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Forgiven

Surrender Day 9 Image Unfiltered: Digging Deeper

February 2, 2023 by Mandy Farmer Leave a Comment

Surrender Day 9 Image Unfiltered: Digging Deeper

Mandy Farmer

February 2, 2023

Anchored,Covenant,Forgiven,Healing,Heart

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 "Image Unfiltered"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 3:22-30

22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent time with them and baptized.

23 John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were coming and being baptized, 24 since John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25 Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a Jew about purification. 26 So they came to John and told him, “Rabbi, the one you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan, is baptizing—and everyone is going to him.”

27 John responded, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) Why did Jesus go to the countryside and baptize? (verse 22)

John’s gospel was written for the purpose of revealing the Son of God to mankind. By this point in chapter 3, Jesus had performed His first miracle and been baptized by John revealing Jesus’ identity as the Father’s Beloved Son.

Jesus had overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple and chosen His twelve disciples. Word was quickly spreading about Him and a stir was created among the religious elite, one of whom was Nicodemus, who covertly met Jesus at night with questions. He wanted to be sure of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. This story of Jesus has become a cornerstone of Scripture.

It’s a great place to point people to Jesus as He self-identifies as the Son of God. Much had happened in a short time for Jesus, and a quiet place to rest was needed; though He was fully God, He was also fully human. He needed a chance to build a bond with His disciples. Moving into the countryside would have provided this opportunity. Here Jesus’ disciples began baptizing under Jesus’ authority (John 4:1-2) to confirm and validate baptism as an outward necessary identifier of following Jesus. Baptism was a symbol of repentance John used, and Jesus’ disciples followed suit under Christ’s authority.

The Everyday Application

1) Why did Jesus go to the countryside and baptize? (verse 22)

Just as Jesus escaped the busy demands of life and ministry for solitude and reflection, it is vitally important for us to find those quiet times, especially after an important public event or big expenditure of physical, emotional, and mental resources. The greater the expenditure of ourselves, the more important for us to get away to reflect. There is always a “down” after a “high” and we must take care not to allow Satan to neither pull us into depression nor elevate us into thinking how “great we are”.

We must take time to reflect on the work God has done, giving Him the glory for the work, and allowing Him to refuel us. Because we are human, we simply need time to rest. God provided this example from the beginning of time when He rested from His work on the seventh day. Concerning baptism, it is much like when Joshua set up stones of remembrance. Joshua’s stones of remembrance are just one monument in a series of memorials commemorating the mighty acts of God on behalf of the people of Israel. Explore these other memorials!

Passover (Exodus 13:3–6); Receiving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:4); Crossing The Jordan River (Deuteronomy 27:1–8); Possessing the Land of Canaan and God’s Covenant (Joshua 22:9–12; Joshua 24:24–28); Victory at Mizpah (1 Samuel 7:12). To everyone else, the stones were just a heap of rubble, but to the people of God, they were a constant reminder that Yahweh was a personal and powerful God, working wonders on behalf of His people. (gotquestions.org)

Believers in Jesus are baptized to make a public statement of our faith and a reminder for us that we have covenanted to serve the Lord. Do you remember that day?

The Original Intent

2) Why were John’s disciples concerned about purification and Jesus baptizing? (verse 25)

The Scriptures first introduced the ritual of purification in Exodus 30:17-21. This Mosaic law commanded the priests to cleanse themselves before entering the tent of meeting or approaching the altar. When John introduced baptism as a means of marking oneself out as a follower of God, it was not at all strange. But the terrain changed after Jesus was baptized, was identified as the Son of God, and His disciples also began baptizing. This concerned John’s disciples because Jesus was drawing greater crowds than John and discussions arose about whose baptism was better, John’s or Jesus’. John quickly put a stop to this discussion because he knew his ministry was intentionally ending while Jesus’ ministry was beginning.

John was the forerunner of Christ; meaning he was only meant to prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry. John fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy as “A voice of one crying out…” (Isaiah 40:3) John was overjoyed for this transition because it evidenced his job was complete. He had accomplished what God ordained for him to do, Preach Jesus! The Believer’s Bible Commentary mentions that when Paul came to Ephesus and spoke with the believers there, they raised the question of baptism. (Acts 19:1-6) “When the apostle raised the question of baptism, he found out that these men knew only about John’s baptism. In other words, the extent of their knowledge was that the Messiah was at hand, and they had signified their repentance by baptism as a necessary preparation for receiving Him as King. They did not know that Christ had died, had been buried, and had risen from the dead and ascended back to heaven, and that He had sent the Holy Spirit. 

Paul explained all this to them. He reminded them that when John baptized with the baptism of repentance, he urged them to believe … on Christ Jesus.” (William McDonald, The Believer’s Bible Commentary)

The Everyday Application

2) Why were John’s disciples concerned about purification and Jesus baptizing? (verse 25)

At first glance, this verse about purification seemed out of context to me. I had simplified the sacrament of baptism to a public proclamation of our salvation, which it is, but I did not connect it with the Old Testament concept of purification. So, what does water baptism represent? Let’s look a little deeper.

When a person is baptized by water, they are immersed or “covered over” with water. Water baptism represents the complete washing away of our sins. Immersion into the water represents death to our sins; our old way of living life is buried. When we rise from the water, it represents that just as Christ was raised, we, too, are raised from death into new life. (Romans 6:3-4) (Guzik, Enduring Word)

John’s baptism was for repentance, preparing the way to trust Christ for full salvation. Jesus’ baptism was for salvation and new life. This new life begins when the Holy Spirit enters our hearts and lives (baptism by His fire) as we confess Him as our Savior and repent of our sin. Water washes us clean, but dirt (sin) can return, and we need to wash again. This was the case for everyone up to the death and resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Fire (the Spirit of God) burns away sin and makes us pure (like gold or silver), accomplishing what water alone cannot. (1 Peter 1:3-9) The Holy Spirit then gives “us everything required for life and godliness”. (2 Peter 1:3)

The Original Intent

3) Why would John say, “He must increase, and I must decrease”? (verse 30)

John the Baptist understood it was good for him to become less visible and known in order for Jesus to become more visible and known. 

He recognized it was time for his ministry to lessen and Jesus’ ministry to flourish. John did not quit his work at this time, but he desired that everything he did pointed to Jesus, the pinnacle of his life’s work. He knew God had ordained his life to prepare others for Jesus, and he delighted in this! (David Guzik, Enduring Word)

The Everyday Application

3) Why would John say, “He must increase, and I must decrease”? (verse 30)

John the Baptist exemplifies for us it is possible to be popular and successful while still humble. He is a true example of humility for us.

In 2015, John 3:30 was my theme verse accompanying my word of the year (One Word), “Less”. The Lord gave me this word to prepare me for what was to come. I was dealing with chronic illness and slowly realizing I needed to give up increasingly more of my leadership roles.

So many things became less in our lives right down to Michael’s pastoral position, losing our place to live, having to downsize our lives, losing salary and benefits which led to no money in the bank account. God had prepared us to live “less” by the sustenance of His humility and grace. Becoming less is a characteristic meant to apply to all who claim to follow Christ, especially as we relate to each other within the church.

In our shared ministry, Michael and I often trained up people to go on and do greater things than us. We were thrilled to witness this! We have seen this in small churches, as well. We called them “sending churches”. They never rose above 75 people, but so many preachers, missionaries, and leaders came to these churches, found the Lord and moved on to do remarkable things.

This is the “significance of purpose” John the Baptist embraced, and we find delight when we do the same; humility is key to the Christian’s satisfying life.

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Confession,forgiveness,Remember,victory
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When Jesus came into the world, He brought His light to shine in the darkness. (John 1:1-5) He didn’t need to “create a persona” because He is the image of the living invisible God. (Colossians 1:15-16) Real beauty. The perverse dark world, blinded by its sin, shrieks at the light and beauty of Jesus.

We are pressured to conform to a worldly concept of shiny perfection, with all of our messy parts hidden.
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Posted in: Anchored, Covenant, Forgiven, Healing, Heart Tagged: Confession, forgiveness, Remember, victory

Surrender Day 7 Spilling Our Treasure: Digging Deeper

January 31, 2023 by Rachel Jones Leave a Comment

Surrender Day 7 Spilling Our Treasure: Digging Deeper

Rachel Jones

January 31, 2023

Adoring,Forgiven,Gift,Worship

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 "Spilling Our Treasure"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 7:36-50

36 Then one of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—she’s a sinner!”

40 Jesus replied to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

He said, “Say it, teacher.”

