Creation

Worship XII Day 10 Joy To The World

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Worship XII Day 10 Joy To The World

Rebekah Hargraves

December 1, 2023

Covenant,Creation,Faith,Gospel,Grace,Hope,Joy

Read His Words Before Ours!

Galatians 5 
1 Corinthians 13  
Romans 12:1-2 
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 
Psalm 16:7-11

As I sit here writing these words, Lord, I sense the same old feelings of overwhelm, stress, and anxiety beginning to wash over me again. Every year, it’s the same old story – Christmas is fast approaching, my self-imposed to-do list is quickly lengthening, and I am struggling to catch my breath both spiritually and physically. How am I going to make the magic happen – especially in all the ordinary moments of cleaning up messes, chauffeuring kids around to activities, stringing up Christmas lights, cooking yet another meal, breaking up sibling squabbles, and, oh yeah, also trying to still find the time to prioritize my marriage? 

I wonder, dear reader – have you ever felt this way yourself? Have you ever felt a familiar dread wash over you when the calendar turns from November to December and you think of all the Christmas festivities coming around the corner? We find ourselves coming close to the holiday of giving and receiving, yet, oftentimes, our joy is nowhere to be found. We look for, and expect to find, our joy in decorations, festivities, traditions, and in finding the perfect gift. But once again it happens this year just as it did the last, our expectations for the season grow higher and higher only to crumble under their own weight, and joy is still nowhere to be found.  

One of my favorite Christmas songs speaks to our experience. The songwriter of the popular hymn, “Joy to the World,” rightly teaches us Joy’s source is found first in receiving, not in striving. 

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come! 
Let earth receive her King!”
(Joy to the World)
I ponder these words anew as I think back to how I have been feeling. 

Maybe I have put the cart before the horse? 
Maybe my true joy this Christmas season won’t be found in finally pulling off that award-winning Christmas dinner. 
Maybe it won’t come from having the most beautifully decorated house on the block. 

Maybe my joy isn’t actually meant to be found in doing…
Maybe my joy is a Person. 

You have come, O Lord. Help me to receive You and thereby receive my sought-after joy. Help me to remember joy is actually always available because it is not found in my circumstances, but in You. (Psalm 16:7-11) You have come, and now I receive joy when I receive You… into my life, my heart, my stress, my overwhelm, and into my ordinary everyday moments. 

I begin to realize that unless I humble myself,
coming to Christ aware of my sin and need for a Savior,
joy will always be elusive.

After all, isn’t that the basis of the gospel I claim to believe, the gospel that began with the advent of the Christ child? That I, as John Newton famously said, am a great sinner and that He is a great Savior? 

I continue to ponder as my mind goes to the next line… 
“Let every heart prepare Him room!”

After we receive Christ as our Savior, we then must seek (with the help of the Holy Spirit!) to prepare our hearts. We must willingly partner with Him to cultivate a place of worship in our hearts, a home for Joy. 

If we receive a gift, but never use it, it is meaningless. Apostle and early Church preacher Paul tells us in Galatians 5:1 to walk in the freedom God has gifted to us. He goes on to describe a life marked by walking with the Spirit (verses 16-18) and bearing the fruits of the Spirit, including joy. (verses 22-23)

As we walk and bear fruit by the Spirit, our minds and hearts are prepared to dwell with Joy. As we take our thoughts captive to His truth, our minds are renewed (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) and our hearts begin to overflow with His love (1 Corinthians 13).  

“No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His
blessings flow
far as the curse is found.”

As I consider the third verse of the hymn, it suddenly hits me: we need to spend far more time walking by the Spirit to prepare our hearts for Him than we do sorrowing and striving over how to pull off the most “magical” holiday. The “magic” of Christmas, if you will, is found in the baby in the manger, not in a “Pinterest-perfect holiday”.  

When we receive and then prepare, the Lord of Joy rules and reigns in our hearts “far as the curse is found.” 

We still live in a fallen world, and when we freely confess our ongoing sin and effects of the curse, nothing is ever able to steal our joy again. 

Instead, we encounter “His truth and grace,” 
“the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.”

“He has come to make His blessing flow” through today and every day of this holiday season and beyond. Thanks to the Advent of Joy Himself, we are able to experience joy, even in the most ordinary moments.
Praise be to God!

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Christ,Christmas,humility,joy,repent,sinner,worship
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Worship XII, Day 10
Digging Deeper

The thought of “walking by the Spirit” seems like a difficult, and sometimes unachievable, task.

After all, you and I live well after the time Jesus walked the earth.

Once we accept Jesus, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, whose job is to live inside of us changing our lives to look more like Jesus.

