Creation

Alive Day 11 For The Good

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:28-30
Psalm 138:1-8
Genesis 50:16-21

Alive, Day 11

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 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. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30)

What is your definition of good?

I asked myself this question and, after consideration, felt I had a pretty solid answer.

Then the Lord brought several scenarios to my mind, asking me if they fit my definition of good.

And my definition began to shift, based on the circumstances of those situations. What I originally categorized as good suddenly lost some of its positive qualities as more details emerged. Conversely, some terrible scenarios began to show silver linings as the bigger picture appeared.

For example, periodically a post about the morning of 9/11 pops up on my social media feed. The astounding post tells the story of why some employees in the World Trade Center weren’t at work the day the towers fell. There were many good reasons: dropping a kiddo off at daycare or picking up donuts for coworkers. Yet, some were reasons we wouldn’t normally categorize as good like the frustration of breaking a shoelace and hunting for a new one, oversleeping the alarm, a flat tire, a car accident, or even sickness.

What seemed like an inconvenience at 7:30 am might be viewed, quite literally, as a lifesaving good by 5 pm on that horrendous day.

While I have never experienced such an extreme example, I am aware that in many situations, my definition of good for me changes vastly with time and perspective.

I would not be married to my husband, had I given up when the wait definitely did not feel good. I probably would have missed several of my life experiences and oh, the lessons they have taught me. I would be much more self-centered (and I’ve still got a long way to go). I would have avoided the very pain in one season that enabled the life-giving growth in another. 

I can’t trust my definition of good, and I’m guessing I’m not the only one. I know for sure there are others throughout history whose lives panned out differently than expected; in fact, the Bible is filled with such people.

Joseph is a prime example. His story started out “good” as the deeply loved child and prophetic dreamer in a large family. While these may seem great, were they actually helping Joseph grow and mature?

His story shifted, and few would describe the next several years of Joseph’s life as good as he was sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused of sexual assault, spent years in jail, and finally served as second in command for a country whose religious structure directly  conflicted with his own. (Genesis 39, 40, 41)

When we look back on Joseph’s life after reading his full story in Genesis, the beauty of his family’s final reconciliation brings purpose and redemption to all of the preceding hard. Genesis 50:20 encapsulates his story perfectly:

“You planned evil against me; God planned it for good, to bring about the present result–the survival of many people.”

I’ve heard that verse described as the Romans 8:28-29 of the Old Testament. At the very minimum, Joseph’s life is an Old Testament example of the Lord bringing about good according to His purposes.

Can you imagine the conversations Joseph had with the Lord throughout the years? He may have carried bitterness and deep emotional wounds from his suffering. These specific details are not captured directly in Scripture, but we are shown Joseph’s perseverance and commitment to excellence. He continued to hope, both for the future and in the Lord’s consistent character as faithful, good, and sovereign.

The same is true in our lives. Romans 8:28-30 is not permission to only expect our best imagined life on this earth. It’s not wrong to want happiness, but we must embrace the realities of this broken world and our finite understanding of good.
But let’s also fall into the arms of the One who calls us by name (Isaiah 43:1-4). 

He has plans and purposes for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11-14), a promise given to the Israelites while entering exile.
He is capable and sufficient to walk through hard seasons with us (Psalm 23:1-6).
He is the Alpha and the Omega and knows the beginning from the end (Revelation 21:6-7).

The Lord will always bring about good from our experiences. It may not be the good we are expecting, but it is a good that grows us, changes us, humbles and delights us.

His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), and His timing may span decades, not simply hours or days. His long game is to help us become more like Christ–our ultimate good–and He has the patience to fine tune that process, individually, and intricately. Often, this includes using His definition of good rather than our own.

So today, dear sister, may we surrender our circumstances into His tender hand and allow Him to bring about His good in the midst of them.

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

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The GT Weekend! ~ Alive Week 2

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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!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Legacy. Inheritance. Privileges. Generation. What things stir in your heart as you read those words? Perhaps your upbringing was difficult, and painful memories push their way in before you back away as you’ve long practiced. Maybe, when you consider the legacy your parents left you, whether financially, relationally, or spiritually, you’re left holding brokenness and emptiness instead of fullness. For others, you enjoyed a rich closeness with your parents, imperfect though they were, and you see your life, and the lives of those around you, benefiting in extremely positive ways because of the investment of the generation before you. When it comes to “sonship” in the Bible, it’s imperative we understand the all-inclusive nature of its original intention in the first-audience culture. In a patriarchal society, sons inherited everything. There was nothing left for a beloved slave, or a second-cousin, unless the son was deceased. Regardless of your own upbringing, what are your gut reactions as you consider the rights and privileges of being called a “son” of God (even though we are women J). What worries can you release? What relationships or situations can you stop trying to control? What truths need to settle into your heart? If you’ve surrendered to Christ, everything is yours, the most important being God Himself!