41 “A creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Since they could not pay it back, he graciously forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one he forgave more.”

“You have judged correctly,” he told him. 44 Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. 47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 Those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
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The Original Intent

1) Why would the woman give so extravagantly to Jesus? (verses 37-38)

Luke 7:37-38 describes a woman, probably a prostitute, according to Bible student Charles Ellicott, who approached Jesus to wash His feet with her tears, dry them with her hair, and anoint them with perfume. The foot washing itself was an act of service and honor, and the perfume was an extravagance that proved her love and devotion to Jesus.

Rod Mattoon explains, “Alabaster jars of perfume were so valuable in the first century they were often purchased as investments. This box may have been extremely expensive, as costly as one year’s wages.” Though the woman sought out Jesus when she heard he was at Simon’s house, we are unsure exactly how she knew about Jesus. Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer points out, “The woman through the influence of Jesus (it is unknown how; perhaps only by hearing His preaching and by observation of His entire ministry) had attained to repentance and faith, and thereby to moral renewal”.

This woman left a life of sin behind her when she came to Jesus, and she wanted to thank Him for the freedom that came with His forgiveness. (John 8:36) Her freedom from sin and oppression was worth more to her than the cost of the perfume in the alabaster box. (Romans 6:22) Humbling herself by washing and kissing Jesus’ feet was a way to show Him how much she loved her Savior. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)

Liz Curtis Higgs suggests “We’ve called her silent adulation worship. What she really poured all over his feet was love. Her tears, her hair, her kisses, her perfume. Love, love, love, love.” This nameless woman’s unspeakable joy of salvation poured forth in lavish gifts of worship to the One who loved her so much that He would pay for her sins. (Titus 2:14)

The Everyday Application

1) Why would the woman give so extravagantly to Jesus? (verses 37-38)

Have you seen those stories of celebrities visiting sick or underprivileged kids, or kids who have accomplished some great feat or act of service? These kids receive extravagant gifts, visits to concerts or sporting events, and videos and selfies to memorialize the moment. These sweet accounts give me all the feels! But I rarely see stories about celebrities lavishing swag on “bad” kids; the bullies, the addicts, the misfits and losers. But this is exactly what Jesus does in Luke 7:37-38.

He treats one of the “bad girls” of the Bible with love and honor, forgiving her sins and accepting her worship, even though it was offensive to their Pharisee host, Simon. The woman couldn’t keep herself from worshipping Jesus, because He had freed her from her sins and she had to express her joy!

The religious leaders still regarded Jesus with caution, doubting His claims, and treated Him with more suspicion than respect. This woman of ill-repute honored Jesus in ways his host failed, by washing His feet. She used this humble deed as an act of worship (Romans 12:1) by pouring out tears and wiping them with her hair, though unbound hair in public was not acceptable per religious laws (F.F. Bruce). Nor could she hold back from pouring out expensive perfume on his feet, indicating her Lord was worthy of all her worship.

Lawrence Richards writes, “That was an act of love; an expression of gratitude. Her ‘many sins’ had been purged, and her tears were tears of joy.” Let’s follow this woman’s example of extravagant worship to the One who has given us everything and is worthy of everything we have. (Revelation 5:12)

The Original Intent

2) Why did Jesus point out the difference between how the woman treated Him and how the Pharisee treated Him? (verses 44-46)

In verses 44-46, Jesus pointed out how differently Simon the Pharisee treated Him than a prostitute who heard Jesus was at Simon’s house and came to see Him. Jesus asked Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume.” (verses 44-46)

Matthew Williams explains there were certain rules about visiting someone’s home in Bible times. “In Jesus’ day, three rituals were common: a kiss of greeting, washing of feet, and anointing with oil. . . Simon has set up Jesus for social shame. No Pharisee who liked Jesus would have done this.” Simon already held Jesus in contempt, but the Pharisee was shocked when the sinful woman entered his home and Jesus allowed her to touch Him. He even made a barbed comment that if Jesus was a prophet He should know all about the kind of woman who was washing His feet. (Luke 7:39)

Jesus made it a point to show Simon that this sinner loved Him better than Simon. He wanted Simon to consider that the woman’s sins were not the most important thing about her, and that Simon’s education and traditions did not make him better than the sinful woman. Jesus wanted to emphasize that forgiving sinful people was the very reason He came to earth from Heaven. (1 Timothy 1:15) Jesus did not want to distance Himself from sinners; He wanted to befriend them and bring them into God’s family. (Luke 19:10)

The Everyday Application

2) Why did Jesus point out the difference between how the woman treated Him and how the Pharisee treated Him? (verses 44-46)

Everyone loves the story of an underdog who defies the odds and comes out on top. From Little Orphan Annie to Rocky Balboa, people love to cheer on those who are looked down on and misused by others. Reading about the unnamed woman who washes Jesus’ feet is reminiscent of just such a tale as the unwelcome woman defies the religious elite, Simon, when she approaches Jesus at Simon’s home. Simon thinks that Jesus’ attentiveness to the woman and her gift is inappropriate, but Jesus points out that this sinful woman has behaved better than His self-righteous host. (Luke 7:44-46)

Jared C. Wilson notes how Simon “grumbles inwardly, not just because he doubts Christ’s holiness in allowing this scandalous scene, but because he considers himself to have higher standards than Jesus has.” Jesus wanted Simon and the onlookers to recognize that He “accepted her worship, covered her with dignity, and regaled her with forgiveness.” (Ifgathering.com)

Simon the Pharisee thought he was better than this woman with a sinful past and that he was more righteous than Jesus, who associated with her. Jesus wanted Simon to know that His forgiveness made scarlet sins as white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) In pointing out the disparity between their treatment of Jesus, Christ emphasized that all people are sinners in need of a Savior (Romans 3:23), including the woman from the street and the sanctimonious Pharisee.

Jesus pointed out how her worship, while it made the establishment uncomfortable, was more acceptable than Simon’s pious hypocrisy. Jesus lovingly forgives everyone who comes to Him in true repentance (Ephesians 1:7), and He loves the praise and adoration of those who worship Him. (Hebrews 13:15-16)

The Original Intent

3) What does it mean that the one who is forgiven little, loves little? (verse 47)

When a promiscuous woman came to Simon the Pharisee’s house and washed Jesus’ feet, Jesus explained why He considered this an act of worship by telling Simon, “Her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” (verse 47)

Jesus declared this woman’s sins, every single one, to be forgiven. David Guzik points out, “She wasn’t forgiven because of her great love; her great love was evidence that she had been forgiven, probably privately on a prior occasion and now publicly.” Simon had not shown Jesus even the common kindness of foot washing, and Jesus was associating this “little love” with Simon’s lack of awareness of his own need for forgiveness.

Kelly Barbrey notes, “In reality, both the woman and Simon are ‘debtors’ in need of forgiveness. The biggest difference, however, is the passion and awareness with which the woman confesses and the faith she has in Jesus’ forgiveness. Simon is similar to the debtor who owed the smaller sum. (Luke 7:41-42)

In denial of his own shortcomings, he haughtily looks down his nose at the woman who seems to have accumulated a lifetime of transgressions.” Simon didn’t believe he needed to be forgiven of anything because of his perceived superiority. After all, he was a Pharisee, one who studied and taught the law and the Scriptures. He thought he could learn nothing from a prostitute and a traveling teacher.

Jesus wanted Simon to see that God’s forgiveness was the great equalizer, making everyone who called on Jesus a child of God (John 1:12), blameless in His sight (Colossians 1:22), and desirous of sharing the love that had been lavished upon them.

The Everyday Application

3) What does it mean that the one who is forgiven little, loves little? (verse 47)

My friend made some disastrous choices that alienated his family. He recognized he was on a path to ruin and sought God’s forgiveness and restoration. Since then, he has lived like a man with a new lease on life. He is joyful in serving and compassionate with others who need God’s forgiveness. Even when consequences from bad choices continue to surface, he is humbly grateful for God’s forgiveness.

