Resting Day 1
Holy Rest

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Mark 8:34-38
Matthew 6:19-24
Deuteronomy 4:1-11  

I’m a runner.

But it took a while for me to make that self-declaration.
I somehow felt I had to ascertain a certain level of running before I could call myself a runner.
Was I fast enough to be runner? (I Googled the pace difference between “jogging” and “running” just to be sure) Was I clocking enough miles? Wearing the right shoes? Collecting enough race bibs?
When I finally did feel I’d earned the “runner” badge, there were times I felt like I’d lost it.

Stretches of 10 days where I didn’t lace up.
There was that entire month I didn’t run.
Or the four months in late pregnancy/early post-partum where I denied my identity as a runner all-together.
But, as my husband readily insists, I am a runner and I love running.
(no matter how much I hate it sometimes).
Whether I run everyday or go months without donning my favorite running gear, I am still a runner. Sometimes, I put in the work and became a better runner, and sometimes, I let life crowd out what I feel alive doing.

In a much deeper sense, we are all eternal souls.
True, it’s not an identity we think about often, but regardless, it is our most basic identity.
Here’s the deal with “souls”, we only get one of them, ever, for now and for eternity.
One.
There are no replacement deals.
And guess who’s the one responsible for its sole (pun totally intended) care and well-being?
Yep, you.
We are the only ones responsible for the upkeep of our own souls,
yet we often let life crowd out what makes us feel most alive.
We cut out rest.
We cut out taking care of our souls.
We believe the lie that taking care of us is somehow selfish, that we would be better people if we only gave ourselves away to others instead of pouring into ourselves.

I’m not saying anything crazy here like live life only for you and only do what makes you happy,
but the care and maintenance of your soul is biblical.
Jesus made space to care for His soul while on earth. Luke 5:16
He recognized that in order to be as effective as He was called to be,
He had to live a lifestyle of soul care.

Jesus was never found rushing from ministry to ministry, feeling pulled in every direction without room to breathe.
His pace was intentional.
His rhythm was careful.
His focus was unwavering.
He worshiped.
He embraced His emotions.
He rested.
And He was 100% effective and successful in what He set out to accomplish.
100%, people.

Of course, unlike Jesus who was perfect in His humanity, we aren’t,
but the standard of perfection never looked like a mad race.

Jesus took care of who He was as a soul, guarding His time, and being intentional with where He chose to minister, who He chose to do life with, and He entrusted it all to His Father.

Just because we give ourselves to God’s safekeeping for eternity, doesn’t mean we are “off the hook” in caring for ourselves.
Nor does it mean that caring for our souls now looks like endless giving to others, even if we enjoy giving ourselves away.
Even with the Holy Spirit of the Living God breathing inside of us,
we still need to be called away from loving others that we can refuel in His rest.

Here’s the thing, it’s hard.
It’s hard to live rested.
Because we are awesome at giving stellar excuses as to why we can’t rest, refuel, and re-set our pace.

When I get sidetracked with life, ignoring my identity as a runner, and my husband or kids ask me why I haven’t gone running, I give excuses.
“The kids needed me to do this.”
“I’ve had all those meetings at church lately.”
“The kitchen is so messy.”
“I haven’t made dinner.”
“The laundry is out of control.”
No matter what your excuses look like, they are as abundant as you want them to be.

Here’s the undeniable:
I live out the gospel better when I care for my own soul.
I’m more effective.
I’m more loving.
I’m More Like Jesus when I rest and invest in who God has created me to be.

This whole idea for resting?
It began in the Garden of Eden.
With God, the Creator.

And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested… and made it holy,
because on it God rested from all his work. (Genesis 2:2-3, emphasis mine)

Wait. Why exactly did God make the 7th day holy?
Yes, because He rested.

Holiness and resting….how often do you put those two together?
Resting Was Holy.

What areas might God be calling you away from that you might experience the deep, freshness of His rest in your everyday?
Jesus is waiting there.
He’s waiting in that rest to make you more holy, Beloved Daughter.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Resting Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Resting!

The GT Weekend – Repurposed Week Three

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The GT Weekend

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

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) Amidst the heaviness of life, in the aches and pains, and darkness, when the feelings have run out, and you feel alone, it’s so easy to forget that not only have we been called to much, but we also have been equipped for much. Where do you feel your “nets” straining under the weight of life, of ministry, of relationships? Take these areas to the Lord remembering that His sustaining love will never abandon you!