2) When God created the world, He declared everything very good. But today, each one of us is keenly aware this world is full of hardships and struggles that are decidedly not good. The brokenness that entered the world through the sinful rebellion of the first man and woman touches each of us. From our very first breath, we have all been subject to pain and brokenness. For our whole lives, we long for something more. Here lies our great hope: that one day we will be face-to-face with the God who makes all things new. He will make us new, and He will make the whole world new and unbroken. All creation groans, waiting for this glorious day. It’s easy to focus on our own groaning, especially in difficult seasons. Today, consider how your neighbor may be experiencing brokenness and how you can extend hope’s love to them. Maybe a friend is struggling with infertility, and you can send her a card or flowers. Maybe your family member is sick or struggling financially. Is there something tangible you can do to alleviate their suffering, if only for a moment? Pray for the Spirit’s guidance as you reach out, and meditate on the hope that is yours in Christ Jesus.

3) Like putting money away in savings, a future inheritance we might receive from a parent isn’t something we think about every day. We know the money is there, but we don’t draw on it, plan for it, or give it much consideration from day to day, let alone year to year. But God intends something much different for the coming inheritance meant for all who trust in Him. The more we think about our perfect future where we will dwell with God and other believers in exquisite harmony, the more urgently we desire to live well today and tell others of this beautiful hope we have. In fact, our coming rich inheritance causes us to become even more disenchanted with the temporary things of this world and the lusts of sin. There’s no sweeter way to set our eyes on the inheritance that is coming than to read the testimonies of believers who have gone before us. Their example of love for Christ above all else, encourages us to stay focused on this coming hope in the middle of our everyday lives. Take time today to read Hebrews 11. Once silently. Once aloud. Then, on the 3rd time through, pick a few names and put yourself in their shoes. Consider what it would have been like for them to put on the “glasses” of eternal, certain hope in spite of their circumstance. How might you do the same?!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 42:1-4 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so I long for you, God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while all day long people say to me,
“Where is your God?”
I remember this as I pour out my heart:
how I walked with many,
leading the festive procession to the house of God,
with joyful and thankful shouts.

Prayer Journal
Father God, defender of the helpless, father to the fatherless, You make all things new! You, oh Lord, have prepared an inheritance for us far greater than both the good and the painful things we experience in this life. We rejoice, knowing You have a plan to redeem and renew all things in Your time. Thank you for your grace. You have welcomed in those who are poor and underserving, adopting all who call on You as full sons into Your holy family. May we never forget, or take for granted, this vast and unsearchable gift! Forgive us when we grow short-sighted, caught up in our daily cares, and forgetting Your great goodness. Forgive us when we sin against our neighbor and against You. Help us persevere in times of trouble and prosperity, living for the coming kingdom rather than for our own fleshly longings and desires. Sustain us in Your faithfulness. You, oh Lord, are our only hope and joy!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Music

Alive Day 8 The Groaning

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:18-23
Romans 8:15-17
2 Corinthians 5:16-19
Genesis 3

Alive, Day 8

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly awaits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility–not willingly, but because of him who subjected it–in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we who have the Spirit as the firstfruits–we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:18-23)

As we have been journeying together through Romans 8, we recently read “Adopted” covering verses 15-17, which told us of our adoption as children of God and our inheritance as co-heirs with Christ, both in suffering and glory. In turning our focus to verses 18-23, we unpack what is meant by “sufferings.”

Today’s passage speaks to our innermost groanings experienced on a daily basis as we journey through life in a fallen world. Not only do we groan, but the whole of creation groans right along with us, not one aspect of creation remains unaffected by the fall. All of creation groans for a better life and a more eternal inheritance, because our world was never meant to be broken this way.

This world, according to verse 20, has been “subjected to futility.” The Greek word for futility is “mataiotēs,” and literally means “what is devoid of truth and appropriateness, perverseness, depravity, frailty, want of vigour.” Reverend Matthew Henry, a great author of Bible commentaries, further explained, “There is a present vanity to which the creature, by reason of the sin of man, is made subject. When man sinned, the ground was cursed for man’s sake, and with it all the creatures (especially of this lower world, where our acquaintance lies) became subject to that curse, became mutable and mortal, under the bondage of corruption.”