He reminds me of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet in Luke 7:47 of whom Jesus said, “her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” My friend loves much because he knows how much God has forgiven him. He appreciates what God saved him from and what God has graciously allowed him to do, despite his past mistakes. Dave Roper explains that “Sin can make us more appreciative of God’s forgiveness and can lead us to a deeper, more extravagant love for Him than we could otherwise attain.”

Those who don’t seek God’s forgiveness don’t have the same perspective and can only “love little.” Vance Havner suggests that today, “Few alabaster boxes are broken in tearful joy over forgiveness. Sin has been glossed over; men do not regard themselves sinners and consequently feel no burden of guilt and, of course, no relief in His pardon.”

When you realize your need for God’s forgiveness, the comfort and love you experience is overwhelming; this joy is yours every time you come to Him. Christ never responds to our repentance with, “You again?” He never says, “You had enough chances.” In fact, Jesus urges us to ask Him for forgiveness when we pray (Matthew 6:12).

Anytime your sins cause you to turn away from God in shame, remember He is waiting to forgive you and love you. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

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Journey Study

How are we able to give generously out of our poverty?
Luke 21:1-4 encourages us with the faith of a penniless widow who gave her last two coins to God.
Such generosity in surrender of our earthly treasure requires a belief that all we have belongs to God. He is our why for He will sustain us in plenty or in want.
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Posted in: Adoring, Forgiven, Gift, Worship Tagged: disciple, gift, humility, Lavish, surrender

Sketched X Day 12 What Are You Waiting For?: Digging Deeper

July 26, 2022 by Shannon Vicker 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 What Are You Waiting For?

The Questions

1) Why did Jacob need to send his sons to Egypt to buy grain? (Genesis 42:1-7)

2) Why did Joseph not reveal who he was to his brothers? (Genesis 42:8-26)

3) Why did Jacob keep Benjamin home? (Genesis 42:29-38)

Genesis 42:1-43:14

42 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? 2 Listen,” he went on, “I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we will live and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he thought, “Something might happen to him.”

5 The sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. 7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them.

“Where do you come from?” he asked.

“From the land of Canaan to buy food,” they replied.

8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9 Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies. You have come to see the weakness of the land.”

10 “No, my lord. Your servants have come to buy food,” they said. 11 “We are all sons of one man. We are honest; your servants are not spies.”

12 “No,” he said to them. “You have come to see the weakness of the land.”

13 But they replied, “We, your servants, were twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no longer living.”

14 Then Joseph said to them, “I have spoken: ‘You are spies!’ 15 This is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one from among you to get your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned so that your words can be tested to see if they are true. If they are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 So Joseph imprisoned them together for three days.

18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “I fear God—do this and you will live. 19 If you are honest, let one of you be confined to the guardhouse, while the rest of you go and take grain to relieve the hunger of your households. 20 Bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be confirmed; then you won’t die.” And they consented to this.

21 Then they said to each other, “Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us.”

22 But Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn’t listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

23 They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them. 24 He turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes. 25 Joseph then gave orders to fill their containers with grain, return each man’s silver to his sack, and give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out. 26 They loaded the grain on their donkeys and left there.

The Brothers Return Home

27 At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver there at the top of his bag. 28 He said to his brothers, “My silver has been returned! It’s here in my bag.” Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What has God done to us?”

29 When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them: 30 “The man who is the lord of the country spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country. 31 But we told him, ‘We are honest and not spies. 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of the same father. One is no longer living, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 The man who is the lord of the country said to us, ‘This is how I will know if you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go. 34 Bring back your youngest brother to me, and I will know that you are not spies but honest men. I will then give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the country.’”

35 As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! When they and their father saw their bags of silver, they were afraid.

36 Their father Jacob said to them, “It’s me that you make childless. Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything happens to me!”

37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You can kill my two sons if I don’t bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him to you.”

38 But Jacob answered, “My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. If anything happens to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.”

Decision to Return to Egypt

43 Now the famine in the land was severe. 2 When they had used up the grain they had brought back from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little food.”

3 But Judah said to him, “The man specifically warned us, ‘You will not see me again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go, for the man said to us, ‘You will not see me again unless your brother is with you.’”

6 “Why have you caused me so much trouble?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man that you had another brother?”

7 They answered, “The man kept asking about us and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”

8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me. We will be on our way so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our dependents. 9 I will be responsible for him. You can hold me personally accountable! If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I will be guilty before you forever. 10 If we had not delayed, we could have come back twice by now.”

11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balsam and a little honey, aromatic gum and resin, pistachios and almonds. 12 Take twice as much silver with you. Return the silver that was returned to you in the top of your bags. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also, and go back at once to the man. 14 May God Almighty cause the man to be merciful to you so that he will release your other brother and Benjamin to you. As for me, if I am deprived of my sons, then I am deprived.”

Original Intent

1) Why did Jacob need to send his sons to Egypt to buy grain? (Genesis 42:1-7)
It’s a big section of Scripture to dive into in a short study, but it covers a lot of important details! If you haven’t yet, please go back and Read His Words Before Mine! It won’t take you long and will be invaluable as we study these two chapters together! In Genesis 41 Joseph is called before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. This dream interpreting ability wasn’t new to Joseph (Go Read: Genesis 37:5-10; Genesis 40:8-19). God used Joseph to inform Pharaoh of an upcoming 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine. This famine wasn’t confined to Egypt but would spread throughout the land. (Genesis 41:56-57) People traveled to purchase grain from Egypt due to the surplus that had been stored there under Joseph’s wise direction. Grain was absolutely essential for livelihood in those days. It was easily stored and therefore used in almost everything people ate. Without grain, life would become difficult, if not impossible. When Jacob and his family needed grain, the famine’s severity left Jacob with no choice but to send his sons to purchase it from the only location grain could be found…Egypt. Without it, their family and their entire livelihood would likely die of starvation.

2) Why did Joseph not reveal who he was to his brothers? (Genesis 42:8-26)
Joseph’s brothers appeared before him asking for grain (Genesis 42:6) along with countless other people making the same request, having traveled many miles on little sustenance. Interestingly, instead of revealing his identity to his brothers and reuniting the family, he accused them of being spies. (Genesis 42:9) He went so far as to keep one of his brothers in prison while the rest returned home with strict instructions to bring Benjamin to Egypt. (Genesis 42:19) The last time Joseph had seen his brothers they were selling him into slavery, which left many open doubts about their integrity in Joseph’s mind. What kind of men were his brothers now? Joseph was attempting to discover if their character had changed by setting up a series of tests intended to draw out their true selves. Were they still the same as when they vengefully sold him or had they truly repented of their actions and changed their lives? Joseph needed to find out. Through his series of tests Joseph discovered they had truly changed in their hearts. He would eventually reveal himself as their long-lost brother. Read tomorrow’s Journey Study for more!

3) Why did Jacob keep Benjamin home? (Genesis 42:29-38)
Jacob had many sons, however, only two were born to Rachel, Joseph’s favorite wife. Joseph and Benjamin were full brothers while Joseph’s other brothers were half-brothers born to Leah. Genesis 37:3-4 tells us that of all twelve sons born to Jacob, Joseph was his favorite. Joseph was born in Jacob’s old age to the wife he had worked 14 years to win and marry from his uncle Laban. (Genesis 29:16-28) When Jacob was deceived by his other sons into believing Joseph had been killed, it devastated Jacob. However, it appears he continued playing favorites and chose Benjamin as his new favorite. Unwilling to part with his last remaining connection to favorited Joseph and favorited Rachel, Jacob simply couldn’t bear to send Benjamin to Egypt for fear of never seeing him again. Though motivated by selfishness and sinful favoritism, Jacob was also protecting the youngest male in the family to preserve the family line.