2) Loving others the way Christ loves us isn’t always easy, and often it’s a pretty messy experience. And we don’t like messy! Consider the past couple of weeks and ask the Spirit to help you identify some moments where loving has been a challenge. Ask Him to reset your heart, to keep you in step with His Spirit as you move forward with a longing to love the people He puts in your path.

3) In what ways is your life reflecting your faith? Would you consider yourself “all in” for following Jesus in your everyday? In what ways have you seen Jesus making you new, stretching you to put action to your faith? What area would you like to grow deeper in?

Worship In Song

Music Video: We Are The Body by Casting Crowns

Pour Out Your Heart

Help me to see people, Jesus, to see them the way You do. Burden my heart for the lost, for the broken, for the empty. Remind me to put down my own “stuff” long enough to make eye contact with those around me. Teach my hands to love. Teach my tongue to love. Teach my body language to reflect respect and gentleness instead of an insistence on my own way. Guide my heart to surrender fully to You that the world around me might be different as You move and breath in me. I praise You for Your love, Your new mercies, and the freedom that comes from living life inside of Your life! Thank You for being my precious Savior and never abandoning me!

Pray With Us!

In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
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Journey With Us

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Repurposed Day 15
Faith In Action

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Read His Words Before Ours!

James 1:22-27
James 2:14-20
Jeremiah 31:31-34 

Are you ready for some encouragement to live more effectively for Jesus? The book of James has been a great resource to me, bringing so much delight in the Scriptures.

We have been remade after His heart, repurposed for His kingdom,
what are we waiting for?!

If you’re anything like me, you wish you read the Bible more, studied it better, and more often. Not to mention, had someone really break it down for you, point out the highlights, and give you something to ponder on as you go through your day.

Take it from me, I’m not a Bible scholar, and even just a couple of years ago would have told you that I had no idea how to study or read the Bible with understanding. But, with practice, intentional study, and Christian community around me, the Bible has come alive! Be encouraged that Bible study is for every Jesus follower!

James was a leader in the Jerusalem church, and the half-brother of Jesus Christ (since Jesus didn’t have an earthly biological father). His book outlines the importance of faith through genuine fellowship in community and daily living to “see beyond ourselves” as we interact with the world around us.  Good works aren’t the reason one gets into Heaven, but walking in faith, living by the Word of God, doing good for others and God, as well as engaging in a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, prove the authenticity of saving faith.

It’s faith in action!

Studying James helps us discover how we can equip our hearts for action as we engage in real life circumstances like hardship, temptation, guilt, conflict, gossip, fear, pain, conviction, and so much more.

James’s letter makes living the Christian life super practical. We all walk through tough stuff in life, but James teaches that the purpose of a test or trial is to point us to God. It’s in fire that our character is built and, if we allow Him, He will train our hearts to lean into His sufficiency.
The testing of our faith produces
perseverance, maturity, wisdom and strength. James 1:3-4

Little else reveals our heart as clearly as the temptation to compare ourselves to others, especially as women. Whether it’s comparing our appearances, our possessions, or our spiritual gifts, pride has no place in the life of a Christ-follower. Rather, James calls us to take pride in our position as believers in Christ.

“Believers in humble circumstances
ought to take pride in their high position.” James 1:9-10

Sisters, nothing gets us in trouble faster than the tongue! James says it is set ablaze from the fires of hell! As James talks about this little muscle that does so much damage, he identifies the meaning of words and the way we use them.
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father,
and with it we curse human beings,
who have been made in God’s likeness” James 3:9
We are called to tame our tongues, using words to praise our Lord, be kind and spread God’s love and faithfulness because of the great gift of love Christ has unleashed in our hearts! By submitting to the Lord and resisting the devil, we can have victory in taming the tongue!

The theme of James is faith, yet faith and good deeds are both significant.
“As the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:26
Dead. Flat-lined.
A new creation cannot be called “alive” if their “life” is proving nothing but death.
Christianity is characterized by both faith and good works.
According to James, genuine faith in Jesus and fellowship in community allows us to perform good deeds for others and God.

It’s faith in action!

That life-transforming faith shows up again when James talks about patience in suffering and faith-fueled prayer, which brings blessings from the Lord who is compassionate and merciful.  Through faith and prayer, God will bring healing!  Through suffering, God will not leave us, but provide us with the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
That’s real confidence for life!