Never before has the reality of this groaning seemed as clear and tangible for me personally. As I write, I am a mere three weeks into my husband’s first deployment, a separation I know is a direct result of the fall. Were it not for sin, disease, and trial in this life, military deployments would be unnecessary and my kids and I would not be separated from our favorite person for the next several months. We are only three weeks in, but we’ve already experienced our own fair share of groaning.

Because of the fall and our disobedience, we experience a brokenness all around us in this life, a suffering which often feels too much to bear. In those moments, it’s vital to understand such misery is not doled out at the whim of a cruel God, but is the direct result of our sin.
Our sin is a slap in the face of God’s righteousness and His loving care towards us, His creation.
Our sin is not a mere mistake, accident, or “no big deal” we can just explain away.
Rather, it is something we must own, for it keeps us impossibly far from God – were it not for Christ.

The good news in the midst of this hard, sad reality is that Christ has secured for us a sonship, an adoption into the family of God which provides us with a rich inheritance. Just as we have been made alive in the Spirit, so, too, do our bodies anticipate the coming inheritance of life on a new earth.

The most blessed and encouraging part of this inheritance?
It is so rich and grand that it renders the sufferings of the here-and-now
as nothing in comparison!
(Romans 8:23)

Which is saying a lot, considering just how painful our sufferings can be! Yet truly, our suffering is a mere blip on the backdrop of the whole of eternity, a painful blip, yes, but nothing compared to the unimaginable joy that will be ours! (Romans 8:18)

As long as these days of deployment feel, they are nothing compared to the unending years of eternity.

As challenging as solo parenting is for me in this season, it is nothing compared to the unending joy and peace I will enjoy for eternity.

As alone as I sometimes feel right now, it is nothing compared to the unending fellowship I will have with the God of the universe and all His people for eternity.

It is true that life in this fallen world is hard.
But it is also true that hardship doesn’t get the last word.
In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul reveals how God sets about making all things new in our hearts when we come to Him in salvation. And this restorative aspect of God’s character? It will see its final and ultimate manifestation on that glorious day when the world-breaking curse is itself broken. (Revelation 21:1-5)

So, take heart, dear friend, in the midst of whatever hardship these words find you.
We’ll be home – for all eternity! – before we know it if we lay claim to the gift of Life that Jesus holds out to each of us right now!

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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 Alive Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Fruitful Week 2

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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!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) The fruit of the Spirit is not “good works” that people force themselves to accomplish, rather they are evidences of the Spirit’s work in the lives of His people, empowering them for the good works He has called them to do. Often, we desire the feeling of patience rather than the action of patience. We want to feel patient before we act patient. Like with many disciplines, we can still choose to live out patience even if we don’t feel it. I have heard people joke that you shouldn’t pray for patience, because then God will send you opportunities and circumstances to practice patience. In what areas of your life do you most need the Spirit’s help in practicing the action of patience? What person (or group of people) draws out your impatient attitudes and behaviors? Is there a circumstance you can think of recently where you acted on your impatience and damaged (no matter how slight) your relationship with another person? Consider moving toward that person in repentance. What impact would it have on your relationship if you sincerely apologized and took steps to grow in active patience? Ask God to empower you by the Holy Spirit to walk in obedience, even when you don’t feel patient.

2) The very first time God declared something “not good” in creation was when Adam was alone. God created humanity to live in community with one another. As we experience the life-changing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, it is natural for us to share this life change with our biblical community. Consider a time when you felt loved and cared for by the kindness of others. How did that moment affect you? When we show kindness to others, we reflect the very nature of our great God. Stop right now and ask God to give you an opportunity to show His kindness to another person. Be still for a moment and wait for God to bring someone to your mind. Be open to Him leading you in an unexpected way. He may bring someone to mind who is not in your regular friend group, someone who may need extra kindness in their life. Take a step toward showing them kindness. (There were a number of examples in Wednesday’s Journey Study if you need ideas!) Be creative and generous, lavishing them with kindness to the glory of God, our Father.

