and methods for growing pineapples in other climates became functional, the pineapple transitioned to a true symbol of hospitality accessible to more than the elite. The 19th century marked the shift as pineapples became a literal centerpiece to Christmas celebrations.

By now you may be wondering why the pineapple question is timely or even how it is relevant to a story in the Old Testament. No, you have not randomly missed a pineapple reference in the Word; however, hospitality is truly something evidenced throughout Scripture. In fact, one such story demonstrates hospitality being shown with great cost and great obedience.
A biblical pineapple, if you will. Turn with me to 1 Kings 17.

Here we find the prophet Elijah, hiding by a brook after declaring to King Ahab that a severe drought had been appointed by the Lord. The Lord had told him to go to there while also commanding ravens to bring him bread and meat.
Can you imagine that?!
Ravens, literally the birds of the air, were feeding Elijah!

Elijah had obeyed in informing King Ahab of the impending lack of water, then followed the leading of the Lord to hide. In the midst of all of that, the Lord provided his needs by commanding the birds of air. Elijah stayed at this “air bnb” site ordained by the Lord until the brook dried up. At that point, Elijah heard the Lord direct him to the next point of hospitality, our pineapple centerpiece.

Enter the widow of Zaraphath.
Have you read verses 8-16? Go ahead and read those if you haven’t yet, (just click the link!) and come join us back here.

Now, put yourself in the shoes of each character for a moment.
What might it have been like to be either of these people in this interaction?
Could you have spoken with the boldness of faith of Elijah?
Could you have served with the same sacrificial humility of the widow?

I find myself wrestling with both of these questions.
Could I?
Would I?

But as I ponder the Word, the more I see the steely resolve undergirding both individuals.
You know what that resolve is?

Obedience.

A continual “yes” to trusting that what the Lord has spoken will come to pass.
What He has promised will be fulfilled.
His very character and heart are to be trusted.

Elijah is walking into this conversation with some history that cannot be denied.
Remember that word given to King Ahab just a few verses earlier?
If I were Elijah, I would have planted myself by the water, watching it flow vivaciously, and begun to second guess if I’d heard the Lord correctly.
Who knows how long I would have sat there before I began realizing it hadn’t rained in some time or, on waking in the morning my clothes were not damp with dew. Even then I may have rationalized it was just not raining in my area.
But then the brook began to dry up, the water level quickly decreasing.
The water flow no longer lulled me to sleep.
My source of water began to disappear, which could only be caused by a lack of water upstream. My faith may have started out small, but unlike the brook, my faith level continued to rise.
The Lord was faithful to His Word.

It is with this prolonged confirmation Elijah left the now dry river bed and sought out the widow. He solidly knew that just as the Lord commanded ravens to feed him, so the Lord had commanded the widow to care for him.

Now, I don’t know what the widow’s exchange with the Lord included, but at some juncture she heard the Lord direct her to care for Elijah. Her faith astounds me as well.

The woman is literally collecting sticks to create a fire on which she will cook the last of the dough in the house when she is asked for a bite to eat.
How much did logic wage war with faith in her heart?

Was this her pineapple of hospitality?
Counting the cost of speeding up the starvation process in order to serve a perfect stranger?

As the Lord repeatedly demonstrates throughout Scripture, He delighted in multiplying what was needed.

Both Elijah and the widow received the reward of their faith and were sustained throughout the drought. The Lord ordained Elijah to be the mouthpiece declaring both the beginning and end of the drought.

What would have happened if the widow had declined her role in this story?

Hospitality may not always be convenient or comfortable, but, my dear sister, I pray that when you sense the nudge of the Lord to open your arms, your table, and your heart,
you count the cost and obey with all you’ve got.
The Lord rewards such faith, and that is sweeter than any pineapple!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Open Week One! 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 Open!

Kaleidoscope Day 14 Enduring: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 Enduring!

The Questions

1) What do I do if I don’t feel like loving someone?

 2) Why is love so important to God?

3) How can love endure all things?

