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Waiting Day 9 The Anticipated Gift: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Anticipated Gift!

The Questions

1) How did Simeon move as the Spirit spoke? (Luke 2:25-27)

2) Where did people find what they were waiting, in anticipation, for? (Luke 2:21-38)

3) What can we learn about prayer and fasting from Anna? (Luke 2:37-38)

Luke 2:21-37

21 When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus—the name given by the angel before he was conceived. 22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord 24 and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons).

25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him up in his arms, praised God, and said,

29 Now, Master,
you can dismiss your servant in peace,
as you promised.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation.
31 You have prepared it
in the presence of all peoples—
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and glory to your people Israel.

33 His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary, “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well along in years, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and was a widow for eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers.

Original Intent

1) How did Simeon move as the Spirit spoke? (Luke 2:25-27)
Simeon was a righteous and devout man. He spent time reading the Scriptures. Simeon devoted himself to the disciplines of the Christian faith; reading the Word, keeping its commands and spending time being obedient to what he read. As Simeon was going about his normal day being faithful, the Holy Spirit came upon him and gave him a specific command. He had accustomed himself to the rhythm of hearing from the Lord and was ready to obey, which he immediately did. Simeon lived in the rhythm of trusting obedience and daily discovered anew the sweet delights of God.

2) Where did people find what they were waiting, in anticipation, for? (Luke 2:21-38)
Both Simeon and Anna found the long-awaited Messiah and physically laid their eyes upon His face. Many others around them were also waiting for this very same Messiah but refused to believe Jesus was who He claimed to be. Their waiting had not been focused on receiving God, but rather on gaining political control or rescue from governing authorities. God Himself is the great reward for all who seek Him (Genesis 15:1); Simeon and Anna were given the gift of seeing the Christ because their spiritual eyes were attuned upwards. Therefore, they saw the gift that came from heaven. Simeon spent time reading the Scriptures, Anna spent her days in the temple serving the Lord. They were faithful servants going about their daily routines. The eyes of their heart were focused on things above and not distracted by things of this earth. (Colossians 3:2) It’s no surprise they were the ones to catch the significance of baby Jesus’ entrance to the temple area as God’s Spirit led them along.

3) What can we learn about prayer and fasting from Anna? (Luke 2:37-38)
Anna was committed to her Yahweh. She knew from the Scriptures that One coming would save Jerusalem from her many sins against the Holy God. She knew when to come in her temple work and meet Baby Jesus because she spent committed amounts of time before the Throne of Grace in prayer and worship. The way she tied to the word of God to herself in life harkens back to Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them (…) Talk about them (…) Bind them as a sign on your hand (…) Write them on the doorposts of your house…”. She practiced the disciplines of the faith, including prayer and fasting, not as a religious requirement but as lifeblood. She had learned to feast on the delicacies of God’s Word and was satisfied. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

Everyday Application

1) How did Simeon move as the Spirit spoke? (Luke 2:25-27)
Simeon displayed a close connection to the Father, an abiding in his Abba. Scripture teaches this practice as an important, guiding principle. We stay close to the Father; He speaks to us through the Spirit, and we obey. It sounds so simple but often it feels overwhelming and monumental to maintain this rhythm of life. Believers often wonder how to “hear from  God”, but it isn’t mystical. It is found in the pattern of consistently submitting ourselves to reading His word and speaking with Him in prayer. As we tune our hearts to listening and following, He speaks in a voice our souls respond toward because His Spirit is dwelling within us. (1 Corinthians 3:16, Galatians 4:6) Our human sinful inclination longs for control. The first sin came from asking, “Is that what God really said?” (Genesis 3:1-4) When we begin asking these questions about our situation and God’s authority, our hearts become hardened and it becomes difficult to hear from the Lord. Spend some time today reflecting on when you’ve been guilty of taking back control of a situation. Confess, repent, and rest in His forgiveness and grace. Choose again to submit yourself to listening and learning from the living and active Word of God through His Spirit. (Hebrews 4:12)

2) Where did people find what they were waiting, in anticipation, for? (Luke 2:21-38)
The intimacy we see in the brief narratives of Simeon and Anna with God can embolden our own hearts. We can know with confidence that the Lord will speak to us and use us at any time of day as we surrender ourselves to Him completely. Some of us may be called into full time ministry, but for all of us, our call is to follow the Spirit’s lead in our lives as we move through our everyday moments. Everyone who has called upon Jesus for rescue and given up control of their lives to His lordship are called to be the hands and feet of Christ in the normal things of life. The beauty of this situation is that our Lord takes the mundane everyday things and transforms them into something incredibly special.

3) What can we learn about prayer and fasting from Anna? (Luke 2:37-38)
If we say we are serious about our faith, our lives should reflect it. We should be binding His words on our hands and doorposts. There’s no need to be pretentious while doing this, but genuine devotion to the Lord is needed! Prayer and fasting are powerful tools to help us surrender control and learn how to trust the Lord since the Spirit is leading and guiding our time fasting instead of our fleshly desires. If you’ve never fasted before, here are a few tips. 1) Be Alert The enemy hates your choice to fast and be so intentional with your time in committing to the Lord. He will try to distract you and make it seem like you can’t continue. You can. Lean into the Holy Spirit and don’t do it on your power. This is a spiritual battle, stay alert in it. (1 Peter 5:8-9) 2) Be Emptied We can fast from anything; food, social media, chocolate, but the goal is to give up something you will tangibly miss, feeling its absence, so you are reminded to pray. I recommend fasting from food unless you have a medical situation preventing you. 3) Be Teachable Fasting is something to grow into and learn from others and the Spirit as you go, so be flexible as you go. Start small to be successful. If you’re fasting from food and have never done it before, start with one meal. Be successful in that and grow into a full day fast. The Lord isn’t looking for lip service, He wants our hearts. Give Him yours today!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Waiting Week Two!
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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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Waiting Day 8 The Anticipated Gift

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 2:21-38
Isaiah 55:8-11
Psalm 62:1-12
Psalm 25:1-22

Waiting, Day 8

Oh, the very goodness and faithfulness of the Lord!
Check in on how your heart responds to that phrase.

Celebratory? Enthused? Encouraged?
Or, perhaps, this Journey Study comes to you in a season where that sentence feels so very far from the truth. A season of waiting…maybe more accurately, painful waiting.

A season where more questions fall from your lips than victory cheers.
Where are You, Lord?
Why did You give this to me?
Why did You take this away?

