Author: Lois Robbins

Worship XI Day 7 Khet, Tet, & Yod: Digging Deeper

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Worship XI Day 7 Khet, Tet, & Yod: Digging Deeper

Lois Robbins

June 6, 2023

Adoring,Comfort,Confession,Faith,Glory,Hope

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Khet, Tet, & Yod"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 119:57-80

ח Khet
57 The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep your words. 58 I have sought your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. 59 I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to your decrees. 60 I hurried, not hesitating to keep your commands. 61 Though the ropes of the wicked were wrapped around me, I did not forget your instruction. 62 I rise at midnight to thank you for your righteous judgments. 63 I am a friend to all who fear you, to those who keep your precepts. 64 LORD, the earth is filled with your faithful love; teach me your statutes.

ט Tet
65 LORD, you have treated your servant well, just as you promised. 66 Teach me good judgment and discernment, for I rely on your commands. 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. 68 You are good, and you do what is good; teach me your statutes. 69 The arrogant have smeared me with lies, but I obey your precepts with all my heart 70 Their hearts are hard and insensitive, but I delight in your instruction. 71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn your statutes. 72 Instruction from your lips is better for me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

י Yod
73 Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding so that I can learn your commands. 74 Those who fear you will see me and rejoice, for I put my hope in your word. 75 I know, LORD, that your judgments are just and that you have afflicted me fairly. 76 May your faithful love comfort me as you promised your servant. 77 May your compassion come to me so that I may live, for your instruction is my delight. 78 Let the arrogant be put to shame for slandering me with lies; I will meditate on your precepts. 79 Let those who fear you, those who know your decrees, turn to me. 80 May my heart be blameless regarding your statutes so that I will not be put to shame.
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The Original Intent

1) What is the psalmist’s response to affliction? (verses 57-64)

In verses 59-61 we observe the psalmist allowing his affliction to push him to the Scriptures to seek help from God. “I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to your decrees. I hurried, not hesitating to keep Your commands. Though the ropes of the wicked were wrapped around me, I did not forget Your instruction.”

The psalmist took delight in the comfort and renewal provided by the truths of Scripture. The evidence of his renewal by God’s Word is his heart reflecting praise and an awareness of the goodness of the Lord around him, “Lord, the earth is filled with Your faithful love; teach me Your statutes.” (verse 64)

Everything about Psalm 119 is intentional. When he started the section of Khet, he started from a place of knowing the Source of his abundance, “The Lord is my portion…” (verse 57) The Hebrew word for “portion” has its roots in the Levitical priesthood, which was instituted by God when He gave the Ten Commandments.

The household of Levi was set apart from the other 11 tribes of Israel to serve the Lord in the temple. Levites were given no land, no portion of the Promised Land “flowing of milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8) as the other tribes. (Deuteronomy 18:1) INSTEAD God Himself was to be their “lot of land” or “portion”. (Deuteronomy 18:2)

The Promised Land represented blessing, prosperity, and God’s favor upon His people, but for the Levites, their treasure was to be God himself as they were set apart wholly for Him. Though the author of Psalm 119 was likely not a Levite, He still wrote “The Lord is my portion” to alert the reader that he recognized God to be his ultimate treasure, his all-sufficient portion, and sustaining grace despite his hardships.

The Everyday Application

1) What is the psalmist’s response to affliction? (verses 57-64)

One day, Jesus would come as baby, live a perfect life, and die a criminal’s death in order to take the place of death and punishment we deserve because of our sin against God. He died so we could be welcomed into relationship with Him. A relationship where He is our portion and we are His people. (Jeremiah 32:38) A relationship where our sin is forgiven and paid for by Him, and He gives us His righteousness when we trust Him with the whole of our lives. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

When He gave the Ten Commandments, the Lord also said that if His people kept His covenant they “…will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6) Israel failed to keep God’s covenant, but God gave the world Jesus who gave us His righteousness through our faith so that, by Christ, every believer in Jesus would become part of the kingdom of priests, set apart as God’s Holy People. (1 Peter 2:9)

In this relationship, He constantly calls us to be satisfied in Him alone with all our hearts. (verse 58) Inside this satisfaction, we obey His commands out of great love for Him who is our delighted portion.

When affliction comes, either we can battle against our circumstances, fighting our way back to a life of ease and comfort, OR we can come near to the Lord, delighted that He is our steadfast Portion.

As we sit in relationship with Him with thankfulness for Who He Is despite our circumstances, we will find our hearts are peaceful as we accept His plan from His hand. His heart is indeed good as He makes us more like Jesus. (Romans 8:29) As we walk through affliction, let’s choose to allow the Lord to use our pain for His glory and our good as we trust Him!

The Original Intent

2) According to verses 65-72 what is the purpose of affliction?

First off, let’s remember and acknowledge that God has sovereign purposes for everything. Whatever God is doing or allowing in our lives, it is better for us to ask submissively, “Lord, what do you want me to know about You? How would you have me respond so I reflect You to others?”

God’s purpose for affliction is to refine the relationship with His children, making it more intimate, sweet, and trusting. This is for our good prospering! Deuteronomy 8:16) The psalmist when so far as to say it was good to be afflicted, so that he may learn God’s statutes all the more! (verse 71)

Were it not for the intensity of his afflictions that pressed the psalmist toward the Lord and His ways, and the psalmist’s choice to surrender to Lord’s ways, he would have perished in his affliction. (Psalm 119:92)

For Christ-followers today, affliction is still a call to persevere in faith of the Steadfast God. In the place of his deepest need, the psalmist knows God is still with him, caring about him, because of his faithful character and unfailing love. Affliction should deepen our relationship with God, so we find amazing joy that surpasses what we’ve known before.

When this joy in the delight of the Lord is discovered, it is evidenced by praise so intense it takes precedence even over sleep, “At midnight I will rise to thank you for your righteous judgements”. (verse 62) Being afflicted no matter the pain, agony, or distress, peace with God is available when we have faith in His good character. If He is for us, who could be against us?! (Romans 8:31) 

The Everyday Application

2) According to verses 65-72 what is the purpose of affliction?

Not just in the Psalms, but throughout the entire Bible, it is revealed how the Lord uses affliction as a catalyst to purify us from sin, open our eyes to the idols we worship, and the path of destruction we are walking away from Him.

Nothing gets our full attention like the pain of suffering. If we surrender to the Lord’s way in it, He will bring us to a place of delighting in knowing Him more fully than ever precisely because we have walked through suffering. In the hands of a fully loving God, affliction weans us from a love for the world and a fixation upon ourselves and our own desires.

Affliction provides the opportunity for us to realize the depths of our vanity, our love for self, and the hopelessness of life apart from God and His ways of true life! Because of His great love for us, and His grand desire for us to experience Him and know Him as our Portion, the Lord will use the pain of affliction to refine us as silver. (Psalm 66:10)

Mysteriously, the merciful Lord can use even the pain of affliction to open our eyes to God’s goodness, which pushes us to a deeper commitment to obey God’s Word out of delight in Him. Even if the Lord delays His redemption of our pain and permits affliction into our lives to triumph for a while, we can remain loyal to Him, never forget the Lord’s ways because we trust He IS good and He DOES good. (verse 68)

Faith in Yahweh’s goodness frees us, as it did the psalmist, from the ropes of affliction. Peace and joy are still available, even in our sorrow and pain!

The Original Intent

3) How does affliction affect our commitment to the Lord? (verses 73-80)

The yearnings of the author in Psalm 119 is broken into two main sections, 1) What God has done for us and 2) What the psalmist longs to do for God. Both must be understood as a result of a heart motivated by deep love. Our yearning to serve the Lord comes as a result of understanding what God has done for us.

His love is grander than any experience, relationship, or achievement. He is the greatest Portion. If His delight is over us, we respond with delight back to Him. This is worship!

God’s hands have fashioned us (verse 73), giving us the opportunity to know Him as good through His commands. It is the Lord who gives us worth, making us in His image to do His work, all of which will bring us the sweetest of delights as we give ourselves to Him. The psalmist recognizes this truth and has learned to cling to it. The psalmist’s cry to the Lord is to assist him in staying true to the Word in his heart and his daily life actions.

It is one thing to have tasted the sweetness of God, and yearn to follow Him, but another to daily choose Him. Scripture teaches that the chief commitment of our lives is to adoringly love (worship) God alone.

Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind; this is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38) When we begin in adoration for how the Lord has called us to be His own, everything else in life falls into order

The Everyday Application

3) How does affliction affect our commitment to the Lord? (verses 73-80)

What brings you joy? There is no doubt we are creatures of desire; there is no end to the list of things we want. When these rise in passion and power, dictating our desires, we have made idols to worship out of the things or people we want.

We have effectively traded all hope of joy for disappointing loss. Whether it is greater economic stability, deeper friendships, less loneliness, or lighter afflictions, we all want something. We may want our children to be more attentive, or to simply get away from the rush of life, but regardless of the shape of our idol, we are all typically chasing a steadfast supply of delight.

The psalmist points us to the Perfect Supply of endless joy, found in the Portion of the Lord God within the covenantal love and faithfulness shared between Himself and His people. This relationship exemplifies a life of obedience and a personal resolution to obey God’s Word.

When it comes to God’s Word we don’t take a quick look as if it is a textbook, financial statement, or a social media page. Reading God’s word is not an impersonal activity. We are to come to Scripture to meet with God personally, desiring to know Him better, deeper, more richly.

We must be keenly aware that our joy and satisfaction in him should also be the fuel that fans the flame of our obedience. “The Lord is our portion, I promise to keep His Word.” (verse 57) 

Faith in the goodness of the Lord that motivates us to follow His ways out of delight in knowing Him is an act of beautiful worship to the Almighty One who was, is, and ever more shall be. This is our story! This is our song as we love the Holy One!

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hope,life,purpose,scripture,worship
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Worship XI Day 6
Journey Study

We are quick to conjure up dreams and definitions for life, then spend our existence chasing that illusion with exasperation under the delusion we have rightly defined the true goodness of life.

Home. Family. Career. Laughter. Trophies. Vacations. Relationships.