God’s Word is powerful, living, and active!
Take just 60 seconds and let the Spirit encourage you through His Words!

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
Everyone should be slow to speak and slow to anger,
because human anger does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20

“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,
the one who is able to save and destroy.
But you – who are you to judge your neighbor?” James 4:12

“My brothers and sisters,
believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ
must not show favoritism.” James 2:1

“Don’t grumble against one another,
brothers and sisters, or you will be judged.” James 5:9

“Therefore confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

While it is easy to get wrapped up in the busy world, God-honoring deeds become a lifestyle, rather than a to do-list when fueled by faith.
Allow your faith to be active and sincere, not useless!

Do actions save us?
Does plugging in and using our gifts
to further God’s kingdom score us spiritual points?
Not in the slightest!
But, lean in ladies, if our lives aren’t diligently chasing after Christ and the proof isn’t seen in the life choices we are making, then we should carefully consider whether our faith is sincere!

Faith in action.
Jump in!
Don’t miss out on the Repurposed life in Jesus!

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Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Repurposed Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Repurposed!

Repurposed Day 14
Longing To Love: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out Longing To Love!

James 1:22-25 English Standard Version (ESV)

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

The Questions

1) What does James mean by a doer? A hearer?

2) What does it mean that someone who is only a hearer deceives himself?

3) What does “he will be blessed in his doing” mean?

The Findings for Intention

1) What does James mean by a doer? A hearer?
A study of the Greek words used here reveals nothing new–a “doer” is someone who does things, and a hearer is someone who hears. What James means is that a doer puts the things he learns into practice—he learns about mercy and he goes out and shows mercy. A hearer may understand what is being taught, and may even agree with it, but it doesn’t change the way he lives his life.

2) What does it mean that someone who is only a hearer deceives himself?
Using the metaphor of a mirror, James point out how foolish a person is to believe that they look good when in fact they don’t. It’s one thing to think you look fine if you have never seen your reflection, but if you truly know that you look bad and you do nothing about it, you are deceiving yourself. If a person is not living out the teachings of the Word of God, they may believe that they are pleasing God, when they are not. The kind of faith that saves is the kind of faith that is not satisfied with an unchanged life!

3) What does “he will be blessed in his doing” mean?
The word translated “blessed” here means blessed or happy. It is not referring to material blessing, as if doing good works automatically leads to prosperity. But James is saying that because hearing, believing, and studying the word of God leads to outward action, you will find happiness and blessing in carrying out those deeds.

The Everyday Application

1) What does James mean by a doer? A hearer?
Are you a hearer or a doer? Do you get more excited about the knowledge you gain by studying Scripture, or about the life change that knowledge brings about? Most of us are likely both. Consider the last time you heard something, but didn’t action it, as well as a recent time when you both heard and embraced change as a result.

2) What does it mean that someone who is only a hearer deceives himself?
If I checked my reflection in a mirror and saw that I had food in my teeth, but I decided not to remove it and to just forget it was there, I would look like a fool to everyone I met that day. If I look in the Scriptures and see my sin, but I decide not to deal with it, I am just as much a fool. Lord, help me to see my sins as the ugly stains that they are, and help me to take action. Help me to see the good I ought to do and to do it.

3) What does “he will be blessed in his doing” mean?
The whole world is looking for ways to find happiness, and here James tells us that by obeying the Scriptures and living out the word of God, we will be blessed! Those who are hearers not only deceive themselves, but they are also missing out on the blessings that come from being doers. Women, don’t miss out on something that God has clearly described how we can attain it! Look intently into the law of liberty, and persevere in action!

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I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

The Community!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into
Repurposed Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? 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 :-))

The Why!

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.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Repurposed!

Repurposed Day 13
Longing To Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

James 1:22-25
John 21:1-19
Isaiah 40:11 

“I long to love”

The words literally took my breath away and I paused, as the rest of the world continued to spin around me. It was a FB post written by a good friend of mine, a friend I’ve walked through some tough stuff with, a friend who encourages me to reach more deeply as a Christ-follower.

Something hit deep in my heart as I read those words. I was instantly convicted.
What do I long for?

Yes, I love my precious Savior. He is life to me. He is depth. He holds all and is all.
But a longing to love?