Regardless of heart motives, I’m so thankful our “why” questions are embraced by God; He faithfully draws us close in our questioning. Still, nowhere in Scripture does He promise to reply in the manner we might hope.

Yet, even in this space of unknowns, we can praise the God who carries us through our uncertain seasons of waiting as He actively works to soothe our fears and cultivate our faith. His strength is endless, His power limitless, and His pen authors the best stories every single time.

Waiting is a vital part of any story.
How we choose to wait often determines the level of joy contained throughout our journey and, in many cases, it impacts the story’s end. Such was the case for Anna and Simeon, two faithful saints of the Lord who demonstrated faith-filled waiting. Though the waiting period yawned before them, they fixed their gaze on the unchanging Yahweh, Lord of All. They daily sought His presence, choosing to dwell with Him instead of the land of fear and doubt.

Anna and Simeon waited for the long-ago-promised Messiah. Finally, on a seemingly ordinary day, as they sat again in the Lord’s presence at the temple, their faith was turned into sight as they beheld the infant face of Christ Jesus. They beheld the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord God wrapped in wrinkly days-old skin.

Precisely because they had spent their waiting in worship,
they were familiar with the Spirit’s pressing.
Finally, here was the goal of their faithful waiting.

Though the whole nation of Israel had waited centuries, they missed the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise. They neither welcomed the wee Christ, nor did they worship as He performed miracles and declared Himself to be the Messiah. Israel waited, just as Simeon and Anna had, but the difference was their “how”.

Israel sought a king they could control; one who would fulfill their expectations.
The humble in heart welcomed the King they already worshipping while they waited.

Like Israel, like Simeon and Anna, we each can choose how we wait in our seasons of mystery, pain, and seeming endlessness. Will we focus our hearts more on receiving the promise or on worshipping the Promise Keeper?

Though I have much to still learn about waiting well, over many seasons of waiting, the Lord has faithfully taught my heart to worship in the waiting; He has shown me the joy to be discovered if we wait on Him.

I had been single for several years and sensed the Lord leading me to a specific man as my future husband. In a story that would take far longer than I could recount here, the Lord walked me through years of listening and obeying; these became my praise to Him. I continued praying for this man, and many fellow Christians prayed alongside me, until finally I asked the Lord for a clear answer the next time the two of us interacted. When I saw him again, I mentioned an interest in getting coffee, but he didn’t set up a date. As we turned to go, he exited through one door, and I turned towards a glass one, but realized too late that it was a pull exit instead of a push door. I walked full force into the see-through glass, but instead of feeling humiliation at my clumsiness and grief over losing this man, laughter bubbled out. After years of waiting and praying, I found myself filled with joy and laughter.

I had waited well, and the evidence was the Lord’s joy showing up against all odds. The outcome wasn’t what I had envisioned, but the Lord had given me the same gift He had given to Anna and Simeon and all who waited for the Messiah with humility, Himself.

In that specific season I had learned to know His voice better and lay my plans at His feet. I wonder how often Anna or Simeon doubted the Lord would show Himself to them as they waited, yet still, they came to Him each day at the temple, expectantly waiting with open hands to receive whatever He had for them.
These were sacrifices of praise.

I’m now married, with a little one on the way, to a man the Lord had been preparing for me all along. As I feel tiny kicks inside, I am reminded again that the Lord writes the best stories. His storyline taught my heart to trust and worship Him regardless of plot twists. He was faithful to Simeon, Anna, and even to Israel, though they rejected Him, and He continues to be faithful to all who humbly seek Him.

Delight yourself in the Promise Keeper, Sister.
Learn the rhythm of worshipping while you wait and joyfully discover His faithful goodness that will never fail!

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

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

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Alive Day 5 Dead To Me

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:10-13
Colossians 2:4-14
Colossians 3:1-11
Romans 5:6-11

Alive, Day 5

“Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.

“So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:10-13)

After reading these verses, we might wonder what it means to be “dead to sin, but alive because of righteousness”. The Apostle Paul is charging us not to live according to the flesh anymore. If we do, this amounts to death for us; but, if by the Spirit, we put sin to death, we would live.

How can one be both dead and alive?

When it comes to questions in Scripture, other passages help us find the right answer. According to Romans 5:12,
“sin entered the world through one man,
and death through sin,
in this way death spread to all people,
because all sinned.”

As a result of our corruption by sin, our physical bodies are frail, mortal, and short-lived.
In our natural state, we are “owned” by Sin. We are “alive” to Sin and it’s torment, which makes us “dead” to Christ and the true life that flows from God.

Our bodies are limited by death:
“And just as it is appointed for people to die once” (Hebrews 9:27).
This means, if our physical bodies die on earth without having the spiritual Life of Jesus breathing inside of us, we will forever be separated from Life in God. We will have “died once”, and for the rest of eternity, we will perpetually experience the full, un-ending wrath of God with broken bodies and all of our consciousness intact.
We will never again have the opportunity to be “alive” in righteousness.

But the Spirit who lives in all who trust Jesus will bring to life our mortal bodies,
just as Christ was raised from the dead. (Romans 8:11)

Here is the good news of Jesus!
Christ came to “kill” Sin and Death forever,
offering us to “come alive” with the abundance only He gives!
In the Life of Jesus, we too can be “dead to sin” and made “alive in righteousness”. 

However, God’s gift of life in the Spirit does not bring instant, automatic change in our everyday lives. The transformation of our once-sin-loving character to reflect the righteous character of God is a continuous life-long process. The Holy Spirit needs our cooperation, in the form of obedience to His leadership. While the Holy Spirit gives us life, we must also yield to Him as He transforms us to the likeness of Christ, day by day.

Therefore, we must continually remain dead to sin (also called the desires of the flesh) by following the Holy Spirit as He guides us into righteous living. We are not to subject ourselves to sin anymore, for “He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:14)

Jesus freed us from the eternal and unpayable debt of our sin; how foolish then would we be to rip that certificate from the blood-stained wood of the cross and embrace it once again, by continuing to pursue sin?!
We may fall into temptation, but this habitual pattern of death no longer needs to control us.

For if we neglect the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and return to lives dominated by following our human, rebellious nature, we would die spiritually.

The Lord Jesus said anyone who does not remain in Him is like a branch cut off from the vine; it withers. That branch is good only for burning. (John 15:6)
“For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgement and the fury of fire about to consume the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:26)

We harm ourselves if we abandon the work of the Spirit within us, knowingly and volitionally becoming slaves to sin once again.

