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Follow Day 11 Question, Follow, Faith

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 1:26-56
Isaiah 55:8-11
1 Corinthians 3:18-23
1 Corinthians 1:20-31

Follow, Day 11

Questions are a part of our worlds. At the restaurant, it is “How may I help you?” At the doctor’s office, it is “What are your concerns today?” In school, it is “What are you learning?” At home, it may be “What’s for dinner?” Or if you have a young toddler it may even be the beloved “Why?” question.

Throughout a day I find myself asking questions often. Sometimes they are to myself and sometimes they are verbalized to others. Occasionally they are rooted in frustration as I try to figure out why I just made a choice I did or what a coworker was thinking in hers.

Most recently I have found myself echoing the toddler’s cry in talking with the Lord as I have asked the “Why” question regarding His timing and plans in my life, especially in light of the reality that is the year 2020.

Oh how grateful I am that the Lord made us to question. We are made in His image and the Lord first introduces His use of questions in Genesis. I believe the Lord welcomes our questions, especially when we are truly seeking to know Him and His character better. For anyone who has been told that asking God questions is a sin I would encourage you to ask the Lord His thoughts on that.

That being said, questioning the Lord CAN lead to sin. They way in which we ask the Lord, our heart postures in the process, and our response to the outcome of our questions are all arenas in which we can find ourselves running rampant in sin. In my own life I have found myself sinning when lashing out at the Lord in my questions and asking the Lord for answers and then rejecting the one I receive because it was not the one I wanted. Questions are a sweet gift the Lord has given to us to build relationship with Him. They are also a solid litmus test for the status of our hearts.

A prime example of a woman who succeeds in questioning the Lord and honoring Him in the process is Mary, the mother of Jesus. I can picture the look on Mary’s face and the tone of her voice as she asks the angel how exactly she, a virgin, would bear a child. This was a childlike inquisitiveness and a subsequent response filled with obedient submission. After asking her question, Mary’s next words accepted the role she would play.

She said yes and began a journey that would simultaneously wreck her life and reward it with life beyond her wildest imagination. Because Mary said yes she experienced earthly rejection; more than likely days of doubt; the battering only a mother’s heart could experience as Jesus Himself grew, faced rejection himself, and ultimately was crucified; and countless other details that could be inferred by imagining her life.

However, at the very onset of the story, as Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, speaks to her, Mary’s ability to follow the Lord’s leading shines through. She asks how this would become reality and her next words were ones of acceptance. Jump ahead a few weeks and Mary’s words have moved from acceptance to thankfulness for the part she would play in this love letter the Lord was writing to the world. Scripture does not show that Mary heard directly from Gabriel again nor were we told that a manual for navigating the upcoming days, weeks, and months was provided for Mary. She accepted her role, celebrated the blessing that it was, and walked closely with the Lord.

Isaiah 55 declares that God’s ways are not our ways. More often than not, His ways require levels of faith that challenge us. Mary was no different. Where Mary stands out from so many of us lies in her posture to say yes and rejoice in all that yes included. How often have I failed to experience the fullness of what the Lord has for me since I refused to say yes, did so with grumbling, drug my feet in obedience, allowed the fear of man to paralyze me, or treated the entire process as a trial to endure rather than an entrustment to find joy in throughout?

Mary demonstrated the effectiveness and freedom of using questions in her relationship with the Lord. She also displayed the beauty of following the Lord with a surrendered and humble heart. She modeled the faith and fortitude required to follow when the path leads into counter-cultural regions, through hard seasons of many kinds, and with rarely more than the next step to take illuminated. I pray that I can live my life with a similar grace, joy, tenacity, and contentment.

Let’s use our questions to draw closer to the One who knows all the details and writes the best stories. Let us also respond well to the answers to those questions, dear sisters, for His glory and our gain. When we follow His guidance, we may just discover immeasurable joy and adventure amidst all the unexpected twists and turns.

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Follow Day 9 Whole Surrender: 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 Whole Surrender!

The Questions

1) What literal circumstances did David need saved from? (verse 1)

2) Why does David say, “Though I did not steal, I must repay?” (verse 4)

3) How has zeal for God’s house consumed David? (verse 9)

Psalm 69:1-12

1 Save me, God,
for the water has risen to my neck.
2 I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no footing;
I have come into deep water,
and a flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary from my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without cause
are more numerous than the hairs of my head;
my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me,
are powerful.
Though I did not steal, I must repay.