I talk a lot about love. How it’s the center key to every aspect of life. Parenting, ministry, friendship, relationships, marriage, they’re all meaningless without love. But to “long to love”, that’s different. There’s depth there. A literal ache.

What do I long for?

Oh Lord, loving is HARD!! To be with someone in the middle of their messy stuff is HARD! To step outside of me, to lay down my own “to-do’s”, to cast off my “but I’m doing this now”, is excruciating.

Sometimes, it’s like teaching a new Kindergartner to read.
Here’s the letter “B”….it says, “b”.
Tie it together to A.
Bbbb…aaaaa..
B-A…. now tie it to T.
T says “tttt”.
Bbbb…aaaaaa…..tttttt.
Baaattt.
Bat.
Okay, and perspiring! You go to recess, honey, I’m going to pull my ever-lovin-hair out!
“I long to love.”

A lady sits in front of me telling me all the details of her broken marriage.
I hurt for her. I know marriage can be so hard.
But listening again, and again.
It’s so heavy, Lord. It’s so hard! I have my own problems, my own stuff to get to after this meeting.
“I long to love.”

The sun was rising, splashing it’s yellow and pink rays across the rippling water. The fresh morning air was bursting with the promise of a new day. Along the beach, a gentle tease of campfire smoke rose upward, and along with it, the tantalizing scent of fresh, roasted fish. Breakfast waited after a long night of unsuccessful fishing on the Sea of Galilee that had changed in an instant when Jesus told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat.
“Come and have breakfast!”, Christ called out to his friends, eyes twinkling with the familiarity of shared brotherhood. “And bring your catch.”

“It’s the Lord!” They shouted to one another excitedly. And so they came, running across the sand to their best friend, dragging their nets full of fish behind them. After excited hellos and adrenaline pumped exchanges at the sudden big catch, noting that their nets didn’t break despite the large number of fish, Jesus turned quietly to Peter and asked, “Simon Peter, do you love me more than these?” His dark eyes looked deep into Peter’s wide ones, prompting more than a casual answer. Peter, shifting his breakfast in his hands, replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”
“Feed my lambs”, came Jesus’s quick response.

The awkward silence seemed to stifle Peter, so he grabbed another mouthful of steaming fish, but, Jesus reached across to Him, forcing Peter’s gaze to look into His own, “Simon Peter, do you love me?”

Peter, filling quickly with sad regret as he remembered denying even knowing Jesus, stated again, stronger this time,
“Yes, Lord, you know I love you!”
“Tend my sheep”, Christ’s eyes begged Peter to understand.

The silence deepened even as the waves lapped and the fire sparked. The morning rays of sunshine had nothing to do with the sweat quickly forming on the back of Peter’s neck. Jesus’s words pierced the quiet one more time, drawing each word slowly out.
Breakfast long forgotten, tears pricking at the corners of Jesus’s eyes as he looked at Peter, knowing exactly how much Peter did indeed love Him, despite his thrice denial at crucifixion. Jesus was leaving soon, but the work of the church was a huge task, He needed Peter to be all in.
He needed Peter to see that loving Jesus meant loving the church. Loving people.
More than needing to know the answer Himself, Jesus wanted Peter to know what loving Jesus meant.
He wanted Peter to “get it.”
Loving Jesus meant loving others. All in. A longing to love.

And so the question came a 3rd time, just as Peter had denied him 3 times,
“Simon Peter, do you love me?”
Each word dramatically hanging in the air, begging the deepest answer Peter could give.

And the frustrated, big on emotion, Simon Peter, tossed his fish in the sand, turned towards Jesus, and with all that he had, gripped the Lord’s shoulders with his rough fisherman hands, tears rolling down his dirt-ridden cheeks, Peter implored,
“Lord, you know everything! You know that I love you!”
Once more, with a look so tender, yet so empowering, and a voice filled with promise and hope and restorative purpose, Jesus spoke over Peter, “Feed. My. Sheep.”

“I long to love.”

I see myself there, at that fire crackling, morning breakfast filled with intimate questioning and empowerment and I hear Jesus asking,
“Do you love me more than these?”
More than your agenda.
More than your expectations.
More than your wants.
More than your loves.
More than your life.
Do you long to love with everything you have? Everything I’ve given you?

And my soul cries out as I adjust my gaze back on Christ,
“Lord, You know I love you!”
And then His sweet reply,
“Feed my sheep. Love them for me.”