However, it is not as simple as saying yes to Jesus and then going about our everyday lives. In order to know what the Spirit is calling us to do we must spend time with God.
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Steadfast Day 10 What’s It Like?: Digging Deeper

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Steadfast Day 10 What’s It Like?: Digging Deeper

Dr. Leslie Umstattd

April 7, 2023

Creation,Digging Deeper,Faith,Flawless,Heaven,Resurrection

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

This DD Connects With "What's It Like?"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 15:35-44

35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” 36 You fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he wants, and to each of the seeds its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. 41 There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; in fact, one star differs from another star in splendor. 42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; 43 sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; 44 sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) What does Paul mean when he references that death must occur before life? (verse 36)

Paul is telling the Corinthian believers that the resurrected body will be different from their current bodies. They will not be walking dead zombies, but rather, they will physically die and be resurrected with a new physical body that is not hindered and entangled with death and sin. (Romans 6:6)

Before Christ, we are destined to eternal separation from God in a mortal body enslaved to sin and death, but after Christ, because of His death and resurrection, we will have a new resurrected body that is no longer hindered by sin.

That is our eternal hope in this present life as we groan and wait eagerly for His return. (Romans 8:20-23)

The Everyday Application

1) What does Paul mean when he references that death must occur before life? (verse 36)

We will all die a very real physical death. When Christ returns, our human bodies will be fully resurrected bodies, entirely made new by the new order of resurrected Life ordained by the Author of Life. We have a blessed hope that this life is not the end. (Titus 2:13)

With Christ, we have a promise of a future where all wrongs are made right, and in the New Heaven and New Earth, we will reside in perfect harmony no longer with an eye that wanders from knowing and loving the One True God! (Revelation 21:1-4)

The Original Intent

2) Why does Paul discuss flesh and body types? (verses 39-40)

Paul is referencing back to his questions in verse 35. He is answering those questions and reminding the reader of the power of God Himself as Creator by making them look at what has already been created for them to see. (Genesis 1)

He doesn’t give a specific answer to how the dead are raised or the specific kind of body they will have when raised, but Paul points them to what God has already done through His ruling authority and infinite wisdom. Paul wants them to be assured that a resurrected body is possible because of God’s great power.

He is more than capable of providing for our every need in Eternity just as He has in this life; He has promised He will bring new life with new physical bodies. (John 11:25-26) He has promised believers a resurrected body and life when Christ returns. Whatever body we have in the resurrected life is so much greater than our current bodies, it’s beyond imagining. (Romans 6:8-11)

The Everyday Application

2) Why does Paul discuss flesh and body types? (verses 39-40)

There are times when we question how God will accomplish His full plan and bring about resurrected bodies and a New Heaven and Earth. In fact, we likely have many questions about eternity that aren’t directly addressed in Scripture. When this happens, we stick close to what we know is made clear in Scripture.

Jesus says there will be a resurrection day for all who believe and have turned from their sin, placing the full weight of their faith on Him. (John 11:17-27, 1 John 3:2-3)

It’s important to remember we do not always fully understand His plan and the how of His plan, but as Paul reminds us along with all parts of Scripture, God is faithful to fulfill His promises. (Deuteronomy 7:9) Not one will be left unfulfilled. We can trust the One named Faithful and True. (Revelation 19:11)

The Original Intent

3) What four contrasts does Paul use to describe the resurrection of the dead? (verses 42-44)

In verses 42-44, Paul employs four contrasts to make his point about the wonderful resurrection to come: corruption and incorruption, dishonor and glory, weakness and power, and natural body and spiritual body. These four contrasts are used by Paul to show the distinctions between our current bodies and our resurrected bodies still to come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Our current mortal bodies are sown in corruption, dishonor, weakness, and are “natural”, meaning carnal and seeking the lusts of the flesh. (Romans 6:1-3) In our resurrected bodies, when Christ returns, we are dead to everything related to the old way of life. Every person who has ever trusted Christ completely for the total forgiveness of their sin and has turned away from their sinful ways will be transformed and raised in the newness of a life that will not end. (Romans 6:4, Romans 7:6)

We are transformed and raised in incorruption, glory, power, and in a spiritual eternal reality yet still a human body in form. (1 Timothy 1:10)

The Everyday Application

3) What four contrasts does Paul use to describe the resurrection of the dead? (verses 42-44)

Our final resurrection with Christ is so much more than we can possibly imagine or think as the old will forever pass away and the new is ushered in for all of eternity. (Revelation 21:1-4)

Our hearts and minds in the current state are prone to wander as we feel the tug of sin and temptation to sin. This pull is our “seed” and we are feeling the effects of what is sown in a sinful world. By contrast, Paul says we will gain honor, holiness, and perfection. (Philippians 3:18-21)

Our very real human bodies will be restored to the perfection once known only in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 1-2) This is made possible through the redemption of man that came at the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son, as He died for the sins of the world to offer complete forgiveness and new life to all who commit to following Him! (John 6:38-40, 1 John 2:2)

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Steadfast Day 10
Journey Study

“Every stage of parenting is precious.” My mom told me that when I had her first grandbaby.

