The GT Weekend! ~ Worship X Week 1

May 14, 2022 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

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

1) The idea of praising God in the midst of challenge or pain sounds impossible at first glance. But this reveals the humanity of our perspective and the depth (or shallowness) of our faith. On Monday, Lesley pointed to David’s decision to praise the Lord despite the prolonged difficulties he faced. She also challenged us to consider the justice of God as He acts on our behalf to protect and defend His people. It’s easy for us to view our pain or unjust treatment and determine God to be unfair and unjust because He has not resolved our pain on our timetable. This reveals how small our box is that holds our faith and our beliefs about God and His character. David’s songs stand out as often declaring the character of God, reminding himself of God’s promises, even in the mire of trials. Challenge yourself to keep a list on your phone over the next few days of God’s promises. Every time you read one in Scripture or remember one, write it down. Return to this list often and proclaim praise to the God who never fails!

2) The majority of our everyday moments are lived out in the tangible and experienced by our physical senses. Pause for 30 seconds and close your eyes; begin listing out the most recent experiences you’ve encountered with your senses. What were the last images you saw, items you tasted, sounds your heard, sensations you felt, and scents you’ve smelled. Reflect on your list, allowing yourself to relive those moments. Now ask yourself how many of those were connected to relating to God. We tend to relegate our experiences of God to the confines of the church building or spiritual retreats, but the Lord crafted each moment of our everyday to be pregnant with opportunities of knowing Him more fully. Creation testifies of His glory. His mercies are new every morning, waiting to be unwrapped in our days. He is in regular pursuit of our hearts. Ask the Lord to open your eyes and see Him in real, everyday life!

3) Name the things that have changed in your life in the last 24 hours. Maybe it was your plans. Maybe it was the nuances of an interaction you had with a friend. Perhaps you received new information. Unread emails, laundry to fold, meals to plan, change is constantly around us. Now name the things that have never once changed in the course of your entire life. You may be able to name some things that haven’t changed much, or perhaps people you’ve come to rely on fully over time. But, to assign an “always” statement to someone or something’s unchangeability isn’t very accurate. The Lord does not increase His love for us over time, and neither does it decrease. His justice and goodness does not ebb and flow depending on political standing or cultural trends. He is ceaselessly full of all that embodies His character. Never once has He changed. Ever. Which means He is endlessly trustworthy. What was true of Him at the dawn of time will be true of Him in the ages to come. None is more faithful and true than the Lord God. Given this reality, what are you holding back from entrusting to His care? Plans for your future? Relationship struggles? Finances? Fear? Wounds? Sister, there is none more able to love you, and none more worthy of your total surrender than the Lord Jesus Christ. Give it all over to the Unfailing One and worship Him for His faithfulness!

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 John 15:4-5 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.

Prayer Journal
None is steadfast like You, O Lord! Your goodness never ceases, yet how easily I become “bored” with praising You because I forget Your benefits. I neglect to remember the constancy of your nearness and the immediacy of Your accessible Presence. Shift the focus of my heart to see with eyes of faith. Teach me to trust the good love of Your heart that has never abandoned me. Teach me to pause here, to rest in it, and then live it out in worship that speaks of Your glory!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Eden Day 5 Crafted For Community

April 22, 2022 by Sara Cissell 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 1:26-31
1 John 4:7-21
Romans 5:1-11
Matthew 22:37-40

Eden, Day 5

I think the Garden of Eden must have been paradise for those who are averse to crowds. Since Adam and Eve were the only humans on the planet, I cannot quite picture one of them mumbling, “I hate crowds.” Unless, by chance, a cacophony caused by all the animals Adam had recently named counted for crowd noise.

No large groups of people rushed to and fro on their way to the market or gathered close to hear someone speak as Adam and Even walked with the Lord in the cool of the day. (Genesis 3:8) But, in those evening times of sharing, five distinct persons were present, three of whom are found within the single triune Being of the three-in-one God.

Deuteronomy 6:4 clearly states there is only One God.
“The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

This truth is reiterated across Scripture, but we also discover this One God is revealed in three distinct persons as God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. All three persons dwell in unity as the Lord God; all three were present in Eden.

I can only imagine the community Adam and Eve shared with God in the Garden.
Abundant peace! Flooding Love! All shared so beautifully!
How glorious it surely was to interact with the Lord before sin marred everything!

There are four Greek words for love: eros, storge, philos, and agape.
Eros is sexual and romantic.
Storge is felt for family.
Philos is shared between friends.
Agape is Divine love poured out through self-sacrifice.

The Triune God is Lord of love, it is His DNA, and He created us to both give and receive it, mirroring how He shares self-sacrificial love even within His own Being.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)

“God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him [. . .] We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:16, 19)

Adam and Eve were the first humans to experience love and, to borrow the wording of Genesis, they saw that love was good.

Adam and Eve were the first husband and wife.
Eros

Scripture lists their children as Cain, Abel, Seth, and other sons and daughters.
Storge

The Lord walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden and talked with them directly.
Philos

Finally, Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden due to their sin. (Genesis 3)
They lost their direct access to the Lord.