3) “God is good!” “All the time!” This is a common call and response transcending the centuries of Church history because of its simple, but powerful truth. However, it’s one thing to say the words, and quite another to carry them into every situation. We often become caught up when we don’t feel like a truly “good” God could allow excruciating circumstances. Where is the goodness of God when death steals our loved ones? When disease eats away at our bodies? When poor choices and rebellion bring distance in relationship? Can God actually still be good and be an onlooker to our suffering? Wouldn’t He want to end our pain? Wouldn’t He want to wipe away our grief? YES! He does. God didn’t want to end pain for a moment, He wanted complete restoration where there would be zero chance of sin and its grievous pain ever causing suffering again. Which is why He gave His life. There, at the cross is a Very Good God. Tragedy, loss, and heartache are the painful results of a world ensnared by sin, but one day, these will vanish like the morning mist because Christ paid the penalty of Death and Sin to be banished forever. The pain of our everyday moments needs this kind of eternal truth!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from 1 Peter 3:10-12 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

For the one who wants to love life
and to see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit,
and let him turn away from evil
and do what is good.
Let him seek peace and pursue it,
because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against
those who do what is evil.

Prayer Journal
Our Father in heaven, You, oh Lord, are patient and kind and good. Your holiness is beyond our understanding. Lord, we long for the day when all things will be made right, when we will live in community with our neighbor in Your presence with perfected patience, kindness, and goodness. Help your people to live out these values as we wait expectantly for Your coming Kingdom. Forgive me, oh patient God, for my impatience. I seek my own timeline and comfort over the needs of those around me. Forgive me, in Your kindness for my lack of care for others. I become so focused on my own needs and desires that I fail to show kindness to my neighbor. Forgive me, out of Your goodness, for my inability to see the goodness You have lavished upon me.  I focus on my limited view, rather than trusting You with the big picture. Help me to live by the Spirit so that I can rightly reflect Your character to the people around me. Protect me from my tendencies to rely on my own strength, and remind me of my dependence on You for all things. Amen and amen.

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
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Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

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Terrain Day 3 Moses & Mt Sinai

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 19:1-25
Jeremiah 29:11-14
1 Samuel 15:22-23

Terrain, Day 3

If you grew up attending church, you’re probably familiar with Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai. If you did not experience the Sunday school version of this Exodus story, you may have missed out on the felt board story pieces (for those younger than 35, you probably missed those, too. Feel free to Google as needed) but you now have the opportunity to experience the story on a deeper level.

I learned of Moses on Mt. Sinai early on, and yes, I do remember my grandmother using felt board pieces! However, in some ways, I am envious of those who are reading the story with fresh eyes. You see, my memories of the story and its lessons have been caught in a young mindset, a two-dimensional understanding of the story and the basic tenets it conveyed. Thankfully, this Journey Study challenged me to traverse new terrain in my heart as I gained insight into the terrain around Mt. Sinai.

My childhood understanding of this story captured Moses climbing Mt. Sinai because God called him to the summit to talk to him. When he arrived, the Lord spoke the Ten Commandments and engraved them on tablets. Moses then took the tablets back to the Israelites waiting at the base of the mountain. There, he found the Israelites had made, and were worshipping, a golden calf in utter rebellion to God. Moses threw the tablets in anger, shattering them.

My young takeaways had everything to do with the creation of the tablets, the content of the Ten Commandments themselves, and Israel’s sin. All of which are practical and important, but recently, as I researched Mt Sinai, the enormity of the Lord’s presence in this story overwhelmed me.

What picture came to your mind while reading of Moses ascending the mountain? What did the mountain look like? How tall was it? Did it seem “normal” to think of a cloud at the top?

Depending on where we live or have traveled, we might imagine vastly different pictures. Therefore, let’s paint the picture of Mt. Sinai using insights from the mountain’s modern-day description.

Mt. Sinai is nestled in the middle of a larger group of mountains on the Sinai peninsula. Interestingly, Mt. Sinai is one of the smaller mountains within the cluster; meteorologically speaking, clouds, especially thick ones with thunder and lightning, would not form over a smaller peak when taller mountains surround it. The taller mountains would either cause the cloud to dissipate before reaching the shorter mountain, or the cloud would cover them all.

Throughout Scripture, the Lord uses His physical creation to highlight His power and Presence. Already in the Israelites’ exodus story, they have been led by a pillar of fire at night and a cloud by day. (Exodus 13:21-22) For Elijah on Mt. Carmel, the Lord showed His power by sending fire from heaven to consume the water-saturated altar. (1 Kings 18:38-39) At the crucifixion of Christ, the sky went black when Jesus breathed His last. (Matthew 27:50-52)

For Moses, the Lord used clouds, thunder, lightning, smoke, fire, and the shaking earth to evidence His powerful Presence to the Israelites. He even commanded Moses to tell the Israelites to not touch the mountain or they would be killed. (Exodus 19:12) The emphasis on the Lord’s holy presence was high; the ark of the covenant had a similar order connected to it, and also represented the presence of the Lord in the Tabernacle.