What she didn’t tell me is that each stage of parenting is also progressively harder. That’s right, mamas of toddlers, moms of pre-teen angst, and moms who are wiping away tears while planning senior graduations, it’s still going to get harder.

Because there is nothing. Just nothing. Like launching adult children.

Sure, there are successes and wins and many “almost wins”, but there are those crazy shaky decisions when you want to grab their shoulders saying, “Why Are You Doing This?!”
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Worship X Day 13 Let Them Praise!

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 148
Psalm 149
Psalm 150
Ephesians 5:18-21
Hebrews 13:15-19

Worship X, Day 13

Have you thought about all the noise around us?

All the dogs in the neighborhood won’t stop barking.
The ocean waves are so peaceful.
The whispering wind sounds so calming.

Sometimes we create the noise, with TV or fans running. When the electricity goes out, the sound of silence is deafening and eerie. Without the TV, appliances, or heat/air conditioning running, we hear the natural sounds of creation, sounds of wind or rain or animals creeping. Live on or near a farm? Cows, chickens, horses, sheep…it’s a pretty noisy place.

Is it really just noise? Or is it praises to the Lord?

The book of Psalms has many chapters on praising the Lord. Today, we’ll begin our study with Psalm 148, which makes a transition from hearing and seeing God’s mighty works to the response of His creation to His works.

As we read this chapter, we see and hear all creation praising the Lord.
“Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise Him from the heights.
Praise Him, all his angels;
praiseHim, all his heavenly armies.
Praise Him, sun and moon;
praise Him, all you shining stars.”
(Psalm 148:1-3)

Weather (verse 8), plants (verse 9), animals (verse 10), and people (verse 11) all giving God praise. Everything on this planet and in the universe was created to praise God.

In Psalm 149, the psalmist shifts to more personal praise of the Lord as our Redeemer, the One who brings justice and victory for His people.

“Let Israel celebrate its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to Him with tambourine and lyre.
For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He adorns the humble with salvation.”
(Psalm 149:2-4)

Finally, Psalm 150 calls humans to praise the Lord with zeal through instruments and song.
“Praise Him with the blast of a ram’s horn;
praise Him with harp and lyre.
Praise Him with tambourine and dance;
praise Him with strings and flute.
Praise Him with resounding cymbals;
praise Him with clashing cymbals.”
(Psalm 150:3-5)

Have you ever heard a band or orchestra warming up, playing random notes?
Or listened to someone who is learning to play a musical instrument?

It isn’t exactly music to our ears, but after much practice and working with the conductor, it can create a beautiful song. Reassuringly (for those of us who can’t carry a tune in a bucket), the sound itself isn’t important to God; rather, He sees and hears a masterpiece when our hearts overflow in praise to Him!

If we take all of these psalms and put them together, we get more than just a choir or an orchestra. The entire universe is working together to praise the Lord, our God of creation, of glory, and of redemption.

My husband is the music minister at our church. Each week, he, along with other worship leaders throughout the whole earth, faithfully prepare to lead God’s people in His praise.  Some have big groups, some have smaller teams, but they work together to create a chorus of praise that echoes around the world.

Take that one step further. Add the living things outside church. We don’t bring our pets and plants into a worship service, but they praise the Lord each and every day. Each one has their part to play in a symphony God creates. Each one alone may not sound like much, but imagine putting it all together. I’ll give you a moment to try and do that . . .

Can you imagine? Do you hear the ocean roar and the stars sing?
Do you hear the dog barking and the orchestra playing praise to the Creator?
Do you hear singing and all creation declaring the wonder of our God?!

In our ears, it may sound more like a mess…but to God, it’s a beautiful symphony of praise!

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Eden Day 13 Exiled For Good

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 2
Genesis 3
Romans 6:16-23
Galatians 3:10-14

Eden, Day 13

“The grasses sang together,
the dew’s drops harmonized,
and the whir of insect wings melodically magnified the rhythmic sway
of undiluted, adoring praise to the Maker.”

Eve’s melodic words flowed quickly as she remembered. “We were blissfully free, although we didn’t understand this exquisite gift of Presence we so innocently enjoyed. Our feet danced to the cadence of the lilting music with every movement. Oh how I loved to talk with the wiggling worms and listen to the trees laugh in the breeze!”

Eve laughed, and the rich hues of deep mirth beckoned to all who heard, “Everything held abundant life, or was upheld by it.”

She shook her head at the still-unfathomable mystery.
“Every being was sustained by the Indescribable wonder of the Maker Himself.
His beauty was reflected in every pool of shimmering water, every star’s arching song over the curve of the earth,
and every baying creature’s unique sound.
As the sun-warmed grass welcomed our dancing feet,
even our work felt like playful delight as we cared for the earth and the animals.
Adam and I…”, Eve sighed longingly as she remembered Great-Grandfather. “How perfectly we fit together, not just bodies and hands, but purpose and . . . ” she stumbled for a word and landed on, “… joy. How wondrous it was to join, with him, in creation’s worship of Yahweh.”