We must put to death the desires of the flesh (meaning sin) through the Spirit, for — hear me, sisters — we cannot conquer sin on our own!
Instead, we should “walk by the Spirit and you
will certainly not carry out
the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

Walking by the Spirit means “to present your bodies as living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” (Romans 12:1) In obeying the Spirit, we “take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of truth.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)

We “put on the new self” by constantly reminding ourselves we have died to sin.
We must always weigh our thoughts against the Word, and allow them to be refined by Truth. When sin threatens to rule us again, we remind ourselves we are new in Jesus and the old Sin Master is gone! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Surely, by the Spirit, we will put to death our sinful desires, and live in the rich abundance of Jesus’ Life!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Alive Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Alive Day 4 Mindset: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Mindset!

The Questions

1) What does it mean to live according to the flesh? (verse 5)

2) How can I live according to the Spirit? (verse 5)

3) Why can’t those in the flesh please God? (verse 8)

Romans 8:5-9

For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. 6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.

Original Intent

1) What does it mean to live according to the flesh? (verse 5)
Paul describes unsaved people when he discusses those who live according to the flesh. They have their minds set on the things of sinful flesh. (Romans 8:5) The word set implies making a choice to live a certain way. When we set our minds to live according to the flesh, we choose to live in a way that gratifies our desires, heedless of others and in opposition to God’s will. Sarx, the Greek term for flesh, “describes the outlook orientated toward self, is prone to sin, is opposed to God and . . . pursues its own ends in self-sufficient, independence from God” (Preceptaustin.org) To live according to the flesh means we do what we want, even if the outcomes are eventually devastating. We live for the passion of the moment. We have no regard for anything but our own will and pleasure. This is our default nature. All people are born with this natural mindset focused on sin and self-love. John Piper describes the flesh as the “proud and unsubmissive root of depravity in every human heart which exalts itself subtly through proud, self-reliant morality, or flaunts itself blatantly through self-assertive, authority-despising immorality.” Paul cautions in verse 6 that living with our minds set on the flesh is death. “The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so.” (verse 7) Living according to the flesh means to live in hostility towards God, unable to submit to His law. Trusting in God and choosing to receive His saving grace (Ephesians 2:8) moves us off the path of death and onto the way of life in God’s Spirit. (John 5:24) If you recognize yourself as being held back by this mindset of the flesh, you can live free starting now by calling on Jesus (Romans 10:13) and accepting His gift of salvation.

2) How can I live according to the Spirit? (verse 5)
Paul says if the Spirit of God lives in us, then we live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18), which means we have a mindset of life and peace. (Romans 8:5-9) The Greek word used for life in this passage, zoe, means “the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which alone belongs to God the Giver of life. This is life as God originally intended it to be lived” (Preceptaustion.org) When we live empowered by the Spirit of God, we have access to the full, abundant life of God. The word peace, from the Greek, eirene, means “to bind together that which has been separated, [for example] the believing sinner, bound together with God and His life after having been separated by sin. It is that inward harmony and tranquility that results from yielding to God.” (Precept) Living life in the Spirit brings a bond of peace from having been reconciled to God. When we live according to the Spirit, we let go of our own selfish desires and let the Holy Spirit of God empower us with life and peace. We make choices based on God’s will and strengthened by His Spirit. (Ephesians 3:16) This isn’t something we can do on our own power. Left to our own devices, we will act based on selfish motives. (Romans 7:18) When the Spirit is guiding us, equips us to choose God’s plan and follow His steps toward an abundant, peace filled life.

3) Why can’t those in the flesh please God? (verse 8)
Romans 8:8 tells us that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. There is no good deed or kind act that someone living according to the flesh can possibly do to please the Lord and earn His divine favor. William MacDonald explains, “There is nothing an unsaved person can do to please God —no good works, no religious observances, no sacrificial services, absolutely nothing. First, he must take … receive Christ by a definite act of faith. Only then can He win God’s smile of approval.” Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “without faith, it is impossible to please God since the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” Pleasing God requires us to have faith in Him, showing Him we have recognized our own inability to earn right standing and have understood how kindly He loves us by taking the punishment of sin on Himself. Because God is holy, our sin separates us from Him. (Isaiah 59:2) Those who live in the flesh are sinful, choosing their own way over God’s way. Saving faith requires us to forsake our sins and trust God’s will and His ways over our own. We can try everything in our power to please Him, but it is only by putting our faith in Him that we can be saved and brought into His presence.

Everyday Application

1) What does it mean to live according to the flesh? (verse 5)
I heard the news with disgust; a respected Bible teacher was discovered to be a sex-offender. There was so much heartbreak for the abused, for his family and colleagues, and his followers. Here was someone who professed to live by the Spirit of God, but actually lived a secret life in disobedience to God as he followed the desires of his flesh. The Bible tells us the temptation of the flesh can be very strong, even for those saved by God’s grace. Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:40) If we don’t surrender to the Spirit of God at work within us, we will choose fleshly desires. Charles Ellicott explains that for those living by the flesh, “Their whole mental and moral activity is set upon nothing else but the gratification of these cravings of sense.” Jesus promises believers in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that “God is faithful; He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.” Those who have been redeemed by God have the ability to withstand temptation because God helps them. God understands our weaknesses because He has been tempted in every way we have; He gives us grace to come before Him and seek His help. (Hebrews 4:15-16) When we are tempted to return to a life lived according to the flesh, God provides the grace and power we need to continue living according to His will.

2) How can I live according to the Spirit? (verse 5)
When I look up the word peace in the dictionary, I expect to find a picture of my friend, James. No matter what curveball life throws at him, he is never shaken. He was orphaned at a young age, faced racism, job instability, and cancer, to name some of his struggles. Yet, never have I seen him doubt God or waver in his faith. In fact, every encounter with him brings me peace because he is at peace with God and trusts Him in every trial he faces. James’ life displays the evidence of a life lived with God. When we live by the Spirit (Romans 8:5), the Bible promises there will be evidence of the Spirit’s fruitful life in us. We call this the fruit of the Spirit, and we read about it in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” If we are living by the Spirit’s life, people will recognize His life in us by the fruit He produces in our lives. They will notice our patience with the customer yelling at us at work or the joy we have in the midst of hard times. When people encounter the Spirit at work in us when we surrender to Him, they will notice the love and goodness of God on display in our lives. When my friend James is in the room, everyone comes to him for a hug and encouragement because they are drawn to the precious peace spilling out from his Spirit-led life. I want to be like James, sharing the fruit of the Spirit with everyone around me.

