Glimmers Day 10 Hope In The Story

December 21, 2018 by Merry Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Glimmers, Day 10

John 1:6-8
Isaiah 40:1-5
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Ephesians 2:11-22

Uncomfortable truth alert: I didn’t fully grasp what hope was before I lost my daughter.

Is that shocking to hear? Maybe.
Is it something I don’t love to admit? Absolutely.
But is it truth? A hundred times, yes.

I’ll never forget the day hope caught fire for me. It was a cold Sunday, a few months after our daughter, Cadence Hope, had died. I had returned to serving on the worship team at our church, and while continuing to lead worship while working through the grieving process was the hardest thing I had ever done, it was also proving to be incredibly transformative.

That morning, as I exited the platform and made my way toward the lobby, I saw my dad walking toward me. As we paused to say hello, something in his face made me lean in to listen. His eyes glinted with tears, but his face was full of unmistakable joy.

“Merry, while you were leading today…I couldn’t shake this vision.” His voice cracked. “That while you were leading others and worshiping Him here today, Cadence was worshiping Him there, at the same time.”

I don’t think I reacted much in that moment as I processed what he said, but as his words took root and my heart took hold of the truth wrapped within, my breath caught in my throat.

He had pictured the two of us. A mother and daughter, separated by physical death, yet each worshiping the only One worthy of worship.

From opposite sides of eternity, each one wholly focused on Jesus.

That morning, it felt like something split open inside of me, forever changing my perspective. It had absolutely nothing to do with my grief, or the fact that my dad had pictured my daughter, but everything to do with my Jesus. In that instant, some things became suddenly clear to me.

First, that loss and grief are a part of life, but that because of Jesus,
we do not grieve as those who have no hope.
This was a truth in Scripture I had known for most of my life,
but to know something and to know something are two very different realities.
We do not grieve as those who have no hope, because we have Jesus!

The hope Paul referenced isn’t about who we will or won’t see again in Heaven – it is solely and wholly about who HE is.
Eternity will not be spent finding our long lost loved ones (although what rejoicing there will be on that blessed day), it will be spent worshiping HIM!
Spending time in His Presence!
Ascribing to Him all the glory He commands and is due!

Second, my hope does not lie in the fact that one day I’ll see my daughter again (although that is wonderful), nor because I know where she is now, but because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my life is not about me. It is only about HIM. Regardless of my situation, circumstance, or feelings, my life will always ever point to Him.

If you had asked me prior to that Sunday morning, I probably would have told you I had hope. I would have told you that I understood what it meant and why it was important. That Jesus was my Savior, and that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt where I would spend eternity after I breathed my last. That my hope was in Jesus and the knowledge that by faith through grace, I was adopted into God’s family.

And I would not have been lying to you.
But compared with the hope that took hold of my heart that morning,
the hope I used to carry was a small, someday sort of hope.

And a small, someday sort of hope doesn’t hold a candle to the
big, all-consuming fire kind of hope John the Baptist shared when he told about the Lamb of God:

From Him we all receive grace upon grace.
Grace and truth come only through Him, Jesus Christ.
Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

John the Baptist believed God’s Word and obeyed, telling all who would listen of a Savior he had never seen. The hope John carried was the big, all-consuming fire kind of hope. The kind of hope that caused him to declare that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah! The kind of hope that made him call out that Jesus was the Lamb of God, twice!

And we have access to that same kind of hope, Sister!

Do you know how freeing it is, to know that absolutely nothing in this life compares to Jesus?

That no illness, no challenge, no difficulty, no heartbreak, no grief, no loss, nothing can touch the hope that fills your heart because the God you worship is the same yesterday, today and forever?!

And that the investment you put into relationship with Him daily, through studying His Word and spending time in prayer and worship, is an investment into your forever future with Him?

It’s difficult to contain that kind of hope, once it catches hold in you. It would be like trying to restrain the ocean. Even if you were to try to hold it in, the waves would splash up and over your edges again and again… changing you and the atmosphere around you…and how you respond to situations and experiences in your life.

That’s the kind of hope that fuels courage in the face of fear. The kind of hope that helps us lay aside our earthly belongings, our status, our treasure and our talent, and stay eternity-minded in the middle of our mess.

The kind of hope that lays us bare and vulnerable so our story, however painful, however vulnerable, can be used to ignite the fire of hope in others.