Gradually, over time, one by one, flaws become pronounced in every dream. We try all the harder, spend all the more exasperation, anxiety, and frenetic energy to achieve what we have no power to build, Khet Tet, a good life.
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Surrender Day 2 Come & See: Digging Deeper

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Surrender Day 2 Come & See: Digging Deeper

Lois Robbins

January 24, 2023

Alive,Future,Made New,Redemption

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Come & See"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:29-30

29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.
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The Original Intent

1) What does it mean that God “foreknew”? (verse 29)

Consider the complete knowledge of God, not one thing is missing, obscure, or overlooked in His omniscience. From intricate atomic structure to the number of trees that would one day grow from a singular apple seed, the Lord God knows all things. Before the world was created, God foreknew those who would one day believe in Him for salvation of their souls and who would not. According to Scripture, even faith is God’s gift to us, for even this act we cannot muster up on our own power. “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift.” (Ephesians 2:8)

Even the good works performed by believers are prepared beforehand by God. “For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Our faith comes from the Author, our rescue from sin comes from Him, the works He has crafted for us to do were designed by Him. In His perfect knowledge of all things, He foreknew all of these things, but more so, He appointed and structured them to result in praise of His glory and for our great rescue that we might be welcomed by the vast love of an all-powerful, all-knowing God.

The foreknowledge mentioned in verse 29 refers to “divine active delight”. It was from God’s sovereign good pleasure that He set His love upon those who would choose Him. We are both chosen, and we have the freedom to choose; a tension that will exist for our finite minds until we reach Eternity with Christ. To the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord said, “I chose you BEFORE I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

The Everyday Application

1) What does it mean that God “foreknew”? (verse 29)

Christians do not stumble into a saving relationship with God. We did not initiate our coming to Christ for rescue from death and forgiveness of our sin. Before we chose to act on the faith God provided as a gift, Christ loved us first and chose us in Christ first. The initiation and knowledge of us and our rescue have always begun in the heart of God. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16)

Paul means to comfort us in our waiting and suffering by reminding believers we have never been outside of God’s knowing. The God who foreknew us before we were born also perfectly knows every aspect of our current and future circumstances. In the verse prior, Paul described believers as people who are called according to God’s purpose. 

Our calling goes way back to “before”; God foreknew all those who are now, and will be, brothers and sisters in Christ. “He chose us in Him (Christ), before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before Him.” (Ephesians 1:4) The bottom line of this verse is that we can stand secure in our eternal rescue from sin and its consequence of death. The God who foreknew our salvation will not randomly decide to abandon us.

The Original Intent

2) What does “predestined to be conformed” mean? (verse 29)

When Paul assures the Roman saints that God causes “all things to work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose” (verse 28), it is tied with predestination as a reason why we have such assurance despite trials.

“Predestined to be conformed” is both a present, on-going reality and futuristic confidence. If true believers in Jesus look to the future when Christ returns, we understand Paul’s affirmation that God will give believers glorified bodies and perfect relationships with one another and God Himself. Sin will no longer mar any aspect of life! We will be wholly “conformed to the image of His Son” (verse 29) just as we were predestined to be.

As Christ-followers, foreknown and chosen to be His adopted children, His Spirit living in us creates a longing to become more like Jesus. As we surrender our will to His, He accomplishes this beautiful re-making in us. God is conforming us in our present lives and one day, He will finish the work. “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Our goal is “not just to enter heaven at last, BUT to be conformed to the image of God’s Son.” (Hendrikson) Paul speaks of this reality for every true Christian in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” The old way of living has died, and the new has come as the Spirit of God shapes us to become like Himself.

The Everyday Application

2) What does “predestined to be conformed” mean? (verse 29)

If you’ve trusted Christ for salvation and you’ve repented (turned away) from your sin and turned toward God, YOU can have complete confidence that your rescue from sin was foreknown by the God who made you His own. More so, you can confidently know you were predestined for the purpose of becoming like Jesus. If you’ve ever wondered what your purpose is, it’s here!

All who trust Jesus for rescue from the consequence of eternal death we rightly earned by our sin have always been predestined not only to salvation, but also to become like Jesus. Consider how the Christian life is not about whether you make it to heaven or hell, rather it’s about whether or not you love God and want to be like Him. Herein is a distinguishing mark of true Christ-followers! This is why we are called to go and make disciples, who really are students of Jesus who then live like Jesus in real, everyday life. (Matthew 28:19)

We are to follow and become like Jesus who is Himself like the Father. We willfully surrender whole-heartedly as God the Spirit leads us into unity with God and His holiness and into the will of God in our daily decisions and plans.

One day, when Christ, in Whom is found our real life, appears, then we also will appear with Him in glory in our fully new selves, perfectly conformed to Christ! (Colossians 3:4) This is the underlying purpose of God’s gracious predestination, the careful crafting of His beloved ones, bearing His image and reflecting the Creator’s glory both in everyday living now and in the life to come that will not end!

The Original Intent

3) How do “predestined, called, justified, and glorified” all fit together? (verse 30)

Four Mighty Words! If predestined stood by itself, one may conclude the only ingredient to our eternal salvation is an action by God whereby one is chosen for salvation. But the remainder of the verse indicates otherwise.

Our salvation is much more than a deliverance from sin and eternal death and requires our faith-response to His call. The background for each of these powerful words is adoption. (Romans 8:14-15) These words don’t belong in a contract drawn up between two parties where we swear allegiance and God trades us forgiveness. We are adopted sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, God the Son, who laid down His life that we might become co-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17) We are His own people, His priceless possession. (1 Peter 2:9)

Consider the loyal love of a Dad who fiercely vows to protect, love, and advocate for his child no matter the cost. Adoption fuels the Father Heart of God who lovingly predestined that all who respond to His call through faith will not only be justified through His own sacrifice and their sins eradicated but will also be guaranteed a future glorification in eternity.

In our everyday life as adopted children, we share in the sufferings of Christ (Philippians 3:10, Romans 8:17) Though painful, the Almighty God who wastes nothing uses even our suffering to gradually shape us into the likeness of Jesus Christ; this is the essence of sanctification. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

The final aspect is conformity of our physical bodies which will be realized at our eternal resurrection. (Philippians 3:21) Set against the beautiful background of adoption, God’s predestination to make us like His Son, His hearkening call, and His promises of justification and glorification are steps in realizing our divine purpose.  

The Everyday Application

3) How do “predestined, called, justified, and glorified” all fit together? (verse 30)

From the beginning, the Lord God decided to shape the lives of those who love Him to reflect the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity as the “exact representation” (Hebrews 1:3) of what it looks like to perfectly reflect every aspect of God for “the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ.” (Colossian 2:9)

We can see the original intended shape of our lives in Jesus. God predestined us to reflect Him then He marked us with love by calling us by name. As we respond to His call through faith, He sets us on an immovable foundation in clear relationship with Himself by personally paying the penalty we owe for our heavy offense of sin against Him.

He then covenants to remain with His own not only on earth by the power of His Spirit, but for all eternity, thereby gloriously completing the work only He could begin. The One who died for us and raised us to life by the power of His own death and resurrection, is now in the very presence of God advocating for us.

Do you think anyone or anything could drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love? IMPOSSIBLE! No trouble, no suffering, hatred, hunger or homelessness, bullying, backstabbing, not even the worst of sins is powerful enough to tear us away from His rescue. (Romans 8:38-39) His eternal Love for His foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified children knows no limits. God had scheduled each of our entries into HIS family long before we were ever born.

As His chosen ones, He has personally arranged for our salvation and eternal life from beginning to never-ending. Knowing GOD IS IN CONTROL and is perfectly bent on loving us as His own provides us with great comfort. As we surrender our entire being to God, we wait with gleeful expectation to be with our Heavenly Father forever.

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Christ,conformed,follower,purpose,shaped
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Surrender Day 1
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Jesus’ followers needed to hunger for more than paltry fish and crumbs. He wanted them to hunger and thirst for Him. This invitation to abundance is for you as well, dear sister.

As when He called Andrew and Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael, Jesus’ invitation to us includes an underlying caveat: total surrender.

The call to come and see doesn’t explain every detail, doesn’t assure safety, doesn’t put us in control of plans or the future.
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Worship X Day 7 Just Be Still And Know Already: Digging Deeper

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Worship X Day 7 Just Be Still And Know Already: Digging Deeper

Lois Robbins

May 17, 2022

Enemies,Jesus,Joy,Prayer,Sacrifice

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Just Be Still and Know Already!"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 12:9-21

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. 10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another. 11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.

20 But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. 21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
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The Original Intent

1) What characteristics of God’s heart is Paul highlighting?

The Greeks maintained a strong focus on character. For the Greek, right relationships among people were supremely important because this evidenced justice. They viewed justice as the result of people who demonstrated prudence, temperance, and fortitude. In today’s language we label these characteristics as discernment, balance, and courage. 

Understanding how these virtues played a large role in ancient culture helps us appreciate Paul’s perspective in teaching on similar virtues in this passage such as love (verse 9), hope (verse 12), peace (verses 16-17), and goodness (verse 21). These concepts would have been familiar territory for the culture of his first audience, but Paul took their common understanding and moved it much deeper as He related these characteristics to an outpouring of God’s Spirit at work in the believer’s everyday life.

Christians weren’t meant to live as good citizens because of Greek culture, but because the heart of God moved within them by the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:16) If we reference Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, we see that sacrificial, divine love is the cornerstone for all other virtues. (1 Corinthians 13:13) In his letter to the Galatians, Paul emphasized that even though all virtues are tied to love, we cannot love, or consistently reflect God’s holy character without the work of the Spirit in us.

When we surrender to Him, however, He cultivates His good fruit in us, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) In his letter to the Philippian believers, Paul writes, “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

The Everyday Application

1) What characteristics of God’s heart is Paul highlighting?

Personal values drive our decisions in everyday life. If we value honesty, we will seek to be honest and we’ll have a sense of injustice when others are dishonest. Christ-followers are instructed to build our value system from the Word of God because it reflects God’s heart and His character, which has never changed. (Hebrews 13:8)

When we cling to biblical values, not because they build a strong culture (though they do!), but because they reflect the heart of the God who gave Himself for us, we have entered into a lifestyle of worship. 

Read Paul’s words again in this passage through the lens of practical-lived-out-worship. What new insights do you gain? Does it seem less like a “to do” and more like a “get to”? When we live out God’s heart for us in real, everyday life, we are fighting against a culture that says, “me first”.

Living out worship points others to Jesus in a world where immorality and self-love reign supreme. Read Paul’s words again and make a list of virtues and actions that flow from those virtues. How can we put these into practice? By asking the Holy Spirit to build and strengthen these within us as we commit to surrendering to His work in us!