3) Why can’t those in the flesh please God? (verse 8)
I read a play where the main character felt so guilty for all of the bad things she had done in her life that she went on a mad spree, stuffing everything she owned in a Salvation Army donation box. She hoped her contribution to a good cause would undo all the bad she had done, or at least make her feel better. Sometimes we try this same tactic with God. We know the sins we commit aren’t pleasing to Him, so we try to work our way into His good graces by volunteering, donating, and sacrificing just to please Him. But it doesn’t work like this with God! Our sin is much too offensive and even our attempts at goodness are “filthy rags” in God’s perfect eyes. (Isaiah 64:6) God’s heart desires us to trust in His Son, Jesus, and allow Him to direct our lives. His ways are perfectly fitted to experiencing joy and purpose. Having faith in Him is the only way to please Him. Our works can do nothing; salvation is only by His hand, not ours. (Ephesians 2:9) He tells us in 2 Timothy 1:9 that “He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” There is nothing we can do to earn His salvation. It is His free gift to us. (Ephesians 2:8) We can’t please Him unless we have forsaken our sins, coming to Him to be washed clean of our sin. (Ephesians 1:7) He has done the work; all we must do to receive this gift is repent of our sins and embrace His redeeming love. He may lead us to donate our possessions or do good things as we live out His purposes for us, but it will be our obedience prompted by our faith in Him that pleases Him.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Mindset!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Alive Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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 :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Alive Day 2 Justice + Mercy = Freedom: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Justice + Mercy = Freedom!

The Questions

1) Why was there condemnation? (verse 1)

2) What could the law not do? (verse 3)

3) What does it mean to “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”? (verse 4)

Romans 8:1-4

8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Original Intent

1) Why was there condemnation? (verse 1)
From Adam and Eve’s first sin there have been consequences for turning away from God’s standard of holiness. (Genesis 3) God established a sacrifice system that called for the spilling of innocent blood in order to forgive sin. This begins with the animal whose blood was shed to provide clothing for Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:21) In Leviticus 6-7, God provides the guidance for sacrifice and forgiveness which Paul’s audience would have known well, as they regularly offered these sacrifices for their own sins. They knew condemnation existed because of sin and forgiveness only came through sacrifice. Freedom in forgiveness would always cost the death of an innocent one. However, it was understood that the blood of animals did not have the power to remove the sin that stood between the offender and God. (Hebrews 10:4) Rather, these sacrifices, and the need for them, point directly to the One who would come with the power to completely pay for sin’s penalty in full and remove the offense of our sin against a Holy God. This One to come was Jesus.

2) What could the law not do? (verse 3)
God provided Moses with the Law, also known as the 10 Commandments, in Exodus 20:1-17. The Jewish audience would have known this law well. Not only were they quite familiar with these 10 commandments, but they also would have known the other 613 laws found in the Pentateuch or Book of the Law, which are the first 5 books of the Bible. These laws made up the rhythms and boundaries of their everyday lives. It was impossible for any human to follow these laws perfectly and attain flawless righteousness, instead their purpose was to point out that perfection and forgiveness under the law was an insurmountable feat. Therefore, God had a plan which He began to reveal throughout the Old Testament about the fulfillment of the Law. One day, Jesus would come and perfectly fulfill the Law because He is God, the Only One who is blameless without sin. Jesus would accomplish for us what the Law could not.

3) What does it mean to “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”? (verse 4)
Every person ever born is born of the flesh. Even Jesus had an earthly mother. However, Jesus put on the likeness of flesh becoming like those He came to save. (Philippians 2:4-8) He did not give up His standing as God the Son to put on human flesh. He was tempted just as we are, but did not give in to that temptation and sin. (Matthew 4:1-11) He withstood it perfectly, allowing Him to eventually take humanity’s sins upon Himself at the cross and pave a way for the gift of the Holy Spirit to be deposited inside every person who truly repents (turns away) from sin and believes in Him through faith. (Acts 1:8; 2:1-4) Daily there is temptation to walk according to the desires of sinful flesh, but Jesus makes it possible through the Holy Spirit to walk in Him and turn away from fleshly lusts and sinful desires.

Everyday Application

1) Why was there condemnation? (verse 1)
Each one of us is a sinner. (Romans 3:23) In light of that sin, each of us deserves condemnation for our sins and Paul is clear that the condemnation we earn is death in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…”. While God has always required sacrifice for forgiveness, it wasn’t until Jesus that the sacrifice was permanent. Being fully God and fully human, yet was utterly without sin, Jesus was the Only One who qualified to pay for the debt of sin in full. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Only through Jesus is there no longer condemnation for any who believe in Him. (verse 1) Jesus walked on earth as the only perfect person to ever live. He then took the sins of humanity to the cross. (1 John 2:2) If we simply accept the gift of His sacrifice we are forgiven and free from condemnation’s shame. However, that does not mean there is no accusation. I appreciate what Matthew Henry says, “He does not say, “There is no accusation against them,’’ for this there is; but the accusation is thrown out, and the indictment quashed. He does not say, “There is nothing in them that deserves condemnation,’’ for this there is, and they see it, and own it, and mourn over it, and condemn themselves for it; but it shall not be their ruin”. We are still guilty of our sin, but we are no longer condemned through the blood of Jesus. There are often still consequences for our sinful actions in our relationships, but the final punishment of death has been eradicated for eternity. If we repent (turn away from sin), and seek God’s forgiveness, He will no longer hold us accountable to pay for our sin. (Acts 3:19)

2) What could the law not do? (verse 3)
Jesus told His disciples, “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17) As a matter of fact, Jesus summed the entire law up into 2 statements: Love God and love others (your neighbor). (Matthew 22:35-40) The reality is, you and I could never be perfect under the law. We are incapable of perfectly living out even 1 of the 10 commandments God gave to Moses. However, God knew we would fail when He gave the law; our sin didn’t catch Him by surprise. Hebrews 10:1 says, “Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year.” Therefore, He sent Jesus to do what the law could not. Jesus fulfilled the law for us, but His righteousness isn’t ours automatically. We must choose to accept His free gift of forgiveness and freedom from condemnation in order to claim it for ourselves.

