Author: Lori Meeks

Fruitful Day 14 The Gentleness of Jesus: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Gentleness of Jesus!

The Questions

1) Why did Jesus wash the disciple’s feet? (verse 12)

2) Was Jesus’ direction to wash the feet of others literal? (verse 14)

3) What did Jesus mean by “a servant is not greater than his master”? (verse 16)

John 13:12-17

When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothing, he reclined again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you. 16 “Truly I tell you; a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Original Intent

1) Why did Jesus wash the disciple’s feet? (verse 12)
Walking in sandals on the dusty dirty roads of Israel made foot washing a necessity before sharing a meal. Since people reclined at low tables, their feet were right next to others, not to mention the table and food. While the washing of feet was a common practice, it was highly uncommon for someone of Jesus’ stature as a revered Rabbi Teacher to perform the task reserved for household slaves. However, Jesus took it upon Himself to fulfill this lowly duty in order to model a lesson of love to His disciples. The lesson these twelve men seemed to have a hard time understanding was how necessary it was to have an attitude of servanthood toward others, just like Jesus. In Matthew 20 we read a story of two brothers, whose mom asked Jesus for a favor regarding her sons’ positions in His kingdom. It is clear from the exchange that the disciples not only expected Jesus to become an earthly king, but they also struggled significantly with pride. They felt they earned authority and power by being associated with Jesus. Cutting to the heart, Jesus responds with clarity, “you’ve got it all wrong, if you want to be great, then be a servant”. (Matthew 20:27-28, my paraphrase)

2) Was Jesus’ direction to wash the feet of others literal? (verse 14)
It’s hard to say if Jesus’ instructions in the original context were meant literally as well as figuratively, but it was certainly an unforgettable scene. If you go back and read this story from the beginning of John 13, we notice that, of the men present, Jesus was the only person willing to tackle the dirty task of foot washing. The text doesn’t tell us why a servant wasn’t present to perform the job, but the other twelve disciples reclining at the table knew someone needed to do the work, yet none made any effort to do so. In that sense, one could make a case that Jesus’ words had two meanings; the first being “next time, one of you guys should do this for each other”. However, most likely, His words were meant as an example for His teaching point, “you all need to develop an attitude of serving others, which means setting your pride aside and doing things you think are beneath you”.

3) What did Jesus mean by “a servant is not greater than his master”? (verse 16)
Jesus’ intention was to get these men to look to Him as their example in all things. In that day, following a Rabbi literally meant to follow His every step, learning everything they could about “being a Rabbi”. This concept, however, went much deeper for Jesus’ purposes. He wasn’t trying to make “little Rabbis” who could speak and teach rhetoric like Him; He wanted them to live lives of sacrificial love as He modeled. He is the Master of Love; the disciples knew and understood He was greater than they in every regard. In a sense, Jesus was saying, “If I, the long-awaited Messiah, am willing to humble Myself and willingly take on the job of a lowly servant, you should as well”. It’s important to keep in mind that these men Jesus spoke to were the same ones who, in just a few short days, would be responsible for spreading the gospel and starting the Church by the power of God’s Spirit. Jesus needed them to think differently about Himself, others, and their role as His disciples.

Everyday Application

1) Why did Jesus wash the disciple’s feet? (verse 12)
Jesus washed dirty feet to be an example to those who would soon carry His message of hope, love, and freedom to the world. The One Sovereign God of All, holding all power and authority above any other, willingly took on this menial job with humility and love. Our takeaway is to have this same attitude of Christ reflected in our everyday moments. In rich teaching, the apostle Paul wrote to believers, “adopt the same attitude as Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 2:5-8) This heart-attitude is characterized by humility, gentleness, and a willingness to meet and serve others regardless of who they are or their position in life. While foot washing is no longer commonplace, there are thousands of menial tasks to be entered into every day in our homes, churches, and workplaces. As followers of Christ, we also need to be willing to jump in and take on those tasks regardless of whether or not it’s our specifically assigned job. Pray over these opportunities and ask the Lord to show you where you can practically reflect Christ’s heart-attitude.

2) Was Jesus’ direction to wash the feet of others literal? (verse 14)
When Jesus directed His disciples to “also…wash one another’s feet”, He was speaking more about developing, and living out, an attitude of servanthood than He was about literal foot-washing. Living with a servant’s heart requires more than simply doing what is required or finishing tasks out of guilt or obligation. Rather, true service flows from love and a willingness to meet others in their mess and jump in with humility. Once again, Paul discusses this attitude in Philippians 2:13-15 when he says, “do everything without grumbling or complaining”. It’s one thing to serve others out of obligation, or because we can’t come up with a good excuse to decline. It’s completely different to serve others from a desire to love like Jesus in the middle of others’ messiness. It’s funny how Jesus seems to provide real life examples for me each time I sit down to write. Just today, I had planned to spend the entire morning researching and writing this study. I had my cup of coffee and was headed to my laptop when my sister called needing help. Helping her would mess up my plans and, honestly, I wasn’t even sure I could help, but I went because that’s what sisters do. In the end, it wasn’t so much about helping, but being present and standing with her. With transparency, I’m not sure my attitude reflected servanthood, but I still chose to go because loving people is rarely convenient. I don’t know about you, but my own life is messy; still, that doesn’t stop Jesus from meeting me where I am and loving me on the journey. I am a work in progress, just like all of us who have surrendered to Jesus, and I’m thankful He teaches me lessons like this every day!

3) What did Jesus mean by “a servant is not greater than his master”? (verse 16)
The twelve disciples played a critically important role in living out the kind of radical love Jesus had humbly modeled in front of them during His time on earth; our role as fellow Christ-followers is just as necessary. We too need to think differently about God, others, and ourselves. We have the exact same job assignment as the original twelve who witnessed Jesus act of humble love in front of them, “Go and make disciples”. (Matthew 28:19) Jesus provided us with real life, everyday examples of how to go about accomplishing His mission by meeting people and loving them exactly where they are. By serving others with humility and gentleness, we love like Him. When we don’t judge others and place ourselves higher, we love like Him. When we choose to love others in the middle of their messes, and in spite of our own inconveniences, we love like Him. The coolest part is we aren’t in this “loving others with humility” thing alone! Jesus not only wants to equip us and teach us how to love like Him through His Spirit in us, but He also invites us to ask for His divine help in every single circumstance we encounter. “Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart”. (Matthew 11:28-30) Let’s learn from the Master how to live and love like He did!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with The Gentleness of Jesus!

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 Fruitful 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.

Fruitful Day 2 Anchoring Love: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Anchoring Love!

The Questions

1) According to this passage, what is love?

2) How does one “remain in love”? (verse 16)

3) What does fear have to do with love? (verse 18)

1 John 4:16-19

And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

Original Intent

1) According to this passage, what is love?
For us to understand what “love” means in these verses and the original intent, we need to look at the Greek words used. Take verse 16 for example, “And we have come to know and to believe the love (agapaō) that God has for us. God is love (agapē)”. Agape love is the same word used in John 3:16 as God describes His love for his Son as well as His people. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Agoapao comes from the word agape, but is the verb form of the word. This is kind of confusing for us today, but the original readers would’ve understand completely. It would be somewhat like a mother saying, “I love (agape) my son”, and “By reading my son’s favorite book, I am loving (agoapao) him.” In verse 16 we read “God is love”, not only is this a direct quote from 1 John 4:8 which says “The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love” but it’s an idea that John repeats in his letter several times which signifies the importance of the concept. He wants his readers to understand that love and God cannot be separated because, by His very nature, God is love to the full in both action and description. Every aspect of love is encompassed by God. It’s as much a part of Him as our body is to us; we are not “us” without our body. To know God is to know love.