When we are honest, kind-hearted, compassionate, patient, and love the “hard to love”, Christ’s love shines through us into the dark world around us. Instead of loudly debating for the sake of being right, our choice to speak, serve and care with gentleness voices Jesus’ love far louder than “winning” an argument. (1 Peter 3:15-17)

Let’s be people who exhibit God’s character by fleeing sexual sin (1 Corinthians 6:18-20), acting kindly (Galatians 6:10), and carrying one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:20) that others might see Jesus in us!

The Original Intent

2) How is the Christ-follower to cultivate these characteristics in their own lives and why is this important?

Paul’s original recipients of this letter were Christians living in Rome who suffered persecution from ruling authorities. This context is important to remember as it highlights the intense cost of loving one’s enemies as Christ loved us. These instructions were not “good ideas” Paul crafted, these were attributes lived out by the Lord Jesus Christ. His followers were called to live in a way that honored Him.

  1. Love must be authentic. (verse 9) No Hypocrisy. No Play acting. Christ loved us by giving Himself up without shadow of deception.

  2. Detest evil; cling to good. (verse 9) Christ died because of evil, yet for the joy set before Him, He sacrificed Himself. (Hebrews 12:2)

  3. Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. (verse 10) The Greek word Paul used for love is “philadelphia” meaning “family love”. As believers, we are brothers and sisters because we have the one Father, God.

  4. Take the lead in honoring one another. (verse 10) Christ did not hold onto His rights, but surrendered them for our good. (Philippians 2:3-6)

  5. Don’t be sluggish in zeal. (verse 11) Following Jesus holds no room for lethargy; Christ deserves our everything!

  6. Fervently serve the Lord in the Spirit. (verse 11) We cannot follow Jesus on our own strength, but only in surrendering to His Spirit at work in us!

  7. Rejoice in hope, even when we may feel hopeless. (verse 12) Because of Jesus, our Hope is sure and certain.

  8. Meet tribulation with triumphant fortitude. (verse 12)

  9. Persevere in prayer, ceaselessly bringing all things to the Lord.
  10. In generosity, open your door to others. (verse 13) (Hebrews 13:2)

The Everyday Application

2) How is the Christ-follower to cultivate these characteristics in their own lives and why is this important?

Because the world is a battlefield between good and evil and our time here is short, our lives must be lived with an eye on eternity. The Christian must not waste time tied down to the patterns of this world that run counter to the heart of God. (Romans 12:2)

We must not choose to worship what isn’t worthy of our praise simply because it is easy or comfortable. Our everyday choices evidence the objects of our worship, and Paul’s practical list provides us with simple metrics to observe whether we are worshipping the Lord or not. The battle is intense and wearisome, but God exhorts us to “come away (…) and rest” (Mark 6:31).

In so doing, we arm ourselves with His protection and prepare to stand firm against a culture screaming, “I could care less about spiritual things”.

Zealously pursue the heart of God, study the Scriptures to know Him deeply, and then surrender your everyday moments to the work of the Spirit as He cultivates His fruit in us.

Watch for the daily opportunities the Lord provides to reflect His character to those around you.

Stand for justice, act with patience, love authentically, offer encouragement, extend comfort, and share generously, knowing the Lord’s return is certain and the best is yet to come because He has won our eternity! Hallelujah AMEN!

We can meet any circumstance when we meet it with Christ. Though we live in a world bent on getting, as imitators of Christ, we must be bent on giving. Following Jesus in everyday life is an act of worship expressed through open hands of generosity, hearts of authenticity, and doors of hospitality.

We are NOT to be conquered by evil but CONQUER evil with GOOD!

The Original Intent

3) How can we practically love our enemies? (verses 19-21)

Loving one’s enemies was a teaching that landed in Paul’s listeners in ways many of us cannot fathom. Roman citizens who chose to follow Christ put their life, and the lives of their family members, at risk. Loving their enemies and blessing those who persecuted them would easily have been an instruction to be reviled.

But Christ did not give this instruction in a vacuum for He said, “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you.” (John 15:18)

Early in His ministry, Jesus laid the groundwork for how to respond to those who reviled the Christ-follower. (Matthew 5:10-12) How does one love those who are intent on carrying out a death threat to yourself, your spouse, parent, or child?

Humble.
Worship.

If it were not for the Spirit of God working in them, the believers in Rome, and you and I, would have no hope of loving our enemies. But Christ loved us when we hated Him (Romans 5:8), and because of His humble example and because of the sure Hope we have in Him for eternity where every injustice will be righted, we are fueled to worship in the face of suffering.

“Rejoice” (verse 12),
“live in harmony” (verse 16), 
“bless and do not curse the persecutors” (verse 14),
live lowly (verse 16),
these are the ways we worship the One who sacrificed Himself for us.

Our fervent prayer and zealous love for our persecutors can be the hinge God will use to bring someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

God wastes nothing in bringing glory to His Name!

The Everyday Application

3) How can we practically love our enemies? (verses 19-21)

Is it possible to practically love our enemies? Yes! Yes! Yes! 

Fervently, zealously through God’s Spirit working in us, we are empowered to pray for our persecutors. More so, to offer them our hospitality, and live out Jesus’ love in practical, humble ways in real life!

Don’t miss an opportunity to be the hands, feet, mouth, and embracing arms of Jesus. Be bold in sharing the gospel with your lips, your open door, your warm food, and your fervent love! Don’t worry about having all the right words, just trust the Lord to do His work in you by His Spirit. He will be faithful to build His kingdom through you as you surrender to Him.

Is this a tough assignment in the face of pain and persecution? YES!
But it is nothing our Lord has not already accomplished for our benefit.

Whatever your painful woe, come to the Father, surrendering your tears and anguish, and be fueled by Him as you feast on His Word, speaking with Him in prayer. Do not shy away from praying even when you don’t know what to pray or have the words for He says, “The Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.” (Romans 8:26)

As His adopted daughters, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

The intense JOY of drawing close to the Father is beyond words. The closer we walk with Him, the more we hunger and thirst for more of Him. Circumstances, loss, pain, all begin to fade as we gaze on the face of the Savior God!

In loving Christ, He shapes us to love others, even our enemies! Yes and AMEN!

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Worship IX Day 12 Spirit & Truth: 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 Spirit & Truth!

The Questions

1) What is meant by New Moons, festivals, and burnt offerings? (verses 11-14)

2) How does the righteous Lord respond to a disobedient people? (verse 15)

3) What antidote does God give for Israel’s rebellion? (verses 16-20)

Isaiah 1:11-20

“What are all your sacrifices to me?”
asks the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams
and the fat of well-fed cattle;
I have no desire for the blood of bulls,
lambs, or male goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who requires this from you—
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing useless offerings.
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons and Sabbaths,
and the calling of solemn assemblies—
I cannot stand iniquity with a festival.
14 I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals.
They have become a burden to me;
I am tired of putting up with them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will refuse to look at you;
even if you offer countless prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.


16 “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves.
Remove your evil deeds from my sight.
Stop doing evil.
17 Learn to do what is good.
Pursue justice.
Correct the oppressor.
Defend the rights of the fatherless.
Plead the widow’s cause.

18 “Come, let’s settle this,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are scarlet,
they will be as white as snow;
though they are crimson red,
they will be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land.
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Original Intent

1) What is meant by New Moons, festivals, and burnt offerings? (verses 11-14)
God had instituted these festivals, celebrations, and offerings as tangible reminders of God’s goodness and love towards His people, Israel. He commanded them to celebrate these festivals regularly; to ignore them would have been disobedient. However, Isaiah the prophet records the Lord telling Israel to cease all their rituals and ceremonies that He Himself has instituted because their hearts had missed the point, which was worshipping God. The intention of the festivals was to remind them of God’s goodness toward Israel, while the blood sacrifices were meant to remind them that every sin carried a cost. Even though “It’s impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4), the sacrifices were necessary to show the people that 1) blood payment must be made for sin and 2) God is gracious to accept their offerings while they waited for the Ultimate Sacrifice to come as the Messiah, Christ Jesus, whose blood would pay for all sin. (1 John 2:2) The sacrifices reminded Israel they were a guilty people in desperate need of a Redeemer. Sacrifices also kept Israel in relationship with the Lord by prodding them to confess their sin, repent (turn away), and be made right with God. Over time, the sacrifices became empty rituals and Israel’s heart was far from God. Ritual without heart-change, sacrifice without obedience, gifts without authenticity, these were what God despised. He declared these empty acts to be a “trampling of My courts.” (verse 12) The stinging criticism of worship in verses 11-14, is not an indictment of worship in general. Rather, it is an indictment of worship that serves as a COVER-UP for EMPTY HEARTS. External religion is an easy cloak to disguise sin.

2) How does the righteous Lord respond to a disobedient people? (verse 15)
Verse 15 records the Lord responding to Israel’s sinful rebellion by refusing to look at or listen to them. He paid no attention to their outstretched hands or many prayers; their hearts didn’t desire true repentance or confession. Authentic worship was absent. Though He loved His people, their repetitive decisions to sin were detestable; God couldn’t look upon them because their hearts were not repentant. Without true repentance, sacrifice was meaningless. Isaiah and Amos, among others, warned of coming exile for Israel’s persistent sin. God would send fire to Judah and their cities would become desolate. (Isaiah 1:7, Amos 2:4-5) God’s response to sinful disobedience has consistently remained the exact same from the Garden of Eden, to ancient Israel, to the early church, and our own generation. Justice. (Isaiah 30:18) He is a just God, refusing to allow any sin to go unpunished. He can neither look upon sin nor ignore it. The price for sin must be paid, this is justice. Graciously, He is also infinitely good and loving, which led Him to give Himself for the payment of our sin. He paid the penalty we never could for every single sin when He died on the cross as a blood sacrifice. Only a perfect Being could pay the penalty of sin in full.  He proved He had all authority over sin and death by rising from the dead on the third day. Now, for all who choose to trust Him as Savior, God can look on us and listen to us, even if we still sin because He has taken our condemnation and given us righteousness instead! (Romans 8:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:21) No amount of sacrifices from Israel could change the posture of their hearts. Without a heart and life reformation, God could not accept their sacrifices, nor would He be manipulated by them!