Everyday Application

1) Why did Jacob need to send his sons to Egypt to buy grain? (Genesis 42:1-7)
Life in the days of Genesis was nearly impossible without grain and the famine caused Jacob and his family to deplete their supply. The only reason Egypt had grain was because God used Jacob to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams allowing them to prepare ahead of time for the coming famine. The Lord is a preserving, generous, providing God! Until the moment Joseph was called before Pharaoh, his life had been anything but easy. His brothers sold him (Genesis 37:18-28), they made Father Jacob believe him to be dead (Genesis 37:31-33), he was unjustly thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit (Genesis 39:6-23), and he was forgotten by the cupbearer whose dreams he interpreted (Genesis 40:23). However, God never forgot Joseph. Just as God preserved Egypt and other nations with grain, He preserved His plan for Joseph’s life through every hardship. God intended to save many through Joseph’s life and his faith. As believers today, this should remind and encourage us as we face our own struggles and dark seasons. No matter what life brings our way, the Lord God is always sovereign. He will preserve us and finish His work in us. We can trust His plan, even when we cannot see it.

2) Why did Joseph not reveal who he was to his brothers? (Genesis 42:8-26)
Life events, especially suffering, either makes us better, stronger, and kinder if we lean into the Lord to shape us, or they make us bitter, angry, miserable, and even prideful. Perhaps you’ve experienced these two different outcomes in your own life or watched them play out in someone else’s. Joseph allowed the Lord to grow his faith through suffering, but without any interaction with the brothers who had sold him as a slave, he had no way to know if they had changed or remained the same. The important part of this story isn’t that Joseph tested his brothers’ character, but that Joseph’s character shone through. Joseph wasn’t out to demolish his brothers with vengeance, power, or self-righteous arrogance as proven by his later statement to them of God’s goodness. (Genesis 50:20) True repentance always results in genuine life change, which was what Joseph intended to discover of his brothers. Just like these men, we are all sinners needing true repentance. In our free will, we make decisions that go against God’s will and harm our relationship with Him and others; this is sin. Even a single lie or a single word of gossip is counted as sin; none of us are righteous. (Romans 3:10-11) However, God is graciously ready to forgive us and restore our broken relationship if we will come to Him in true repentance. (1 John 1:9) There is no sin too big for God to forgive, for all sins equally separate us from Him. When we seek His forgiveness and repent, it must include life change. If we simply go through the motions of feeling remorseful, but never going to the Lord in true confession and desire to live differently, we will continuously fall back into the cycle of sin. We must invite God to transform our broken places by His Spirit. As He works through our repentance, we begin to look less like our sinful selves and more like Jesus. (Romans 8:29)

3) Why did Jacob keep Benjamin home? (Genesis 42:29-38)
Favoritism colored much of Jacob’s life and its sinful consequences played a role in the hatred of Joseph’s brothers against him. Perhaps it started out innocently enough, as sin often does, but sin is never a plaything. Sin’s trajectory always gives birth to death. (James 1:15) Perhaps your pet sin isn’t favoritism, but we all have a sin nature that leads us to speak and act in ways contrary to God’s plan for our lives. Though we may doubt it, following His commands will always bring us the fullness of life. (Psalm 119:127-130) How much heartache could Joseph have avoided for himself and his family had he chosen to reject favoritism?! Jacob wanted to keep Benjamin safe and couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him; his hope was fixed on preserving his favorite instead of depending on the Lord. It’s as if he did not learn from Joseph’s supposed death how favoritism would leave him feeling hollow, empty, and alone in its wake. However, Jacob’s missed lesson is one you and I can learn from. We will make choices in our life and God will use those moments to teach us something, but only if we surrender to His ways. We can either choose to continue on our current path of sin, or we can turn our ways over to God, allowing Him to make us look more like Jesus!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with What Are You Waiting For?

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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Posted in: Believe, Christ, Comfort, Forgiven, Freedom, Fruitfulness, Pain, Peace, Provider, Purpose, Redeemed, Redemption Tagged: change, confess, hope, made new, repent, Sin

Whole Day 15 My Wholeness Story

July 8, 2022 by Multiple Authors Leave a Comment

Whole Day 15 My Wholeness Story

Multiple Authors

July 8, 2022

Broken,Forgiven,God,Good,Lord,Love

Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Psalm 37:27-40
Hebrews 12:7-13

If you’ve surrendered yourself to Jesus, reached out and accepted His offer to forgive every single sin in your past, present, and future, then you have a wholeness story!

All of us have a past, whether it was mired in obvious sins everyone could see, or we struggled inside with performance, trying to win our way to God, or something else altogether. All of us are guilty of missing the mark of perfect holiness. All of us need a Savior to make us Whole. All of our broken places, shattered dreams, deep wounds, aching losses, and entangling sins are heavy burdens, but Jesus came to pay the price for all of it, and then free us to dance in His Wholeness!  

These ladies are bravely sharing part of their broken-turned-whole stories because the Lord invites us to tell of His goodness. (Psalm 105:1-2) Be encouraged by their transparency, ask the Lord to make you whole, then share with another of the goodness of our God!

Rachel Jones
When my first pregnancy ended in miscarriage, I decided to take the full 9 months to grieve and process, spending the time getting healthier and learning more about pregnancy. During this time, I came to know God as my Comforter. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Expressing my pain was difficult, so I just sought God’s presence and cried out for rescue like the psalmist. (Psalm 91:15) God used the comforting words and embrace of women in my life to make me feel protected and understood; it was as if God Himself was holding me in His arms. (Isaiah 40:11) Sometimes, while worshipping at church, I would suddenly find myself sobbing, releasing the grief I didn’t know how to surrender on my own. God met me when I was vulnerable and open during worship, healing me and making me whole as I allowed Him to bind up my broken heart. (Psalm 147:3)

Leslie Umstattd
During my time at seminary, I found myself in a dark season. I was full of anxiety and wasn’t sleeping well. I would wake up numerous times during the night with racing thoughts and a mind that would not be still. I was one year into my studies and I wasn’t particularly stressed during the day, but at night I would toss and turn longing for sleep. Each night, I would struggle to fall asleep and once asleep, struggle to stay asleep. It was as if a film reel of the past would play like an old movie projector in my head. This went on for months and I was physically exhausted as well as emotionally and spiritually wearied. One night, I woke up and decided to read my Bible. It seemed the only distraction that would focus my thoughts. I looked up verses speaking directly to finding peace and rest as well as those that spoke truth to anxiety. I wrote these in my journal and began memorizing them. Each night as my mind would race, I would repeat the verses I memorized over and over again as my mantra, working to replace my anxious thoughts with the truth of God’s Word. Slowly, the dark season began fading. His word became a lamp and light for me to find rest. When I woke up, I could speak truth directly to my worries and my mind learned to be still. One of my truth verses was Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will protect your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.” Another verse that shed light in my dark season was Proverbs 3:23-24, “Then you will walk in your way securely, And your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” In my desperate need, the Lord made me whole by teaching my heart to anchor in unshakeable truth!

Natalie Smith
The Lord has been teaching me much on the importance of self-control and patience. Though I have benefitted from seeing these fruits in others, especially my husband, much of my hands-on learning of Jesus’ patience has been taught through parenting. I have often felt I was placed in an extreme sport in raising my mystery child on the Autism Spectrum. Every battle tends to be extreme: extreme in the intensity, frequency, and time needed to out-grow certain behaviors. Most challenging for me are fits of anger. I remember being locked in the bathroom and sitting on the floor with my hysteric child. The hysteria had been going on for quite some time and I was exhausted mentally and emotionally. No one was home to help. I wanted to run, punch a hole in the wall, or start screaming myself, but suddenly the Lord gave clarity, teaching me of Himself. I realized that Jesus chose to die to Himself and remain self-controlled in order to bring us peace. Jesus chose patience while being led away by the soldiers and He has been patient when my own confused soul has raged against Him. He has shown me that to reach my children (neighbors and friends) with His love requires great patience and death to myself. How sweetly the Lord is making me more wholly like Him, even in my mundane!

Shannon Vicker
As an educator and parent, recent school shootings have made the world seem very dark, and I admit to feeling trapped within it. Being forced to face the grim reality of pervasive darkness and what it could mean for me and my family is hard. If I am honest, those harsh scenarios are never far from my mind, but recent events seem to increase the likelihood of their reality impacting those I love. These are scary thoughts, however, God has not left me alone. On the contrary, He is present to shed the light of truth and hope into the darkness. This week, that light was evidenced through a student. As he processed the events, he chose to hand-deliver a flower to everyone on staff. (*flower shown on today’s graphic) He gifted me a beautiful creation with a smile on his face, and God used this kind generosity to remind me of Matthew 6:25-34. I can empathize, and mourn with those who mourn, but it is not my job to borrow worry and anxiety. I cannot control the events of tomorrow, but I can trust that God, in all His divine wisdom, knows each of my days and will never leave me. I can trust His plans are greater than mine and that He will “work all things for good” (Romans 8:28) even if His plans don’t match mine. Day by day, He is making me Whole! 