2) How does one “remain in love”? (verse 16)
Verse 16 in its entirety contains clues for helping us gain understanding on how to remain in God’s love. “And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” The first clue is, “Come to know and to believe”. The author, the disciple John, assumes these words are being received by those who have already placed their full trust in Jesus. They have heard the message of Christ dying to take the punishment they deserved and have come to the point of belief for themselves. This is important because, at this time of writing, there were many Jews still living under Old Testament Law, meaning they were trying to earn God’s favor by keeping the rules. The second clue is “God is love”. We just discussed how one cannot separate God apart from love. Love is a Person, and the person is Jesus. To remain in Him is to maintain relationship with Him through studying His Word, prayer, and living in biblical community. The third clue is “remains in God and God remains in him”. In essence, John is saying to the believers, “You all know Jesus and what He did for you. Don’t go back to the old way. Stick with God and allow His grace to stick with you”. Remaining in love means not being swayed by false teachers, popular opinion, or old habits and thoughts, but sticking with the Truth and letting God’s Spirit renew us from the inside out. (Romans 12:1-2)

3) What does fear have to do with love? (verse 18)
It’s part of human nature to fear the unknown and those things we don’t fully understand. For the early believers, trusting God and His grace with their future and eternity was a new way of thinking, believing, and living. Before Jesus, everything about their everyday lives centered around keeping the commandments. Everyone was keenly aware of how they were doing, both good and bad. Not to mention they had rules for offering sacrifices when you messed up and broke the rules by sinning. But now, everything was different with Jesus. There was no longer fear of condemnation because Jesus had paid the penalty for every sin past, present, and future. (Romans 8:1) Their perspective had drastically shifted off themselves and onto a deeply personal relationship with the living God who held out their hope for Eternal Life with Him. John tells his readers they don’t need to be afraid of judgement because God is love and His love is perfect, lacking nothing. In the gospel of John, he also writes, “God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him”. (John 3:17) God came to save us, there is no reason to be afraid.

Everyday Application

1) According to this passage, what is love?
Love is commonly misused and misunderstood by us today. We say stuff like I love coffee, I love that song, and I love the KC Royals. Then we use the same word to describe God. It’s confusing to decipher “definitions” of love. We also struggle with believing that “love” requires us to feel mushy and gushy with the same “tender” feelings we have towards our spouse or children (when we feel close!). It’s no wonder we struggle with some pretty simple concepts in Scripture. Our language and society have made it so confusing that honestly, it’s just easier to move right past the hard-to-understand verses of the Bible and get to the easy parts that make us feel good. However, the more we study the Bible deeply, the more clearly we see the rich love of God! Love, in its truest form, is Jesus, who is the “exact expression of His (God’s) nature”. (Hebrews 1:3) When we look at Jesus’ love, we are seeing the Father! “The one who has seen Me (Jesus) has seen the Father. (…) Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?” (John 14:9-10) Divine Love is neither something we can manufacture nor fake. It’s not always easy to surrender to the Holy Spirit and let His love come alive in us. In fact, at times, it’s just plain hard in real life! We overlook the fact that love is a choice of total surrender to Christ. Unlike Jesus, who simply is love, we must choose to willingly give up our control and selfish desires to God when it comes to actions, attitudes, and motives. Because only HE is love, only HE can fill us with divine love and allow it to overflow in everyday life.

2) How does one “remain in love”? (verse 16)
I love the explanation in The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, which says “to remain means to hang out with”. Don’t you love that? It’s so simple and easy for me to understand! Keeping in mind that God is love, this simply means “hang out with Jesus and let Him rub off on you”.  So the question becomes, how do I hang out with Jesus? The application for us today is much the same as it was for the original readers, don’t be pulled in by popular opinion and deception. Instead, focus on knowing Truth in Jesus more and more through His Word and prayer. When we know Him, we will more easily be able to detect lies. (1 John 4:1-2) The devotional I read this morning as I prepared to write pointed me toward Revelation 2. Check out what it says in chapter 2, “But I have this against you: you have let go of the love you had at first.  So remember the high point from which you have fallen. Change your hearts and lives and do the things you did at first.”. (Revelation 2:4-5) These verses convicted me personally because since I’ve been a Christ follower for a long time. I know how easy it is to get distracted and forget how much God has done for me, how much I have been forgiven, and how I much I need Him every single day. It’s easy to get caught in doing work for Jesus that we forget to spend time with Jesus. We must ask ourselves, am I spending as much time with Jesus as scrolling social media, binge-watching Netflix, working, exercising, or volunteering at church? We “hang out” (remain) with Jesus much the same way we would with family and friends. We make intentional time, schedule coffee or lunch dates, we go for walks, or simply sit and talk. Why not try doing those things with Jesus?

3) What does fear have to do with love? (verse 18)
When we speak of God’s love, fear (the kind that’s terrified of punishment) should have absolutely nothing to do with our description of Him. As children, we perhaps learned to be afraid of punishment either for actual wrongdoing, or because a parent wasn’t equipped with the tools to love us well. The enemy can use fear to twist our perception of God and His true character. We forget that God is love and there is no reason to be afraid of God once we have entrusted ourselves entirely to Him and His enormous, never-ending love. His love is bigger and better than our human love. It forgives sin completely, holds no shame over us, and will absolutely never abandon us. It is pure and undefiled by human emotion and reasoning; His love is perfect. In many ways, especially for us type A people, living under the law seems easier at first blush. We know the rules and what to do if we break one. Easy peasy. Just add the consequence (sacrifice) to your “to do list” and check it off once you’ve completed it. This is also utterly devoid of relationship or the understanding of love. And what happens when the rule-breaking overwhelms our ability to make restitution? Trusting and believing that Jesus paid the price for all of our sin feels much harder! ALL, every single last one of your sins and my sins have been paid off by the God who perfectly loves us and wants a vibrant relationship with us. Even those sins we keep trying to work off are paid in full! Notice the end of verse 18,“the one who fears is not complete in love”. Just like John’s original audience, it takes faith and trust on our part to lean into Love (Jesus), let Him complete us, and walk shame-free!

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

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 Fruitful Week One!
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.

Terrain Day 12 Sea Of Galilee: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Sea Of Galilee!

The Questions

1) Why was Jesus “walking by the Sea of Galilee” instead of teaching somewhere? Was He intentionally looking for these men or did He just happen upon them? (verse 18)

2) What does it mean to fish for people? (verse 19)

3) Scripture says “immediately, they left their nets and followed”. What is the significance of the word “immediately”? (verses 20-22)

Matthew 4:17-22

From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them.  Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Original Intent

1) Why was Jesus “walking by the Sea of Galilee” instead of teaching somewhere? Was He intentionally looking for these men or did He just happen upon them? (verse 18)
Before tackling that question, let’s consider why Jesus was even in Galilee. Backing up a few verses, Matthew tells us “Jesus left Nazareth and went to live by the sea” after John the Baptist was arrested. (Matthew 4:12-16) Jesus didn’t leave Nazareth out of fear, but to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy, “the people living in darkness in Galilee would see a great light” (Isaiah 9:1-2). This great light was Jesus! Yesterday’s Journey Study of Galilee pointed out how walking and boats were the main methods of transportation in the ancient world. While we don’t know specifically why Jesus was out walking that day, we do know He preferred to go to the people and teach instead of waiting for people to come to Him. Even though Scripture doesn’t clearly say “Jesus set out to find some men to help Him with His ministry”, we can surely know Jesus had a divine plan. (Ephesians 1:2) Luke’s account of this narrative contains more details by describing the crowds as “pressing in around” Jesus. (Luke 5:1) Pressed by masses, Jesus commandeers Peter’s boat and effectively moves away from the shore to teach the people. This passage also shares a conversation between Jesus and Peter about catching fish. Peter and his friends had been fishing all night with no luck when Jesus says, “let’s go out and try again,” to which Peter says, “Dude, it’s not going to work, we’ve tried all night.” (my paraphrase of Luke 5:5) Turns out, Jesus was right. They caught so many fish, Peter frantically called for help from his friends, James and John. We don’t know if Jesus intended to call His first disciples that day, but we know He taught and lived with divine purpose. In a fishing community like Galilee, Jesus knew there would be more people by the shore, so He came to them.