Truth?
I sometimes get caught up in the worry that when others read things I’ve written which reference the loss of our daughter, they might think that I share things I shouldn’t, or that the topic is too weighty.
Too personal. Too vulnerable. Too real.

But Love?
Every time I seek His heart about it, He reminds me that my story is only ever His story, and His story always pulses with a rhythm of hope.

So which is it for you, Sister?

Maybe you relate to the small, someday sort of hope I had. You believe, but there just doesn’t seem to be much fire in you. You want to share with others, but you don’t feel much urgency.

Maybe you relate to the big, all-consuming fire kind of hope. Maybe it spills up and over so quickly you miss it, sometimes.

Maybe you feel somewhere in the middle.

No matter where you are, know this, dear one: HE is your hope. Regardless of your current situation or feelings, HE IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE. There is nothing you can do or say to change it, but you CAN lean into Him and ask Him to fill you with all the hope of Heaven – and He will do it!

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Glimmers Day 9 Hope; It’s Coming: Digging Deeper

December 20, 2018 by Melodye Reeves 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 Hope; It’s Coming!

The Questions

1) Did the vision given to Habakkuk (verse 2) offer him any hope?

2) When people talk about their hope, especially non-Christians, they are most often referring to a feeling or mindset regarding their future. With this in mind, what is the difference between biblical hope and the hope we frequently observe in many people?

3) Are we, as people of the new covenant, still waiting for that “appointed time” (verse 3) of which was spoken to Habakkuk or was this vision fulfilled?

Habakkuk 2:2-3

2 The Lord answered me:
Write down this vision;
clearly inscribe it on tablets
so one may easily read it.
3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
it testifies about the end and will not lie.
Though it delays, wait for it,
since it will certainly come and not be late.

Original Intent

1) Did the vision given to Habakkuk (verse 2) offer him any hope?
The context of Habakkuk 2 places the people of Israel in a predicament they had created for themselves. Because of their disobedience towards God, they are experiencing the consequences of being among godless people (Chaldeans, aka the Babylonians). In the first chapter (Habakkuk 1:3, 3:1), the prophet is literally questioning God’s plan for His people in Judah. He recognized their unfaithfulness, but He believes God is good. God’s answer, through a vision, is probably not the answer that initially produced in Habakkuk a hopeful heart. In essence, God said it would get worse before it got better. When God told Habakkuk He was going to deal with Judah’s rebellion by using their enemies to do so, Habakkuk had to rely on the kind of faith mentioned by the author of Hebrews (Hebrews 11:1-2). The kind of faith that doesn’t have all the answers. Though we aren’t given much information about Habakkuk’s vision itself, the kind of ‘hope’ it apparently offered was the waiting and trusting God’s character and His Word kind.

2) When people talk about their hope, especially non-Christians, they are most often referring to a feeling or mindset regarding their future. With this in mind, what is the difference between biblical hope and the hope we frequently observe in many people?
One of the ways Webster defines hope is “to want something to happen or be true … without any basis for expecting fulfillment”. Typically, we have this in mind when we hope for something. It’s more like a wish. But biblical hope is much more than a wish. In verse 3, God tells the prophet that it “will certainly come.” Biblical hope centers our desire in “someone … accompanied by expectation of fulfillment.” The Bible dictionary connects hope to words like “trust” and “confidence” and “eager expectation”.
“The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth…He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and become weary, they will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 20:28-31)
Peter reminds us that “after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10)
Biblical hope is about Who. In Luke 2, Simeon waited expectantly for God’s promised One for many years. God was faithful to allow him to see the promise unfold. God will always accomplish His good purpose, even if we have to wait for it.

3) Are we, as people of the new covenant, still waiting for that “appointed time” (verse 3) of which was spoken to Habakkuk or was this vision fulfilled?
Reading Old Testament prophecies can leave us wondering if they were meant only for the specific reader/hearer or if they had future application. We study the context of a passage to help us understand what is occurring. In verse 3, the ‘appointed time’ would come specifically, and will come ultimately. Though there would be waiting, God was faithful in His judgment against Babylon (Isaiah 13; Jeremiah 50-51) and the enemy kingdom would certainly fall. (Daniel 5:28-30)
As we meditate on these words of God to Habakkuk in context of all of Scripture, I believe we can also conclude that God was communicating His ultimate judgment and redemption. At the ‘appointed time’ God will render His judgment on His enemies and He will save His people through His Son. Every single word of His will come to pass exactly as He has spoken. The God of Habakkuk never changes. Just as He told the prophet, he spoke similarly to John. “Mark my words: I AM TRUE AND FAITHFUL.” (Revelation 21:3-5)
So, the answer to the question is YES! “For every one of God’s promises is ‘Yes’ in Him. Therefore, through Him we also say ‘Amen’ to the glory of God!” (2 Corinthians 1:20-22)