Eve never tired of telling the wonder of that delight before…

I wiggled in spite of myself, thinking of what was to come. I’d heard my great-grandmother tell her tale a hundred times, and though I loved it more with every re-telling, the familiar ending always sent my heart plummeting.

Would the Maker cast me out as well?
Did He know the way I pouted behind my mother’s back and how I kicked my little brother?
Could I hide from Yahweh better than Great-Grandmother?

“Tell us about the two trees!” Kenan’s excited voice rose above the murmur of the children encircling Eve’s dusky fire. I elbowed him, preferring to linger on Eden’s perfection. I wanted nothing to do with the two trees and all they meant. Couldn’t Kenan understand how they tarnished him, too?

Still, Great-Grandmother’s voice rang out like crystal waters and I was immersed again as she spoke of the wide clearing of lush green grasses carpeting the warm earth at the base of the two trees. “Life and Death were set before us every day in the Garden, my children. Every day, we had the choice to eat of the Tree of Life and live forever with Yahweh in bliss; Abba never forbade it.” (Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17)

“But you didn’t choose Life! You chose DEATH.” Kenan clamored again; I couldn’t help but kick him in the shin. Why did he press so? He scowled at me, rubbing his bruise, and Eve pretended not to notice.

“You’re right, Kenan,” Eve continued, her free-falling tears belying her lilting smile. “We did choose death. That day, when Adam and I walked through the Garden, I felt a slippery snake sneak up beside me.

“Through his questions, I suddenly saw the two trees differently. I asked myself, ‘Had Yahweh been holding out on us? Would we experience greater goodness if we disobeyed Him? What if He wasn’t wholly as good as He’d led us to believe?’” (Genesis 3:1-6)

“But He was wholly good, wasn’t He?” I was surprised to hear my own quiet voice, and to taste salt on my lips from tears matching Great-Grandmother Eve’s. Her gaze caught mine with tenderness, and she nodded, sensing I had suddenly grasped something new and rich.

“Yes. The Maker’s intent was only always, and still is yet, wholly good. Even as Adam and I ate the forbidden fruit and chose rebellion over the supreme goodness of knowing Yahweh and walking with Him, even then He was good.” She leaned forward and wiped my tears with her crooked fingers, and in a whisper that sounded like dew drops, “He Still Is.” 

It was then, in the ending I loathed, that sobs shook my small frame.

Not in sorrow, but in worship.

Yahweh’s goodness banished Adam and Eve from the Garden.

What if, lost and condemned in their sin, they had then eaten from the Tree of Life and lived forever, separated from God?! What loathsome punishment! What horror; a literal hell on earth.

Instead, He banished them because He was good. Even tucked inside His curse was hidden Hope, for one day the Serpent Crusher would come to win Victory over his Death. (Genesis 3:15)

No, I was no better than Great-Grandmother Eve.
Again and again, I enacted my slavery to sin and earned death. (Romans 6:16-23)
And yet, even as my life pointed unswervingly to death, Yahweh was wholly good.

He’d given me a body to move in and air to breathe and food to eat and the beauty of the afternoon sun’s slant and the joy of friendship.

Yes, sin’s curse held us captive, but Yahweh held our victory, and our hope.

One day, the Serpent Crusher would walk among us and die for us and rise again, breaking the curse and restoring us to His Presence, now and for eternity. (Galatians 3:10-14)

“But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification–and the outcome is eternal life!” (Romans 6:22)

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Eden Day 12 The Blame Game: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Blame Game!

The Questions

1) Why are Adam and Eve hiding? Do they actually believe they can hide from God? (verse 8)
2) What did God ask, “Where are you?” if He already knew the answer? (verse 9)
3) Once God “found” Adam and Eve, were there consequences for their sin and hiding?

Genesis 3:8-10

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”

Original Intent

1) Why are Adam and Eve hiding? Do they actually believe they can hide from God? (verse 8)
When God created Adam, He placed him in the Garden of Eden to “work it and watch over it.” (Genesis 2:15) God gave him the entire garden but told him, “You are free to eat of any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) The Lord knew Adam needed a “suitable partner” for himself, someone like him, so God created Eve. (Genesis 2:18) They were both designed to live in the perfect place God had created, but they needed to obey the one command God had given. However, Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent and disobeyed God’s command. (Genesis 3:1-6) Immediately, they had knowledge of good and evil and became aware they were naked; in flustered panic and shame, they covered themselves in fig leaves. (Genesis 3:7) Adam and Eve were fully aware of their guilt and disobedience and when they heard God and their natural response was to hide in their shame. They thought they could cover up with leaves and hide from the all-knowing God, but as we read further, we discover they couldn’t really hide.