2) What does it mean to fish for people? (verse 19)
Jesus was an expert at using terminology and examples rich with meaning for His original audience. (Matthew 13:1-52) Jesus’ fishing analogy paired perfectly into the job these men already were keenly familiar with as fishermen. They readily understood how fishing as a trade required intense physical labor, long hours, and, at times, no fish to show for a tedious night of work. (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) When Jesus said, “from now on you will fish for people”, these fishermen, along with anyone else who heard the conversation along the shoreline, understood Jesus’ meaning at a basic level. In essence, Christ was making a clear statement like, “I’ve got a new job for you. In many ways, it will be the same as being a fisherman. But instead of spending your nights on a boat, you’ll come with Me to neighboring towns looking for people who will listen to the Good News of the Messiah.”

3) Scripture says “immediately, they left their nets and followed”. What is the significance of the word “immediately”? (verses 20-22)
Looking at Luke’s more detailed account in Luke 5:1-11, we can answer this question. After hauling in their massive load of fish, Luke 5:8 records, “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!”. Peter immediately knew Jesus was no ordinary man, Jesus held divine authority unlike anyone else. For successful fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John to immediately leave everything to follow Jesus would have been highly significant, especially considering the enormous income they had amassed in minutes with their many fish. According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, in biblical times “… occupations were centered in the family enterprise.” (studylight.org) If your dad was a fisherman, you were trained as a fisherman and expected to work alongside your father until you took over the “family business”. Additionally, the cultural norm was for young men to receive an “inheritance from their father”, as a right of passage. Not to mention, another cultural expectation was to care for aging parents. By leaving “immediately”, these men intentionally pressed against the norm. Many onlookers would have disagreed with their actions. In Matthew 8:20-22, we read of another would-be disciple who asks, “first let me go bury my father,” to which Jesus replies, “follow Me and let the dead bury their own dead”. It’s important to understand this man’s father was not dead. What he’s really asking is, “once I do my duty as an earthly son, can I come and follow you?”. Jesus’ answer may seem harsh, but in reality, He is saying, “you have a choice today. Are you willing to live differently now and follow Me, or will you go along with the crowd and do what is expected?”

Everyday Application

1) Why was Jesus “walking by the Sea of Galilee” instead of teaching somewhere? Was He intentionally looking for these men or did He just happen upon them? (verse 18)
We are called to follow Jesus and His example of living lives of intentional love. Yes, we are called to be teachers in our churches, homes, and schools, but we cannot expect everyone who needs Jesus to come to us. We must go where people are living ordinary, regular lives. This “going” will look different for each of us. Some are, or will be, called to follow Jesus to different towns, cities, and countries to share His message of hope and freedom from sin. Some will be called to sports teams or jobs to share His message. For others, it may mean attending that family function you’d rather not attend in order to be available to show Jesus’ love. Our application from Jesus’ example is to intentionally live with our eyes and ears open. We will encounter people every day who either don’t know Jesus or have wandered away from Him. It’s our job to look, listen, and see those people through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, then boldly trust His prompting to reach out and share God’s love. We may even encounter those people in our own homes! Start praying now! Who might the Lord have waiting for His message through you today?!

2) What does it mean to fish for people? (verse 19)
Simply and plainly, fishing for people means living with our eyes wide open, feet ready to go, and hearts of compassion ready to share His love. (Ephesians 6:15, Romans 13:8) Pray for family and friends who don’t know Jesus, then seize the opportunities He gives to share His love. Fishing for people means living with generous, open hearts and hands. The apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16 to “walk by the Spirit” in our everyday lives. Paul adds in verses 22-25, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” In a roundabout way, Paul is saying the same thing Jesus was living out. People are always watching, so let’s live in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1-3) with open, ready availability to share Jesus’ love with others. I would like to provide a warning here, or at least point out something we should keep in mind. It is not our job to “save” people, even those whom we love deeply. Jesus is the only One who can convict of sin and save for eternity! Our job is to share, love, encourage, answer questions, and walk alongside others with gentle respect, as the Spirit does the work only He can do in their hearts. It is easy to fall into the trap of making people “projects”, and there is no quicker way to scare them off! No one wants to be a project. Our love must be pure and genuine, just as the love of Jesus. (Romans 12:9-10)

3) Scripture says “immediately, they left their nets and followed”. What is the significance of the word “immediately”? (verses 20-22)
This is a hard study for me to write, because it’s personally convicting. There are far too many times in my life when I have ignored the “immediacy” command of following Jesus. When the Spirit prompts us, we are simply to obey, especially when He calls us to specifically share the gospel or pray with someone. It takes practice in listening to His voice as He trains us to stop, look up, and obey immediately. Certainly, big life changes, or situations where emotions are running over our willingness to listen to the Spirit, are excellent opportunities to slow down, seek wise biblical counsel, and pray with intentionality for direction. (Proverbs 19:20-21) There was a time when I felt certain God was calling me to quit my full-time job and go into full-time ministry. At the time, I was married with two small children and carrying our family’s medical insurance. It was a highly emotional conviction, but I felt absolutely certain it was right. However, I knew I needed to talk with my husband and seek godly counsel before making the decision. While I did end up quitting my full-time job, I didn’t have the opportunity for a ministry career until years later and it still isn’t full-time. Some may read my story and think I was disobedient by not “immediately” following, consequently missing an opportunity. Perhaps, but based on where I was in my journey with Jesus, I did what I felt God was leading me to do by praying and seeking godly counsel before finalizing a decision. We’re all different and Jesus calls us in unique ways. If we are not actively living with open eyes, ears, and hands, we just may miss out entirely. Let’s commit to intentionally listening and quickly obeying as He faithfully leads!

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

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 Terrain 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.

Terrain Day 11 Sea Of Galilee

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Deuteronomy 11:18-25
Matthew 4:18-23
Matthew 13
Mark 4:35-41

Terrain, Day 11

Mountains, rocks, olive trees, gardens, waves, winding roads, and stone buildings.
The smell of the sea, fish, freshly broken dirt, rain, and warm bread.
Wind blowing in your face, sweat dripping from your brow, wet fishing nets draped over your shoulders.
People working, talking, laughing, wondering, hoping . . .

All normal sights, sounds, and smells in this place called Galilee.

Galilee, a region in northern Israel, is the setting for much of the gospels. This small locale touted mountains and hills in its upper region, while the lower region was famed for its fertile soil and the Sea of Galilee.

Normal daily life in Galilee meant walking, and a lot of it! In fact, it wasn’t uncommon to walk 20 plus miles (32 km) every day. People walked to work, walked to get water, walked to worship, walked up the mountains, down into valleys, and along the seashore.

Walking was also a normal, daily routine for Jesus, who called Galilee His home. He walked beside the seashore, calling disciples, teaching, confronting, loving, and healing. (Matthew 4:18-23)

He walked up the mountains, looking for higher ground on which to teach the growing crowds. Matthew 5:1-2 (emphasis mine) tells us, “When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. Then He began to teach them[.]”

He walked to the mountains alone to pray, never forgetting to make time for His Father. (Matthew 14:23)

He even walked to His death just outside of Galilee, a place called Golgotha, “The Skull”. (Luke 23:26-27, 32-33)

Fishing and boats were also a routine part of life for the people of Galilee, as fishing was a primary occupation in the region. Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen by trade before Jesus called them to “fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19) Jesus and His disciples often used these boats to cross from one side of the sea to the other. Pop-up storms were prevalent, as the cool eastern wind blew over the mountains and dropped into the sea.