You have been gifted.
Called to much.
How deeply will you love with what you’ve been given?

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed
into Repurposed Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Repurposed!

Repurposed Day 12
Called and Carried: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out Called and Carried!

John 21:1-14 English Standard Version (ESV)

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

The Questions

1) What is the context of this passage? What events led up to this story?

2) What is the significance of Peter going fishing?

3) What was it that made John recognize Jesus?

4) What parallels to previous gospel stories do you see? What is their significance?

The Findings for Intention

1) What is the context of this passage? What events led up to this story?
This is the last chapter in the Gospel of John. The disciples mentioned in verse 2 had all spent three years with Jesus learning from Him, and had just witnessed His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus had already appeared to them twice since His resurrection, so they knew He was alive.

2) What is the significance of Peter going fishing?
Peter was a fisherman before Jesus called him to be a disciple. He spent three years walking with his Rabbi, and then in one crazy week, that Rabbi was arrested, crucified, and resurrected. Peter likely didn’t know what he was supposed to do next, so he went back to what he knew—fishing—while he waited to hear from his Lord.

3) What was it that made John recognize Jesus?
Jesus told the disciples to cast the net out on the right side of the boat, even though they had been fishing all night with no success. When they followed His instructions, they caught a miraculous amount of fish. Back in Luke 5, Jesus used a miraculous catch to call Peter, James, and John as his disciples in the beginning of his ministry. Now this parallel miracle caused John (the disciple whom Jesus loved) to recognize Jesus.

4) What parallels to previous gospel stories do you see? What is their significance?
We already noticed the parallel of the miraculous catch of fish. When Peter jumped out of the boat to swim to shore to meet Jesus, it was a parallel to the time that Peter left the boat to walk on water to meet Jesus. The meal of fish and bread that Jesus shared with the disciples would have reminded them of the way He multiplied a young boy’s bread and fish to feed 5,000 people. All of these things would have brought to the disciples’ minds the ways that Jesus had worked during the course of His ministry and strengthened their understanding of who He was.

The Everyday Application

1) What is the context of this passage? What events led up to this story?
The context of this passage is that Jesus had recently been raised from the dead. The disciples’ Lord was alive! Christian, do you reflect on that? Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised to life, defeating death and making a way for you to be right with God. Praise Him!

2) What is the significance of Peter going fishing?
Sometimes, we find ourselves in a period of transition or waiting, where we are unsure of what to do next. Perhaps you feel called to missions, but God has made it clear that it’s not the right timing. Or perhaps you have finished college, but you still don’t know which job to pursue. In a similar situation, Peter chose to go fishing. He didn’t know what Christ had for him to do next, but he knew how to fish. What might Christ be calling you to do in a season of waiting? How can you glorify God in this time of transition?

3) What was it that made John recognize Jesus?
John remembered how Jesus had shown Himself in previous experiences, and it helped him recognize the resurrected Christ. In a similar way, knowing how God has acted previously, both in the Bible, as well as in your own experience, can help you recognize when He is at work in your current situations. Do you know Christ well enough to recognize when He shows up? If not, resolve to study Him more!

4) What parallels to previous gospel stories do you see? What is their significance?
God doesn’t do anything by coincidence. When Jesus called His disciples with a miraculous catch of fish, God knew that a similar catch would help them recognize Jesus later. When biblical stories parallel each other, it is not by accident. God has been orchestrating everything since the beginning of time to tell one, big story about the redemption of His people through Jesus Christ. Praise God for His sovereignty and his Providence!

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I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

The Community!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into
Repurposed Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? 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 :-))

The Why!

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.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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Repurposed Day 11
Called and Carried

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 21:1-14
Romans 12:1-2
Colossians 3:23-24  

“I am here to work hard for His Kingdom,” she said, as sunbeams seeped through the porch roof and onto her face.

I stopped and let her simple, yet powerful, words resonate in my soul. I looked around at my surroundings, the simple church with the tin roof sat in the distance, and mountains surrounded the little house we were staying in. I could hear the cooks speaking in their mother tongue through the screen door and the smell of the cooking cabbage wafted out towards us.

“I am here to work hard for His Kingdom.”