Lisa Marcelina
I enjoy working for the Lord! I gave my life to Jesus at the age of seventeen, and while life has been challenging, at the age of fifty-three, I can say God has been with me and blessed me as I surrendered myself to Him. I serve the Lord through my writing. I’m not an eloquent speaker and I fear speaking in public, so getting up on a platform to teach is not my cup of tea. When I write, I express myself more clearly and the Lord uses my surrender for His glory. Is writing hard? Yes, it is. It takes a lot of research to prepare a devotional or Bible study; putting it together can be tedious. In between, I have a full-time job and family responsibilities. I enjoy it all because working for the Lord and serving others gives me purpose, redeeming the curse over work. Living for Jesus and serving Him is what makes life abundant. (John 10:10) At the end of my physical life and when Jesus exchanges the corruptible for incorruptible, all believers will become truly Whole.

Melodye Reeves
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:21-23) I have come to realize my gospel witness is only as effective as my belief that Christ does indeed hold an assuredly true hope-drenched future. It is this belief that gives me perpetual hope. Being devoted to good and surrendered to God’s purpose for me has produced within me a hope that outlasts the trials I experience. God’s mercy is the source of my devotion and surrender to Him. Because He has steadfastly loved me and faithfully held me, I’m able to remember and be filled with all hope. (Romans 15:13) This is my answer for all who wonder and might ask me how I can possibly walk through the hard seasons of life. Because of the Hope of Jesus, I can surrender to being made Whole by the Savior!

Oppression is everywhere in this dark world.
BUT as Christ’s ambassadors,
we carry the Hope of Jesus around within us. (2 Corinthians 4:10)

Sisters, let us each fervently take up the mission before us to put on the full armor of God and engage the world around us with the ministry of reconciliation that Christ Himself has given to us that we may all be made WHOLE.

Tags :
broken,forgiven,God,good,Lord,love
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The GT Weekend! ~ Surrender Week 2
February 4, 2023
Surrender Day 10 True Joy: Digging Deeper
February 3, 2023
Surrender Day 10 True Joy
February 3, 2023

Whole Day 15
Digging Deeper

Consider these words from the author, “He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness.” (verse 10)
Does that gift not astound you?!
So we can share in His holiness! In the Master hand of a loving Father God, even the grievousness of terrible suffering brings about a wholeness that mirrors the holiness of God Himself! This brings tears to my eyes!
Dig Deeper!

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June 20 - July 8, 2022 - Journey Theme #109

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Posted in: Broken, Forgiven, God, Good, Lord, Love Tagged: broken, forgiven, God, good, Lord, love

Whole Day 13 The Hope Of Wholeness

July 6, 2022 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Whole Day 13 The Hope Of Wholeness

Marietta Taylor

July 6, 2022

Believe,Blessed,Broken,Cross,Daughter,Forgiven,Freedom,Righteousness,Sacrifice

Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 5:1-7
Revelation 22
Psalm 34
Luke 11:33-36
Psalm 19:7-14

Hope.
Trusting in, waiting for, and looking for.


Those who are broken hope for wholeness.
And aren’t we all broken in some way, big or small?

In seeking wholeness, we easily find ourselves looking for healing from wrong sources.
The Bible talks about our misplaced gazes so we can recognize them and reject them.

We look to idols such as
money (Luke 16:13),
popularity (Galatians 1:10),
politics (Matthew 22:21),
and possessions (Luke 12:16-21).

We try to heal ourselves through things like
willpower (Romans 7:19-20),
sex (Hebrews 13:4),
ambition (1 Corinthians 8:2),
and a host of others (Colossians 3:5).

Do any of these actually heal our brokenness?
Absolutely not. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

We look everywhere but the one true place to fix our eyes and be made Whole.

Only one place exists where our hope for wholeness can be perfectly fulfilled. 

The apostle John described it like this,
“Then he [an angel] showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse.” (Revelation 22:1-3)

Of this place where Wholeness knows no end, Jesus said to His disciples,
“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.” (John 14:1-4)

Where was Jesus going?
Do we know the way to where He went?
Absolutely!

He was going back to His Father, Our Father God, in heaven.

Heaven, where we will be…
wholly united with God.
wholly worshiping Him.
wholly free from fears, tears, and suffering.
wholly unbroken.
(Isaiah 25:8-9)

This is the place we long for as we suffer many things in our “earthly tents”.
2 Corinthians 5:2
says, “Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling.” We groan because here we are broken and not whole.

Yet, we are not without hope for Jesus is our Living Hope.
(1 Peter 1:3)

Through His sacrifice on the cross we are able to enter Heaven, despite the load of brokenness and sin we carry. His blood paid the price for our sin, cleansing us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior is the key to turning over our brokenness and allowing Him to usher us into wholeness.
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.” (Revelation 22:14) Our dirty robes of sin and death are washed clean by the blood of Jesus, “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

We live today with our brokenness while focused on the guarantee of wholeness in Heaven. But how do we live today, while longing for eternity? Scripture gives us direction, if we’re paying attention.

Truthfully, I’m not always paying close enough attention. It’s easy to get wrapped up in your own brokenness and the sharp edges of those around you. Add in the broken world we live in and we become even more distracted from Scripture’s clear commands that light our paths. (Psalm 119:105) But the Bible is our lighthouse, our beacon, our “you are here” map with the star planted squarely on heaven as our destination.

Psalm 19:7-14 tells us these things about the Word of God, the Bible:

  • The perfect Word of God revives our souls
  • The reliable Word of God makes us wise
  • The “rightness” of the Word of God should cause us to rejoice
  • The pure Word of God enlightens us
  • The fear of the Lord (as we read the Word of God) is cleansing and proves eternal
  • The rules of the Lord (found in the Word of God) are true and righteous
  • The Word of God is worth desiring more than anything on earth
  • The Word of God should cause us to read, study, memorize, apply it to our lives and share it with others

This is what we desire so deeply at Gracefully Truthful. We want every one of those statements to be true for everyone’s life. We take this verse to heart as we study alongside you, “If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you.” (Luke 11:36)

We want the Word of God to shine so brightly in and through you that people are drawn to it and gain their promise of wholeness through faith in Christ. We want it for ourselves, for each person in our ministry, each of you reading this today, and for every person we encounter.

God came to save all (2 Peter 3:9) and He invited us to be part of that effort. (Mark 16:15-16) What a privilege that He would make us co-laborers with Him in His redeeming work. (1 Corinthians 3:9) We cannot neglect this incredible opportunity!

Bless and praise Him always.
Boast in Him, not ourselves.
Proclaim His greatness, not ours.
Seek Him when we need rescuing.
Have reverential awe of Him.
See that He is good.
See that He is Provider.
Keep our tongue from evil and deceit. (Psalm 34:1-13)

“Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:14)

Do all these things, not alone, but by the power of the Holy Spirit living within us.
This is how we live broken with an eye on wholeness.
We boldly share this Hope with others so the nations, each incredibly broken on earth, can be healed by the leaves of the tree of life in Heaven.

I want us all to rejoice on that day. So, shine forth your light from your beautiful, broken lantern and give His light to the world!

Tags :
broken,eternity,hope,Sin,whole
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The GT Weekend! ~ Surrender Week 2
February 4, 2023
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Digging Deeper

If we have a loved one or know someone living with a disability, illness like cancer, or suffering of any kind, we can take heart knowing this is only temporary for those who trust Jesus as their Savior. My own mother has dementia, and it is heart-breaking knowing she was once a vibrant woman who loved to sing. But I take comfort knowing that one day, she will become whole again at the resurrection with a new spiritual body.
Dig Deeper!