5 God, you know my foolishness,
and my guilty acts are not hidden from you.
6 Do not let those who put their hope in you
be disgraced because of me,
Lord God of Armies;
do not let those who seek you
be humiliated because of me,
God of Israel.
7 For I have endured insults because of you,
and shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers
and a foreigner to my mother’s sons
9 because zeal for your house has consumed me,
and the insults of those who insult you
have fallen on me.
10 I mourned and fasted,
but it brought me insults.
11 I wore sackcloth as my clothing,
and I was a joke to them.
12 Those who sit at the city gate talk about me,
and drunkards make up songs about me..

Original Intent

1) What literal circumstances did David need saved from? (verse 1)
Psalm 69 was most likely written by David as he fled from murderous King Saul. According to Coffman’s Commentary on the Bible, “It fits that period better than any other with which we are familiar in the life of David. His foes were ‘mighty,’ able to compel him to restore things he had not taken, and who were determined to `cut him off.’ Even the ribald singing against him in the city gates mentioned a little later fits that period better than any other.” When God was displeased with King Saul, He told the prophet Samuel to anoint David, the son of Jesse, to be the next king of Israel. (1 Samuel 16:1-13) It didn’t take long before God’s favor over David resulted in Saul’s fierce jealousy. David was forced to hide from those who hated him though he had done no wrong.  Saul wanted him dead because he was a threat to the crown, and Saul’s followers hunted him in support of King Saul. David tried to serve and obey God but was dismayed at the unjust attacks. Author G. Campbell Morgan suggests, “Perhaps in no other psalm is the sense of sorrow profounder or more intense than in this. The soul of the singer pours itself out in unrestrained abandonment to the overwhelming and terrible grief which consumes it.” David felt like he was drowning and mired in despair, and he called on God to save him. Even though serving God had placed him in this situation, he knew his salvation would only come by trusting in God.

2) Why does David say, “Though I did not steal, I must repay?” (verse 4)
In Psalm 69:4, King Saul is trying to kill David. David laments, “those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head; my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me, are powerful. Though I did not steal, I must repay.”  David is not talking about theft here, but about being falsely accused and having to pay the penalty. Author Charles Spurgeon explains, “Though David had no share in plots against Saul, yet he was held accountable for them.” This idea of paying a debt not one’s own is also true of Jesus, who quotes Psalm 69:4 in John 15:25, when He tells His followers the world will hate them as it hates Him. He says, “But this happened so the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.” We do know “David was indeed a type of Christ, and many of the things in the life of David find their echo and fulfillment in David’s Greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Coffman’s Commentary on the Bible.) David understood what it was like to be treated unfairly, yet he still praised the Lord. He trusted in God’s salvation so much that, while waiting for rescue, he declared, “I will praise God’s name with song and exalt him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30) He could even tell others who seek God to “take heart!”. (Psalm 69:32) Of course, nothing is better than knowing Jesus paid the debt for our sins when He, though blameless, died on the cross to save us. (I Peter 2:24) Even though we are guilty, we do not have to pay the price if we accept the free gift of salvation offered to us by Jesus.

3) How has zeal for God’s house consumed David? (verse 9)
The Greek word for zeal, zelos, and the Hebrew word, qinah, both have the same root meaning, jealousy. (turningtogodsword.com) David uses the word zeal in Psalm 69:8-9 when he is crying out to the Lord, lamenting his situation, “I have become a stranger to my brothers and a foreigner to my mother’s sons because zeal for your house has consumed me. . .” David is being pursued by King Saul, who wants to kill him. David has done nothing to deserve Saul’s wrath, but his life of zeal for God has brought David into favor with God, who chooses David to be the new king. David has a furious passion for the things of God. He is jealous over God’s ways and commands. As author John W. Rittenbaughnotes, “David put his whole heart into obedience to God, into talking about God, into trying to get people to turn to God, setting a right example for God. So, instead of winning people over, they told sarcastic and dirty stories about him. Because of his zeal for God, He became a reproach.”  David is consumed by worshipping God and living for God, and this zeal has ostracized him from his family and friends and brought ridicule and attack on himself. It is David’s passion for God’s house that the disciples think of when Jesus is driving out the money changers and overturning their tables in John 2:14-17. Jesus is jealous over God’s house being respected, just as David, Jesus’ human ancestor, was jealous that God’s house be recognized as holy.