The Sea of Galilee saw capsizing storms, like the one Jesus calmed in Mark 4:35-41.
“He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Silence! Be still!’ The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

As well as terrifying storms, like the one Jesus traversed as He “came toward them walking on the sea.” (Matthew 14:22-33)

Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose to walk on the water in that storm?
Yes, He was Jesus, but surely there was an easier way! Why not immediately calm that storm too, or take another boat?

Perhaps Jesus’ unyielding steps on wind-battered waves were meant as a lesson for us, as we walk through the storms of life.

Remember Peter, the bold disciple who called, “Jesus, if that is You, let me walk on the water too!” (Matthew 14:28, paraphrase) What happened when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves – yep, down he went. Similarly, life-storms can take us down when we take our eyes off the One we are to follow and walk toward.

Jesus the Teacher was a master at turning ordinary life into valuable lessons. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are full of these lessons, called parables.
Matthew 13 shares several of these purposeful stories:
“Parable of the Sower”
“Parable of the Wheat and Weeds”
“Parable of the Hidden Treasure and Priceless Pearl”

These imaginative stories were woven together with common everyday objects and routines to teach of God’s radically uncommon love,
showing Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah.
Lessons still relevant today.
Lessons we would be wise to remember, meditate on, and apply to our lives.

 Throughout Scripture, God says,
“Do you have eyes and do not see;
do you have ears and do not hear?” (Mark 8:18, Jeremiah 5:21, Isaiah 6:10)
Even in Jesus’ day, so many people saw His miracles and did not believe.
They heard Him teach, yet denied His authority.
They witnessed the fulfillment of prophecy, but refused to accept the truth.

Let this not be said of us!

Let’s determine to walk through our everyday moments with eyes wide open to what God is revealing about Himself in the middle of our ordinary as we follow Him!

Speaking of following, the extremely narrow and maze-like roads of Galilee left only one choice when traversing them: closely following the person in front of you. It was easy to become lost among unfamiliar twists and turns.

Interesting, don’t you think?
When Jesus said, “follow Me,” He meant it quite literally. Imagine Jesus saying, “I know the way; to arrive safely, you must follow closely behind Me. Don’t take your eyes off Me.”

Walking. Fishing. Digging. Planting. Baking. Sunshine. Warm breezes. Sudden storms. Ordinary everyday life, until you add Jesus to the equation, and the ordinary becomes extraordinary!

Go for a walk today and consider the terrain Jesus walked, from the calling of His disciples to the road He traveled to His death.

Where or how is Jesus calling you to walk?

Who or what are you following?

Pray for open eyes and attentive ears.

Invite Jesus, our Master Teacher, into your ordinary and allow Him to make it extraordinary!

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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 Terrain 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 Terrain!

Word Day 9 It Is I Am: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out It Is I Am!

The Questions

1) Who is Jesus referring to when He says, “My sheep”? (verse 27)

2) How do these sheep hear His voice and follow? (verse 27)

3) What does Jesus mean by saying, “No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand”? (verse 29)

John 10:27-30

“My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Original Intent

1) Who is Jesus referring to when He says, “My sheep”? (verse 27)
Jesus often refers to His followers as sheep. Sheep and shepherds were plentiful and a normal part of everyday living at this point in history. Understanding the role of shepherds as they cared for their flocks will help us better understand Jesus’ words in this passage. The job of shepherd most frequently fell to the youngest boy in the family, which is demonstrated in 1 Samuel 16 when the prophet Samuel is sent to the house of Jesse to anoint a new king. Samuel visits all the older sons before asking if there are any others. We read in verse 11, “There is still the youngest,” he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” This youngest shepherd boy was David and Israel’s future king. Shepherds spent a lot of time with their flocks, in fact pretty much all of their time, both day and night. A shepherd’s job was twofold, first was providing for needs, which meant planning for food and water each day. This dictated where the shepherd would lead his flock. The second aspect was protection. Shepherds carried slings (you might remember this from David’s battle with Goliath), rods, and staffs, which were all used to protect and defend the sheep under their care. A shepherd’s protection ensured none of the flock wandered away or was lost. Shepherds developed a close relationship with the sheep and their flocks, knowing them as unique animals, and able to identify them easily. Even with this broad overview, it’s easy to see why Jesus would use this analogy to demonstrate how He is our Shepherd, Provider, and Protector and we are His sheep.

2) How do these sheep hear His voice and follow? (verse 27)
As we just learned, sheep and shepherds spend basically all of their time together. Sheep learn to listen for the familiar voice of their personal shepherd and follow him when he calls. The kind of intimacy required for sheep to easily pick out their shepherd’s voice, recognize it, and follow is built on the amount of time spent together. In this passage, Jesus is teaching these new believers to think of themselves as sheep who are learning the voice and rhythm of their shepherd. His words are not meant to be demeaning, but simply to teach them to depend on Him and grow close to Him. He is saying, “I’m going to take on the role of shepherd and all the responsibilities that go with this role. You will be the sheep. Spend time with Me, become familiar with when and how I speak, then follow Me, knowing I’ve got your back”.

3) What does Jesus mean by saying, “No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand”? (verse 29)
Jesus is referring to eternal security with these words, meaning He has the power and ability to protect a soul entrusted to Him for all of eternity. Many people in Jesus’ audience were quite familiar with the numerous times God’s chosen people were seemingly “snatched” away from God’s protection. They were taken from their homes, land, safety, and sometimes even families by foreign nations and forced into slavery. Even though Israel was God’s chosen people, their lives weren’t always safe, mostly because they continued to rebel against Him. Jesus’ statement, “no one can snatch them away”, comes on the heels of a question posed in John 10:24. “The Jews surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” The people were still looking for an earthly king, not an eternal one. They wanted a king who would provide the protection and earthly security they longed for. But they still didn’t see the big picture. Jesus hadn’t come to be a temporary earthly king and make Israel more comfortable. He came to conquer Sin and Death for all time by offering Himself as a sacrifice to pay the penalty we all owe. This was a radical shift in thinking for the Jews, and because Jesus hadn’t yet been crucified or resurrected, they just didn’t understand His full meaning. However, the truth behind Jesus’ statement remains true, once you choose to accept and follow Jesus, eternal security is yours!

Everyday Application

1) Who is Jesus referring to when He says, “My sheep”? (verse 27)
All who trust Jesus as their great Rescuer from the debt we owe God because of our sin are the sheep. Jesus is the Shepherd. Think of it as each of us having “roles to play”. Jesus, as our Shepherd, takes full responsibility for us, His well-cared for and beloved sheep. Our role is much simpler, because well, we’re sheep! We listen intently for His voice, are ready to watch for His movement, and are quick to follow Him because we trust Him. When we relate a shepherd’s responsibilities to how Jesus leads, protects, nourishes, rescues, knows, and loves His followers, it’s easy to allow Jesus to rightfully take the role of Shepherd in our lives once we surrender to Him and become His sheep. I encourage you to stop reading this for a few minutes, grab your Bible and read all of John 10 because you will learn much more from Jesus’ words as He describes His role as our Good Shepherd over mine! The deep love and care Jesus, as our Shepherd, has for His sheep is pretty indescribable!