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June 20 - July 8, 2022 - Journey Theme #109

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Posted in: Believe, Blessed, Broken, Cross, Daughter, Forgiven, Freedom, Righteousness, Sacrifice Tagged: broken, eternity, hope, Sin, whole

Whole Day 12 Whole Story Messengers: Digging Deeper

July 5, 2022 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Whole Day 12 Whole Story Messengers: Digging Deeper

Rebecca Adams

July 5, 2022

Digging Deeper,Fellowship,Forgiven,Grace,Redemption,Relationship,Unity

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 "Whole Story Messengers"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 18:21-35

21 Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?”

22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.

23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talents was brought before him. 25 Since he did not have the money to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.

26 “At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.

28 “That servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’

29 “At this, his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. 31 When the other servants saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened. 32 Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister from your heart.”
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) Who is considered a “brother” in this passage? Is it referring to Christians, the person next to you, or a biological brother? (verse 21)

The Book of Matthew, and the other Gospel books of Mark, Luke, and John, closely follow Jesus’ active ministry years from beginning to end. Jesus expends a lot of energy throughout His ministry emphasizing the importance of repentance and recognition of Him as Lord and Savior in order to be reconciled to God.

Jesus describes one of the marks of a genuine, reconciled relationship with God as being how lovingly we engage in relationships with others. Though Scripture has much to say about loving and reaching out to those who don’t know God, these verses in Matthew 18 reference those already in Christ’s kingdom (Christians).

Chapter 18 begins with Jesus’ disciples asking, “[W]ho is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”. (verse 1) This information provides us the contextual setting for Christ’s words in verses 21-35 which describe another aspect of what it looks like to be “greatest” in His kingdom. In fact, the whole of chapter 18 paints a picture of who is “greatest” according to God.

As Jesus addressed the heart-posture of His followers, He spoke of attributes like childlike humility and tender care for individuals within Jesus’ flock, the Church. These characteristics reflect God’s unending forgiveness toward other believers as God has covered the believer’s sins with the blood of Jesus. It is this combination of forgiveness and patient endurance Jesus calls Christians to live out among each other in order to remain reconciled to one another.

This love distinguishes His disciples from the world (John 13:35) and demonstrates to the world God’s offering of forgiveness for those who repent and follow Him.

The Everyday Application

1) Who is considered a “brother” in this passage? Is it referring to Christians, the person next to you, or a biological brother? (verse 21)

Undoubtedly, we’ve all experienced hurt from others in life. Some hurts are small while others are so painful we would be well-served to navigate them with Christian counseling. When preparing to live overseas as missionaries, it’s often said the hardest people to love are those within God’s church. Hmmm, say that again?! The church is supposed to be the safest, easiest place to love others!

In the context of self-sacrificing, generous, forgiving love, everyone will experience God’s love in action, which overflows into living peaceably. God teaches us how to love one another in His Word. God promises His Spirit is actively working in us to complete His work in us. (Philippians 1:6) God promises to use our perseverance in trial to lead us into deeper maturity as His sons and daughters. (James 1:4)

When a Christian repents of sinning against God and is reconciled to Him through forgiveness and the blood of Christ, that person is not immediately made perfect and neither am I.

Some of my own past thoughts and habits are not yet realized as to sin to me; I have more growing to finish. Or, if they are, self-control of them has not yet been worked out to the point of eliminating that sin.

What has God most used to convict and free me from my sin over the years? The perseverance and patience of my Christian brothers and sisters. Their grace towards me and readiness to forgive me has played a crucial role. Authentic, loving believers who listen well and exhibit gentleness when I confess my sin spurs me on to follow Jesus more closely. While God’s church may, at times, be quite unbecoming, God is at work bringing us to completion through continued repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. May this love call the lost to Jesus!

The Original Intent

2) Are believers ever permitted to stop forgiving someone or put them in their place? (verse 22)

The Enduring Word commentary notes the traditional “holy” response from Jewish Pharisees was to forgive an offender three times. Knowing Jesus is gracious and compassionate, Peter extended that number to an extraordinary “seven times”. Jesus’ response, however, revealed His endless heart of divine love as He instructed Peter to forgive an offender more times than he could count by saying “seventy times seven”. (verse 22)

Prior to this conversation, Jesus outlined explicit teaching for His gentle, loving approach to correcting and restoring a brother or sister who has sinned against another believer. Of greater importance even than the crucially important loving correction within the Church, Jesus focused on the vast forgiveness of God that ought to be reflected by His people.

In verses 23-27, Jesus described a servant who owed the king ten-thousand talents. A commentary from the Working Preacher explains this would equal about 150 years’ worth of income. A nearly incomprehensible amount! The first servant had incurred a debt that was impossible to repay. Lavishly, the king did not provide any ultimatums to earn forgiveness, rather, the king was compassionately moved by the servant’s imploring and freely cancelled the debt. The king took the financial hit himself, wiping clean the record of debt just as Christ does for us as the substitutionary atonement offered between us and the King of the World.

Christ took the hit of death and separation from the Father for our sin. Then, He made the offer of a cleanly wiped slate to all who trust Him as their personal Lord and Savior. Tragically, the servant left the king’s presence and demonstrated a total lack of mercy toward another servant who had incurred a lesser debt. His selfish greed reflected his lack of genuine sorrow or understanding of the grand forgiveness bestowed on him.

The Everyday Application

2) Are believers ever permitted to stop forgiving someone or put them in their place? (verse 22)

My oldest child persistently uses unkind words toward his siblings and parents for attention. This child also happens to have a processing disability, including complex emotions. We take hours of time to converse again and again about how words hurt people. On occasion, he connects that if he wants something (a toy or reconnection) he can hug me with an apology of mumbled and jumbled words. At times, the apology is forced through a rehearsal. Frequently, perhaps within the hour, he will use hurtful words again.

Does he actually understand and mean his apology? Do I continue forgiving him and encourage my other children to do so as well? How weary we feel at bedtime!

This example might seem simple to forgive as you consider he was born with a disability, but are we really much different in our own deficits of understanding the ways of the Lord? Doesn’t a Christian spend their lives learning the depths of what Christ means for us to live out His joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control? (Galatians 5:22-26)

We often respond based on a level of understanding that makes sense to us. Jesus prods us ever further to love like Him. R.C. Sproul wrote a helpful article noting that Scripture never commands us to forgive one who is unrepentant, but we do have the freedom to still offer forgiveness just as Jesus asked God to forgive those who nailed him on the cross. Scripture DOES command us to rebuke one another with the readiness to forgive and reconcile for even the same repeated offense. (Luke 17:3-4)

We lack the ability to fix a fellow sinner who is, perhaps, wearing us down with their offenses, but we also have the never-ending call to be ready with reconciliation in the strength of the Lord.

The Original Intent

3) Must believers forgive from the heart if the other person is not repentant? (verse 35)

As previously noted, the verses prior to this passage discuss a plan of correction when one believer has sinned against another. This discussion prompts Peter to ask his question of forgiveness. As we read the dialogue, Jesus’ response centers around His disciples loving one another. He is not explicit in this parable on the part of whether each servant was truly repentant. Instead, He focuses on the one in position to forgive or withhold forgiveness.

Earlier in Matthew, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray by modeling what has now become well-known as the Lord’s prayer. (Matthew 6:9-14) When stepping back to scan the whole text, it is interesting that Christ pauses to reiterate forgiveness before shifting to the topic of fasting. The Lord’s prayer ties our request for personal forgiveness to our willingness to forgive others. (Matthew 6:12)

Christ re-emphasizes forgiveness again in the verses following His model prayer. (Matthew 6:14-15) When studying an overview of Bible verses on forgiveness, I do not find direction or allowance to withhold forgiveness from one another until someone repents, but I do see plenty of calls for repentance before the LORD GOD Himself and for Christians to live peaceably with one another as far as they are able. (Romans 12:18) 

As I chew through these hard teachings of God’s love displayed through forgiveness, I see hope for the struggling and pained in this parable. In the end, the King returns to settle grievances and dole out justice. May we not find joy in another’s suffering of judgment, but comfort in the Lord’s righteousness and coming justice! (Romans 12:19)

The Everyday Application

3) Must believers forgive from the heart if the other person is not repentant? (verse 35)

Several years ago a devastating story was reported of a pastor who went to the gym and returned to find his home a crime scene and his wife murdered. Days later, the pastor publicly claimed he’d forgiven the murderer. This response perplexed me. Why and how could he say these things?