1 Corinthians 13:7

 [Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Original Intent

1) What do I do if I don’t feel like loving someone?
When Paul described love in 1 Corinthians 13, he used the Greek work agape. Agape love, according to Biblical commentator David Guzik, is a ”sacrificial, giving, absorbing, love. The word has little to do with emotion; it has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another.” At the time of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the church was struggling with spiritual immaturity, immorality, divisions and false teachings. Christ’s heart desire is for His Bride, the Church to live in sweet unity with one another for this is how Jesus loves. Paul wrote to provide clear instruction on how the Corinthian church could love like Jesus.  In chapter 13, Paul described the love of God, emphasizing the unselfish actions of love rather than the emotions. Author John Piper shares how Paul was “applying love to the Corinthians’ situation and using it as the criterion for why some of their attitudes and behaviors are unacceptable.” Paul was telling the believers in Corinth that Christ-followers become like Jesus when they choose to show love even when they don’t feel like showing love. (Biblica.com)

2) Why is love so important to God?
The Bible tells us love is vitally important to God; it’s the very essence of who He is. When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” (Matthew 22:37-40.) To Jesus, loving God and loving the people God loves is imperative. Because God is love (1 John 4:16), His followers are known by their love (John 13:34-35), which is God’s love flowing through them onto others! The way we come to God is by recognizing His love for us. (Romans 5:8) One way we introduce Jesus to others is by sharing His love with them (1 John 4:11). We love God by loving others, and loving others demonstrates to God our love for Him!

3) How can love endure all things?
The Greek term for endure, hupomeno, means to “remain or abide under . . . not simply with stoical resignation, but with a vibrant hope” (PreceptAustin.org). Love has the ability to endure all things because God’s love is rooted in hope. Psalm 118:1 tells us how God’s love endures forever. According to author Debbie Hannah Skinner, that phrase appears over 40 times in Scripture. God encourages us through the repetition of this specific truth that His love empowers us to endure all things because His love will never stop enduring all things.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39) so nothing can ever keep us from the hope and strength God gives us to endure any hardship. Love shows up when things seem bleak and hangs in when things are hard.  God promises He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Forever enduring love is God’s kind of love demonstrated for eternity and this is the love He enables us to extend to others through His Spirit’s equipping power.

Everyday Application

1) What do I do if I don’t feel like loving someone?
I am a born romantic, so I am drawn to stories that pull at the heart strings, lyrical poetry, and sentimental ballads.  All of these are lovely, but they are not love.  They represent only one aspect of love, the feeling kind.  Real love, the love discussed in 1 Corinthians 13, moves far beyond a feeling into action (1 John 3:18).  Love is a decision every believer has the power to make because the Spirit of God, who is love, dwells within them. God Himself is love (1 John 4:8) and He calls and empowers me to love others even when I don’t have feelings of love.  Author Ted Cunningham says, “We can only give love when our hearts are full of God’s love.”  I can choose to love my spouse and children even when they make me angry, disappoint me, or hurt my feelings because God’s love is alive inside me (1 John 4:7).   My actions can show I love them when my heart does not feel it.  There is an old song by the artist Don Francisco with a line that goes, “Love is not a feeling/It’s an act of your will.”   When I choose to love like Jesus, in and through His power, and am not ruled by my emotions, my loved ones experience Christ’s love! We are called to love with the love of Jesus, and that means a love powered by God, not emotions.

2) Why is love so important to God?
Love is so important to God because without it, we no longer reflect Him and His essence. The moment we stop loving others as Jesus does, we stop imitating Christ. Through love, God made Himself known to us, and it is through this same conduit Christ calls others to Himself as we love them! His love began our relationship with Him; He loved us first and drew us to Him (1 John 4:10).  The Bible warns if we don’t love, we have not known or truly experienced God, because God is love.  Everyone who lives a life of love knows God and has been born of God (1 John 4:7-8).  Love is who God is; it is His DNA. To love Him and accept His love is how we know Him. He designed His love to overflow from us to those who don’t know Him so they can experience His love (John 15:12) through us. The Bible teaches us to “put on” patience, kindness, humility, gentleness and forgiveness, and that Jesus’ love will bind all these virtues together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:12-14) as we live out our calling to love others. Struggling with loving others like Jesus? The solution is to know and experience the essence of love in fuller ways! Study Scripture, communicate with the Lord God, and begin exploring the Being of Love in deeper ways!

3) How can love endure all things?
Being a teacher and a mom has taught me the virtue of being flexible.  The better able I am to adjust my expectations to the reality of my situation, the less stressed out I am in the situation.  But there often comes a point where I say, “Enough!”. I feel like I can’t handle one more disobedient student or one more whiny complaint from my offspring.  I am all sweetness and delight until I reach that point, and then, suddenly, I am anything but sweet.  In those moments, I am showing how far my love can go in my own strength, without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and it isn’t very far.  For me to endure all things, I must be operating in the love of Christ and not my own inadequate version.  I Thessalonians 3:5 tells us God leads our hearts into God’s love and Christ’s endurance.  When I am relying on God’s love, a love that gives sacrificially, I am able to respond in love rather than react in frustration.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Enduring!

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

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Kaleidoscope Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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 :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.