Everyday Application

1) Did the vision given to Habakkuk (verse 2) offer him any hope?
In verse 3, Habakkuk was told to wait, but that God would certainly fulfill His plan. This is what biblical hope looks like for us in our daily lives. We are to trust in who God is even when we can’t understand what He’s doing. We believe His word and can expect Him to keep His promises. The vision gave hope to Habakkuk only as much as he was willing to trust and wait patiently for God’s fulfillment. God’s perfect plan will happen. But it will happen in His time. Maybe you’re experiencing suffering and confusion. Like Habakkuk, you are wondering how long it will take for God to reveal what He’s doing. (Habakkuk 1:2)
Even though it took some time, Habakkuk ultimately learned to rest in God’s sovereign plan for himself and the nation. In the waiting, he learned to hope in faith. In our waiting, we can unveil a present and very real hope by seeking the faithful and true God Himself. Who was. Who is. Who is to come. (Revelation 1:8)
When we’re tempted to fret and ask God for a timeline, it is our sure hope that gives us the strength to wait.

2) When people talk about their hope, especially non-Christians, they are most often referring to a feeling or mindset regarding their future. With this in mind, what is the difference between biblical hope and the hope we frequently observe in many people?
Proverbs 13:12 tells us that “delayed hope makes us heartsick.” In our human frailty, when we must wait for something we can succumb to feelings of hopelessness. When we continue to pray without receiving the answers we long for, we tend to despair. But biblical hope is connected to faith. It’s not just wishful thinking. Biblical hope helps us rest in the reality of a future we can’t yet see because of the God who controls it. The old hymn says it this way: Standing on the promises that cannot fail when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail; by the living Word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God.
God’s promises CAN’T fail. Faithful in His character and true to His Word, He will give us the strength to prevail. This kind of hope is sure and steady in the midst of long days that might otherwise tempt us to doubt.

3) Are we, as people of the new covenant, still waiting for that “appointed time” (verse 3) of which was spoken to Habakkuk or was this vision fulfilled?
God was faithful to do what He told Habakkuk He would. The appointed time for the destruction of the enemies came. But in another way, it hasn’t yet come completely. In the New Testament book of John, Christ says on several occasions that His time “has not yet come.” He was referring to the first part of His coming to earth. The time when He would die and be raised again. But there’s a second part to the story. And God will be faithful to see it to the very end. The final fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the judgment and redemption of Lord will come at the end of history when Christ will return to claim His Bride, the Church. God will punish evil and fulfill all His promises. To make it clear, the writer of Hebrews points us to Jesus: “For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. But my righteous one, will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.”
Christ has come and will come. It is in Him we have a working faith, believing in what is not yet fully known. He is our living Hope!

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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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Glimmers Day 8 Hope; It’s Coming!

December 19, 2018 by Sara Bailey Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Habakkuk 2:2-3
Jeremiah 29:11-13

Glimmers, Day 8

Throughout the last few years, I have had a bit of a love/hate relationship with hope.

There were times when hope was the water level that buoyed me up and allowed me to keep moving forward. Other times hope felt like the very anchor that kept my head just barely above the crashing waves.
Those were the moments when hoping that better was coming
hurt more than enduring the pain of the season.

Yet, hope is a powerful resource, and truly without it I would have given up on the plans the Lord has for me long, long ago.
So, from where does my hope come?

First and foremost, the Lord as He speaks through the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s voice (Matthew 4:4). Beyond that, hope may rise from the encouragement of fellow sojourners, reflection on previous hopes fulfilled, and the decision to live life with a hope-filled mindset. What increases your hope?

For me, the words of the Old Testament prophets bring me hope.
Several times throughout my life, the Lord has brought verses to mind that come directly from the books of the Bible that are named after these prophets.