3) What does it mean to “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”? (verse 4)
We are all born of the flesh and it is in our natural tendency to sin. Our default nature is to love sin. There is a reason we don’t need to teach small children to sin (hit, bite, get angry, retaliate, or scream for their way) but instead parents are to correct their sinful behavior. In our flesh, we are born sinners and are all in need of Jesus. (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22) Jesus came, died on the cross, and conquered death allowing for freedom from the flesh. However, just because we accept what Jesus did for us doesn’t mean we leave the flesh completely behind to never sin or be tempted again. On the contrary, it is a daily battle to die to self and walk in the “newness of life” provided through Christ. (Romans 6:4-8) When we choose to surrender our will, moment by moment, to the Spirit’s work in us, He will teach us to keep in step with Him as He conforms us into the image of Jesus. (Galatians 5:16) This transformation is not immediate but a daily choice where we look more like Jesus tomorrow than we do today and more like Jesus a year from now that we did last year. As the Spirit leads, and we choose to follow, we are actively being conformed to the likeness of Jesus. (Romans 8:29)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Justice + Mercy = Freedom!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Alive Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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 :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Fruitful Day 13 The Gentleness Of Jesus

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Mark 5:25-43
Matthew 11:28-30
John 13:12-17
Galatians 5:22-23

Fruitful, Day 13

The crowds were gathering, pressing relentlessly on all sides.
With His power to heal illness and drive away demons, word was spreading quickly. People from all walks of life, with all manner of brokenness, flocked in masses in pursuit of Jesus, the Christ.

In the midst of this particular crowd was a well-respected Jewish man, high-ranking with authority and political clout as a synagogue official, for he too was desperate. Jairus was familiar with Jesus’ growing fame and His divine ability, as he had likely witnessed Jesus healing a man’s hand in the synagogue in the weeks prior. (Luke 6:6-11) None could do what Jesus did. While Jairus was surely intrigued, he entered the crushing crowd that day out of pure desperation.

His daughter’s life hung in the balance.

It’s easy to step back and critically analyze. One can afford to be curious at a distance, but when it’s your desperation, nothing matters but the pursuit of wholeness.

Jesus immediately responded to Jairus’ urgent pleas to come to his house and slowly they moved in that direction.

Again, the crowds followed.

Can you imagine being Jairus? Desperation met reality as faces swam in front of both men. The mob was filled with shoving and jostling, loud noises, body odor, and incessant pressing of desperate bodies running rickshaw over one another as one little girl’s life hovered between life and death.

I’m not really comfortable with crowds like that, but if I wanted to be near Jesus, I am certain I would have set aside my discomfort to join the throng in pursuit of Christ that day.

Which is exactly what one woman did. Like Jairus, her desperation drove her into the tangled mass of people. She’d endured twelve long years of uterine bleeding, living as a shamed outcast from her community (Leviticus 15:25-27), taken advantage of by doctors who promised cures but worsened her condition. (Mark 5:26) Ironically, she, who had lived over a decade in isolation, was now driven by desperation into a crowd of hundreds with one goal in mind. Wholeness.

Twenty-nine years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like this suffering woman, I’ve experienced isolation from friends and even family because of disease. People are uncomfortable with such ravaging illness and don’t know what to say, so they stay away. They fear “catching” cancer themselves, and in their attempt to self-protect, they left me alone. I imagine this woman and I had many common experiences. Fear. Shame. Abandonment. Loss. Grief. Add to those woes the fact that her condition was neither diagnosable nor curable, despite the costly search for answers, and her desperation becomes nearly palpable.

Unrelated to cancer, five years ago I experienced intestinal disorders that no test or exam could identify. I too was neither diagnosable nor curable, and after six months of constant appointments, pokes, and prods, I was exhausted. I can only imagine twelve years of such! I can hear her heart’s cry, “What could it hurt to find Jesus? I’ve tried everything else. I have nothing more to lose.”

Jairus, desperate for his little daughter’s life.
This woman, desperate for her own.

Both were met with a radical gift surpassing their expectations.
Gentleness.

I’m sure the woman planned to press through the crowds, likely on her knees, to touch just the hem of His garment and then slip away unnoticed. But at her touch, despite many hands pressed against Him, Jesus’ voice of authority pierced the cacophony, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:30)

My reaction would have been the same as the disciples’. “You see this crowd pressing in on you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” (Mark 5:31) Jesus knew the difference between the touch of physical nearness and the hope of desperate faith.

In His divinity, Jesus knew who had touched Him.
In His gentleness, He asked His question of invitation.

Tightness grips my chest as I think of her “being caught,” and then I relax, remembering Jesus’ gentleness has invited this woman to step out. I can envision His calm eyes searching the crowd for the woman’s face, fixing His gaze of compassionate love upon her. Scripture records the woman coming with “fear and trembling.” Aware of her healing, she came to Jesus, fell down before Him, and told the whole truth. (Mark 5:33)

Christ’s gentleness drew her to Himself, invited her to unpack the entirety of her brokenness, then responded by publicly calling her His own, “Daughter.” He made her whole.

Not just her body, but her soul.
“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” (Mark 5:34)

Amid a stunned crowd, a messenger for Jairus arrives with the tragic news his daughter has died. In the span of time it took Jesus to call one woman out of brokenness and into wholeness, another’s life passed away.

Yet, the gentle Jesus turns unhurried, peace-filled eyes to meet Jairus’ red-rimmed ones, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.”  (Mark 5:36)

The nameless woman fades away into the crowd, no longer hiding nor walking with head bowed low. She dances in grace, for the gentleness of Jesus has called her His own, healing her body, heart, and soul.

As for Jairus’ daughter, the Gentle Christ takes her slim, cold hand in His as His divine voice awakens her from death to life. (Mark 5:41-42)

Our desperation, no matter how dire, is no match for the Gentle Christ.
So bring your exhaustion, your desperation, and your faith, and find wholeness in the gentle touch of our Savior.

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Fruitful Day 12 Cultivating Faithfulness: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Cultivating Faithfulness!

The Questions

1) Why would the Israelites prefer to die or return to the land of their captivity rather than venture into the Promised Land? (verse 4)

2) Why were Joshua and Caleb so eager to go into the Promised Land when everyone else was so fearful? (verses 6-9)

3) Why did the glory of the Lord appear at the tent of meeting when the Israelites threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb? (verse 10)

Numbers 14:1-10

Then the whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. 2 All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.” 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face down in front of the whole assembly of the Israelite community. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who scouted out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite community, “The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us. 9 Only don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Don’t be afraid of them!” 10 While the whole community threatened to stone them, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting.