2) How do these sheep hear His voice and follow? (verse 27)
“But I don’t hear God speak to me!” Let’s be honest, we’ve all heard those words and we’ve likely even said them ourselves. We make excuses like, “It’s not the same! Jesus’ first followers could physically hear and see Him”, or “I’ve never actually heard Jesus speak, so how am I supposed to recognize His voice?”. Not to be overly harsh, but we make these excuses because it’s easier. It takes time, energy, and consistency on our part to develop the intimate relationship with Jesus required for us to shut out all other voices in our heads. It’s easier because, if we say we can’t hear Jesus, we think it means we can just do what we want and decide for ourselves which way to go. You know how we can recognize and pick out the voice of a loved from across a busy room? We’ve heard their voice so frequently because of the proximity of our relationship with them, it’s easy to identify their voice above all others. The same is true when we listen to Jesus. Learning to actively listen to His whispers generally doesn’t “just happen”; it takes time as we practice sitting quietly in stillness and reading His Word. Intimacy comes with time and consistency.

3) What does Jesus mean by saying, “No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand”? (verse 29)
The feeling of safety and security is something we all want; just consider how many times we pray for health and safekeeping for our loved ones! For most of us, attempting to manufacture this security means we spend quite a bit of time planning, preparing, and worrying about the “what ifs” of life. We work hard, save for the future and the unexpected, and set up rules or boundaries intended to protect those we love. While those things are important to some extent, they can distract us from trusting God in ALL things. Ultimately, our eternities are secure once we have accepted Jesus’ work on the cross for us and surrendered our lives to Him. The truth is, there is no thing and no one who can change this reality! As fickle humans, consumed and distracted by this world, it’s easy for us to lose sight of the eternal promises of Jesus. The honest truth is there is no way we can plan for and protect ourselves and loved ones from the unexpected entirely. People get sick, accidents happen, children rebel, and loved ones die. It takes a conscious and daily, sometimes even hourly, choice to leave our lives in the more than able, more than capable hands of Jesus the trustworthy Shepherd. We can rest assured that even when bad things come our way, Jesus has us safely in His grasp; He will never let us go.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with It Is I Am!

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 Word 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.

Word Day 2 Do You Believe?: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Do You Believe?!

The Questions

1) Being a Jew and knowing the culture, why would Jesus ask this woman for a drink? (verse 9)

2) How does the water Jesus gives keep us from getting thirsty again? (verse 14)

3) What is meant by “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth”? (verses 23-24)

John 4:7-15

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, 8 because his disciples had gone into town to buy food. 9 “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.” 11 “Sir,” said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.” 13 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.” 15 “Sir,” the woman said to him, “give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.” 16 “Go call your husband,” he told her, “and come back here.” 17 “I don’t have a husband,” she answered. “You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’ ” Jesus said. 18 “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.

Original Intent

1) Being a Jew and knowing the culture, why would Jesus ask this woman for a drink? (verse 9)
Jesus was never one to let a teaching moment pass Him by. During this encounter at the well, He was simply doing what He always did regardless of the audience, engage with love on purpose. He took an everyday situation and flipped it into an impactful lesson for many. Jesus came to destroy the old way of thinking with strict laws as means of coming to God. Ordinary people, like this woman, were easily bogged down with all the rules and had lost focus from the main point of having a relationship with God. Jesus took the opportunity that presented itself in the flow of His normal life, and used the fact that He was physically thirsty, to open this woman’s mind to her own spiritual thirst. First, he spoke directly to her. Men of her culture would have completely ignored her. With His words alone, Jesus demonstrated that He saw her and cared enough to engage in a conversation. Secondly, he guided this woman to understand that even though He had asked her for water, He was offering something far greater, eternal life. Jesus was a risk taker and never allowed cultural norms to stop Him accomplishing His mission and share His message of love with everyone He encountered.

2) How does the water Jesus gives keep us from getting thirsty again? (verse 14)
Jesus was a master at teaching in a way that others could relate to and understand. In this story, the woman’s interest is piqued and she asks some clarifying questions. “Where does this water come from?” “Are You saying You are greater than our father Jacob?” As the dialogue continues, understanding begins to dawn on this woman. The water Jesus spoke of wasn’t literal water, but eternal life. For this woman, a known adulteress and public sinner, she initially desired a way out of a daily struggle. Her life choices had resulted in consequences that made her life difficult and shameful. She didn’t want to go to the well each day to get water, she didn’t want the knowing looks, ridicule, and judgement of those who saw her. Ultimately, she comes to understand how this man Jesus is different; He’s even greater than a prophet. In fact, she gets so excited that John 4:28-29 records her leaving her water jug and running back to town to bring others saying, “Could this be the Messiah?!”. For this woman, the realization that she could be free from her past by simply accepting the free gift being offered her in Jesus was life changing!

3) What is meant by “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth”? (verses 23-24)
Jesus is teaching that regardless of being Jew or Samaritan, He welcomes all to trust Him. He isn’t looking for a particular race, gender, or culture, instead He is seeking hearts who will take Him at His word, believe Him, and worship the Father. Culturally at this time, the Jews viewed themselves as superior to the Samaritans. The Jews were God’s chosen people, descendants of Abraham, while the Samaritans were considered less than because they were only half Jewish. The Samaritan race came from marriage between Jews and other races following the Jews’ return from exile. Everyone knew the Messiah would be of Jewish lineage, specifically from the tribe of Judah. This knowledge led the full-blooded Jews to look down on everyone else. While the Samaritan people worshiped God, they did not have the same “inside knowledge” as the Jewish people, in many ways they worshiped a God they did not know or understand. Additionally, the Jewish people believed you could only worship God in Jerusalem, which furthered the divide between these two people groups. Beginning in verse 21, Jesus breaks down that old belief system by saying it doesn’t matter where you worship or who you are, but that “true worshipers” (regardless of their nationality, history, or past) will worship “in Spirit” (a matter of the heart vs. the keeping of the law) and “in truth” (believing Jesus and embracing Him as the promised Messiah). By having this conversation with a Samaritan, who was also a woman, Jesus broke down several cultural stumbling blocks. He came for everyone, even this woman who was currently living in sin and, from all accounts, could never live up the standard of Jewish law.

Everyday Application

1) Being a Jew and knowing the culture, why would Jesus ask this woman for a drink? (verse 9)
There is no question that tensions run high when it comes to race, culture and even our moral belief systems. As much as we’d like to believe these are new things, we learn from this passage that respecting people with different colors of skin or cultural upbringings has been a source of tension since the beginning of time. At first glance, it can be tempting to think of this passage as a good moral lesson with some interesting history, but having little impact on our lives today. In reality, this true narrative is still as relevant today as it was when Jesus first had the conversation. Jesus refused to let the cultural standard or current belief system stop His work of meeting and loving people where they were. He took a risk and talked to someone most people would have avoided. He engaged in a conversation, which included listening to and responding to her questions as well as asking His own. He used a normal daily task, drawing water from a well, to teach, convict, and ultimately change this woman’s life and those around her. Every Christian today needs to follow Jesus’ example. None of us need to look far to find someone different than ourselves, we have look up and see them, be willing to engage in conversations, and look for opportunities to share Jesus’ message. In verse 26 Jesus says, “I am He” (meaning the promised Messiah), we must ask ourselves, just as this woman, do I believe Jesus is who He says He is? If our answer is yes, then we are compelled to share that knowledge with those around us, just like this woman.

2) How does the water Jesus gives keep us from getting thirsty again? (verse 14)
In this story, Jesus gives the woman what she needs instead of what she wants. She is looking for physical water so she wouldn’t need to face the shame of judgement when she comes to the well. Instead of giving her more isolation, Jesus gives her what she really needs, the way to eternal salvation and a transformation so deep it changed her life. Once we come to a place of accepting Jesus for who He is and the salvation He gives, we can stop searching for other things to fill us up; He is enough! You only need to acknowledge and accept Jesus as your Savior one time in sincerity, and He will faithfully rescue you for eternity. The analogy Jesus makes with water and a well doesn’t make as much sense to us today since most of us simply go to the faucet and turn the handle for water. For the people in our story, getting water was a daily chore requiring advance planning. Drawing water meant physically walking a dusty road with a heavy earthen jar. It was something that had to be done day after day after day. Much like following the law of the old covenant, it took repeated effort, day after day, all the while knowing you’d need to do it all again the next day. An unending cycle of trying to live up to an impossible expectation, failing, and working to atone or pay for those failures with the appropriate sacrifice. With Jesus, none of that is required! He has done all the work; all we need is to go to the faucet (Jesus) and turn the handle (pray in faith) that allows the water (eternal life) to flow.