In Scripture, there are 17 books categorized as prophetic (written by prophets).
Five of those are called major and 12 are minor. This is due to the length of the books rather than the importance of the content. The five major prophet books are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The 12 minor prophet books are the last books of the Old Testament beginning with Hosea and ending with Malachi.

I find myself visiting these books frequently, receiving encouragement from the men who obeyed the Lord in announcing His will so many years ago.
The basic definition of a prophet is a person who declares the will of God.

Believers today have something those living during Old Testament times didn’t have: the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the role of the prophet was incredibly important as through these voices, lives, and written words, God’s people could know the Lord’s direction and desire. Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, His will had to be vocalized from an external source rather than an internal one.

The lives these prophets lived and the words they spoke are captured in those 17 books at the end of the Old Testament. Throughout them you will find deep wisdom and truth applicable for today just as much as it did then. These prophets spoke the words the Lord’s Spirit gave them without knowing the big picture, but they obeyed regardless. The Lord challenged them to obey in ways that guaranteed social norms were at the minimum bent and in some cases shattered.

The examples of faith and obedience the prophets displayed is one way
hope grows in me.

The backbone of my faith is strengthened when reading their stories and, in turn, my hope rises.

I don’t know the full pictures of my life,
but just like the prophets of old,
I am to obey regardless.

I can discover the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living
as I follow Him,
even if He asks me to move outside my comfort zone.

(Side note: The Lord will never direct me to do something that contradicts His character as proven in the Word.)

Hope rises as we witness the faithful obedience of these ancient prophets.
Hope rises through the words the prophets spoke.
The words God ordained to be preserved for us to take in.

Several verses tucked into the pages of prophecy have become lifelines in the dark and clear directives for my next steps.
Hope rises here, anchored in truth!

“The Lord your God is among you,
a warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with gladness.
He will be quiet in His love.
He will delight in you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17

“The Lord my Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like those of a deer
and enables me to walk
on mountain heights.”
Habakkuk 3:19

“Mankind, He has told each of you what is good,
and what it is the Lord requires of you;
to act justly,
to love faithfulness,
and to walk humbly
with your God.”
Micah 6:8

Isaiah.
Jeremiah.
Lamentations.
Ezekiel.
Daniel.
Hosea.
Joel.
Amos.
Obadiah.
Jonah.
Micah.
Nahum.
Habakkuk.
Zephaniah.
Haggai.
Zechariah.
Malachi.

These are prophets who faithfully obeyed the Lord, despite great cost to themselves.
Prophets who allowed the Lord’s hope to rise through their surrender.
Prophets who pointed, directly and indirectly,
to the Eternal Hope of the coming Messiah.

Challenge yourself to read through some of these hope writings in the coming weeks. Take note of the verses that bring you hope.
Who inspires you in your faith journey?
Is it Daniel in his obedience and faith as he stands amidst the lions?
Is it Hosea marrying a harlot as a representation of the Lord’s love for us?

May hope rise as you read of events declared before they would happen and then their fulfillment. Look for the glimmers that point to a coming Savior and take comfort in knowing that exactly what God declares, He brings to pass.
Hope; it’s coming!

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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 Glimmers 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 Glimmers!

The GT Weekend – Glimmers Week 1

December 15, 2018 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

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

1) The enemy wooed Eve away from truth by questioning her view of God. Satan wanted Eve to think God wasn’t as true to His character as she had believed, he wanted her to think God was ‘holding out on her’. Think about some recent circumstances when you’ve been tempted question similarly. Consider the thought processes you go through when you are being led to believe a lie rather than truth. Pray over those areas and ask the Spirit to root your heart deep into truth as you prepare for future battles.

2) Do the words ‘hope’ and ‘surrender’ seem incompatible? When has your life situation appeared utterly hopeless while at the same time you felt incredibly powerless to make anything different? These are sweet spot for the Savior to do a mighty work! Read through Abraham’s ‘impossible’ and ‘heartbreaking’ situation in Genesis 22. Go slowly and put yourself in his shoes. Finish your time by taking your own impossibilities and surrendering them to the Lord of Hope!

3) What do you think about the Ten Commandments? What emotions rise up when you think about a lawmaking God? Remembering that how we feel and what we think of God is the most important thing about us. Take a few minutes to write down the honest adjectives on how you view God. Only honest answers count!

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 Philippians 2:6-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.