3) What antidote does God give for Israel’s rebellion? (verses 16-20)
Isaiah was an evangelistic prophet, telling the coming good news of the Messiah. Even his name means “Salvation of Jehovah”. It is quite significant, therefore, that his first chapter contains the gospel invitation. Long before Jesus would come as a babe then die as the Savior, Isaiah wrote, ““Come, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool.” (verse 18) Sin was bluntly acknowledged, consequence was justly coming, yet the Lord offers this antidote, “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight.
Stop doing evil. Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice.” (verses 16-17) Cleansing from sin was available to Israel, even now in the heat of their rebellion. Their washing was totally separated from ANY human merit or effort. The goodness they were called to do directly followed the cleaning and did not precede it. Good works have never been able to cover sin, only true cleansing. This washing is found only in the mercy of God. It was His mercy that permitted the blood of animals to act as payment for sin, even though they couldn’t remove sin. The perfect display of mercy came as the Father sent the Son to shed His blood on the cross to perfectly pay for every sin. (1 John 2:2) What lavish mercy! Still, the prophet warns that unless willful cleansing occurs, war and destruction await, “But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” (verse 20)

Everyday Application

1) What is meant by New Moons, festivals, and burnt offerings? (verses 11-14)
As I researched this passage, I found myself focusing on the intricacies of festivals and burnt offerings which comprised the everyday rhythms of ancient Israel. I studied what each offering meant and the detailed directions on which offering to give if you committed this sin or that, knowingly or unknowingly, whether the animal was clean or unclean, and which rituals to follow when. I became entangled in intense detail. It was like a fall corn maze; which route is the right path to obedience and pleasing God? I became anxious and felt trapped. Which way, Lord? Stopping to pray as I studied was essential to understanding this simple truth from the Lord: offer sacrifices of worship. (Hebrews 13:15) Old Testament festivals and sacrifices are no longer required by believers today because Jesus paid the full blood price for our sins on the cross. However, the sacrifice of thanksgiving is evidenced in both Old and New Testaments just in differing forms. (Leviticus 7:12, Ephesians 5:20) Today, we don’t offer grain for thanksgiving, we use the whole of our lives as “living sacrifices”. (Romans 12:1, Matthew 22:37) Daily life can be a maze, and we can feel lost and confused, forgetting to bring the simple offering of ourselves with a childlike faith and repentant hearts before the King. It’s easy to weave a tangled web with daily chores and “to do” lists which pull us away from offering heart worship. If we aren’t intentional, we can end up only offering lip service in prayer and neglecting true worship. Even if this describes you sometimes, as it does me, there is hope! Instead of New Moons, festivals and burnt offerings, rituals in our personal lives and churches, let’s lean into worship in Spirit and truth. Our devoted hearts, genuine love, and faithfulness are exactly what GOD wants.

2) How does the righteous Lord respond to a disobedient people? (verse 15)
God is holy and righteous; He cannot be in the presence of sin. (1 John 5:18) Once we trust that Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin, and accept His righteousness in place of our rebellion, we are declared righteous. Even if we sin after we have trusted Christ, we are still covered by His blood sacrifice. (1 John 1:9) Without the covering of Christ, however, we stand condemned; we have rejected Christ. (John 3:18) When we choose to sin, we are walking away from a close relationship with God, even our prayers are hindered. (Psalm 66:18) Our hands are bloody with our sin, and though we offer countless prayers, if our hearts are not contrite before Him, He will reject us. Without faith and repentance, it’s impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6, Mark 1:15) While under our sin-nature, our natural bent is to rebel and disobey God, but when we surrender to Christ, He gives us a new nature. (Romans 5:5) God the Spirit lives inside us, teaching us to obey God (John 14:26), equipping us to follow Him (Hebrews 13:21), and giving us the desire to do His work (Philippians 2:13). Following God in obedience is the practical acceptance of the authority of God in our everyday lives. Our surrendered hearts to Christ allow His Spirit to rule in our lives, giving us the ability to step away from sinful rebellion and into obedience. We can halt our disobedient trajectory by reading God’s Word and asking the Spirit to open our eyes to our sinful patterns. Every Christian should evaluate all of life against Scripture through prayer. Marriage, career, relationships, our words, thoughts, actions, and even our body language should all reflect a heart of surrendered worship! Once the Spirit convicts us of sin, we are to confess it for the Lord promises pardon. (1 John 1:9)

3) What antidote does God give for Israel’s rebellion? (verses 16-20)
Isaiah’s prophecy depicts a severely fractured relationship between God and the people of Israel because of their sin. However, verses 16-20 make a way for restoration through the mercies of God. Israel’s “sins were as scarlet”, but so are ours. Israel rebelled against God by serving and loving themselves. Their greatest sin was rejection of the One True God. They were called upon to follow Him, but they spurned Him. So we turn the mirror on ourselves and inspect our lives for sin. Have we ever refused the ways of the Lord? Have our lips ever rejected His truth by telling a lie? Have our hands ever taken what was not ours, even just a pen or an extra item from the store at check out? Every single act of rebellion against the Lord will carry a just punishment. You and I are just as sinful as Israel, but God’s mercies are just as lavish. No matter how detestable Israel’s sin, God was willing to forgive and cleanse, and so He is with us. Will we choose to be clean? Will we live by faith and allow Christ to sever our ties to sin? The choice is ours just as it was for Israel. Will we come to Christ the Forgiver and confess our sins against Him? Or will we remain in sin with God’s wrath upon us? God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and You shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 7:23) If we will heed God’s call to come and be washed, apart from any self-proclaimed “good deeds”, we have His guarantee that we will be His. Through the blood of Christ, God will make us white as snow; His presence will comfort and delight for eternity. Take the antidote for rebellion and be cleansed by the Judge who longs to make you righteous!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

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Waiting Day 4 Valuable Lessons: 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 Valuable Lessons!

The Questions

1) Why is David lamenting and pleading with God?

2) What key requests did David make of the Lord? (verse 3)

3) Are we allowed to plead with God and speak to Him of our anxieties and anguish over our situation or frustration with Him?

Psalm 13

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long will I store up anxious concerns within me,
agony in my mind every day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?

3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your faithful love;
my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.
6 I will sing to the Lord
because he has treated me generously.

Original Intent

1) Why is David lamenting and pleading with God?
The subject of Psalm 13 is almost the same as Psalm 12; go ahead and read them both together for greater insight! David is in deep distress, overwhelmed by a long succession of calamities and multiple afflictions. He pleads with God, “How long, Lord?” (verse 1) David was hated by many primarily as a result from King Saul circulating false reports against him. Saul felt threatened by David’s rightful anointing as the next king of Israel. (1 Samuel 16:11-13) David was a hunted man and hid himself and his men in caves for years to escape King Saul’s death threats. David’s sense of oppression overwhelmed him to the point of depression and despondency; the anointed one of God felt God Himself had neglected him. In the face of dire afflictions, a willingness to acknowledge the realities of God’s presence and His constant care run counter to humanity’s despairing and unbelieving nature. David’s clouded, anxious mind couldn’t lay hold of the ray of hope held out by the Unseen God, so he achingly cries out for surely, God no longer remembered nor cared for him. We feel David’s intense pain and ravaging despair as we read “How long, Lord?” four times in this short psalm. Would God’s rescue never free him from his terrible, crushing burdens? Though David had experienced God’s presence and provision many times in his life, now in the heat of lengthy waiting and the threat of his life, David feels cut off from God; his suffering soul wades into deep depression as he feels he is on the “losing side” (verse 4). By David’s timing, the Lord must soon rescue in order to avoid two disasters, David’s death and the boast of his enemy over him. Where were God’s promised blessings of protection, grace, and peace now? (Numbers 6:24-26)

2) What key requests did David make of the Lord? (verse 3)
Despite his desperation and doubt, David demonstrates faith by crying out to God. David hopelessly looks around and sees his life devoured on all sides, yet he still, with faith, calls out to God. His brutally honest cry of faith opens the door for God to bring peace and for His Spirit to remind David of truth; he is secure in the hand of God. If David had no faith, it would be impossible for him to direct his thoughts and prayers to the Almighty God. Verse 3 provides three specific pleadings to the Lord demonstrating David’s faith while he waits for the Lord. Consider. In Hebrew, נָבַט, means to look intently upon with delighted pleasure and care. Because David feels God has hidden His face, he emplores God to look intently upon him. Think of a spouse gazing intently with love on the other, or of a parent lovingly looking upon their adored child. Isaiah prayed a similar request in Isaiah 63:15, as did the nation of Israel in Deuteronomy 26:15. Answer. עָנָה is the Hebrew word meaning “respond with speaking or loud declaring (shouting)”. It also denotes answering through singing, which is especially interesting as other places in Scripture mention the Lord singing over His people. (Psalm 42:8, Zephaniah 3:17) Like a love song, God’s answers soothe our anguish, reminding us of truth. Restore. The Hebrew word אוֹר translated in CSB (Christian Standard Bible) as restore is more closely translated as enlighten meaning “to bring light, to make shine, or light up”. Where David’s eyes, and his life, were once bright and full, they now need help to brighten. His light for life needs restored, so David calls out to the Source of Light Himself, God. He knows it’s only by God’s favor that his light will be restored.

3) Are we allowed to plead with God and speak to Him of our anxieties and anguish over our situation or frustration with Him?
As David demonstrated with full transparency, passionately pleading with God is a good thing! Not only did God preserve this specific prayer of despair in His Word, but He also preserved many other psalms of lament that depict hard honest questions. In fact, Scripture reflects this honest wrestling with God in places all throughout the Bible from beginning to end. (check out Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Habakkuk (with a GT Journey Theme!) for a few examples!) God never responds to honest prayer with mockery, shaming, or rejection. He desires truth in the inmost places. (Psalm 51:6) God wants us to pray with all the sincerity and passion inside of us. Psalm 13 is categorized in Scripture as a “song of lament”, meaning it describes deep anguishing cries to the Lord as the writer unburdens his soul to the Lord. Laments are common in Scripture and are given as a tool meant to help God’s people navigate pain, suffering, and heartache when answers seem non-existent. (Mark Vroegop) The lament is a vitally important prayer for God’s people because it provides a model for petitioning the Almighty, gives space to freely express pain, and then, blessedly, offers a pathway towards praise and an invitation to anchor in truth regardless of feelings. The lament is a road of trust between the believer and God in our darkest days. God provided that lament to His people, and preserved it in His Word, because He desires us to know how deeply He cares for us. In the middle of David’s pain was a God who wanted to hear David’s cries and the pain hidden away in the deepest places of his heart. Here in the heartache, God allowed the lament to give way to a space where David could enjoy God and rest in truth.