3) What is meant by “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth”? (verses 23-24)
Plain and simple, true worship comes down to the heart. Nothing else matters. Regardless of your skin color, your family’s ancestry, political party, church membership, or anything else, God desires the full worship of our hearts. True worshipers take Jesus at His word, believe He is in fact the Messiah, and did come to save each and every one of us from the deadly consequence of our sins. True worshipers follow Jesus from the heart, because they know it impossible to earn or work their way to salvation. True worshipers live all out for Jesus every single day, not those who simply spin their wheels trying to check all the right boxes. True worshipers have “tasted and seen that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8) and can’t imagine life without Him. We worship God in “Spirit and in truth” by allowing His Spirit living inside of us to teach us as John 16:13 says, “when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth”. The beautiful thing about life with Jesus is that He knows us and loves us for who we are, right here and right now. Even if our words and thoughts are a jumbled-up mess, He knows and sees what is in our hearts; this is what matters!

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

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 Word Week One!
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.

Worship VIII Day 9 Who Is Like Our God?: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Who Is Like Our God?!

The Questions

1) What is the meaning of “the Word” in this passage?

2) How was Jesus’ life the light of men? (verse 4)

3) How does this passage lead us to worship?

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.  3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

Original Intent

1) What is the meaning of “the Word” in this passage?
Perhaps a better question would be Who is the Word. The Word is Jesus. John is explaining in these opening verses of his gospel narrative that Jesus is in fact God; He is eternal, even taking part in creation. Hebrews 1:3 tells us the Son (Jesus) is not only the “radiance of God’s glory”, but also the “exact expression of His character.” John begins his account of the gospel by providing a foundation of Who Jesus is as fully divine as he helps his audience understand this idea of a triune, meaning three-in-One, God. Part of the original intent would have been to link the God the Israelites had studied and worshiped their entire lives to this new guy on the scene, Jesus. John takes his readers all the way back to Genesis 1:1, even using the same wording “in the beginning”, to make the connection. Additionally, the account of creation in Genesis tells us God spoke his “Word” and the world was created. Again, his language points clearly that this Jesus, a man in the flesh, was present at the time of creation as the Word, co-equal with God the Father. The original Greek language used “logos” for “Word”, which signified “a distinct manifestation of God”. Holman Bible Dictionary explains, “John saw that the same agent of God who gave life in the first creation was also giving life in the new creation inaugurated by Jesus’ coming. The creative Word of God became flesh; being divine He embodied divine communication. Now the Word dwells among us revealing the glory of God.” John is leading us towards an understanding of Jesus’ eternal nature, while also providing reasons why He alone is worthy of our praise and worship precisely because He is God!

2) How was Jesus’ life the light of men? (verse 4)
To answer this question, we must first understand what the purpose and essence of light. I know it seems rather silly. Light is obviously an energy source that allows us to see and find our way in the darkness. When we back up to the obvious understandings, we can make more sense of the complicated concepts of Scripture. In this context of seeing in the dark, we can understand that the life of Jesus is meant to provide us with direction, clarity, lighting up the dark paths surrounding us. Up to this point, the Jewish people had been looking to the Law, passed down from Moses to light their path and provide them with instruction and guidance for living. The Law was extremely detailed and confusing, not to mention long, and impossible to keep in its entirety. Nonetheless, the Law of Moses was all the Israelites had ever known. Now, Jesus comes on the scene and things began to change. John tells his readers they no longer need to look to the Law or religious leaders for direction, but to the God-man, Jesus because He embodied the fullness of the Law and the prophets. He was the one who would light their paths and show them how to live. This meant a new way of thinking for the Jews. It was also one of the reasons why the religious leaders (Pharisees and Scribes) didn’t really like Jesus. Can you imagine how freeing this would have been to your average Jew?! Your entire life had been lived under an exhausting set of rules. Then Jesus came to shine the true Light of freedom and forgiveness found only in Him that leads to eternity. There is only One Worthy of our worship, and it’s Jesus, the Life and Light of the world!

3) How does this passage lead us to worship?
John’s readers had been taught their entire lives that you only worshiped the Lord God and this worship happened most often in the temple where the Spirit of God resided. Not only that, but only those chosen as priests could enter the Holy of Holies (inner sanctuary of God), the place where His Presence dwelt. Teaching them to see and understand that Jesus, this guy they could see, hear and follow, was in fact the same God they had grown up worshipping. His Presence was however, no longer confined to the temple, but was walking among them. This was mind-blowing! It meant they no longer needed to travel to the temple to worship, but could worship God wherever they happened to be. It also meant they had just as much direct access to God as did the priests. They themselves could talk to God because He gave His Spirit to live within all who believed on Him! These few verses clearly pointed to Jesus and His eternal nature, His power, and His authority. I mean, talk about a reason to worship!!

Everyday Application

1) What is the meaning of “the Word” in this passage?
As with the original intent, John’s gospel helps us connect the dots so to speak, providing the critically important understanding that Jesus has always existed. There was no “beginning” for Jesus; He was present before, and involved in, the creation of the world. Jesus is One with God. (John 17:21) This “word play” can become confusing for us when we talk about God as our Father and Jesus as the Son of God, because those terms seem to indicate two separate beings in the English language and our minds! Returning to the Greek “logos” and reminding ourselves of the original meaning, “a distinct manifestation of God” is incredibly important as we work to understand the meaning of Jesus’ identity. Christ Jesus is that very distinct manifestation or visual representation of the fullness of God. It’s important to note that this same word “logos” is used in Revelation 19:11-13 speaking of the return of Christ. The Word (Jesus) was, is, and is to come. Someone once asked me, “Isn’t it a good thing that you don’t completely understand God? Do you really want to worship someone you 100% understand?” While at first you might think, “Yes; that would make life so much easier!” But, if we give some time to pondering the idea, we will land in a place of honesty where we realize we would certainly not want to worship One we could fully comprehend. God is utterly unlike anyone we know; His ways and thoughts cannot be understood by mere human beings! His altogether otherness is what makes Him worthy of our worship!

2) How was Jesus’ life the light of men? (verse 4)
As we study this passage and carry its truths into our everyday moments, let’s keep in mind the purpose of light by providing us with the ability to see where we are going. The older I get, the more light I seem to need in order to see clearly. Whether it’s driving at night or trying to read pretty much anywhere, I find it much easier for my old eyes to focus and see clearly when the light is bright. Given a choice, I will always choose the well-lit road to travel. This principle is the same when it comes to following Jesus. The way He illuminates is the way that leads to abundant life! It really is simple; the light Jesus provides is just like the brightness that a lightbulb provides, allowing us to see clearly and pointing out any obstacles that may be in our path. When we surrender ourselves to Jesus, He teaches us how to follow Him where there is shadow or darkness. Even the darkness is light to Him! (Psalm 139:12) Reference after reference in Scripture talk about Jesus being our Light. Psalms 119:105 tells us, “your word is a lamp for my feet and light to my path”. In John 8:12 Jesus says, “I am the light of the world”, and Matthew 4:16 says, “those living in darkness have seen a great light (Jesus)”. The Life of Jesus provides the best Light possible because only Jesus can conquer the darkness of our sin through His infinite Life. His Light never burns out or grows dull, but shines just as brightly today as it did hundreds of years ago.