Original Intent

1) Why would the Israelites prefer to die or return to the land of their captivity rather than venture into the Promised Land? (verse 4)
The Israelites’ journey from slavery in Egypt into the freedom of the Promised Land highlights God‘s faithfulness at every turn. The Lord empowered Moses to demand Pharaoh’s release of Israel (Exodus 5:1), God parted the Red Sea so they could cross over safely when the Egyptians pursued them (Exodus 14:21), He sent food from heaven in the desert (Exodus 16), and ensured their shoes didn’t wear out (Deuteronomy 29:5). God provided in many miraculous ways; He faithfully kept His covenant with Israel to protect and treasure them if they obeyed Him. (Exodus 19:5) Even with such a rich history of provision and protection by God, the Israelites despaired when they heard the intimidating report of Canaan. They preferred to return to a life of bondage rather than trust God to defeat their enemies in the Promised Land. According to author David Guzik, “This was pure rebellion. They said they didn’t want God’s plan, God’s leaders, or God’s land. They believed they knew better than God.” The pride and rebellion of the Israelites caused them to see God’s blessing as a curse and despise the gift God promised them. To modern readers, their lack of faith and gratitude seem outrageous, but may we also be guilty of the same? Any time we refuse to embrace what God has for us because it seems too difficult or too painful, we are committing the same sin of rebellion as the Israelites when they refused the Promised Land. We can be thankful God is merciful and forgiving, and we can ask Him for grace to follow His plans, trusting in His steadfast love and unwavering faithfulness to help us obey Him.

2) Why were Joshua and Caleb so eager to go into the Promised Land when everyone else was so fearful? (verses 6-9)
In Numbers 14:1-10, the Israelites are bemoaning their fate because the long-awaited Promised Land of Canaan is filled with formidable foes they are afraid to face. Only Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb want to enter and claim the land as God commanded. Joshua and Caleb had spied out the land and were eager to lay claim to God’s promise. They had faith in God, believing that He would give the Israelites the land He had promised them. If God promised it, then it would happen, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the promise. Author G. Campbell Morgan notes that Joshua and Caleb “had clear apprehension of the goodness of the land; they were by no means blind to the formidable nature of the difficulties that stood between them and possession. But they saw God. They started with that vision, and saw everything else in its light.” Where the other spies saw the strength and number of the land’s inhabitants, Joshua and Caleb saw the land flowing with milk and honey, just as God promised. If the promise of an excellent land had proved true, so would His promise to give them the land also be true and trustworthy. Joshua and Caleb’s belief in God’s faithfulness was stronger than any fear caused by the strength and number of their adversaries. May we also see God first and view everything else through that lens, just as Joshua and Caleb did.

3) Why did the glory of the Lord appear at the tent of meeting when the Israelites threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb? (verse 10)
When the Israelites reached the Promised Land they were dismayed to find its inhabitants were numerous and strong. They began blaming God for their miserable circumstances, even declaring that returning to slavery would be better than dying in battle. After hearing their incessant complaints, God had heard enough from the rebellious Israelites and decided to act. Numbers 14:10 tells us, “The glory of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting.” The glory of the Lord had appeared to the congregation before as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire to guide them through the wilderness. (Exodus 13:21) It was a visible reminder of God’s presence and activity. At this particular display of glory, God intended to dispel their whining and rebellion and reward those who believed in His Word and in His power. He stepped in just as the Israelites prepared to kill Joshua and Caleb. Author Joseph Benson points out, “When they reflected upon God, His glory appeared, not to silence their blasphemies: but when they threatened Caleb and Joshua, they touched the apple of His eye, and His glory appeared immediately. Those who faithfully expose themselves for God are sure of His special protection.” Israel’s rebellion ran so deep, God knew they wouldn’t choose faith over their fears. (Numbers 14:11) Moses interceded for Israel, God honored his prayers and decreed that from the nation, only Caleb and Joshua would be permitted to enter the Promised Land one day. (Numbers 14:30) God’s glory came down so His faithful servants would be spared and rewarded for their trust in Him, while also bringing consequence on Israel’s rebellion.

Everyday Application

1) Why would the Israelites prefer to die or return to the land of their captivity rather than venture into the Promised Land? (verse 4)
Have you ever seen a little kid so excited to go swimming but also too frightened to jump in the water? She knows Dad is right there to catch her. She knows all the other kids are splashing around in the water with no problems. Everything indicates it’s safe and enjoyable, but she just can’t overcome her fears and take the plunge. The Israelites in the Bible were a bit like this. They had longed to enter the Promised Land of Canaan for many years, but when they finally got there, after years of captivity in a foreign land, they were too scared of the inhabitants to lay claim to the land God promised them. When it came to choosing between fearing what they saw with their eyes or trusting the Unseen God, they chose their fears. The Lord promised to be with them and give them the land, but they chose to believe the fearful tales and not the covenant of their faithful God. Sometimes staying inside the pain we know is more comfortable than the unknown pain we are sure to endure on the way to our own Promised Land. This debilitating fear is why we stay in jobs and situations we don’t like, or sometimes even in relationships that are damaging. We fear the enormity of changes we would need to make, the unknowns of potential outcomes, and the pain we may encounter along the way. But God wants us to focus on His faithfulness and not our fears in every situation. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) He wants us to trust Him, even when our circumstances inspire fear. (Philippians 4:4-7) Isaiah 12:2 tells us, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.” God promises to be our salvation and our strength in our tough times. The path will sometimes be frightening and difficult, but He will never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:8) When we choose to surrender our lives to God, trusting Him for our rescue from sin, He promises to never leave or forsake us; we will never be alone!

2) Why were Joshua and Caleb so eager to go into the Promised Land when everyone else was so fearful? (verses 6-9)
In elementary school, my class learned a dance routine to a rock song for P.E. class, but my parents disapproved of the lyrics. So, I sat in the nurse’s office during P.E. for a month while my classmates rocked out in the gym. Missing my favorite class was bad enough, but dealing with my classmates’ teasing was awful. I didn’t make things worse by trying to explain my parents’ position. Instead, I played the martyr and became the poor kid with the kooky parents who hated rock n’ roll. I couldn’t imagine trying to defend my family’s moral objections to the song lyrics. Knowing how hard it is to go against the crowd helps my perspective on Joshua and Caleb’s plight. In verses 6-9, the two men stand firmly against the entire nation of Israel who didn’t want to enter Canaan. Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes, indicating their intense distress at the peoples’ distrust in God and disbelief in His promises. This wasn’t about their feelings of being “outcasts”, but about Israel’s heart-rejection of the God who had proven Himself faithful. They pleadingly reminded the people of God’s constant presence and ability to protect them and defeat their enemies if they trusted Him. Joshua and Caleb were full of faith in God’s faithfulness. The people, however, were not inspired by the exhortation from Joshua and Caleb. In fact, they were so angry with their unpopular message they picked up rocks to stone them! Only God’s intervention kept the two men safe. Forty years later, after most of the crowd got their wish and died before entering the Promised Land, Joshua and Caleb were found faithful and allowed to enter Canaan (Numbers 14:30) and enjoy God’s gift. May the Lord help us all to be as faithful and trusting as Joshua and Caleb!