My research helped me understand Moses’ profound experience of the Lord’s power and authority on the mountain not only spiritually, but also physically. Mt. Sinai is 7,947 feet (2,422 meters) tall. This was no small mountain! Only fourteen states in the United States have mountains taller than this height. Research showed there were two ways to access the summit on foot. The first is a roundabout route requiring approximately 2.5 hours to traverse. The other option is a much steeper, direct route, including 3,750 steps dubbed “steps of penitence.”

Moses likely took one of these routes multiple times in the process of meeting with the Lord. Can you imagine all the thoughts going through his mind? Out of obedience to the Lord, he climbs the mountain the rest of Israel was forbidden to touch or death would befall them. He steps onto the quaking ground and enters the smoke-filled cloud.

What level of humility would have been required?
What level of obedience, trust, and faith in the Unseen God?

Maybe you feel the Lord is asking you to take similar steps. While your Mt. Sinai may not be a literal mountain, you’re feeling the call to draw closer to Him or step out in following Him into your own unknown terrain.

Follow Moses’ example.
The journey is already worth it. 

If you’re like me, and a more fresh understanding of a long-known story presents itself, dig in and discover all the Lord has for you. This Journey Theme is a great place to begin exploring, by excavating terrain we once found familiar.

Uncovering fresh perspectives and deeper understandings of our God will always be amazing!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
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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 Terrain 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 Terrain!

If Day 15 End Of Evil

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:22-23
Genesis 3:15-19
Ephesians 2:4-5
Romans 6:17-18
Revelation 21:3-4

If, Day 15

It’s been a hard eighteen months, hasn’t it? A pandemic (and accompanying struggles), social unrest, tragic loss of life, a divisive election cycle, personal attacks and online debates, and the list continues. Right about now, I think we can all relate to Paul’s words in Romans 8:22-23,

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in labor pains until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits– we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”

Something within each of us longs for peace and a perfect world. We long for justice, righteousness, and love to prevail. Whatever our background, personal theology, faith, or lack thereof, this desire reveals the truth of the Bible when it cries that the broken world in which we live – fraught with so much sin and heartache – isn’t the way it was supposed to be. And – praise the Lord! – one day it won’t be like this any longer.

The first two chapters of the Bible are so beautiful. They present a perfect world just as God designed it to operate; a world without sin, heartache, trial, loss, suffering, or sadness of any kind. But by the third chapter, perfection is lost when sin enters the story, and all manner of brokenness quickly ensues. In fact, read one chapter beyond that, and murder takes place!

In Genesis 3:16-19, God lays out the initial consequences faced by men and women as a result of their sin (toil, increased pain in childbirth, etc.). But humankind’s spiritual condition as a result of the fall is far more grave. From the moment of the first sin, throughout all of history, humanity as a whole are “dead in our trespasses” (Ephesians 2:5) and “slaves of sin” (Romans 6:17). We are leading lives we were never meant to live, suffocating in a brokenness for which we were not designed, and so we groan.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis illustrated this truth well when he asserted, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”

We were made for another world, and another world is precisely what is offered to us! All human efforts throughout history to construct utopian societies, to return to the Garden, to reach perfection, tranquility, or peace on our own, have failed.
Imperfect humans simply cannot create perfection.

But God, in His grace and mercy, constructed a plan that has never, and will never, fail. His plan was one He promised way back in the Garden of Eden, when sin first entered the world! Revealing His great love for His people, even in the midst of their sin, He says in Genesis 3:15, “I will put hostility between you [Satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. [Jesus] will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

The entire rest of the Bible unfolds God’s grand plan to restore the world to what He originally intended, an obliteration of sin and a restoration to righteousness in Christ, a destruction of heartache and pain and a return to peace in the Lord.

This plan looked like God sending His Son, Jesus, to be the sacrifice for our sins so we might take on His righteousness as our own and be granted eternal life in Him forever. What glorious news!

Romans 6:17-18 says, “But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over, and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.” This is the promised change we undergo when we “confess with [our] mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in [our] heart[s] that God raised him from the dead.” (Romans 10:9)

Just as the first two chapters of the Bible are beautiful in their perfection and peace, the final two chapters of the Bible are just as beautiful (if not more so!) as we see the promised perfection and peace we anticipate! May you embrace these words from Revelation 21:3-4, and may they bring you hope and peace!

“Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.”

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Word Day 15 Follow Me

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 21:15-23
John 8:1-29
John 8:30-59
Matthew 4:12-22

Word, Day 15

It’s an invitation as ancient as the beginning of time, gathering intensity and fervency as it rolls through the ages. Ever so gradually, the curtains have been drawn back by the hand of the Ancient of Days, allowing more light to slowly color the invitation with ever-deepening hues of brilliancy and splendor.

Follow Me.

True. In the arena of life, many sit in the audience, blithely conversing with their neighbor, caught up in the distractions of circumstance, utterly oblivious to the array of color and exuding joy sweeping around them.

What of these theatre seats?
What of the lighting?
Can you believe this horrible service?
Look at her! How did she get in here?

Some are gathered in pools of their own tears, awash in a grief so deep and terrifying, onlookers feign ignorance, blocking out pleas for compassion.

Some, shifting in dark shadows, lie in wait to attack the innocent, hell-bent on satisfying their own lustful desires of all kinds.

Still, the invitation awaits acceptance for all who listen.
Follow Me.

A lush garden. Perfect paradise sweeping across every butterfly antenna, every snail’s slime, every particle of rich dirt, and every blade of grass. Light cascades across each drop of dew and breezes frolic among the bushes laden with glistening fruit.

Follow Me. The Spirit breathes as delight and laughter embrace hearts and lift them to the Father who loves them. And delight they do in Abba, in each other, in the stunning creation around them. The invitation holds steady, winsomely inviting them ever deeper into knowing God in richer, more resplendent ways.

An aging, childless man walks through his ordinary days, at first unaware of the seeping light, gathering momentum in the space of his everyday life. The holy invitation is coming for him. The fruit of his labors and that of his father, and his father before him, are everywhere. Sheep and goats far too numerous to count. The richest of foods at his disposal. Servants at the ready, listening for his every beck and call. Success is his, as evidenced by his respect at the city gate and position of influence. The invitation brightens in the call of whole-life surrender, Follow Me.

The stench of urine and wet fleece surrounds him on the crags of mountains and the sparse grasses of the rocky terrain beneath his calloused shepherd feet. He’s been hiding here for decades since he murdered a man in an act of zealous justice. He found shelter in the barrenness as he attempted to outrun the flames of his past. It was fine here, at least moderately so, living with the tentacles of his past strangling his heart in unending days of blistering sun and smothering silence.

Until the moment the grand invitation opened his 80-year-old eyes to see the brilliance drawing him in. The heat from the fiery proposal scorched his soul, burning away the past in the blaze of a holy encounter with the Living God. What once was dead, what once was scarred, what once lay in ashes, now suddenly quickened to life by the wooing invitation. Follow Me.

None who followed were ever the same.
Each journey became an astonishing beacon of the life into which the follower was welcomed.

Ordinary lives drawn into Light ablaze with vitality, now turned extraordinary.
Mundane lives actively awash with Life, now flooded with purpose.
The victim and the offender, the broken and the angry, the calloused and the crying, all.
All swept up into the un-ending luminosity of the incredible invitation.

To all
the Spirit’s voice crashes like so much water cascading over falls, Follow Me.

Come away and walk in the purpose for which you have been crafted.
Discover the thrill of joy rushing beneath the current of your everyday lives.
Available, this sweeping joy is oh, so available.

The cost is surrender.
The reward is the richest of joys and satisfying delights that escalate with ever-increasing hues of rapture as we know Christ more and follow Him closer.

Jesus Christ, God the Son, through whom stands the invitation to return to the sacred garden space of delight with God the Father.

He saw our shadowed selves, lying in wait for another’s demise.
He saw the shards of brokenness tattering our existence.
He knew full well it was our fault we sat in the theatre of life, insisting on our own twisted fascination with upholstery and self-service while the glory of the Almighty shimmered before us.
He knew we would turn away with mockery and disinterest.
He knew our sin-nature would make us love our sin more than the Savior.

Still, He came.
Intending to give His life as the necessary sacrifice to span the too-wide chasm between us and a loving God, gulfed by our own sin-loving-selves.
He came, knowing it would cost His total surrender,
but recognizing the reward would be calling us His own daughters and sons.

The cost would be surrender.
The reward would be unending delight and satisfaction in calling us His own.

Follow Me.
Are you in?