Surely the Bible doesn’t call him to forgive these strangers who had shown no sign of repentance. The Enduring Word Bible Commentary provides helpful insights.

First, there is a distinction between forgiveness, which is one-sided, and reconciliation, which requires two parties to participate in both repentance and forgiveness.

Secondly, we are one sinner striving in relation with another sinner. As such, true forgiveness is only possible as an overflow from our relationship with the Lord. Only He, the divine God who perfectly loves and forgives, is capable of cultivating His forgiveness in us. (Luke 7:47)

This is a different relationship than a sinner being fully forgiven by a holy God. We are not in a position of righteousness, but rather one who also needs the covering of Jesus’ forgiveness through His sacrificial blood. God is holy; He is the One most grieved by evil, even our smallest sins. Graciously, the LORD is also the most ready to forgive when a broken heart is burdened by their offense against the righteous LORD and harmed others. The LORD is also just; He will one day carry out complete justice.

This pastor, in his deep grief, knew that in order to live without bitterness, his heart must be always ready to forgive. (Ephesians 4:31-32) He had long leaned into the Spirit of God who had faithfully taught him to forgive. This man took his own sin seriously and he confidently trusted that His King would one day make all things right. (Psalm 94)

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The continuum of reconciliation is ongoing. It requires us to understand the past and properly assess the situation in front of us. This step of obedience will lay a foundation of empathy and trust, paving the way for us to make connections with the messiness of this world. Our message is full of hope because of Jesus, and our world needs all the hope it can get. Reconciliation requires us to find a commonality with the person next to us and use that as a connection point before we launch into the heart of the matter.
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Posted in: Digging Deeper, Fellowship, Forgiven, Grace, Redemption, Relationship, Unity Tagged: church, forgiveness, redemption, restoration, unity, whole

Whole Day 11 Whole Story Messengers

July 4, 2022 by Guest Writer Leave a Comment

Whole Day 11 Whole Story Messengers

Guest Writer

July 4, 2022

Forgiven,God,Grace,Hope,Jesus,Love,Obedience

Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Matthew 18:21-35
Mark 2:1-12
Micah 7:18-19

It was a warm, sunny day in Mali, West Africa. 

I’d jumped at the chance to lead a missions work team to the local artisan market to shop for souvenirs before their departure. 

We headed to one of my favorite sections with wooden carvings and other cultural gems. I was immediately greeted in French by a shopkeeper. When my team decided on their purchases, the shopkeeper quoted a ridiculous tourist price, his response curt and full of animosity. He made it known, in no uncertain terms, that he would never sell anything to the French, who had taken advantage of his country, for a fair price. 

I was taken aback. He’d clearly assumed my nationality based on hurts from his past and the color of my skin. So, I switched from French to his heart language of Bambara. 

“Sir, I think you have it wrong. I am not French. I am American and have lived here for 18 years. My parents & grandparents have lived in your country for many years as well. We love your people and your country. I am sorry for how the French treated your people. It was not right.” 

Surprised, his demeanor and tone began to soften. I reassured him we shared a common hope for his people, and we were supporting his community through building schools, medical clinics, and literacy programs. After discussing the beautiful people in his country, which I considered home, we agreed on a fair price and off we went with our carved wooden treasures. 

As I look back on that moment, I am reminded that reconciliation isn’t just a one-time event that is wrapped up in a tidy bow. The continuum of reconciliation is ongoing. It requires us to understand the past and properly assess the situation in front of us. This step of obedience will lay a foundation of empathy and trust, paving the way for us to make connections with the messiness of this world. 

Our message is full of hope because of Jesus, and our world needs all the hope it can get. Reconciliation requires us to find a commonality with the person next to us and use that as a connection point before we launch into the heart of the matter. 

Just as with my shopkeeper friend, it can often involve some uncomfortable moments where emotions run high. I wasn’t able to fix the hurt in his heart from the French people, but I was able to remind him there are people who DO care and want to help. For all of us, this conversation can serve as a helpful reminder that jumping to conclusions can lead to judgment. Instead of judgment, reconciliation involves communication and asking questions.  

Why do we engage in this messy work of reconciliation?

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 urges,
“Everything is from God, who has reconciled Himself to us through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’ He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 

Because the blood of Jesus has reconciled our separation from God and secured a right relationship for us with the Father, we are now tasked with sharing this message with the world. 

Notice Scripture doesn’t say, “If you want, you can be part of the ministry of reconciliation.” 
No, Scripture states, “He gave us this ministry.” 
God’s commission implies action on our part. (Matthew 18:21-35)

If we truly want to embrace the way of Jesus,
then we are called to step into the lifelong work of reconciliation. 

Often, we think of reconciliation as a single, turning-point moment, and while it can certainly be that, I’d challenge us to see small opportunities to pursue reconciliation in everyday situations. They are like stepping stones, leading people to know Jesus and the forgiveness and hope He offers. (Mark 2:1-12) Each stepping stone is key in building trust as we encounter the world. 

When we love people who are different from us, we are offering them the chance to be seen by a God who loves them. 

When we offer our kindness in the grocery store to a Muslim woman who is wearing her hijab and speaking another language, we are reflecting the kindness and grace Jesus has shown us. 

When we build a friendship with our coworker and demonstrate that we can listen without jumping to a rash conclusion, we model the way Jesus listened and truly cared. 

These seemingly mundane moments walk people closer to reconciliation with a God who loves them and desperately wants them to know Him.  

Questions for reflection…*What assumptions have you made about people? How might you stop yourself from making those same assumptions in the future?

*How can you engage with someone who is different from you, to show them you are listening? 

*How can you reflect the message of hope in the messy parts of your day? 

 

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Communication,embrace,heart,kindness,Messenger,questions,reconciliation,story,whole
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Undoubtedly, we’ve all experienced hurt from others in life. Some hurts are small while others are so painful we would be well-served to navigate them with Christian counseling. When preparing to live overseas as missionaries, it’s often said the hardest people to love are those within God’s church. Hmmm, say that again?! The church is supposed to be the safest, easiest place to love others!
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Posted in: Forgiven, God, Grace, Hope, Jesus, Love, Obedience Tagged: Communication, embrace, heart, kindness, Messenger, questions, reconciliation, story, whole

Whole Day 8 Identifying The Oppression

June 29, 2022 by Rebecca Adams 2 Comments

Whole Day 8 Identifying The Oppression

Rebecca Adams

June 29, 2022

Anger,Broken,Confession,Cross,Deliver,Design,Forgiven,Freedom

Read His Words Before Ours!

Jeremiah 22:3-5
Proverbs 31:8-9
Zechariah 7:9-10
John 1:1-16

The snarls of a sinister enemy snaked through the goodness of Eden, deviously plotting the downfall of the Almighty who had cast him from His glorious presence.
How the enemy loved himself. How he loathed the Almighty.

Humanity would pay the price of the enemy’s sickening self-love by carrying his pride in their hearts, grooming it, making it their own, then calling it righteousness by justifying their selfish pride to the Almighty. Perfectly mimicking the enemy’s craft which had earned him ejection from The Presence.

“I’ll make it appealing”, the enemy drooled with demonic delight darkening his eerie eyes. Love for self, hatred for others. His breathing slowed as his shadow fell across Eve’s innocent face as she delighted in the husband she’d been lovingly given by the Maker. “I’ll make them murderers of one another as they feast frenetically upon the lusts of their flesh”, his callous thoughts crept through him as quickly as the greed glowed in his belly. “Almighty will not have the final word. I will make His beautiful creation suffer. In killing them, I will kill Him”.

Then, adorning his luscious invitation with a lethal portion of deception, the enemy lured Eve with a single question meant to draw her into his grasp and under his oppression. “Did God really say…” (Genesis 3:1) For if you question God and His goodness, you question everything.

We know the rest of the story. Innocent Adam and Eve ensconced in Eden’s luscious beauty, wide eyes curious at the heavy fruit in hand.

One.
Single.
Sin.
Death had snatched Life away.

Perfection had now fallen under the monstrosity of ominous oppression.
Corruption held the scepter and the enemy laughed, sure of his venomous victory.
The world wouldn’t need to learn to hate, kill, lust, thieve, gossip, eye-roll, bicker, and mock for oppression was now written into their DNA.