However, out of His love, the Lord did not destroy them, even at the expense of His connection with them and the eventual sacrifice Jesus would make to restore our access.
Agape

Regardless of the type of love demonstrated, one common denominator is present: more than one person. This means that when the Lord decided to make man in His image, humanity was crafted for community.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.’” (Genesis 1:26, emphasis mine)
The Trinity is on display within the first chapter of Genesis!

God as Father, Son, and Spirit dwell in perfect community, and we are invited and challenged to foster healthy community as well with divine agape love as our foundation.

A common cultural mantra is “Love Wins.”
Yes, yes it does.
But not according to the world’s definition of “winning”.
It’s not the selfish love of one having her every whim satisfied, but a love reflecting Matthew 22: 37-40.

“He said to [the Pharisee], ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets depend on these two commands.’”

Every interaction we have with another person is a chance to grow in agape love as it undergirds every other type of love and reflects the beautiful, sacrificial love of the Triune God.

Before finding ourselves incredibly overwhelmed at trying to muster up this kind of love on our own strength, remember this love is a fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) We are to love with and through the help of the Holy Spirit.

In order to effectively love others in community,
we must first be in community with the Lord.

Lord, we need more of You. We need Your ability to love those around us.
Holy Spirit, please cultivate agape love in us. Empower us to love like You
when it hurts,
when it’s scary,
when we’re tired,
when we’ve been wounded,
and when differences threaten to divide us by prejudice.

**Please note we do not advocate remaining in unsafe, abusive relationships. Setting healthy boundaries is also a demonstration of love.

Lord, we will continually fail without Your help; we need Your help when we inevitably fall short. Help us to love enough to ask for forgiveness, pour out grace, listen to understand, extend forgiveness, and to seek Your face for wisdom in our relationships.

You crafted us for community.
Helps us to experience this by drawing close to You and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

For Your Glory.
Amen.

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Eden 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 Eden!

Worship IX Day 14 Lyrical Pursuit: Digging Deeper

December 2, 2021 by Rachel Jones Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Lyrical Pursuit!

The Questions

1) How can we take refuge in God?

2) How does God shelter those who rejoice in Him?

3) What does it mean to boast about God?

Psalm 5:11

But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May You shelter them, and may those who love Your name boast about You.

Original Intent

1) How can we take refuge in God?
The concept of God’s people taking refuge in Him is central to the Bible’s teaching and is most often found in the Old Testament. In Psalm 5:11, David writes, “all who take refuge in You (God) rejoice.” To take refuge implies removing ourselves from harm’s way and under God’s wings of protection. Author, Alexander MacLaren, explains, “As a man in peril runs into a hiding-place or fortress, as the chickens beneath the outspread wing of the mother bird nestle close in the warm feathers and are safe and well, the soul that trusts (God) takes its flight straight to God, and in Him reposes and is secure.” To take refuge in God means to run to Him when trouble comes. Psalm 46:1 proclaims, “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” One way David takes refuge in God is by coming to Him in the morning; he habitually begins his day communing with the Lord. Author, David Guzik, explains that Psalm 5 is a “morning prayer. It shows David coming to the LORD in the morning and receiving the strength and joy he needs to make it through the day against many adversaries.” David had real enemies and dire circumstances to fear, but He trusted in God to shield and save him. Proverbs 14:26 tells us, “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence and his children have a refuge.” David feared the Lord and trusted in God’s promises of protection more than he feared his adversaries. David knew God alone would provide true refuge from life’s perils. We are blessed that the same is true for us today. I encourage you to call on God and let him be your refuge from the chaos of life today!

2) How does God shelter those who rejoice in Him?
In Psalm 5:11, David tells God, “But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May You shelter them, and may those who love Your name boast about You.” David notices a correlation between God sheltering His people and their praise to Him. David asserts that God’s shelter–His presence and protection–is not extended to the unrighteous, and His people should praise Him for the loving refuge He provides. God drives out His enemies (Psalm 5:10), but He shelters those who love Him. He shields them, sheltering them through hard times. (Psalm 119:114) Those who are sheltered have reason to rejoice, and those who shout for joy to the Lord will be sheltered by God. David again calls God his shelter in Psalm 27:5-6, declaring that he will shout for joy because of God’s salvation. David implicitly trusts in God’s protection. Author, Bill Crowder, contends that we rejoice “because we know Someone who is strong enough to carry us through the churning waves of life that threaten to overwhelm us. . . In the face of life’s great dangers and challenges, we can know a joy borne out of our trust in God. His strength is more than enough!” God shelters those who love Him by being with them in their troubles and sometimes helping them out of their troubles, resulting in rejoicing. God’s people can call on Him when life is challenging, and He helps them. Author, Becky Harling, suggests, “As you praise Him in the middle of your anxiety, the Holy Spirit awakens your soul to His presence and the Holy One calms you down.” Those who trust in Christ are blessed that His presence acts as a shelter from the problems they face on a daily basis. This is reason to rejoice!