3) Why did the glory of the Lord appear at the tent of meeting when the Israelites threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb? (verse 10)
There are many references to glory in church literature and Scripture. Sometimes glory means God’s presence (Exodus 24:16), a reference to Heaven (Psalm 73:24), or any place where God resides (1 Peter 5:10). It can also be used to mean radiant, divine beauty (Isaiah 6:3), or sometimes praise and adoration to God (Revelation 14:7). When God’s glory appeared to the Israelites in verse 10, glory references God’s presence. Here the glory of the Lord “refers to the reality of the LORD’s presence in a manifestation of his power and splendor. It showed to all that God was a living God. The appearance of the glory indicated blessing for the obedient, but disaster for the disobedient” (Preceptaustin.org) When God’s glory came to the Israelites, not only did God save Joshua and Caleb, but He allowed Moses to act on behalf of the shameful Israelites by interceding for them through prayer. Because of Moses’ prayer, God saved Israel from sudden destruction. They still received the punishment of never entering the Promised Land, but they experienced the power and mercy of being visited by God’s glory. It is awe-inspiring to think the Holy Perfect God would visit His people with His glory, yet the Scriptures are filled with such visits from the Lord. When God revealed Himself just in time to save Joshua and Caleb from being stoned to death by the angry mob of Israelites, He showed Himself to be Omnipotent (all-powerful) and Merciful. When God’s glory arrives, nothing remains the same. Nahum 1:5 tells us, “The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt; the earth trembles at His presence—the world and all who live in it.” We want to invite God’s presence to shake and shape our lives as we glorify His Name and seek to obey His commands through whole-life surrender.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Cultivating Faithfulness!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Fruitful Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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 :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Terrain Day 9 Bethlehem & Nazareth: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Bethlehem & Nazareth!

The Questions

1) Why were the people looking for Jesus? (verse 25)

2) What is the difference between “the works of God” in verse 28 and “the work of God” in verse 29?

3) What does the statement in verse 35, “I am the bread of life” tell us about Jesus?

John 6:22-35

22 The next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw there had been only one boat. They also saw that Jesus had not boarded the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone off alone. 23 Some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.”28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked. 29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”30 “What sign, then, are you going to do so that we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”32 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always.”35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.

Original Intent

1) Why were the people looking for Jesus? (verse 25)
The events in this passage take place just after Jesus miraculously fed five thousand people with a young boy’s “five barley loaves and two fish”. (John 6:1-13) The people were determined to make Jesus king over them and had spent the night and part of the morning looking for him. They knew Jesus did not leave in the boat with his disciples and were confused about how he got to the other side. According to the Bridgewater Bible Commentary, “the people wanted him to be king not because they felt any spiritual need, but because they thought he had magical powers that could supply all their daily needs.” Jesus had done a great sign pointing to Himself as the long-awaited Messiah. But the “ people missed it. In John Piper’s sermon, “Do Not Labor For the Food That Perishes”, he states, “What they did was fixate on the product of the miracle, not the person of the miracle. And so the sign ceased to be a sign for them.” How tragic to be graced with the wonder of the Messiah you’ve read about all your life only to singularly focus on the wonders done by the Messiah. Would that they were more like the shepherds in the field who simply worshipped Jesus, the Messiah when he was born.

2)  What is the difference between “the works of God” in verse 28 and “the work of God” in verse 29?
When Jesus told the people to work for spiritual food instead of food that perishes (Verse 27), they were still focused on how they might get what they were looking for. Enduring Word Commentary explains their response as “Just tell us what to do so we can get what we want from You. We want Your miracle bread and for You to be our Miracle King; tell us what to do to get it.” The works of God to them was a checklist that, when completed, would result in the reward Jesus spoke of. “The work of God” Jesus refers to is not work at all. Eternal life was not something they could work for. Romans 6:23 boldly proclaims, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You can’t work for a gift. It’s freely given. The work of God was “simply believe in Him that God sent.” One verse that sums it up is John 3:16, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” The Jesus they were conversing with was offering Himself, the Son of God, the work of God. All they needed to do was believe in Him. Not His works, Him. Jesus was ready and willing. But again, they missed it because they misunderstood who He was.

3) What does the statement in verse 35, “I am the bread of life” tell us about Jesus?
I am. God reveals himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14 with the title, “I AM WHO I AM’. And Jesus starts this statement declaring He is God, I AM. He was the Word walking around in flesh, dwelling with the people (John 1:14) But Jesus also gets specific. In response to the Israelites reminiscing about the manna “Moses” gave to fulfill their hungry bellies, Jesus let them know God was concerned with providing for their spiritual hunger, by giving bread from heaven. “The true bread from heaven gives eternal spiritual nourishment. It is infinitely superior to the manna provided in Moses’ day, which met only physical needs.” (Global Study Bible) Jesus that bred from heaven, the Bread of Life.  This “I am” statement tells us that Jesus is loving and merciful. Only a loving God would provide salvation for such sinful, selfish, self-centered people. We also learn that Jesus is sufficient  to provide what the people needed, even though they didn’t realize what that was. Jesus, the Messiah, willing to be “poured out like water”, thirst, and be pierced for their sins so that they could have eternal life (Psalm 22:14-18) What a Savior!

Everyday Application

1) Why were the people looking for Jesus? (verse 25)
We often read the Bible and criticize the Israelites. But aren’t we often guilty of the same things we fault them for? I can raise my hand here because sometimes I seek the gift more than the Giver. I anticipate the treasure from God more than the treasure that is God. There is even false doctrine that is centered on this very concept. It has fooled many people into the same thinking the Israelites had. But unlike them, we should be like the Psalmist who praises God and thanks Him for who He is, thereby pleasing God. As believers, we should always check our motivations. David Guzak instructs, “Often we can learn more from understanding the reason we ask God a question than from the answer to the question itself.” Let us make a daily habit of determining if our desire is for the Lord or for what He can provide. May it be that our heart echoes King David’s in Psalm 27:4.