Everyday Application

1) Why is David lamenting and pleading with God?
We each have, or will, walk through seasons of intense pressing multiple times in life. In today’s language we would say David was depressed, feeling heavy inside from deep, persisting sadness affecting his relationships, his perceptions, and even his routine activities. Severe depression can cause persons to wish for death as means to escape the physical or emotional pain of what feels like an impossible-to-win battle. Mental health is nothing to take lightly. If you, or someone you love is suffering from depression, walk alongside them, pray for and with them, and encourage them to seek professional care. If King David, who God declared to be a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22), struggled so deeply and was not shamed or told “to get over it” or worse, “just pray about it”, we should be encouraged that we are not alone and can love others well through mental illness. Whether you suffer from depression or not, you’ve likely felt, like David, as if you were in a losing battle with no good outcome in sight. It’s easy to succumb to fear and a sense of being overwhelmed in these times, especially if we know our enemy would rejoice over our defeat and take pleasure in our pain. As in all seasons of waiting and struggle, the Lord has good purposes to show us more of Himself if we will call out to Him. (Jeremiah 33:3) We can courageously obey the Lord’s counterintuitive command to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) while we prayerfully commit our ways to the Lord, which brings “healing for your body and strengthening for your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8). There’s more hope for us in the midst of being “pressed down” internally; let’s keep reading to discover God’s heart!

2) What key requests did David make of the Lord? (verse 3)
While most of us don’t have an army hunting us down, we have certainly all experienced seasons of waiting where God seems distant and emptiness overcomes us. Our despair traps us into believing we are foolish to expect God to answer because He has “hidden His face” from us. (verse 2) We pray, but God doesn’t seem to answer. We read Scripture, but God doesn’t seem to speak. We seek Him, but it’s as if He is hiding. We are in good company with the gut-honest psalmist! In this place of darkness, there is a remedy; we can pray specifically to the God who seems far away. Through faith, we can choose to trust what He says is true about Himself. Whether we feel these truths or not is irrelevant, they are true regardless and rehearsing truth quells the lies we consume. Where to discover these life-giving truths? Open God’s Word; every single word of it is true. When we come to it, humbly and honestly in prayer as David did, God will faithfully, slowly and patiently, show us Himself and restore our light of life. Through faith, we cling to unchanging hope, confidently knowing that, as we pour out our deepest groanings to God, He will lessen our anguish. He will replace light with darkness and joy for weeping. (Psalm 125:5-6) When it seems God has turned His face away, we must deliberately fight back against the tide threatening to overtake us with simple, honest prayers of faith. Take back ground from the enemy’s lies one truth at a time. We are loved with unfailing love. (Deuteronomy 33:27) God will never forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) We belong; we are His and He is ours. (Psalm 95:7) His grace and love towards those who trust Him, never changes. (Ephesians 1:3-6) Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness! (1 Peter 1:18-19)

3) Are we allowed to plead with God and speak to Him of our anxieties and anguish over our situation or frustration with Him?
YES, YES, and YES! While God already knows our hearts (Psalm 139:2), He desires a deep relationship with us. Many life issues, especially crisis situations, naturally lead us to plead with God. We beg for mercy, for God to see our pain and act on our behalf. The psalms are full of this! Consider this your invitation to read a psalm every day this week and explore God’s heart! Waiting for the Lord’s perfect timing and learning to trust Him is HARD work mentally, emotionally, and even physically. When we feel overlooked or forgotten, trusting Him and the truths He has given is a struggle! We prefer quick healing and immediate, specific solutions. But, because the Lord cares most about our heart relationship with Him, the Lord often answers our pleadings with “wait”. “I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14) God wants to cultivate a totally devoted faith in Him alone, even if we feel bereft and unseen, and He uses our dark days to accomplish this work. We may or may not receive an immediate answer, but His comfort through His Spirit is guaranteed no matter the circumstance! (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Nothing surpasses the peace and joy that comes from knowing truth. “If God is for us, who could be against us?” (Romans 8:31) Cry out, Sister! Bear your soul to the One who cares for you! (1 Peter 5:7) Follow David’s model of lament and discover the pathway to peace, joy, and comfort in the midst of pain. Remember: 1) God is working all the time. 2) God’s purposes will not be thwarted by pain; He will prevail! 3) There is true joy in the midst of hardship if we lean on truth!

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

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 Waiting 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.

Nations Day 2 Out Of Darkness: 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 Out Of Darkness!

The Questions

1) Follow, deny, and take up sound rigorous. What do they mean in real life? (verse 23)

2) What does it mean to lose one’s life? What is the cost involved? (verse 24)

3) Is being ashamed of Jesus really possible? (verse 26)

Luke 9:23-26

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it. 25 For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and that of the Father and the holy angels.

Original Intent

1) Follow, deny, and take up sound rigorous. What do they mean in real life? (verse 23)
Jesus intended to be very clear in His statements by using the imagery of a cross as He spoke to those gathered around Him. All who wanted to follow Him must understand it involved denying one’s self and daily taking up their cross. To Jesus’ first audience, “cross” wasn’t a lovely symbol to hang around your neck or a decoration for your wall space. Rather, “cross” instantly brought to mind the cruelest form of death and torture known at the time. To “take up a cross” meant death. To take it up “daily” was altogether confusing to Jesus’ listeners as Christ Himself had not yet been crucified on a cross. However, one day, these listeners would look back after Jesus had died and been resurrected. Then they would understand a fuller picture of His words. Jesus meant for us to die to our sinful, natural selves and daily surrender to the new work of His Holy Spirit within us. “If you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13) Christ wanted His listeners to understand that true disciples were committing to making a radical decision to deny themselves and then live this out daily. Jesus demonstrated this when He literally took up a physical cross in complete surrendered obedience to the Father’s will. “Yet the Lord was pleased to crush Him severely.” (Isaiah 53:10) There was no self-focus in Jesus’ willful act of surrender, and His disciples were instructed to live out their daily surrender to Him in the same way. Bible scholar, W. Hendricksen, notes that Jesus made His clear statements to an audience of believers and non-believers. Whether His listeners chose to follow Him as disciples or not, their eternity was still at stake.

2) What does it mean to lose one’s life? What is the cost involved? (verse 24)
No one listening to Jesus that day was interested in “losing their life”, just as much as none of us reading this today would like to sign up to “lose”. This is exactly why Jesus chose such extreme language to communicate the all-important decision of following Him. He insisted that if anyone truly wants to save their life and win, they must surrender it to Him. Only by trying to hold onto their lives and their way would they actually end up losing everything. In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus told a story of a man who felt he was truly “winning at life” by piling up his material goods and pleasurable experiences. This man felt he had a long life ahead to enjoy everything, but God came to him and said, “You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20) The man’s selfish way of living life cost him everything in the end, even his eternity with God. Jesus pointed His listening audience toward real, lasting hope when He said, “but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.” (verse 24, emphasis mine) The process of losing our life to Christ is costly and painful as our fleshly, sinful desires are crucified. But as the Lord refines us, and teaches us to love Him first and most, we find ourselves whole, healed, and truly free! In surrender, we will ultimately experience great joy for His peace is greater than any sinful thing we give up. The sweetness of living life with the Holy Spirit working within us far outweighs any sin we think is better than Him.

3) Is being ashamed of Jesus really possible? (verse 26)
For a time during Jesus’ earthly ministry, it was popular to follow Him. He drew large crowds, everyone knew Him, and His miracles were known far and wide across the region. Everyone was talking about this miracle working prophet. But, Jesus’ mission wasn’t focused on fame and popularity. He regularly preached difficult messages and confronted people in their sin, offering them a chance to come into the Light, to be known and loved, and walk in newness of a surrendered life. Following Jesus when it was popular was easy. Following Him when He claimed to be God Himself and was facing death was quite another. Even Jesus’ disciples all fled from Him, and Peter denied Him, when crucifixion became imminent. (Matthew 26:56, Luke 22:54-62) When Jesus spoke of being “ashamed” of Him, He intended His audience to understand that if they were to continue in their choice not to follow Him, this equaled being ashamed of Him and His teachings of truth. To not follow Him means to be ashamed of Him. It is to be so proud of one’s ownership of their life that they refuse to live in surrender to Him or His words. At His return, Christ will justly condemn and reject those who rejected Him. The importance of how we respond to Jesus’ call to follow Him cannot be underestimated! Will we choose to live for ourselves on our own strength, or will we daily choose His ways and His path? Our world is very topsy-turvy, and many consider it easier to rebuff Jesus and His message so as to continue living for self. In denying ourselves and following Jesus, we will be rejecting the pattern of this world, which means we can expect ostracism, conflict and social dishonor. Yet, we remain confident that Christ will not be ashamed, or reject, us in the end because we have chosen to surrender to Him.

Everyday Application

1) Follow, deny, and take up sound rigorous. What do they mean in real life? (verse 23)
To follow means to attach ourselves to Jesus as His disciple, it requires denying our sin nature and remembering it has been crucified with Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) We are to live continually crucified of all sinful patterns of life that do not harmonize with God and His ways of love. (2 Corinthians 10:5-6) Living lives of surrendered following and self-denial as we take up the cross of Jesus, means that, regardless of what we encounter, we are to trust Christ and His ways over our own. We are to choose His commands for life as we worship Him for His great gift of salvation to us. (Ephesians 4:32-5:2) Crucifying our old nature with Christ means surrendering our bent to rely on ourselves, our abilities, and our logic. It’s the attitude of “I can do this, and I don’t need anyone”. Boy, oh boy, does this ever hit home in my own life! God is gracious by letting me fail on my own, then bringing me back to the reality that I can only follow Him when I surrender my ways to His. It’s impossible to follow Jesus without the power of Christ at work in me! We are to give ourselves away for the gospel! I pray my legacy for my children, grandchildren, and others would be my surrender to Christ so He could amplify His strength in my life. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Jesus is worth surrendering everything for! In surrender to a loving God, we don’t need to fear for His perfect love will never leave us! (1 John 4:18, Matthew 28:20)

2) What does it mean to lose one’s life? What is the cost involved? (verse 24)
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He had a slogan, if you will, “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.” This was the theme of the messages He preached as He ventured from city to city. The crux of His message then is just as important for us now. Jesus is not interested in “casual Christians”. Only those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus in full are genuine. Of course, because we still love our old sin nature, and we forget that Jesus died for us, even true Christians still sin. But Christ stands ready to forgive! “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Even this returning to Jesus in humble repentance isn’t possible without His Spirit at work within those who have given themselves to Christ. True followers are marked by God’s Spirit at work in them as they surrender daily to His will. Living for ourselves, following our agendas and desires, refusing to deny our sin nature, and choosing not to lovingly serve others through Christ’s power is to live in opposition to God. None who follow this pattern of life can claim to also follow Jesus. “If we say, “We have fellowship with Him (God),” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.” (1 John 1:6) We must not miss the seriousness of this distinction! Living separate from God is dangerous! If we die in our sinful state, we will earn eternity apart from God; this equals pain, brokenness, and shattering loss for ALL eternity! The cost of surrender may feel high and painful, but the price tag that comes with an eternity separated from Him isn’t even worth comparing!