Natural man would take after their new father and sin’s self-love would spread like an uncontrollable wildfire, ravaging, killing, destroying everything from atoms to earthworms to bodies with earthquakes, poison, divorce, genocide, slavery, abortion, addiction, and the like. Nothing was untouched by oppression’s insidious sickness.

How do we identify oppression?
We look for the darkness.
We look for the absence of Light.

On the grand scale and the small ones. As we look at the nations and inside the isolated islands of our homes, oppression rages on. Cancer, mental illness, abuse, tragedy, complaining, bitterness, anger, slander, murder. It hides its snarling sickness in rage and rape and behind the gruesome masks of bigotry, prejudice, pretentious piety, and chauvinism. Oppression’s enslavement marks us all; it’s meant to kill, demean, and destroy for Sin and Death are its father.

The enemy hates the Almighty and oppresses His people.
The Almighty hates the work of the Father of Lies and every single act of oppression.
But lest we walk away with the ludicrous assumption the enemy and the Almighty are equal in force, hear the Word of the Lord.  

Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the mountains trembled;
they shook because he burned with anger.
Smoke rose from his nostrils,
and consuming fire came from his mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it.
He bent the heavens and came down,
total darkness beneath his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his hiding place,
dark storm clouds his canopy around him.
From the radiance of his presence, his clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals. The Lord thundered from heaven; the Most High made his voice heard.

He shot his arrows and scattered them;
he hurled lightning bolts and routed them.
The depths of the sea became visible, the foundations of the world were exposed,
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He reached down from on high
and took hold of me;
he pulled me out of deep water.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out to a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
For you rescue an oppressed people,
but you humble those with haughty eyes.
(Psalm 18:7-19, 27)

Long before the crafty serpent had even considered the plot of his disastrous deceit in Eden, the Almighty already knew of Satan’s vile plan, and He’d already decided to sacrifice Himself for His people.

Yes, Satan plotted to slay humanity pressing them farther and farther from the Father who lovingly crafted them to enjoy relationship with Him.
But in a radical act of unfathomable humble love, the Almighty allowed Himself to be slain by the sinners, then rise again to conquer sin and death forever. Death had been swallowed whole by Life! (1 Corinthians 15:54)

Yes, oppression’s foul stench is everywhere in our world, but the Light of the Victor shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5) As Christ-followers run toward the broken, the battered, the lonely, the fearful, and yes, even the angry and abusive, we bring with us, the victorious light of the One who has conquered Sin and Death forever.

Oppression’s power is vanquished by One Name, The Lord Jesus Christ.
(Philippians 2:10-11)

See the oppression, surrender your own rebellion, and fearlessly carry the Light of Love by the power of Jesus into the world around you for nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)

Tags :
beginning,Christ,curse,Eden,hope,Oppression,rescue,Satan,Savior,Sin,victory
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Everywhere oppression and injustice exist, Jeremiah’s words still carry the authority of the Lord God. We are not exempt simply because we live in 2022. How will we live out the rest of today differently because of Jeremiah’s relevant message? How will we shift the direction of our lives tomorrow? Not sure? Commit to reading just these brief verses every morning and praying for the Lord to convict and shape you as you take in His living and active words. (Hebrews 4:12)
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Posted in: Anger, Broken, Confession, Cross, Deliver, Design, Forgiven, Freedom Tagged: beginning, Christ, curse, Eden, hope, Oppression, rescue, Satan, Savior, Sin, victory

The GT Weekend! ~ Whole Week 1

June 25, 2022 by Carol Graft Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend! ~ Whole Week 1

Carol Graft

June 25, 2022

Christ,church,Faith,Forgiven,Freedom,Grace,GT Weekend,Healing

Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

This Week's Journeys

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Friday's DD

Pray His Words Back To Him!

1 Peter 5:6-11

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. Be sober minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while. To him be dominion forever. Amen.
Read More Of His Words

Prayer Journal Entry

Lord, I confess it’s difficult to be humble. Arrogance and self-love are always sneaking around my heart and it’s easy to get caught in the trap of false humility. Help me to become more disciplined in surrendering to You my anxiousness. Help me to lean steadfastly on You and the surety of Your unchanging Word every day, even every moment. I don’t want to let my guard down and give in to the cares of the world or the deceptive traps of the scheming enemy.

Lead me away from the temptation to flee my troubles without facing them and turn my heart toward worship. Make me aware of Your mercies and Your movement in my life as I surrender to You, waiting in trust for You. I know you hear me, see me, and guard me; teach me to rest here in these truths as I praise You!

Worship Through Song

Journal Prompts

JOURNAL ONE
How often have you wished you could just run away and hide? 

There have been many moments like that for me. It sounds so easy and freeing to hide from the difficulties and stresses of everyday life. How wonderful to be able to hide from situations where I’ve messed up and don’t want to call more attention to myself. Running away and hiding might seem like a lovely thing to do if it would actually solve our problems, but it won’t.

Hiding, as Adam and Eve attempted to do, merely postpones the consequences.

From what have you wished you could hide? What part of your past do you wish was deleted and forgotten?

Have you ever brought these to the Lord? How do you imagine He would respond? Does Scripture support your answer?

Mandie reminded us on Monday that, when we attempt to hide, we end up focusing on the wrong things. Truth? We are never alone, and the Lord God is for us. 

No matter how broken, lost or anxious we feel, Jesus is constantly present with us. Christ came precisely for the hurting, the wounded, the lost, the broken, the sinner.

He isn’t afraid of our emotions, sadness, anger, or our questions. He isn’t shocked by the situations we find ourselves in, instead He endured the suffering of the cross to bring us redemptive healing.

Reflect on what it might be like for Jesus to take your surrender and make you whole! What would you give Him?
JOURNAL TWO
Our sister in Pakistan brought such insight from her experiences and urgently reminds us of the suffering Jesus promised would come to those who follow Him. Knowing the darkness of oppression exists is one thing, but seeing the face of the persecuted, hearing her story, and knowing she is paying a high price for following Jesus is entirely different.

There is a cost for every follower of Jesus, but not all look the same. What challenges have you faced for holding steadfast to Christ and choosing Him over the call of the world? In what way can you fervently intercede for others facing persecution for choosing Christ?

Oppression against Christianity takes many forms and is found all over the world. Though it may look different in your part of the world, it still exists. Oh, that those for whom following Jesus carries little to no physical threat would share Jesus as bravely as those brothers and sisters who endure significant oppression. 

Remember, we are all one Body in Jesus, highly persecuted or not. We must each continue sharing Christ together.

Keeping our hearts steadfast on Jesus, our eyes and minds in His word, communing in prayer and conversation with Jesus keeps us hopeful that one day oppression will cease and Christ’s kingdom will come. 

Selah. Let it be so.

JOURNAL THREE
What an encouraging and transparent Journey Study Melis shared with us this week! 

It is never easy to confess our sins and make known our areas of weakness, but in doing so, Melis reminded us we are not alone in our struggles.

When was the last time you confessed a sin to another brother or sister in Jesus? Are you participating in a community of believers where this is common? What was challenging to you personally about the discipline practices Melis described?

Training for following Jesus is so important and dramatically increases our focus on the Lord. Which spiritual disciplines have been particularly effective or challenging for you as you seek to follow the Lord?

Not sure what they look like? Take a peek at our Journey Theme: Training.

The Lord God never intended us to live the Christian life alone, which is why He designed us to hunger for iron-sharpening-iron friendships and community that press us into knowing Him more deeply.

Consider choosing a spiritual discipline that Melis listed and put it into practice in the coming week. Set up reminders on your phone, or better yet, invite a friend to join you! Whether you take a Sabbath rest, pick up a new journal, or set aside time to fast, the intentionality we invest into our relationship with the Lord always pays off!

May we each commit to doing whatever it takes to nourish and cultivate our relationship with God and keep our focus on Him as He shapes us to be more like Himself!
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Prayer is central to our ministry as believers in Jesus as we carry eachother’s burdens and intercede for one another. Our team is honored to share the work of praying alongside you!

  • prayer@gracefullytruthful.com
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June 20 - July 8, 2022 - Journey Theme #109
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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14