2) What is the difference between “the works of God” in verse 28 and “the work of God” in verse 29?
Works based salvation is the idea of our salvation being tied to works. If one were to believe this you would be embroiled daily in a list of “the works of God” you need to do so that you can “earn” eternal life. This is not how you gain salvation. There is one way to be saved, Ephesians 2:8-9 says it best. “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” We are saved by faith in Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross, “the work of God”. There is no set of tasks we can do, no amount of good deeds we can perform that will allow our names to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It is by faith alone, in Christ alone. The second part of this is that when we are saved, we begin a new life. This life, Ephesians 2:10 tells us, will include good works, not for salvation, but as the fruit of faith in Christ. Even after we are saved, we can get caught up in doing works because we think God will love us more. God loves us the most already. God loved us and Christ died for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8) There’s not much more love than that! One way we can keep ourselves grounded in “the work of God”, is to daily acknowledge God as the source of our salvation while also asking Him to lead us to the good works He has planned for us. God will never steer us wrong!

3) What does the statement in verse 35, “I am the bread of life” tell us about Jesus?
On this side of the cross, we know that Jesus is the Messiah. We have the Gospel accounts and the story of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. But there are still things to learn from verse 35. Christ is our satisfaction. There are so many opportunities for “pleasure” as the world defines it. We can indulge in as much or as little as we want. Not all of it is bad, but one thing is universally true. Nothing we engage in will keep our appetites quenched. Chuck Smith puts it this way: “…though a person pursues after the pleasures, the excitements, the thrills of the world, one thing about them is that they’re just not lasting. It isn’t long before you’re thirsting again. But Jesus said, “I’m the bread of heaven. God has sent Me. And if you eat of Me you’ll never hunger again, and if you believe in Me you’ll never thirst again.” What glorious good news!” Glorious indeed! We also learn Jesus is our refreshment. In the blazing summer heat, a cool drink of what is so refreshing. It makes us feel revived. Well Jesus is our perpetual source of refreshment. No matter what situation, when we feel the heat, He is available to refresh and restore us (Revelation 21:6-7) He is the One who will never forget or forsake us. Be prepared for those times when it feels like life has turned up the heat and you’re fading fast. Have your list of scripture verses ready to draw upon. Think back on all the times God has sustained you. The Lord will refresh you. He will be all you need.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Bethlehem & Nazareth!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Terrain Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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 :-))

Memorize It!

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If Day 12 Free Ride: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Free Ride!

The Questions

1) Why was the man willing to sell everything for this treasure he found? (verse 44)

2) Who is the merchant? (verse 45)

3) What can be learned from these two parables?

Matthew 13:44-46

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.

Original Intent

1) Why was the man willing to sell everything for this treasure he found? (verse 44)
Though Jesus’ parable doesn’t specifically describe what the man found in the field, we know he found it to be of extreme value. This wasn’t something he intentionally went looking for, rather, he happened to stumble upon his grand discovery. Once he found it, he knew its high worth and was willing to bury it again in the field, keeping it hidden and protected, while he went to sell everything he had in order to purchase the field. In this way, he could be certain the treasure he had found would be his forever.

2) Who is the merchant? (verse 45)
An experienced pearl merchant knew exactly what to look for, and he was intent on finding the “perfect pearl”. His life’s work was to know what a perfect pearl looked like, and then pursue that. Pearl merchants knew the worth of each pearl they encountered, and they knew the price to pay for it. Unlike the man who wasn’t expecting to find a treasure in a field, this merchant is actively seeking out the ultimate pearl. On finding it, he knew he had found a treasure worth a lavish price tag. He was willing to sell all he had in order to own the priceless pearl.

3) What can be learned from these two parables?
Jesus often taught in parables, or stories, throughout His earthly ministry. In these stories, Jesus used common things His audience would easily relate with in order to bridge to deeper spiritual truths. In this passage, Jesus wanted His audience to understand the inestimable Treasure He was about to offer them by dying in their place and paying the ultimate price for their sin. He also wanted them to understand the extreme cost of following Him once they understood the true value of embracing Him as Savior. While those listening to these parables did not fully understand them in the moment, His disciples came to understand them after His death and resurrection. They knew that following and obeying Jesus would cost them greatly; many paid with their lives.

Everyday Application

1) Why was the man willing to sell everything for this treasure he found? (verse 44)
The man in Jesus’ story found a treasure he knew was more valuable than anything he owned or could ever own. It was so valuable, in fact, he was willing to part with everything else in his life in order to gain this single treasure. Jesus intended His hearers to understand the Treasure to be Himself as the fullness of God. We have access to Him through His sacrifice where He paid the death penalty we deserve because of our sin so we might be reconciled back to Him. This Treasure had been hidden away in the Old Testament for centuries. Jesus wanted those listening to understand they could “dig” into the “field” of the former prophecies and historical narrative and even the Law in order to find the True Treasure. When we discover Jesus and the Truth of the Scriptures, we are urged to surrender all we have for the vast richness of Christ! (Philippians 3:7-8) Of believers in Jesus, Matthew Henry writes, “upon gospel terms, buy this field; they make it their own, for the sake of the unseen treasure in it. It is Christ in the gospel that we are to have an eye to.” When we understand Truth, recognizing its supreme value, we must make it our own. However, unlike the man who bought the field, our treasure of Christ is not meant to keep to ourselves, but instead share it with the world!

2) Who is the merchant? (verse 45)
This merchant knew exactly which pearl he was pursuing and would stop at nothing to obtain it for himself. Of this pearl, Matthew Henry writes, “a Jewel of inestimable value, which will make those who have it rich, truly rich, rich toward God; in having him, we have enough to make us happy here and forever.” As believers, we understand that in discovering Jesus and the truth of who He is, we have more than enough. Possessions and money are worthless in comparison to having the Treasure of God. There will never be anything more valuable to gain or pursue. Those who have pursued many things, seeking satisfaction, and finally finding Christ are the merchant from Jesus’ story; these people have found the Pearl of Jesus and have understood its supreme value. We don’t need to chase anything else.

3) What can be learned from these two parables?
Both the treasure in the field and the pearl cost a great deal to obtain. Jesus came as God in human flesh to pay the ultimate price for sin with His life that we might be set free from sin and shame. In order for us to spend eternity with God, this price must be paid, because God is just and righteous. This payment cost God His only Son. While there is nothing we can “do” to “purchase” this gift of salvation, there is a cost involved in following Jesus. (Luke 14:26-33) When we understand who Jesus is, we realize the cost is worth it. We become like the merchant and the man who bought the field when we realize the value of the Treasure of God and are willing to pay the cost. Just as these men were willing to part with everything in order to have their treasure, we too must be willing to part with everything in order to follow Christ. It isn’t going to be easy, and we may often question the cost, but as we become more like Jesus we will never regret the choice to pay the price and follow Him in full surrender!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Free Ride!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is If Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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 :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.