3) What does it mean to boast about God?
David tells the Lord, “…may those who love Your name boast about You.” (verse 11) David wants God’s people to tell everyone about His great and glorious works and how He makes Himself a shelter for His people. Author, Tony Evans, explains that David “urges God’s people to boast about Him and to shout for joy as a way of expressing recognition of who God is, what He has done, and what He can be trusted to do.” We should boast about Him so others know about His goodness, but also because God delights in our praises. His Word says He is enthroned upon the praises of His people. (Psalm 22:3) According to author Jessica Brodie, this means that “God inhabits—rests in, sits upon, dwells within—His people’s songs of worship and adoration.” God delights in our praises because He loves us, and He desires a relationship with us. When we praise Him, we invite His presence to actively dwell with us. Psalm 16:11 tells us abundant joy is found in God’s presence. Praising God ushers us into the fullness of His presence, which brings us the fullest joy we can know! John Piper asserts, “God would not be loving if He was indifferent to our praise. If He didn’t pursue our praise in all that He does, (…) He would not be pursuing the fullness of our satisfaction.” God is worthy of all praise and honor (Revelation 4:11), and He encourages us to do everything for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). When we boast about our loving God, we are entering His presence in more full ways; this is where we find abundant joy.

Everyday Application

1) How can we take refuge in God?
When I hear the phrase “take refuge,” I remember the storm cellar we had in my childhood home. It was a mound of earth with a door leading down to a dirt floor. It was dark, dank, and covered in cobwebs, so we never went inside unless we either wanted to impress visitors with our “dungeon” or a storm was coming. Several times each summer we found ourselves throwing open that cellar door and scurrying inside to wait out dangerous storms in the company of bugs and the spiders. One time, we emerged to find tree limbs down and damaged property. We knew the storm was bad, but we didn’t know the level of devastation from the safety of our cellar refuge. This is how it feels to take refuge in God. He shields us from the dangerous storms of life. No matter how bad things get around us, we are safe in His sheltering arms. His plans are good, despite how it feels at the time. (Psalm 119:68) He is sovereign over all things, even the difficult. Author Josh Philpot notes, “Taking refuge in God does not always mean immediate escape from pain and suffering. But because God is enthroned, he is in control and unperturbed by the apparent chaos on earth. . . He remains unshaken and eternally in power, which provides us with confidence in the day of trouble.” I can understand why David said of God, “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them shout for joy forever”. There is true joy in having God as your protector. Again in Psalm 34:8, the psalmist declares, “Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in Him!” No matter the storms raging around you today, take refuge in God and rejoice in the shelter He brings.

2) How does God shelter those who rejoice in Him?
Two weeks overdue with my daughter on March 19, 2003, I fell asleep knowing I would be induced the following day. It was already March 20 in Iraq, and war ensued as the USA fought to defeat Saddam Hussein. I kept thinking of the Iraqi women like me, about to give birth, but with nowhere to seek medical care due to the chaos. I prayed these women would find safety and shelter in the midst of the conflict, and I thanked God for the roof over my head and a hospital nearby in the morning. I’m reminded of this scenario when I read Psalm 5:11, “But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May You shelter them, and may those who love Your name boast about You.” I rejoiced in the physical shelter God provided for me and prayed He would shelter those in need, but He has faithfully provided shelter in many ways throughout my life. He provides godly relationships (Hebrews 10:24-25) as a shelter from loneliness and discouragement. He provides the shelter of my church family (Acts 2:44-47) who help me grow in faith and reach out in service to those who don’t know Christ. God also makes His presence a shelter for me. (1 Corinthians 3:16) The presence of His Holy Spirit empowers me to do His will and strengthens me when hard times arise. (Romans 8:26) God shelters me in the physical world, and for that I rejoice! But He also provides refuge when I am sad, when I am afraid, and when I am losing hope. In those times, I run to Him and find shelter from life’s troubles and strength to endure. (Proverbs 18:10)

3) What does it mean to boast about God?
In high school, my friend participated in a basket lunch auction where the girls bid on lunch dates with boys to raise money for charity. My friend spent the morning of the auction bragging on his basket, which consisted of fish and chips from a local restaurant. He raved about the golden fried batter, the flaky fish, the crispy fries, and the creamy coleslaw. When it came time to eat, he was mortified to find his order was wrong and the paltry meal he offered did not live up to his hype. He had boasted in something that did not deliver. When David hopes that all those who love the Lord will boast in Him in Psalm 5:11, it is because God’s works are definitely worthy of boasting about. Much of the Psalms consist of David and other writers boasting in God for who He is and what He has done. In Psalm 34:1-2, David declares, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. I will boast in the Lord…”. Psalm 44:8 declares, “We boast in God all day long; we will praise your name forever.” David also prays in Psalm 86:8-10, “Lord, there is no one like you among the gods, and there are no works like yours. All the nations you have made will come and bow down before you, Lord, and will honor your name. For you are great and perform wonders; you alone are God.” When God’s people recognize His goodness and His divinity by praising Him alone, God is glorified. We serve a mighty God who is worthy to be praised, so let us boast in the Lord by praising Him for being a God of wonder and majesty!

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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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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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