3) Is being ashamed of Jesus really possible? (verse 26)
When we choose not to be ashamed of Jesus by surrendering our lives to Him, we are free to anchor our lives in steadfast truth. We no longer need to be carried away by every wind of doctrine or whim of peer pressure around us. As we continue living daily in surrender to God’s Spirit within us, the Lord leads us to give our lives away for Him. One mark of knowing we do indeed belong to Jesus and haven’t rejected Him is the desire to boldly tell others of the forgiveness found in Christ. Sharing about God’s redemption in our lives can be scary, but when we consider that someone’s life for eternity hangs in the balance, we can choose to courageously explain how Jesus gave Himself for all people. Remember, Jesus taught this passage to an audience of both followers and those who didn’t believe. The consequence for choosing to be “ashamed” of God’s gracious gift of salvation is an eternity separated from Him! Jesus wanted all people to know this truth, which is why He has commissioned His followers to go and tell His good news! How often in our daily lives do we shrug off Jesus by avoiding telling someone about Him because we are afraid or unsure? His forgiveness and grace are available to us when we don’t take every opportunity given to us to share the hope of Jesus, but these missed chances should strongly encourage us to share Hope all the more often with others! The Lord is intentional in giving us opportunities to share about Him with others. Pray fervently for who the Lord wants you to share the Gospel with! Be of good courage, God is building His kingdom through His followers! Praise God for His desire that all people come to Him! (2 Peter 3:9)

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

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 Nations 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.

Fervent Day 14 Strength Training: 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 Strength Training!

The Questions

1) What does a life surrendered to Christ look like? (verse 1, 6-21)

2) What does it mean for believers to not be conformed to this age? (verse 2)

3) What does it mean to not repay evil for evil? (verses 17-18)

Romans 12:1-21

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. 10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another. 11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. 20 But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. 21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

Original Intent

1) What does a life surrendered to Christ look like? (verse 1, 6-21)
After spending the majority of his letter to the Romans expounding on the incredible richness available to us through Christ for this life and the next, Paul turns our attention to practically living out our everyday lives from this perspective. His short answer is that we, collectively as a whole body of believers, are to present ourselves as a singular living sacrifice together, set apart as holy to Him. The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were now rendered obsolete by Jesus’ sacrifice for us, but what every believer can still give is the holy offering of our lives as acts of worship and obedience. Paul urges all believers to present the whole of our lives to God for His holy work. Hebrews 13:15-16 helps us understand the believer’s sacrifice is marked by continuous praise, doing good in love, and sharing what we have. These “living sacrifices” are pleasing to God. Romans 11:33-36 is a beautiful poetic picture of the cry of the adoring heart as it offers thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. This passage speaks of the depth of the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God. His ways and decisions are far beyond the mind of man, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory Forever!” (Romans 11:36) Paul’s outburst of song was to heartily remind the believers in Rome that, if they were truly surrendered to Christ,  having a transformational change in their lives owing only to God, then the overflow would burst forth in worship of both their tongue and their lives. This was no superficial shift, but a very real whole-heart adjustment, and the result was a deep, stirring desire to worship the Only One Worthy of such complete adoration. The sacrifice of life was demonstrated by serving with the whole self, ready to do His will moment by moment with a heart of adoration. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works. A transformed heart results in a worship so deep and radical it overflows as continual “living sacrifices” to the God who rescued us and made us new!

2) What does it mean for believers to not be conformed to this age? (verse 2)
Paul used imagery that would quickly connect with his audience as he wrote of God’s heart call to not be “conformed” to this age. His Greek word usage for conform gave the idea of making a copy or following a pattern and passing it along. In contrast, however, the Greek for “transform” means entirely new, not manufactured on our own power, but to quite literally become something altogether different. Paul wanted his readers to immediately understand the significant difference between self-induced patterning and radical transformative metamorphosis because of Jesus! Paul was a list-maker (maybe you are too!), and in his letters he listed several examples of worldly patterns including “sexual immorality, moral impurity, outbursts of anger, drunkenness, envy, and anything similar.” (Galatians 5:19-21) The temptation to sin is strong; there is hardly an end to the list of things the lover of Jesus should shun. Because we have been transformed, utterly made new, our hearts and lives are meant to be expressed not for self, but for Christ! Everything should be done for God’s glory! (1 Corinthians 10:31) Transformation is not a matter of impulse, on again and off again, rather it is continuous as we submit ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit within us. Paul’s intentional wording reminds us this transformation is not done of ourselves, instead we “are being transformed…from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) As believers, we are not, however, passive in this transformation process, it is our duty is to cooperate fully, allowing the Spirit to do His work in our hearts and lives.  Conforming to this world chooses to worship ourselves instead of the Lord. Live with a heart ready to humbly offer surrender in worship, ready to be transformed by the Spirit of God as you lean in to His wisdom! (Proverbs 2:1-5) 

3) What does it mean to not repay evil for evil? (verses 17-18)
Here, Paul reiterates the principle of non-retaliation for the Christian that Jesus taught. (Matthew 5:38-48) Verse 17 reads, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes.” Paul didn’t want the recipients of his letter to be left wondering what it looked like to follow Christ in everyday life on this side of eternity. Romans 12 answers that question. Revenge feels natural and all-important in the moment of anger, or in looking back after being poorly treated, but Paul declares we must resist this human, fleshly instinct, instead surrendering to the Spirit’s work. By His power in us, we can actively refuse to pay back evil to another who has done evil toward us. This is true whether the person who hurts us is a believer or not. Rather than emotionally react, Paul tells us to be thoughtful when evil is done to us. He suggests we see that moment of lusting after retaliation to be an opportunity to instead demonstrate Christ’s love He extends freely to all people. “Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.” (verses 19-20) After all, we cannot display Christ’s love and forgiveness until we have the opportunity to forgive someone! When we do, we are making a powerful statement about the kind of love Jesus lavishly gives. Acting with intentional goodness toward our enemies is far more effective in showing them God’s heart than attempting petty revenge. Together, let’s refuse to sink to evil’s level of repayment, instead leaving justice to God!                                                                      

Everyday Application

1) What does a life surrendered to Christ look like? (verse 1, 6-21)

We live in a day when finding authenticity is a challenge. From imitation crab to faux nails to Instagram filters, we work hard to have the appearance of the “real thing”. While this condition is commonplace in our world, it is a tragedy when it comes to a believer’s life. If we are brutally honest with ourselves, “Imitation Christianity” is something all believers are tempted with on various levels. It’s easier to live our everyday lives without considering our call to be “living sacrifices” to our God. Imitation Christians can be difficult to spot as they can appear on the outside like a genuine believer. Church attendance, generous giving, a good neighbor, and even serving in church are all marks of genuine believers, but they are easily copied by going through the motions. What is impossible to imitate, however, is a transformed heart of worship! Are we true believers or only imitating? To help us understand what it looks like in everyday life to be an authentic “living sacrifice”, Paul lays out several characteristics each anchored firmly in a heart attitude of sacrificial worship to God. “Let love be without hypocrisy.” (verse 9) Only authentic love, flowing from the heart of God Himself, can genuinely be without hypocrisy. Real love is a matter of the heart, not the face. Masking your real feelings and intentions with superficial niceties is a charade none can sustain before others, and certainly we cannot deceive the Lord God. “Detest evil; cling to what is good. Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another. ” (verses 9-10) Hearts truly transformed by Jesus and indwelt by the Holy Spirit will neither be passive nor indifferent about evil. Rather, they will be repulsed by it, despising what harms others and dishonors God. In place of harsh, self-righteous judgement, the worshipful heart will cling steadfastly to what is good, humbly believing the best and choosing to honor others over themselves. May we each evaluate our hearts before the Lord, asking Him to convict us regarding true sacrifices of worship that honor Him. Let’s bless others graciously and be honoring with our words, choosing to live every day from the overflow of worship!

 

2) What does it mean for believers to not be conformed to this age? (verse 2)

Conforming is so easy! It requires little effort or thought to follow the pattern provided by those around us. Just do what everyone else is doing! While following the well-traveled road can provide a sense of safety, comfort, and belonging, the Christ-follower has been made new that we may live with a full abundance the world does not understand. As you consider your heart desires, ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are following a worldly pattern. Ask Him for conviction and repentance! Ask the Spirit to encourage you where you are choosing to live in full surrender to His work of transformation in you. Guard and celebrate these areas! Identifying worldly patterns is nearly impossible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who brings conviction in order to shift our hearts, not to condemn or shame us. Whether you feel drawn away by wanting a bigger or better house, car, or lifestyle, remember that every believer is called to fight against the pull of the world’s pattern for life. While these feel appealing, they are temporary and can lure our hearts away from worshipping the Only One Worthy of our life’s sacrifice of worship. Only Jesus will satisfy. Purposefully fight against following the pattern by steady surrender to the Holy Spirit in your everyday life. Dare to break free from pattern-following, Ladies! Follow the Good Shepherd of our hearts for the most abundant life possible! Resist the tempting urge to focus on the physical and fleeting delights of this world, setting your heart on things of Christ (Colossians 3:2), determining to be renewed in our minds (verse 2), and ready for action in this transformation process! Rebel against the power of darkness and the schemes of the world. Be a nonconformist, a rebel with a cause for Christ!

3) What does it mean to not repay evil for evil? (verses 17-18)

God spoke through Paul to pen the difficult words, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” While we may find it easy, or at least, easier to live peaceably with our friends, the Lord leaves no wiggle room for exception cases. He commands us to “live at peace with everyone.” While Christians need not look far before we find someone with whom we disagree, whether believer or not, God calls us to live peaceably with them. Honor. Love. Respect. Kindness. Gentleness. These should characterize our engagement with, well, everyone. Lost souls without Jesus do not come to Him because a Christian condemned their outward choices, but rather, because they showed the rich, selfless love of the Savior in everyday life circumstances. As believers, there are certainly times to call out our brothers and sisters who are choosing sinful, destructive life patterns, but even this is to be hemmed in love, seeking their peaceful reconciliation with God. Paul’s timely message reminds us of 3 keys to living peaceably with everyone: 1) Retaliation does not belong to us, only to God. In the end, no human being has the right to judge, only the God of all justice can do this. 2) Treating one another with kindness results in lasting change. Vengeance brings discord and piles on hurt, but kindness motivates repentant hearts and fosters deep relationships, which allow space for authentic conversations. 3) Evil can never be conquered by evil. Hatred, if met with more hatred, only results in its increase. If we stoop to revenge, then we ourselves have been overcome by evil. Booker T Washington stated, “I shall not allow any man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.” Mark Twain adds, “The only safe and sure way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend.”