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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 Word Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Enough Day 12 Humble King: 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!
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The Questions

1) What is the attitude of Jesus? (verse 5)

 

2) How did He demonstrate that attitude? (verses 6-8)

 

3) What is the fruit of this attitude? (verses 9-11)

Philippians 2:5-11

Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
7 Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
9 For this reason God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
11 and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Original Intent

1) What is the attitude of Jesus? (verse 5)
Verse 8 in Philippians 2 says Jesus’ attitude is humble and obedient. Jesus is co-equal in the fullness of deity and divinity with God the Father and God the Spirit. God’s singular essence is expressed in three different persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. In Philippians 2, we are told that Jesus didn’t view His equality as something to be exploited. The Greek word for “exploited” is “harpagmos”, meaning to seize or prize something so as to hold onto it. Picture a mighty warrior armed for battle. He has a sword at his side, but he doesn’t choose to seize (or exploit) it for his own benefit or protection. This is a similar concept for Jesus as He came to earth. He chose not to seize all the power and status available to Him as God the Son, even though it was His. As He “emptied Himself”, He did not become “less God”, rather He chose not to seize His status so He could humbly become not just human, but the likeness of a servant. Jesus is both 100% God while also 100% human. When we look at the heart of Christ’s humility, we see its roots are embedded in fullness and security. Jesus knew His identity as God. When we look at the heart of obedience, it is love. In John 14:15 Jesus tells His followers, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” Love leads to humble obedience.

2) How did He demonstrate that attitude? (verses 6-8)
As Christ emptied Himself, that is, chose not to use His full power and authority as God the Son while on earth, He clothed Himself in the humble form of humanity. He took on the role of servant to the world He created. This posture is not new for God. As we read the entire Bible, we see God calling Himself the helper of Israel, or the helper of a person. He bends toward His creation, entering into our struggles and our reality to help us. In studying Philippians 2, we see the depths and lengths to which Jesus expressed God’s humility. He not only came as a man, but as a servant who would die a convicted criminal’s death on the cross. He died for those who would receive His sacrifice and for those who would reject Him. John 3:16 says, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” 1 Peter 3:18 adds, “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit.”
1 John 2:2 says, “He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.” He gave His life as an offering for all. This self-sacrifice is the highest form of both humility and obedience. He loves so deeply that His generosity is boundless as He gives up Himself for us, His beloved.

3) What is the fruit of this attitude? (verses 9-11)
In Hebrews 12:2 we are told Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame for the joy set before Him. What was this joy? You. Me. Our salvation. He humbled Himself so we might not perish, be brought near to God, and made alive by His Spirit. This is His joyful reward! We are the joy set before Him! The restoration of all things that had been wrecked by sin was and is His motivation. The fruit of His humility and obedience is that He is exalted above all names, that every knee will bow on heaven and on earth and every tongue confess the truth that He is Lord. The fruit of Jesus’ humility is our salvation and restored relationship with God. One day, the whole of creation will declare this truth in due time.

Everyday Application

1) What is the attitude of Jesus? (verse 5)
We are to take on the attitude of Jesus who demonstrated humble obedience, rooted in love and security, willing to self-sacrifice for those who receive us and those who don’t. We can try to muster up this attitude, but Jesus warns us that without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) We are meant to abide in His love so that we are able to bear Christ’s fruit.  (John 15:9) The type of Christ-like humility and obedience we are called toward is utterly beyond us if we attempt to dredge it up without His presence, power, and love as the source of our motivation and capability. When we abide in Christ, and are rooted and grounded in His love (Ephesians 3:17), we have security in our identity as His beloved children (Ephesians 1:5-13) and are capable of humbling ourselves as He did because He has changed our heart desire to follow the God we trust and love, just as Jesus did.

2) How did He demonstrate that attitude? (verses 6-8)
Jesus demonstrated His humility by choosing to come to earth as a servant and by ultimately going to the cross. We are invited by Him to follow His example and deny ourselves, for the love of Him and others, as we take up our cross and follow Him. (Matthew 16:24) The meaning of this invitation and exhortation should drive the way we walk through everyday life. To pick up our cross, is to imply that we will not hesitate to cheerfully and willingly bear persecutions, troubles, distresses just as our Savior did. Jesus bore the cross; He took it up and laid Himself upon it in all humility. He did not do this stoically or easily, but He did it willingly and with great humility and love. When we follow Jesus, we ultimately become the type of people who are also willing to die to ourselves as we follow Him. Those who follow Jesus are to consider others as more important than themselves (Philippians 2:3), choosing to live sacrificially because they are filled with the kind of love that pours out freely.