I thought of the many times that I haven’t worked hard for his Kingdom, times I only gave 50% and only tried enough to make me look good. Here was a woman, just recently married, who had given up everything in the United States to move to Kenya with her husband. They came with one broad goal: to teach Africans about Jesus. And they committed to doing so, even when it was incredibly hard. I watched her fight through sickness and exhaustion to bring the Good News to anyone she could.

She and her husband had been given the gift of teaching, so they taught. One day, we loaded up in an old Range Rover to venture on a journey that was over an hour away. We drove up a steep mountain, through some rough terrain, and picked up a few women who were carrying water to their homes before stopping at a hut to let me out to meet a family that I was told to visit with and pray for. She and her husband continued on the road to a little church where over 30 women were waiting for them. When my visit ended, two hours later, I was taken to the church, where I watched her teach these women about Jesus. The women listened intently, several shushing and rocking babies as they learned. She spoke first, then the translator would speak, and this lasted for over four hours.

Yet, she didn’t stop.

I truly believe that if this woman’s feet started bleeding while she spoke, she would continue to speak and share Jesus’ love. She would work hard for His Kingdom, even when it was incredibly difficult.

I would venture to say that standing in front of those thirty women for over six hours, wasn’t necessarily fun. Her voice was probably tired by the time she got done speaking, and her legs were probably sore from hours of standing and pacing the stage.

But the Lord had given her the gift of teaching. And so she taught. Even when it wasn’t fun. Even when it was incredibly difficult.

I don’t remember if there were any women who came to know the Lord when she was done. But I am sure that there have been times that she hasn’t gotten to see immediate results from her hard work. But she has always persisted. Even when she could’ve been discouraged.

Jesus called her to it. And He will carry her through it.

In John 21:11, we read about Jesus providing fish for his disciples after they spent the entire night trying to catch fish.

Imagine this: You are exhausted. You just stayed up the entire night casting out a net and pulling it back in, just trying to catch some fish. Your arms ache from the constant motion of throwing and pulling the net through the water. Your eyes are starting to feel a bit sandy and dry while they fight the soreness that comes with being open for too long. The sun begins to rise in the distance, and you can see the steam coming off the lake, while the sun reflects onto the waters. The sight is beautiful and seems to give you just enough energy to start heading towards shore. When, suddenly, you see a man in the distance waving his arms and yelling, “Did you catch anything?” A slight frustration sets in, as you look around at your very empty boat, and your stomach rumbles a reply before you can. You muster up enough energy to yell back, “No!” He waves and yells back, “Throw the nets on the right side of the boat! You’ll find some!” You look at your friends, with a slight look of exasperation, but figure that you might as well try. With a heave and a ho, you toss the net to the right of the boat and begin to pull it back in, simply to prove to this man that his idea is pretty worthless. But to your surprise, the net doesn’t just pull back in! It is heavy with fish! You and all of your friends run to the edge of the boat and begin bringing in the net full of fish, pulling with all of your might. The exhaustion is gone and adrenaline has set in. It is in that very moment you realize… that man on the shore… that’s Jesus!

Sometimes we don’t work hard for His Kingdom. Sometimes, we only give 50%. We know we are called to do something, and we begin trying hard, but we get tired and weary. Our eyes begin to feel a little dry and we start to lose focus. But I am here to tell you… if Jesus calls you to something, He will give you the strength to pull you through! Jesus called His disciples to cast their nets onto the other side. And when they did, He gave them and their nets the strength to pull all the way through.

Working hard for His Kingdom by living out the gifts He has given us, isn’t always going to be easy or fun. Sometimes, we aren’t even going to feel passionate about it. But we are called to work hard for Him… no matter how we feel, no matter the results we are or are not seeing, no matter the discouragement. If we do that, He WILL give us the strength to pull through and complete the task he has given us.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed
into Repurposed Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below
– we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Repurposed!

The GT Weekend – Repurposed Week Two

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The GT Weekend

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

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) Comparison can be our worst enemy. You are enough. The Father has made you in His likeness. You are needed for the body of Christ. Rest in this truth today.

2) Have you experienced real community? What’s your favorite part? Most difficult part? If you haven’t joined in community yet, what is holding you back? Step out in faith and be ready to experience His love on a whole new level!