Prayer Journal
You, the Lord of ALL, God of all, Creator of all, Master, Ruler, Almighty God.
You, who owe no one anything.
You, who need nothing.
You, chose to empty yourself, become a servant, take on flesh like mine, become frail, tired, emotional, and hungry.
You chose death.
That I might live.
Oh Christ! How glorious You are!
If I have nothing else, oh King, if family is lost, if tragedy wraps me up, if my finances fail, and my health is lost, You Are Still Worthy of my praise.

So, here my Jesus, accept my uplifted hands.
I come to worship You for You.

Worship Through Community

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Glimmers Day 5 Hope Of A New Covenant

December 14, 2018 by Quanny Ard Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 15:12-17
Exodus 20:1-21
James 2:8-13
1 Peter 1:14-21
Matthew 26:26-28

Glimmers, Day 5

What comes to mind when you think of the Ten Commandments?
Laws?
A list of do’s and don’ts?
What about considering them in terms of a covenant?
A bond between God and His people.

The Ten Commandments are God’s covenant in the form of a gift given to a prince-turned-shepherd (Moses) for a people (Israel) He called to Himself.
Although we don’t typically think of a connection between these Ten and Christmas,
the link is one we should rejoice in, especially during Christmas.

The commandments were intended to draw the hearts of the children of Israel back to their God. After hundreds of years of slavery, the people had forgotten Yahweh and His covenant with their ancestor Abraham. The commandments served as a legal “contract” between them and God by giving the boundaries within which they would live as His children in the new land He had already promised them. The covenant God had made with Abraham, which was sealed by God’s Word and acted upon by Abraham’s faith, not his performance, was fleshed out by these ten laws.

The Ten Commandments provided the boundaries for Israel’s pattern of living.
They would distinguish God’s people, identifying them by how they lived according to God’s Laws. Israel would be markedly set apart from pagan nations around them.
Through their obedience and adherence to the laws of God, the children of Israel were to be a living, breathing witness of the character of God to these nations; nations that had long ago rejected God through choice or tradition.

God has always had a calling on His people.
In John 15:16 God the Son, Jesus, plainly states, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
Before we even knew to choose God, He had already chosen and ordained us to bear fruit that would be lasting. This was one of the primary objectives for the Israelites living in the Promised Land, to restore the name and glory of God among those who didn’t Him.
They were to bear fruit in a spiritually desolate desert wasteland.

Although the commandments served as a standard by which to live (God’s holy standard), we as sinners are unable to keep the law perfectly. The Israelites broke the law immediately after receiving it.

“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said,
“Come, make us gods who will go before us.
As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt,
we don’t know what has happened to him.”
{In brief, Aaron (Moses’ brother) says, okay! Bring me all the gold jewelry you can find. Aaron melted it down and fashioned a golden calf, presenting it to the people saying….}
“These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
{Then Aaron announced…}
“Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.”
So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.
They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ (Exodus 32:1-8)

Friends, can you imagine the horror when Moses heard from God and reached the based of Mount Sinai to find this scene?
Can you imagine God’s horror?
To break even one of these commandments is to break the covenant with God in its entirety (James 2:10) and leads to death (Romans 6:23).
But God, full of gracious love and tender mercy, knew we needed hope.
Hope by giving us a Savior to kill death for us, and give us righteousness where we had earned death because we had broken His covenant.
Hope that would bring freedom; not just for Israel in the desert, but for all of us, lost in the desert of sin, who would enter into the new covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ for all eternity. (1 Peter 1:17-19, Matthew 26:28)

Jesus is the Redeemer that freed both Israel and us.
The commandments and subsequent Mosaic sacrificial system were an ever-present reminder of our need for a Rescuing Savior.
The commandments provided the Glimmer of Hope.
Hope personified through Jesus Christ, born as God wrapped in flesh.
Born to die as a substitutionary atonement for all sinners.
Born as the only solution to the wages of death brought on by breaking God’s law and covenant.
We are the breakers of this law. Not just Israel, us.
We are the ones in need of a Rescuing Savior. Not just Israel, us.

Christmas and the Ten Commandments?
Absolutely!
The baby in the manger is the Rescuer we desperately needed because we are incapable of keeping the law of God.
Praise God for being both Law-Giver and Law-Fulfiller!
Praise Him for being our Hope!

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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 Glimmers 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 Glimmers!