2) What did God ask, “Where are you?” if He already knew the answer? (verse 9)
God knew exactly where Adam and Eve were in the Garden. His question isn’t about looking for them but rather the relationship between them. God’s intention was to have a relationship with those He had created in His image. (Genesis 1:26-27) This moment is the moment where mankind’s relationship with God was broken. God, in all His perfection, desired a relationship, but their choice damaged that perfect intimacy. God calls out to them, and in that moment, Adam and Eve must admit their sin and face the God who lovingly created them. After answering and coming out of hiding, God asks them to admit their wrong. (Genesis 3:11) This is the beginning of their consequences, but before those were enacted, they needed to admit to their sin.

3) Once God “found” Adam and Eve, were there consequences for their sin and hiding?
God did not seek Adam and Eve with the intention of letting them off the hook. God is a holy God and, because of His justice, was obligated to respond as such. In order for their relationship to have any chance of restoration, they must first admit their sin (Genesis 3:11-13) followed by facing the fall out of their rebellion. As the narrative of Genesis continues, God lays out the consequences of sin for each sinner. (Genesis 3:14-24) God began with the instigator, Satan, for his role in the deception of Adam and Eve. Then Adam and Eve are both given individual consequences. Ultimately, Adam and Eve were forced out of the Garden of Eden and access to the Tree of Life was revoked. This meant they would eventually face physical death, along with spiritual death, as consequences for their sin. God used the skin of an animal to clothe Adam and Eve, this was the first sacrifice of an animal and is a direct result of sin. Blood must be shed to cover sin. While this was the first instance of bloodshed, it wasn’t the last. The Old Testament provides several references to bloodshed to pay for sin like Genesis 8:20-21, Exodus 29:10-14, Leviticus 1, Leviticus 17:11, and Numbers 6:14 to name a few. All of these point forward in God’s redemption plan to the final bloodshed of Jesus, who paid the ultimate price for sin on the cross, where He would bear the punishment for us all. God promised this redemption would come, even as He gave the first consequence to Satan in Genesis 3:15. One (Jesus) would come who would crush Satan’s head, defeating death and sin forever. The rest of the story begins unfolding from this moment in the Garden to be fulfilled in Matthew 26-28 (also found in Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, and John 18-19).

Everyday Application

1) Why are Adam and Eve hiding? Do they actually believe they can hide from God? (verse 8)
Adam and Eve attempted to hide their sin and cover their shame from God when they heard Him coming. We read this and may think them foolish for even considering they could even try this tactic. We know God is all-knowing and, from our perspective, we also know they would never be successful in their clandestine escape. However, how often do you and I make the same attempt? God is still the same all-knowing God from the Garden of Eden, but when we make sinful choices and are ashamed of our thoughts or actions, we make the same attempt to hide our sin and our thoughts from God just like Adam and Eve. In reality, we will never be any more successful than they were. God still knows all, and we are incapable of hiding.

2) What did God ask, “Where are you?” if He already knew the answer? (verse 9)
God knows the sins we commit before we ever admit them. Much like He did with Adam and Eve, He invites us to come to Him (where are you?) and confess what we have done. Forgiveness cannot be received without admittance of the sin committed. Unless we face our God, we can never enjoy the sweetness of restoration. You and I are blessed to live on the other side of the cross, a process God began in the Garden of Eden as He intentionally set in motion His plan to redeem His creation and offer forgiveness and restoration to every sinner. If we live in hiding and denial we will never experience the freedom found only in Christ who gave His life to pay the price for our sin and bring us back to Himself.

3) Once God “found” Adam and Eve, were there consequences for their sin and hiding?
Adam and Eve chose sin and could not escape the consequences for their rejection of God, but we are also affected today as we continue reaping the fallout of their sin which infected us all. We are each born sinful and continue sinning, bringing separation between us and God. (Romans 3:23) Remembering that God is just, all sin carries a price tag of offense against a Holy God and the debt must be paid. (Romans 6:23) This price is death and the payment requires bloodshed. (Hebrews 9:22) Expositor’s Bible Commentary says, “To us life is cheap and death familiar, but Adam recognised death as the punishment of sin. Death was to early man a sign of God’s anger. And he had to learn that sin could be covered not by a bunch of leaves snatched from a bush as he passed by and that would grow again next year, but only by pain and blood. From the first sin to the last, the track of the sinner is marked with blood.” The good news is God began His plan of redemption for us from the deadly clutches of sin in the very beginning of Genesis and came to fulfillment in Jesus. Christ shed His perfect blood as payment for our sin and when we personally choose to accept His sacrifice, His blood covers us our own personal sin. When we accept Him in total surrender of ourselves, we receive forgiveness for every sin, past, present, and future, and our relationship with the Holy God is restored forever. This is such good news!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