Everyday Application

1) What literal circumstances did David need saved from? (verse 1)
The psalmist David used poetic language to describe his deep despair in Psalm 69:1-3. He cried out, “Save me, God, for the water has risen to my neck. I have sunk in deep mud and there is no footing. I have come into deep water and a flood sweeps over me. I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.”  Although he was not actually being overtaken by water or mired in mud, his words conveyed to God that he felt he was drowning in his desperate circumstances. He was so weary of crying and looking for God to save him that his eyes were giving out. David was hiding out in caves and being hunted by King Saul, who wanted to kill him. David’s need for salvation was paramount. If God didn’t come through, David would die. I have never been in such dire straits as David, but I do recognize that feeling of barely keeping my head above water and the weariness that comes from waiting on rescue.  This is such a hard place to be in . . . looking for God while you feel like floods are rolling over you. But David knew the right thing to do. He called out to God for salvation, knowing He “listens to the needy and does not despise his own who are prisoners.” (Psalm 69:33) David believed God could save him as he wrote in Psalm 68:20, “Our God is a God of salvation, and escape from death belongs to the Lord my Lord.”  Whenever I feel that sinking sensation of despair, I want to remember what David did in desperate times. He called on God and believed the Lord would prevail in his circumstances.

2) Why does David say, “Though I did not steal, I must repay?” (verse 4)
Anyone who has a younger sibling knows what it means to have to pay for something you did not do. I knew of a child who would bite her own arm and blame her brother for the injury just to get in trouble! This type of injustice plays out in the narrative of David’s life, but on a much grander scale. He is accused of plotting against the King, though he is innocent. Complicating things for David is the fact that God has chosen David to be the new King over His people. David has a heart after God, the zeal to serve God, and he even has God’s anointing to rule as king, but so far, David is on the run, hiding in caves and trying to stay alive. If I were David, I would be tempted to act like a kid being unfairly blamed by his little brother. I would complain and rail and demand justice! Waiting for God’s timing to fulfill His promises can be grueling! David does pour his heart out to God, asking Him to save him and telling Him how unfairly he is being treated while he waits (Psalm 69:4), but he doesn’t pout and wail. He simply tells God he trusts Him while he waits for salvation to come. (Psalm 69:16-18) He does not demand equity, but instead he seeks rescue. He would like to see his accusers come to justice (Psalm 69:22-28), but his focus is on trusting in God’s deliverance, not forcing his own. This is hard to do when someone wrongs you. I want to focus on how God is going to pay others back, but I should take a cue from David and focus on trusting that God will indeed come through in His time and His way.

3) How has zeal for God’s house consumed David? (verse 9)
If you know me for even five minutes, you realize I am generally quiet and reserved. You wouldn’t guess I was a cheerleader in junior high school. Or perhaps you could guess what a woeful cheerleader I was, roped into the deal by my extroverted friends in a tiny school where everyone who signed up made the cut. I did love my team, but you couldn’t tell by my lackluster cheering. It is cheerleaders I think of (the proper ones!) when I hear the word zeal. It is their demonstrative, excited, visceral expression of passion for something they love that helps me define zeal. No one questions their allegiance or opinion about their team. I think David is like that in Psalm 69:9. He writes how he is consumed by zeal for God’s house. He is God’s biggest cheerleader by writing and singing about God’s love and His perfect ways. (Psalm 69:30) He is passionate about sharing his God with everyone. (Psalm 71:7) He believes everything God says, even when it seems impossible. (1 Samuel 17:36-37) That is zeal! Sometimes I feel like I am the same type of Christian that I was a cheerleader. I love God and I want to share Him with others, but my expression of that love falls a bit flat. Author Jon Bloom asserts, “In God’s mind, fervency, zeal, or passion aren’t descriptions of how emotive we are. They’re gauges that display what our heart treasures, and therefore what fuels our lives.” I want to let the love I have for God fuel my everyday life. I want to treasure His Word, His promises, and His ways so I can be consumed by zeal for God’s house like David was. Join me in praying this 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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Pray Together!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Follow 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 :-))

Memorize It!

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The GT Weekend! ~ Reveal Week 3

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Roving about in the dark, difficult seasons of our lives doesn’t rank high on anyone’s “list of favorite things to do”, but we all face tumultuous times when confusion, fear, and doubt swirl incessantly. As Sara beautifully reminded us on Monday, these times of darkness can indeed be used by the hand of a loving God, to help us see Him with fresh eyes of faith. There are treasures of hope glimmering in the darkness that we might otherwise miss. Be still, hold fast to truth while allowing the emotions to hit you, then prayerfully ask the Father of Love to teach you to “dance in the dark” as you seek His hope and certain triumph. Sometimes, calling out our current reality for what it is, helps us move miles forward. What your pockets of swirling confusion and doubt right now in this Christmas season? What specifics are speaking into this uncertainty? Name them. Write them. Hold them in your hands without backing away. Search Scripture to speak truth and hope over these dark spaces, asking the Lord to teach you to dance, even here. The book of Psalms is a great place to begin looking for timeless, steadfast hope! Share the psalms that have encouraged you in our Facebook group (Gracefully Truthful Community) or tell a close friend!