3) We all struggle with being transparent. Speaking our greatest weaknesses can be terrifying. Think for a moment on your biggest weakness. Name it. Embrace it. It gives you a place for the Father to come in and stretch you. Pray about who to share it with; we’d love to hear about it and be praying for you at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Worship In Song

Music Video: More Than You Can Imagine by Jason Ellsworth Band

Pour Out Your Heart

Lord, I praise Your holy name. You are perfect in all Your ways. Forgive me Lord for questioning You in Your design. I worry about being good enough in one area and then hide it from You and those around me. I choose to show my best side and to make myself look stronger. That steals all the glory from You. Accept my body as a living sacrifice, I ask it be pleasing to You!

Let me rest in knowing You have a perfect plan and use for my life. Keep revealing what that is and how I can use my giftings to further Your kingdom and make Your name great!

Pray With Us!

In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
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Journey With Us

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Repurposed Day 10
Effective Surrender

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Samuel 10:17-24
1 Samuel 15
1 Samuel 9:21
2 Peter 1:1-11
 
At Gracefully Truthful, we value authentic transparency and believe it’s the lifeblood of living in community with each other as we follow closely after Jesus. So, here’s my authentic transparency: I struggle with arrogance.

Not the, “I’m so much better than you” mentality.
Nor the, “my way clearly is the best; there’s only room for one”.
(okay, I struggle with that side too…)

But, honestly, my arrogance struggle is much more insidious.
I don’t feel like I’m good enough.

Arrogance? You ask.
Yes.
While I’m sitting around obsessing about how I’m not enough, don’t bring enough to the table, aren’t effective and useful….I’m only thinking about myself.

Don’t believe me?
Check out this guy:

The soon-to-be-king missed his own inauguration, hiding in the baggage.
You can almost hear the voices in his head, “I’m not enough to be king. I can’t do this job. I’m not smart enough, talented enough, good looking enough…..other people would be so much better at this”
and so he hid.
in the baggage.
trying desperately to mask his insecurity.

But God could see his heart.
And it was arrogant.

Saul’s insecurity, his unwillingness to find identity in his God instead of focusing on his own inabilities, was his fatal flaw. This arrogance that said God was not big enough to use him, was his Achilles heel, haunting him his whole life and effectively ending his reign in ruined shambles. Saul’s insecurities, his shame, his fear, they flooded his heart, overtook his life, and eventually left him drowning in pride, direct rebellion, and ugly justification for sin.

Enter guy number 2:

This would be king, unlike Saul, really didn’t have much going for him. He was very young, had a long line of eligible brothers in front of him, and had always been the bottom of the barrel growing up. If anyone had emotional baggage, David could come up with some pretty good stuff to hide behind.

But he didn’t let that happen.

Instead of arrogance, David chose surrender.
He surrendered to how he was made and took confidence in it.
Rather than smolder around, faking piety, he leaned into exactly who he was. Proudly, yet without swagger or arrogance, David knew exactly what his abilities were, what his strengths were, and he wasn’t afraid to appropriately talk about them.

But David said to Saul,
“Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

One king was weak, faking humility by focusing on how he was not enough, and ended up utterly destroyed.
 One king was strong enough in mind, body, and heart to surrender himself entirely to the Lord and left a legacy of being a “man after God’s own heart.”

There’s a secret to success here.
And it has nothing to do with our abilities, our looks, our bank account, our health, the people we know, or anything else we may feel is either “enough” or “not enough”.
It entirely hinges upon faith.

Surrendering to Christ and His sufficiency is the most effective way to live this Jesus-life. Surrender.
In the middle of our everyday weakness.
In the middle of our insecurities,
the middle of our fear,
our shame
our hopelessness,
and a million “not enoughs”.

“Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
and virtue with knowledge, 
and knowledge with self-control,
and self-control with steadfastness,
and steadfastness with godliness, 
and godliness with brotherly affection,
and brotherly affection with love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful ….
for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.”

 Surrender to faith in Jesus.
Pursue Him.
He will build into you His Own Effectiveness for the kingdom!

But, go ahead, listen to those voices in your head.
Hide behind that baggage.
Succumb to the lies and choose to not engage your gifts the Father gave you.
Destruction awaits, my friends.
Pride will paint the walls of your heart any color you want them,
but in the end, it still leaves you destroyed.

Choose to live life effectively within the Body of Christ.
Stop saying no to work in the Kingdom!
Jump in to all you’ve been called to.
Let your confidence rest in Christ.
“for if you practice these qualities you will never fall!”

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Repurposed Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Repurposed!