3) How does this passage lead us to worship?
Allow me to offer perhaps an easier to understand paraphrase of these verses by inserting “Jesus” in place of “Word”. Jesus was in the beginning, Jesus was with God, Jesus was God. Jesus was the Creator of all things, and nothing was made without His involvement. Jesus is life. Jesus is light and no darkness has or can ever overtake the light He alone provides. These are clear and easy to understand facts that lead you and I to understand who Jesus is; our natural conclusion is that He alone is worthy of our worship. Without Jesus, we wouldn’t exist! Without Jesus, we would not even understand Light. Without Jesus, we would have no access to God. Without Jesus, we would still be trying to live up to the impossible standards of the Law. Without Jesus, there would be no hope of being free from the condemnation we deserve because of our sin. Without Jesus, we would be lost, wandering, and constantly searching for something or someone to make our life complete. Without Jesus, there would be nothing. Our everyday lives are flooded with many distractions and loud voices all claiming to have the answers, the product, or the experience we are missing. This world wants us to believe we are our own gods, that we can be and do whatever we want, without consequence. This world elevates celebrities, athletes, politicians, and lately, even medical professionals and vaccines, as the answer. These things simply are not true, and won’t last for eternity. All of these people need Jesus just as much as you and I. We all have one Creator; one Savior and His name is Jesus! He is absolutely the only One worthy of our worship!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Who Is Like Our God?!

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 Worship VIII 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.

Questions 2 Day 4 All Roads: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out All Roads!

The Questions

1)  How is Jesus the way?

2) How is Jesus the truth?

3) How is Jesus the life?

John 14:1-7

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.” 5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Original Intent

1) How is Jesus the way?
The disciples to whom Jesus is speaking in this passage had grown up learning the Old Testament Law; it was as familiar to them as the back of their hands and formed the rhythm of their everyday lives. God gave the Law so His people would understand that He is holy while they were not. He knew He would give Himself as the perfect fulfillment of every aspect of the Law, but until that day, the Law was a constant reminder that people were separated from God’s holiness because of their sinfulness. This passage in John is where Jesus begins explaining that this whole fulfillment of the Law thing is about to go down differently than any of them imagined. Jesus’ words were fairly confusing for these men, which is what Thomas expresses with his question in verse 5. Jesus wanted His disciples to understand that no one could be righteous on their own, He alone could give them access to God because of His own righteousness. Jesus was the only way the disciples could enjoy eternity with God, and it had nothing to do with keeping the Law, because none of them could do that perfectly. In order for the disciples to access this righteousness and be able to bring others into God’s kingdom, they first had to understand that Christ alone was the only way. Jesus’ word choices were always purposeful and often had historical meaning. When He said “I am the way”, the statement “I am” traces all the way back to Exodus 3:14, when God is speaking to Moses and says, “tell the Israelites that I AM has sent you”. Jesus is stating He is the very same God Almighty who spoke to Moses and He alone is the way to attain righteousness.

2) How is Jesus the truth?
Jesus is the complete fulfillment of the Old Testament Law. He did not come to abolish the Law, but to perfectly fulfill it on our behalf. The Law was necessary to show us how far away from holy we are. It showed us what Holy looks like. In Jesus, the fullness of truth was fleshed out as He lived on earth. While this might seem obvious to us, having the fullness of truth dwell in a flesh and blood human being was a big change for the disciples. The Law was complex, with rules for pretty much every aspect of life. There were certain procedures and strict requirements for everything from food preparation, eating, cleaning themselves, to conducting business and atoning for their sins. It must have been exhausting! The role of the religious leaders of the day were supposed to help the everyday folks understand and live according to the Law. In a way, they were the biblical equivalent of Google or Siri. If people had a question or a sin they needed help with, they’d go ask the local priest or rabbi for instruction or clarity. When Jesus said, “I am the Truth”, all that confusion was instantly erased. No one else was needed to interpret what they could see and hear for themselves. Here was a man who walked with them, talked with them, and ate with them; Jesus put God’s truth on display for them in real life because He was God!

3) How is Jesus the life?
John 1:3-4 tells us not only was life created through Jesus, but that “in Him (Jesus) was life”. This “life” is nothing less than eternal life, lived out in fullness with Christ Himself. Jesus spells it out a bit more clearly in John 11:25-26 when He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live”. (Notice how Jesus once again uses “I am” to indicate His sovereignty.) For Jesus’ disciples, this teaching must have been mind-blowing. All the teaching, training, and rule-following they had grown up with was now being replaced, not with more rules or a different law, but perfectly fulfilled in a flesh and blood, fully divine person. With His one statement, “I am the way, the truth and the life”, Jesus wholly fulfilled hundreds and hundreds of years of impossible-to-keep regulations and rules no human could ever keep. The time for fulfillment had come, Jesus made it clear that working for your own righteousness is fruitless, instead, I AM is all you need!

Everyday Application

1) How is Jesus the way?
These few verses make more sense to us today than they did to Jesus’ disciples because we know the rest of the story. Jesus died for our sins, offering His righteousness for our sinfulness, and then was resurrected to new life as He forever conquered our sin and the grave. Just like the disciples, we need to be reminded there is only one way to have a relationship with God, and Jesus is that way. Jesus said, “I am THE way”, not A way or one of the ways, but THE way. The Bible is full of confirmation of this simple truth. Jesus is the way because He is God. John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God”. Jesus is the Word; He IS God. This God died for our sins. Romans 5:8 says, “…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Matthew 28:5-6 confidently reports Christ was resurrected from the dead. “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For he has risen, just as He said.” If this seems simple, it’s because it is! Jesus made it very clear and amazingly simple, we are the ones who mess it up and make it way more complicated by adding other things, when the way is simply Jesus, nothing else is needed.

2) How is Jesus the truth?
Truth according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary means “the body of real things, events or facts, the state of being the case, a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality”. While I encourage us to use Bible dictionaries to define biblical words according to their original language, I share Webster’s definition of truth because many in our society have attempted to redefine “truth”. Truth cannot be changed. It is, and always will be, unchangeable; just like Jesus. Truth is not determined by what we think, what the news tells us, or what our neighbors want us to believe. We hear things like “truth is relative” or “you choose your truth and I’ll choose mine”, but this isn’t how truth works! Not to sound like a broken record, but Jesus says, “I am THE truth”. THE is a highly important word in this verse! Jesus is THE Truth, because He doesn’t change, He never has and never will. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”. (Hebrew 13:8) While it can leave us feeling uncomfortable knowing that real truth is unchanging, leaving no room to make up our own version of truth, John 8:32 counters our fear by telling us we can personally know Truth (Jesus) and be set free through knowing Him! Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John affirms again in John 1:17, “…grace and truth came through Jesus”.

3) How is Jesus the life?
Life is more than simply being alive. I don’t know I can fully explain what I mean by that statement in the limited space here, but our physical life, the act of our heart beating and lungs breathing is not true life. Those things just mean our bodies are functioning. Life, real honest-to-goodness life is something more, something different. This abundance of life is only discovered within the very life of Christ. Living without Jesus is simply going through the motions of existence; it’s pointless and empty. John 10:10 tells us Jesus came “so that we might have life and have it in abundance”! Yes, eternal life is a real thing, and yes, Jesus is the only way to access it, but isn’t there more? While we are here on earth, in these bodies, shouldn’t we live, I mean really live life to its fullest? What good is being alive if we fail to live fully thriving in the life of Jesus Christ? Trusting in Jesus gives us His life. In His power, we have access to living a life flooded with meaning and purpose. Alternatively, it can be a life we simply survive if we refuse to surrender to Him. We each have a choice every single day while on earth. What will you choose? Life, abundant and full, or just existing? On that day when life on earth ends, we don’t need to stop living. No! This is when all who have trusted Christ, truly experience real living in the presence of our God and Savior for all of eternity. This is the kind of living Jesus means when He says He is life!