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The GT Weekend! ~ Eden 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) In the beginning of Genesis, we catch a glimpse of the life God intends for us. We see beauty in every aspect of life, even, or perhaps especially, in work. In our broken world, we can easily lose sight of the biblical significance of labor and its fruit. Society’s version of work leaves us disheartened, unfulfilled, and stressed because it shifts the focus off God. When you find yourself in the thick of it at work, what’s your focus point that renews your strength and motivates you? If it’s anything but God, you will eventually find it insufficient. When we change the lens through which we view labor, filtering our perspective through God’s character, we realize the gift of work! Each day, God provides opportunities to glorify Him and align ourselves with His character as we enter work attempting to model Him as He diligently labored over Creation. When you struggle to push through whatever labor you face, pray for God to shift your lens and align your heart with His. Don’t be discouraged should you not see tangible fruit from your labor, instead remind yourself of the truths Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “be steadfast…excelling in the Lord’s work because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain,” and Galatians 6:9, “let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.”

2) Temptation is perhaps Satan’s most effective tool to spiritually attack mankind. He merely sets up situations that pull at the sinful desires of our flesh, knowing our bodies are at war with the Spirit of God living inside us, leaving us weakened and vulnerable. The best illustration of handling temptation is on display as Jesus suffered temptation in the wilderness after His baptism by John. He spent 40 days and 40 nights being tempted by the devil, but effectively resisting the urge to sin. (Matthew 4:1-11) Each time Satan spoke, Jesus replied using Scripture from the Old Testament. He used God’s words, the very words we read in our Bibles today, to expose Satan’s lies with Truth. This requires us to spend intentional time studying the Bible. Scripture is God’s favorite way to talk to us. What are some activities you could sacrifice in order to make time to listen to God and equip yourself against temptation? Could you wake up 30 minutes earlier, or turn off the television a little bit sooner, or scroll on social media a little less?

3) Jesus didn’t spend his time as a human here on earth building marble laden castles, throwing lavish feasts, and laughing drunkenly in wide hallways ordained with gold and silver. He walked the dirt lined paths of His earthly kingdom with His bare feet alongside messy, imperfect people, healing the sick and despised. He engaged them with questions that illuminated truth, tore holes in their lies, brought understanding and healing, and exposed those who weren’t yet ready to hear the answers they sought. God has never stopped asking us questions, engaging us in conversation to illuminate, heal, and expose the sin in our lives and lead us back to Him. His goal has always been to share in relationship with His creation, so make it a point, today, to follow His lead and engage the next person you run into with His love. Be open minded and intentional. After all, you never know where a question could lead, or how the Lord could use your obedience to rescue a soul for eternity!

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 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to deny an opportunity to those who want to be regarded as our equals in what they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no great surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their works.

Prayer Journal
Dear Yahweh, I thank you for being the guiding star that ever points north and whose light never falters. Each morning, You give me a day full of new opportunities to bring glory to Your name. I ask for Your help in shifting my gaze back to You when I lose sight of this gift. Please give me a heart that aches for Your Word and a soul thirsting for truth. I ask for Your direction when navigating worldly temptation. Please, Holy Spirit, remind me to put on Your armor in protection of the enemy as Ephesians 6:10-18 commands. Help me recollect Scripture in my times of weakness and allow me to move forward with the shield of faith and my feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.

Give me courage to explore the power of asking questions not just with my loved ones and close friends, but with strangers and even my enemies, as I remember this battle we are in is not against flesh and bone, but against spiritual powers beyond what my eyes can see. Help me remember You love my enemy just as You love me. Thank You, Yahweh, for Your endless grace and mercy. May Your will be done in me today and every day. Amen.

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Eden Day 10 Invitation To Conversation

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 3
1 John 1:5-10
John 8:1-11

Eden, Day 10

There is power in a question.
It’s an invitation to connect.
It’s a humble initiation of a conversation.

All of these make perfect sense to me as I reflect on my use of questions in recent interactions. Asking clarifying questions helped me better understand the work project my husband had begun. Asking the daughter of a friend her thoughts drew her into the conversation and helped bridge the gap between generations. Asking for the motivation behind a friend’s decision enabled me to infuse the conversation with grace in the midst of a challenging discussion.

Questions have power and can yield powerful results.
In Genesis 3:9-13, the Lord graciously asked Adam and Eve the first questions in Scripture.
Where are you?
Who told you that you were naked?
Did you eat from that tree that I commanded you not to eat from?
What have you done?

Consider the significance of the Lord asking questions.
God, the Creator of everything, asks questions which invite and allow us to engage with Him. He initiates conversation with us through questions. Is that mind boggling to anyone else? The infinitely powerful Lord, Who was, is, and is to come, chooses to interact with us. (Revelation 1:8)

Not only does He choose to interact with us, He does so with grace and mercy.

He did not ask Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” because He did not actually know where they were. The Lord knows all things (Psalm 139:1-4), but by His ask, He provided space for them to come to Him with their defenses down.