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

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 Fervent 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.

Beloved Day 2 Unveiled Faces: 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 Unveiled Faces!

The Questions

1) What is the meaning of using fruits, flowers, and animals to describe this man and wife love relationship? 

2) What is the purpose of the warning to the young women of Jerusalem? (verse 7)

3) How does Scripture connect a human marriage to a relationship between God and us?

Song of Solomon 2:1-17

Woman
I am a wildflower of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.

Man
2 Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the young women.

Woman
3 Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my love among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the banquet hall,
and he looked on me with love.
5 Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apricots,
for I am lovesick.
6 May his left hand be under my head,
and his right arm embrace me.
7 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and the wild does of the field,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.
8 Listen! My love is approaching.
Look! Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My love is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
See, he is standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My love calls to me:

Man
Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
11 For now the winter is past;
the rain has ended and gone away.
12 The blossoms appear in the countryside.
The time of singing has come,
and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree ripens its figs;
the blossoming vines give off their fragrance.
Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the crevices of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.


Woman
15 Catch the foxes for us—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.
16 My love is mine and I am his;
he feeds among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
turn around, my love, and be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the divided mountains.

Original Intent

1) What is the meaning of using fruits, flowers, and animals to describe this man and wife love relationship?
Song of Songs suggests it is the greatest of all songs and found within its pages are lyrical poetry arranged as dialogue between a woman and her lover. While scholars maintain that the love story makes allegorical connections between God and His love for mankind, Song of Solomon is also, undeniably, a sensuous book reveling in God’s good gifts of intimacy within marriage. To properly understand this poetic song, we must remember to set our minds on the then-current time and culture. The Shulamite Bride compares herself to a wildflower of Sharon and a lily of the valley, both of which were common. The “Sharon” was a fertile plain between Mount Carmel and Joppa along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea producing beautiful wildflowers in abundance. Likewise, the lily was plentiful in Palestine. By saying of herself, “I am a wildflower of Sharon, a lily of the valleys”, she is not speaking in arrogance, but rather that, while she is beautiful, she is also common. (verse 1) Solomon picks up on her imagery of flowers, but responds by pronouncing, “Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among the young women.” (verse 2) He sets her apart from all other young women, describing everyone else as “thorns” in comparison. The Lover extols her beauty for she was not at all common in his eyes. In similar fashion, the woman uses the imagery of an apricot tree to depict her lover. “Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest, so is my love among the young men.” Where every other man is simply a tree in the forest, her man is completely unique to her. Apricot trees are generally 30-45 feet tall, quite strong, and bear sweet fruit. Thus, the Shulamite woman describes her man as tall and strong while bearing a sweetness about him. He provides shade (protection) and his love is described as a banner (generally signifying complete peace and victory) over his lovely young woman. (verses 3-4) The comparison of lovers to gazelles, does, or stags throughout the song are symbolic of grace, beauty, strength, and speed. (verses 7-9) The man refers to the young woman as his dove inferring her to be beautiful and soft, waiting to be called out of singleness and virginity by her husband lover and into marriage.

2) What is the purpose of the warning to the young women of Jerusalem? (verse 7)
Within historical context, we don’t know exactly who the “young women of Jerusalem” were first intended to be viewed as. Maybe they were equivalent to our modern day “Bridesmaids” who helped the bride prepare for her wedding day. Maybe, because Song of Solomon is a song, they are representative of a chorus, and the entire song was meant to be sung over the course of several days leading up to a wedding. What most scholars agree on is they were a group of some kind, probably unmarried, intending to represent a community around the couple, either singularly to the Beloved Bride or to both husband and wife. In verse 7, the Beloved Bride gives a warning to these “young women of Jerusalem”, “Do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time.” The description of the woman’s intimacy with the man in previous verses is so enticing the Bride feels she must charge the young women of Jerusalem to not jump into a passionate relationship prematurely. Intimacy is definitely wonderful and definitely worth the wait, but foregoing the commitment of a marriage relationship just to experience physical intimacy, misses the real depth of love and sex entirely. The woman’s senses are heightened and stirred by the man’s presence and affirmation of love for her. She finds herself feasting on it all, and feeling “lovesick”. (verses 5-6) She hungers for more of his nearness, and his offering of love only intensifies her desires. She began with a desire for his kisses and then longed for his embrace. (verses 4-6) Her passionate experience with her Lover urges her to give this charge to wait for “the appropriate time” to the unmarried women around her. She knows that intimate love, both physical and emotional, should have its own rhythm and proper progression. TOO Fast TOO soon spoils it all. Theologian, D Garret, adds his insights by saying, “For a woman to awaken love before it pleases is to deprive herself of the full experience of romance and sexuality…”.

3) How does Scripture connect a human marriage to a relationship between God and us?
In Exodus 34:15 (KJV), Israel is being warned not to “whore after their gods.” By describing idolatry with the language of prostitution and sexual immorality, Moses uses the sacredness of marriage as a metaphor to mirror the holiness of God’s covenant relationship with His people, Israel. Again, in the biography of the Old Testament prophet, Hosea, God commands Hosea to marry a prostitute, Gomer, who continually leaves him to return to prostitution. In Hosea’s life, God was giving Israel a visual, real-life picture of what it is to abandon Him as their God. (read more about this story in our Journey Theme, Bride!) In the New Testament, Paul applies the metaphor of marriage to the relationship between Christ and the Church of believers. “This mystery (of marriage) is profound, and I am saying it refers to Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:32) In Matthew 9:15, Jesus describes Himself as a Bridegroom and was recognized as such by John the Baptist. (John 3:29-30) After we understand the original context of the Song of Solomon, we can, by looking at the whole of Scripture, see how some of Solomon’s descriptions could describe the relationship between Christ and the Church. Where the apricot tree was the Beloved’s description of her Lover (verses 3-4), Christ is our ultimate strength and protection, totally unique and unlike any other for no one else can rescue us from our sin. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) As the Lover and Beloved care for each other, finding delight in each other in all things, so does God care and tenderly love each of us who call upon His Name for rescue from sin’s consequence. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. (1 Peter 5:6-7) The Beloved and Lover celebrate their physical oneness. This picture mirrors how Christ-followers are to find spiritual oneness with God as His people. “They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (Jeremiah 32:38)

Everyday Application

1) What is the meaning of using fruits, flowers, and animals to describe this man and wife love relationship?
Celebrating our spouse as unique and special runs hard against our culture’s screaming voice. Pornography runs rampant, sex slaves are common in many cities, and the cut throat game of comparison is widespread across marketing, media, and even within our own hearts. How shockingly refreshing it is when one spouse brags on their marriage partner as being one-of-a-kind-wonderful?! In fact, when a husband or wife chooses to intentionally celebrate their spouse, they are fostering this kind of celebratory language to be shared between them. When they take it a step further, and celebrate their spouse to someone else, this encourages other marriage partners to step up their game when it comes to praising the attributes of their beloved one. While celebrating your spouse sounds simple, it can be difficult, especially if you’re walking through a difficult season in your marriage (as all of us have/are/will!). This challenge isn’t meant for us to close a blind eye to abusers within marriage, while amplifying “good things” to excuse abuse. Rather, this model from Song of Solomon is intended to give us a tool to speak life and unconditional love over our husbands. Where will you begin?! If you aren’t married, this challenge extends to you too! Consider this celebration as a tool to initiate flourishing in each of your relationships. Take the challenge to celebrate and begin to think highly, and uniquely, of others, speaking out loud these things to them and about them! Maybe you won’t use fruits, flowers, and animals in your descriptions, but, who knows, maybe you will! Leading like a lion or having hair that feels like silk are both encouraging and celebratory in our culture.

2) What is the purpose of the warning to the young women of Jerusalem? (verse 7)
True Love is worth waiting for! Oftentimes, in our culture, waiting to fulfill one’s sexual desires until marriage is an antiquated notion. Mainstream media encourages us to indulge in our sexual desires anytime we please. What the world doesn’t tell us, but God’s Word makes clear, is that “following our hearts” instead of God’s perfect plan only leads to pain and heartache. (Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 3:5-6) During my “young woman years”, I carried a strong conviction to never give myself (body or heart) away to any man until marriage. God gave me strength to hold fast to this conviction. When I met the man I would marry, and we began sharing emotionally, it became very difficult to keep myself pure. My mom warned, “It only takes one a passionate kiss to let go of your senses and go too far.” There were moments in our pre-marriage we came very close to not waiting as we shared passionate kisses, but we made it by HIS grace and strength and our marriage consummated in HIS time. Now, forty years of marriage have passed, and we rejoice in God’s love which has held us fast to Him despite struggles along the way. Everyone’s sexual history is different, but God’s grace is the same for each of us! Human love will always fail us, but redemptively, God allows even our broken relationships to continually point us to the ONE whose love will never falter and whose love will never let us down. There is no fear in the perfect love of God! (1 John 4:18) Whatever your sexual past, or present, looks like, confidently know that the Lord of all Love is waiting, not with condemnation, but with a wide welcoming embrace of love and forgiveness. I count my marriage struggles as JOY in spite of the scars of fallen human love because, through these, the Lord has brought us closer to the cross, both individually and as husband and wife. True Love is worth waiting for! Never give in, never give up, be patient in fervent prayer, and F. R. O. G. (Fully Relying On God)!