3) What is the fruit of this attitude? (verses 9-11)
The fruit of Jesus’ humble, loving obedience is our restoration to God and also the rightful exaltation of Him above all else. For us, the fruit is surprisingly similar. In James 4:10 we are told to humble ourselves before the Lord and He will exalt us. He lifts us when we bow to Him. When we do not insist on our own way (1 Corinthians 13:15) we bend as Jesus did, making room for God’s way. The fruit of our bending is a character more formed to the likeness of Jesus and it can even have the extended fruit of reaching others for Jesus. Many turn away from Jesus because of the pride of His people. Jesus chided the pharisees for this sin over and over. (Matthew 23, Luke 11:37-54, Mark 12:35-40, Luke 20:45-47) When a Christian has the attitude of Jesus, however, one of humble servitude, combined with obedient love, people who don’t yet know Jesus will see something unique and be drawn to Him through what they see of Him alive in us. (John 13:35)

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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!

Digging Deeper Community

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This is Enough Week Three!
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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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Enough Day 1 Creation’s Groan

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 2:15-17
Genesis 3:1-24
Leviticus 16:1-34
Hebrews 10:1-4

Enough, Day 1

One small act changed everything. Once Adam and Eve tasted the fruit, there was no way back to the innocence they had previously known.

At first glance, it seems like such a small transgression – just a bite of fruit – but at its heart, it was a rejection of God. It was “no” to Him, and “yes” to self, and in one brief moment, God’s “very good” creation was broken.

Before that dreadful moment, Adam and Eve had enjoyed an open and trusting relationship with God and one another, the sweet fellowship of walking together in the garden unafraid and unashamed. But their act of rebellion opened the door to fear and shame. Trust and intimacy gave way to hiding and separation.

The consequences were severe: ejection from the garden, and a curse of sin left as the legacy for all generations to come, ultimately leading to both physical and spiritual death.

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

It is a tragic tale. How Adam and Eve must have wished they could turn back the clock and make a different choice, but there was nothing they could do!

But, even there in the garden, we see a faint glimmer of hope. Whereas God could have destroyed Adam and Eve, or abandoned them to the path they had chosen, instead He sought them out and gave them a tantalising glimpse of a day in the future when One would come, the offspring of a woman, who would crush the serpent’s head, defeating sin and evil forever.

Before they were banished from the garden for good, God also provided Adam and Eve with clothes made from skins. An innocent animal was sacrificed to cover their shame.

This was the first sacrifice, but it pointed ahead to God’s instructions given to Moses at Mount Sinai many years later. In the generations since Adam and Eve, the story of the Bible had been one of people’s sinfulness and God’s faithfulness. When we join Moses on Mount Sinai, God has led His people out of slavery in Egypt, and they are headed to the land He has promised them, but the issue of sin remains. Nonetheless, God still wants a relationship with His sinful people, and so a sacrificial system is instituted.

The book of Leviticus describes it in detail. There were burnt offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings . . . all involved sacrifice, and most required spilled blood. A flawless animal had to be slaughtered to pay the price for the people. It was not a simple matter for a sinful people to approach a holy God.

“According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22)

Despite these regular offerings, there was still the need for the Day of Atonement once a year, when the High Priest would enter the Most Holy Place where God’s presence resided. First, the priest would slaughter a bull as an offering for his own sins and those of his family; then, he had to sacrifice a goat on behalf of the people.

A second goat was chosen to be a scapegoat. The High Priest would lay his hand on the goat’s head and confess the sins of the people, symbolically transferring their sins onto the goat. The goat would then be driven out into the wilderness as a sign of the people’s sins being carried away.

The sacrificial system provided a way to approach God, but it also presented a vivid illustration of the severity of sin and the separation it brought. Romans 6:23 states that “the wages of sin is death,” and the people were reminded of this devastating truth on a regular basis as they brought their sacrifices to God, again . . . and again . . . and again.

No matter how fervently they resolved to do better next time, they always sinned again, so the sacrifices reminded them not only of their sin and its consequences, but also of the inadequacy of the sacrifices to permanently cover their sin.

Sacrifices provided a temporary solution, but Hebrews 10:4 explains “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

What then was the answer?
Where would this serpent-crusher come from, and Who would it be?

Creation groaned as it waited for God’s plan to be revealed and for His solution to come.

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 Enough Week One! 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 Enough!