Have you ever experienced a similar interaction? Has someone asked you a question to which you both knew the answer, but you were given an opportunity to speak non-defensively?

Tone and timing have an incredible impact in this communication. When I visualize the Lord’s interaction with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, I picture the patient calm of a parent seeking to draw her child’s attention to a glaringly obvious mistake. As in, the mom asking her toddler where the cookie went while the visible crumbs still line the child’s lips.

By asking the question instead of declaring the failure, the ownership of the decisions made rested solely on Adam and Eve. A defensive response did not arise because the Lord’s approach revealed the sin, instead of attacking it.

The Lord asked a series of questions that fleshed out the first sin on earth. He lovingly removed the shame by addressing the failure while still treating Adam and Eve with dignity. He asked them to explain their decisions, He addressed their sin, and He conveyed the consequences of those decisions.

Because of the way the Lord engaged Adam and Eve, an open door for communication remained and a framework for dealing with sin was created.

These truths apply to us as well. When we sin, we must process through it with the Lord just as Adam and Eve did in Eden. The Lord invites our conversation and lovingly prompts us with His questions.

Why?

Because He desires us to engage with Him, and be transformed into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18) as our sin is washed clean through confession and asking for His forgiveness.

“If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)

Thousands of years after the first sin in Eden, when the Lord walked the earth as Jesus, His gracious invitation to conversation remained unchanged. To a woman caught in adultery and literally surrounded by predatory, self-righteous accusers, He responded with mercy, dismissing those who sought her death. (John 8:1-9)

Then, He invited her into conversation with two gentle questions.
“When Jesus stood up, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
‘No one, Lord,’ she answered.
‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus. ‘Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.’
(John 8:10-11, emphasis mine)

Like Adam and Eve, like this woman, I know the Lord is after my heart when I sense the Holy Spirit ask me sweetly-convicting questions about my behavior, thoughts, or anything else. The sooner I confess my sin to Him, the sooner I experience restoration in our relationship. The process goes much quicker and more smoothly when I approach the Lord with lowered defenses.

Many times I have felt the Lord lift my head and invite me to talk with Him. Never once have I raised my eyes to look upon His gaze only to be turned away with condemnation. (Romans 8:1)

When you hear the Lord ask about your heart, know He is inviting you into deeper relationship with Him.

How will you answer His invitation to conversation?

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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!

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Eden Day 1 Ex Nihilo

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Colossians 1:15–23
John 1:1-5
Psalm 104
Psalm 33:1–9
Job 38

Eden, Day 1

We’d been on the road for six months, travelling around remote Australia while living in an RV. We explored beaches and mountains, waterfalls and desserts. On this day, we were travelling through a very remote part of Western Australia. The closest township was home to only a few hundred people, and it was several hundred kilometers away.
We were literally in the middle of nowhere.

A little blue sign with a lookout icon was on the side of the 4X4 track we were following, so we turned up the path, parked in the bay and walked to the platform at the top.
What I saw took my breath away.

I stood, mesmerized, tears spontaneously streaming down my face. I was overwhelmed by the beauty and grandeur of the mountain range circling around us. In every direction there were magnificent cliff faces in rich red and orange, towering above the vast plains of spinifex grass and wildflowers.

I searched for words to describe this place. Majestic. Glorious. Awesome. Every word was inadequate. I took my phone out and tried to capture the scene with my camera. Wide angle. Panoramic. No photograph came even close to capturing the vastness of the scene. In that moment, I had a powerful encounter with God the Creator.

I have spent most of my life disconnected from creation in a city where the horizon is the shape of man-made buildings and the power of the elements is shut out by climate control and insulation, shielding me from the discomfort of the seasons. I earned money from working in an office to buy food from a supermarket, packaged in boxes and plastic bags. In this environment it has been easy for me to disregard God as creator.

God spoke, and by the power of His breath alone, everything we see, from the tallest mountain to the tiniest beetle, came into being.
Ex Nihilo, out of nothing.
God didn’t take something that already existed and refashion it into our world. God is the source of life. He created the world “ex nihilo”, out of nothing, by the power of His Word alone.

Hebrews 11:3 describes it this way, “What is seen was made from things that are not visible.” The power of this Word, God’s Word, is impossible for us to fully understand.

We can stare at the sky and worship with the psalmist, “The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth.” (Psalm 33:6) I see the beauty and grandeur of creation and capture a glimpse of the power of the One who created the world with His Word.

John 1:1, 3 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God [. . .] All things were created through Him[.]“
The ‘Word’ in John 1 refers to Jesus.
The One who entered the creation He orchestrated,
the One who died to pay the penalty for our sin,
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
The Creator stepped into His creation to save us, His beloved creation.

This blows my mind. This God, the source of life, became like you and me in order to pay the price for our salvation. Wow. The Creator, the Word, died to have a relationship with you and me.