3) How does Scripture connect a human marriage to a relationship between God and us?
The Shulamite woman likens her Lover to an apple tree among the trees of the forest. He is strong and sturdy, and his shade covers and protects her from the scorching rays of the sun. In the same way, Jesus, our perfect bridegroom, shelters us with the power of His unfailing love. We are wrecked with our own sin, condemned to die and be eternally separated from the beauty and love of God. Christ, the perfect Love, took our place by suffering our due consequence for our sin when He died on the cross. He became separated from the glory of God the Father as He took on our consequence, though He was sinless. (Matthew 27:46) Three days later, He proved His victory over sin and death by coming back to life and later ascending through the clouds to sit at the right hand of God the Father. (Ephesians 1:20-21) Once we choose to fully trust Christ’s work on the cross for us, we become His and He becomes ours. He guards and protects our souls for eternity because He, the all-powerful God, loves us perfectly. (John 10:28)  As women, most of us spend our lives searching for our “perfect Lover” from teenage years until we find Mr. Right, our knight in shining armor. Ultimately, our hearts are designed to discover that only the Lord God can satisfy us completely. Whether we end up married or single, Christ must remain the fullness of our delight. When we shift our eyes to any lesser love, elevating him over God, we will find heartache, disappointment, and dissatisfaction. If we marry, husband and wife are designed to move forward together with many goals, but the highest being Christ. If we are single, the same is true as we move through life with many hopes and dreams, but our highest being Christ. He alone is to hold the position of pre-eminence. (Colossians 1:15-20) There will be rough roads all along the way for both single and married women, but the love of our great God never falters or abandons!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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Worship VII Day 9 By Faith: 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 By Faith!

The Questions

1) What is the proof we cannot see? (verse 1)

2) What is true faith according to this passage?

3) What benefit do obstacles and struggles have on our faith in everyday life?

Hebrews 11:1-12:2

11:1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. 2 For by this our ancestors were approved.

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

5 By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God. 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the one who had promised was faithful. 12 Therefore, from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore.

13 These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter 25 and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin. 26 For he considered reproach for the sake of Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking ahead to the reward.

27 By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees him who is invisible. 28 By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites. 29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being marched around by the Israelites for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.

32 And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received their dead, raised to life again. Other people were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. 38 The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

39 All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.

12:1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Original Intent

1) What is the proof we cannot see? (verse 1)
To see our Savior face to face! To enjoy His in-person-company forever! To be freed forever from the entanglement of sin! This is the coming hope for every believer! This is yet unseen and un-experienced, but we wait with anticipation, knowing it is indeed coming. No matter our everyday trials, we can choose to focus on His promise that heaven is our eternal home for all who have trusted in His name. It is our place to be with Him. The Christian life is purposefully moving toward certain hope. Hebrews 12:1-2 paints a beautiful picture, “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus.” For the early church believers who received this letter of Hebrews, the imagery of finishing a race was easily understood as the Greek Olympic games were in high gear. In their race towards hope, their finest example of endurance was Jesus whose goal was to purchase our freedom from sin. He endured horrific suffering in order to win the restoration of our souls. If Jesus could endure for the prize of a relationship with us, so are we to run with endurance towards the Hope He died to give us! Christ is the goal of our journey and through the power of His Holy Spirit, we are strengthened to press on towards the unseen victory coming ahead. We are surrounded by saints who have gone before us and we are urged to reject the pull of sin while reaching toward Hope. Jesus encourages us, “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. 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? 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.” (John 14:1-3) The goal of our faith is God Himself who waits to welcome us at the end of our race on earth. Keep running! It’s worth it!

2) What is true faith according to this passage?
The word faith in the New Testament has many definitions based on the context of that passage. For example, when Judean Christians, whom Paul had sought to kill, spoke of their belief in Christ, they said “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy” (Galatians 1:23) Here, faith is meant as a confession or belief statement, similar to what believers have long held to in the Apostles’ Creed, which summarize the Christian beliefs. However, the author of Hebrews is conveying something different than a creedal statement of belief held by faith. As theologian Guthrie, notes, “For the evangelists that wrote the gospels, Jesus Christ is the object of faith.” John describes this aspect of faith in his gospel when he writes his summary mission statement for his letter, “That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31) A personal faith in Jesus is the hallmark of Christians. The writer of Hebrews provided true, historic examples of Christians who lived out their everyday lives from a place of faith. (Hebrews 11:4-38) This faith is firmly anchored in an unchanging hope that transcends the current struggles. This faith is gained by claiming for ourselves the salvation Jesus offers to everyone. His salvation is freedom from the condemnation of sin, complete forgiveness for every offense, and the sweet promise of eternity with Him. Faith in Jesus is the doorway by which we gain access to God Himself. “The righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:22) The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 had one thing in common, their undivided confidence in God. The writer of Hebrews wants his readers to witness and experience that which cannot be seen by witnessing the faith of believers who trusted in Jesus. Their testimony brilliantly paints the definition of what it is to truly live by faith, even though their faith is fully in the God who cannot be seen and in His faithful promises, which are equally unseen. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and for certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

3) What benefit do obstacles and struggles have on our faith in everyday life?
If we follow the world’s standards we may have short term ease and comfort, perhaps even prosperity. If we follow God’s standards we are guaranteed suffering, loss, and unpopularity. Astoundingly, it is the conviction of Christians it is better to suffer with God than to prosper with the world. The book of Daniel tells of three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were confronted with the choice of public worship to King Nebuchadnezzar, or obeying God. The men chose to worship God alone, which earned them the consequence of being thrown into a fiery furnace. Yet, without hesitation, these men chose to fear the Lord God over fearing a human man.  Human experience tells us seize the moment and experience everything good we possibly can, but the Spirit of God, active within every Christian, teaches us only the Lord God is worthy of our worship and following His ways are always best. The Lord allows struggles in life so we can see how faithful HE is in spite of our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) James instructs believers to “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-3) Paul says we can actually boast in our afflictions! For the Christian, God uses trials to “produce endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5) Our coming Hope of real life with Jesus gives us a raised platform by which we can see how even trials can be considered pure joy. Every struggle has been allowed by God for a purpose; they are not random.  Abraham was called to sacrifice his son Isaac, Samson was crushed by the Philistines, Sarah was barren, heroes of the faith were sawed in half, slain by the sword, and the list continues, not just here in Hebrews 11 but, throughout God’s entire Word. These fiery, heavy burdens are producing faithful maturity in us as we learn to trust our God, His character, and look with eyes upon the coming “unseen” glory that is still to come and will last forever. Our trials here are merely temporary. “For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Everyday Application

1) What is the proof we cannot see? (verse 1)
Like those who first received the letter of Hebrews, we too are Jesus’ disciples and we are urged to run the race of faith. Similarly, the apostle Paul said we are to “fight the good fight”. (1 Timothy 6:12) The battle is arduous, but worth it! We don’t need to look far into our everyday lives and schedules, our hurry and our deadlines to find distraction everywhere. Keeping our eyes on the unseen goal of Christ is difficult! If we keep our focus on the countless distractions, we quickly grow weary in our everyday battle. We must renew our minds to stay in the fight (Romans 12:2), to focus on the unseen coming reward of dwelling with our God! We are urged to remain faithful to Him by “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) Finally, when our race in this life is over, we will be able to say together with the apostle Paul and all who have trusted Christ, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8) Ahhh! We will finally SEE the proof of the unseen! Here is the moment we, as believers, have eagerly waited for, the mighty, in-person presence of the Holy God! Suddenly, the unseen will be made tangible as eternal life begins and peace-filled joy is made perfectly complete. Fear will have no place as we stand immoveable in His magnificent love. As blissful as this coming hope will one day be, He offers us access to these gifts of peace, joy, love, and life without fear even now in our everyday. How? By fixing our eyes on what is to come. He is our Savior, Sustainer, Healer, and Redeemer in eternity, yes, but also in the now. Let’s fix our eyes on the unseen, and run with endurance for the hope set before us as we fight the good fight!

2) What is true faith according to this passage?
Simply put, true biblical faith is a personal trust in Jesus and His work on the cross. This faith is proven in our everyday obedience to God’s Word as the Holy Spirit renews us, making us more like Jesus, who is “the author and perfector of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) This faith is exercised in everyday life quite simply. God speaks through Scripture, we hear His Word, trust Him, and act upon His teaching. Those who have true faith are both “hearers and doers of the Word”. (James 1:22) The author of Hebrews provides us with three descriptors of biblical faith, substance, evidence, and witness. Faith is to a Christian what the foundation and framework is to a house. Faith provides the substance and essence of what it looks like to follow Jesus. The faithfulness of God is our blessed assurance and confident hope, to which we cling through faith. “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for…” (Hebrews 11:1) True faith will produce convincing evidence in the believer’s life, proof that what is coming (eternal life with Jesus) is both worth it and the One promising it is worthy of our faith. What God has promised, He will indeed bring to fruition. We evidence this faith when we live out faith-filled lives that point towards the true genuineness of God’s unchanging character. Finally, faith is described as having a witness, which is referenced in Hebrews 12:1, “…a great cloud of witnesses….”. These witnesses are those whose lives testify of God’s faithfulness in the storyline of their lives. God has redeemed their lives, renewed their hearts, and saved them from separation from God, and their lives now give witness to this remarkable change! Faith enables us to accept salvation through Jesus, makes us wise in how to live out our lives, and gives us hope for a coming glory where we will dwell with God and other believers forever. Dr. Oswald Sanders puts it perfectly, “Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen.” We can cling to our certain “for sure” future life with God because we can trust Him at His Word. This kind of faith can only truly be experienced or understood by those who have chosen to place their faith in Jesus Christ and what Jesus did for us. On the cross, Jesus took our identity of “sin” upon Himself and gave us His identity of “righteousness” instead. As a result, we cannot brag about what we have done to earn salvation because we know only Jesus could make us righteous, trading our identity for His.

3) What benefit do obstacles and struggles have on our faith in everyday life?
Think of trials as training! God trains His troops, where the highest end goal is to trust Him, love Him supremely, and enjoy Him forever. When we walk in faith, God is always building us up to become more mature in Him even when it seems we are broken or our circumstances are impossible. (1 Peter 2:2-5) HE never leaves us! Psalm 138:8) Sometimes we suffer because we followed the wrong voice, doing our will instead of God’s will. Hosea 4:6 tells us we will be destroyed by insisting on our way, rejecting God’s ways and His knowledge. We cannot blame God for our wrong choices, but as we submit our lives to His hand and His ways, He will take even our erring ways and use them to teach us to trust Him, love Him, and enjoy Him. Many times, struggle happens even when we aren’t choosing sin. We may not understand the “WHY” of our trials, but we CAN trust God’s unchanging character of love towards us. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us the Lord has always been faithful to show kindness towards His people; He has always given them hope. The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 understood that no matter the trial, they could be anchored firmly in faith in God, knowing “for sure and for certain” He was in control. They confidently knew their trials were achieving for them something far greater than temporary happiness would. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) The Lord declares to His people, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways. (…) For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) Wow! Obviously, God is in control and we can trust Him! We must not throw away our confidence in Him, His promised hope is coming and it is certain! (Hebrews 10:35-38)

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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