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

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 Questions 2 Week One!
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.

Beloved Day 14 Catching Foxes: 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 Catching Foxes!

The Questions

1) How do you catch the foxes?

2) How do the little foxes ruin the vineyards?

3) Why does it matter if the vineyards are in bloom or not? Wouldn’t foxes always be a concern?

Song of Solomon 2:!5

Catch the foxes for us—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.

Original Intent

1) How do you catch the foxes?
Writing this study might be my most difficult writing assignment, easily requiring more research than any other. True confession, Song of Solomon isn’t a book I typically spend much time reading, I’m not even sure I had read the entire book until this study! While its imagery is difficult to understand and interpret, my husband says that telling stories allows difficult concepts to be more easily understood because suddenly, they become relatable.
At the moment, I’m on a plane traveling with a friend to a women’s retreat. Using these few uninterrupted hours to bang this out has been my intention for a couple of weeks. The problem is my traveling companion is watching the Chiefs game on her phone and I keep glancing over to check the score. Let’s be honest, watching Patrick Mahomes make amazing plays is more intriguing (and easier!) than working to unpack a hard passage of Scripture! This is when I realized this football game is a fox! Before you can catch a fox, you need to understand they are lurking about. In his song, Solomon uses a relevant example, a story if you will, his readers would understand. Vineyards were prevalent, and readers would understand the care and attention needed to keep these little creatures out of their just-blooming grapes. The comparison between foxes that destroy fruit and distractions that destroy relationships with our spouse and with God would make sense. The best way to catch a fox is first to realize they will come prowling! Next, is to develop safeguards or boundaries to keep them at bay.

2) How do the little foxes ruin the vineyards?
Song of Solomon graphically depicts the love shared between a husband and wife, providing an example for celebrating love within marriage from God’s perspective. Its poetic song would have stuck out to its original audience as missing some then-common components like manipulation, false-god worship and sacrifice, and using sex as a means of achieving something else. Song of Solomon celebrates marriage, celebrates committed love for spouses, and celebrates shared love that stays between a husband and wife. To safeguard such a beautiful rarity, the Lord included some warnings within this amazing love song like this one about catching foxes that ruin the vineyard. While the Song was originally written to celebrate, and give wise counsel for, a marriage relationship, we can make some connections to our relationship with God from the Song. In the Old Testament, God often used marriage to illustrate His divine relationship with His people. Check out the book of Hosea and our accompanying Journey Theme, Bride, for some amazing insights! The foxes in Solomon’s song smell the blossoming grapes and are hungry, they are looking for food. More than likely the foxes aren’t sitting back thinking, “I can’t wait to get in there and destroy that vineyard.” No, they are simply looking to satisfy their hunger. Being aware of sabotages, and setting up safeguards, boundaries, or traps for these sly foxes would have been familiar to the first readers. Given the context, they would have made the correlation between vineyards and their hearts.

3) Why does it matter if the vineyards are in bloom or not? Wouldn’t foxes always be a concern?
When something is in bloom, it’s fresh and new. I would imagine there may be a different scent to fresh blossoming grapes that could be more attractive to hungry little foxes. Vines which are just beginning to grow, are naturally weaker and more susceptible to harm. Foxes would always be a concern, but more attention would be taken at the beginning to ensure vines received the best care in order to develop into maturity. The same reality translates into the dynamics of a new, blossoming relationship as described in Song of Solomon. When love is fresh and new, you are naturally more aware of potential distractions or enemies. This would have been a reminder for both of the lovers to keep their eyes open and hearts focused on developing a strong, enduring love with one another.

Everyday Application

1) How do you catch the foxes?
You should also know this particular football game was originally scheduled for Thursday, but had been postponed to Monday during my flight due to Covid-19. Additionally, our flight was originally scheduled for earlier that Monday, but the airline changed the departure time. All the while, I was completely oblivious to how these small, seemingly insignificant, distractions would eventually keep me from focusing on writing. I was not looking for, or mentally putting up any safeguards, for foxes (distractions) that might creep in, overtaking my study time. Notice how the Scripture says “little” foxes. This is often how distractions work! Little things here and there that, when all added together, are enough to create a big distraction stealing away our focus. Relationships are hard! Not only those with our spouses, but also with God. They both take time, energy, and attention. If we don’t make a conscious effort to be aware of what is happening, and understand that distractions (often seemingly good ones) will come, we will be overrun by little foxes sooner than later. Without preparing for the already-present foxes, we’re already losing the battle to safeguard our precious relationships. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us of this same thing, “Be alert. Your adversary, the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion”. We must pay attention not only to what is happening around us, but also to potential places in which distractions might sneak in and rob us of spending time with God or our loves.

2) How do the little foxes ruin the vineyards?
The easy answer is they ruin the vineyards of our hearts by stealing our focus and attention. Recognizing these “little foxes” is half the battle. We all are well aware of how easy it is to turn our eyes away for just one minute only to realize much later that our relationship is in trouble. This holds true both in our human relationships as well as our relationship with God. Distractions don’t need to be big, or even bad, to do significant damage. When talking about the relationship with our spouse, distractions come in many shapes and sizes like kids, finances, jobs, keeping the house clean and laundry caught up, etc.. All good things, but when we allow them to overtake our focus, our spouse receives the leftovers and the vineyards of our marriage and our hearts are in danger. Our marriages must be a priority for us! This means scheduling date nights, time away, and constant courtship. We must not slip into taking our spouse for granted and assuming we will “catch up” one day when the kids are gone and life is less stressful. That kind of thinking is just plain dangerous! The same is true for our relationship with God. We must prioritize spending time alone with just Him as our number one priority! How easy is it to miss one quiet time and then another, or one Sunday at church, and then struggle to find our way back to a place of depth with God? Sure, life happens, kids get sick, friends need help, groceries need to be purchased, but God is the necessary foundation for keeping our lives on solid footing. God loved us so much He sent Jesus to save us, He will absolutely help you find the time to spend with Him if you ask! Be aware of those foxes, then make a plan to trap them!

3) Why does it matter if the vineyards are in bloom or not? Wouldn’t foxes always be a concern?
Young love is fragile. It’s new, unsure, and hasn’t yet developed strong roots that only grow over time. New marriages haven’t yet endured hard seasons of suffering or learned that true love endures through intense struggle. New couples haven’t yet half-walked, half-dragged one another through those seasons when all we want to do is take a nap! Young lovers can’t imagine anything or anyone becoming an obstacle to their love. Of course, long-term marriages can face abrupt endings and even young love has the potential to grow cold, however, new marriages are indeed particularly fragile. Like new fruit in the vineyard, they deserve special, guarded attention. The same is true for our relationship with God. New Christians are on fire for Jesus, and rightly so. Just like with young love, a new relationship with God is fresh and exciting. You feel more alive than ever and are eager to boldly save the world for Jesus! Life and circumstances, however, don’t always cooperate with our passionate dreams. Trials come, temptations wrap around us, sin entangles us, and we have yet to learn the benefit of daily meeting with the Lord, feasting on His word, and surrendering ourselves to His hand more every single day. Steadfast endurance in our relationship with the Lord God is built one day at a time over the long haul. Watch for the distractions leading you away from what can feel like a tedious, daily investment in your walk with Christ. Flee the temptation to chase the foxes, instead, choose each day to live in hope of all Christ has for us! Revelation 21:5 says, “I am making ALL things new.” If we allow Him to grow the vineyards of our hearts, and we are willing to invest time and energy into our relationships, He is faithful to mature our love into one that endures all things! (1 Corinthians 13:7)

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Catch up with Catching Foxes!

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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