Understanding this evokes three emotions in me.
It makes me feel very small,
it makes me feel very loved,
and it gives me hope in my suffering.

When I consider God as the creator of our magnificent world, I feel insignificant and humbly powerless. Knowing how small I am gives me a new perspective on humility I can take into my marriage, and a renewed hunger for God’s wisdom in my parenting. The sufficiency of God becomes much more important as I seek to solve problems, love others, and serve my family. I know it’s not up to me. What a freeing realization!

I also feel deeply loved. In light of God’s power, knowing He came as a helpless baby, lived a perfect life and died a criminal’s death so He could have a relationship with me, makes me feel significantly special. God loves me, tiny insignificant me. Knowing this gives me confidence to take my place in the world. I am expertly designed. I am worthy of love.

Knowing the God of creation is almighty and all-wise puts our suffering into perspective. A beautiful example of this in Scripture is from the book of Job. God bragged of Job and his righteousness to Satan (Job 1:8), but God allowed Satan to take away his family, his wealth, and his health. As any of us would, Job cried out to God for justice in the midst of his pain and grief. Good people, he reasoned, don’t deserve bad things to happen to them.

Finally, in chapter 38, God answers Job’s arguments. His answer?
Job, look at creation.
Look at My power.
Look at My beauty.
Look at My abundance.

God didn’t diminish Job’s suffering; rather, He adjusted Job’s vision to magnify his view of God, putting Job’s struggle into perspective.
The challenges we face are not too big for the God who created everything out of nothing.

I pray you have the opportunity to encounter God, the Ex Nihilo Creator, today.

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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!

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Sacrifice Day 1 Eden’s Sacrifice

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 2
Genesis 3
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 18:1-12

Sacrifice, Day 1

Sovereign.

The supreme or highest in power, superior to all others. 

Scripture often portrays God as the One who rules over all things. His most common proper name, Yahweh, is regularly translated Lord in English, and found thousands of times in the Bible. So, to discuss the sovereignty of God is to discuss His lordship.

When we consider the Biblical concept of divine sovereignty or lordship, the components of God’s control, authority, and presence stand out (John Frame, The Doctrine of God). God is absolutely sovereign. The Bible starts with God, “In the beginning, God [. . .]” (Genesis 1:1) There could be no glorious gospel of Jesus bearing our sins, without the glorious sovereignty of God.

In His sovereignty, God foresaw Adam and Eve’s sin.
He created them anyway, in His own image, to bring glory to Himself.
Just as humankind’s choice to pursue self over God was foreknown by God, Jesus’ crucifixion, and resulting atonement for our sin, was foreordained by God as well.
The crucifixion of Christ is the greatest sacrifice of the greatest love in the history of the world. (John 15:13)

God’s glory is displayed in the way He chose to create humanity, including allowing for our sinful nature. God weaves the allowable reality of sin with His perfect plan and uses it all for good.

Hundreds of years before Jesus would walk the the earth, the prophet Isaiah revealed how He would endure the cross for the joy of restored relationship with His creation.

“When you make [Jesus] a guilt offering,
[. . . ]the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished.
After His anguish, He will see light and be satisfied.” (Isaiah 53:10-11)

The ultimate exhibition of God’s glory was at the cross, where His justice and mercy met.
As I ponder the weight of sin, I am looking at my own life. Just in the past forty-eight hours, I chose to put my wants over submission to my spouse; I usurped his God-given place as head of our family. In another situation, I am struggling with harboring unforgiveness in my heart against a sister in Christ. I know this is not pleasing to God.

I am not alone in these battles against sin.
Scripture reveals how the pattern of sin established in Eden pervades every single life.

“In this way, 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)
Yet in His sovereignty, God decided the story wouldn’t end in a world lost to sin.
Instead, He wrote sacrifice into the story of His creation.
In Eden, as Adam and Eve stood awash in shame before their Creator God,
He made the very first sacrifice.

“The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and He clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21)

One of His own wonderful creatures was sacrificed to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness.
And so sacrifice became a major theme of the salvation story, showing up throughout the Bible’s narrative, both in the Old Testament (Leviticus 1, for example) and New Testament.

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

We understand Christ’s death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice, and as recipients of such lavish love, we are compelled to emulate Him in our everyday lives. God desires us to be living sacrifices.

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.” (Romans 12:1)

A biblical sacrifice pleases God.
It is sacrifice of self, with a heart of surrender to God’s ways, that prioritizes the advancement of God’s kingdom, welcoming God’s purpose over our own wants or plans.
It is life, lived in conjunction with God’s will.

Today, we have taken a brief look at sacrifice from its origin in Eden, to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, to our own living sacrifices of true worship to our sovereign, glorious, loving God. My hope is we come away with a deeper gratitude for, and devotion to our God, who overcame the power of sin and death by sacrificing Himself for His beloved!

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

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