2) While Christmas is supposed to be light, airy, magical, and winsome, it’s during this season we often feel the pull of sadness and aching the most. No amount of gifts under the tree or sugar cookie frosting can compensate for the places we try so hard to silence. Especially now, as the Christmas tree glitters, the longing for real joy runs deepest. Perhaps it is significant that it’s now we hunger most for hope, real hope. Perhaps we feel its absence so deeply, because it’s now Jesus came to be born, live out love, and die sacrificially, effectively purchasing eternal hope. Christmas glitters last for December, the hope Jesus offers each of us lasts forever! Even if we have long followed Jesus, and we know for certain our hope is in Him alone, we are easily tempted during this season to forget. We are eager to exchange our eternal perspective for temporary happiness, placing unrealistic expectations on gifts, relationships, and magical Christmas experiences. Carve out space this weekend to sit with the Lord who was birthed centuries ago, in humblest of ways, for us. Ask Him to reveal the places in your heart you have readily exchanged true hope for temporary pleasure. Consider drawing a simple cross on your wrist as a visual reminder of real hope in this season!

3) One night this last week, my son spoke up while preparing for bed, “Just think about it mom… We, full of sin, are born in hospitals or warm houses. But God, fully HOLY…. He was born in a cave. He surely loves *all* people!”. In a few simple words, my 9-year-old summed up the hope of the gospel and the gift of One God who loves us completely, passionately, and unconditionally. We are indeed desperate for a Savior. Every Christmas seems to be adept at revealing just how deep this need runs! We are the ones who deserve the cave, yet we cling so intensely to our baubles of glowing faces on perfect Christmas cards, elaborate meals, and wonderfully happy children. It feels easier to cover up the magnitude of our need. We forget we are sinners. We forget we need a Savior. In the rush for more of this and less of that, we gloss over the simple, but remarkably profound reality, that a holy God chose us. What a true Christmas Gift to be loved by the Divine in spite of the glaring reality we are tragically imperfect. Where are you feeling lack this weekend? Perhaps it’s “too much” or a sense of “not enough”. Whatever it is, write it out on a sheet of blank 8 ½ x 11 printer paper. Then grab a pair of scissors and follow these directions to turn your “lack” into a beautiful snowflake! (https://www.firstpalette.com/craft/paper-snowflake.html) Place it in your Bible or hang it from your ceiling as a reminder that the Lord of all perfectly loves you.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Jeremiah 23:24 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

“Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?”—the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”—the Lord’s declaration.

Prayer Journal
“Silent Night, Holy Night” surely does not describe the majority of my nights, especially during December. But, Lord, as Your Spirit has prodded me, peeling back the layers I love to cover the corners of my heart with, I admit to filling the quiet with noise on purpose. Too much quiet leaves too much space to be reminded how unholy I am. Lord, let me not shy away from this place of honesty with myself and especially before You! There are no hidden places that You cannot see! You came to reveal every secret place that Your glory might be welcomed in and true life overflow. “”Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?”—the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”—the Lord’s declaration.” (Jeremiah 23:24) Teach me to come humbly to You, as You came humbly to us, that You might be born afresh in my soul!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Reveal Day 3 Heartache’s Hope

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 147
Hosea 11:1-8
Isaiah 60:1-7
Isaiah 61:1-4
John 3:14-21

Reveal, Day 3

This will be a tough Christmas for me and my family.
We lost my uncle in February.
My sister, only 48 years old, went to be with Jesus on Easter morning due to Covid-19.
My grandmother is entering hospice care.
Tears come unbidden as I write. 

It’s been an incredibly traumatizing year and for the first time since my dad died twenty years ago, I can physically feel my heart ache. It’s like part of me is missing. Do you know that feeling? I don’t like it, but it’s here to stay for a while.

I anticipate that as Christmas arrives, this ache will be worse. It was my sister’s favorite holiday. Elaborate decorating . . . many gifts lavishly wrapped . . . all born of a genuine love of giving and sharing, especially during Christmas. She was like a bright star in December. I know my holiday, my world, will be a bit dimmer without her.

As I write about heartache, I think about the Israelites. I cannot imagine the pressing ache of waiting, generation after generation, for a promised Savior who would crush the enemy underneath His feet. (Genesis 3:15, Romans 16:20) I have a hard time waiting 17 days for something, so 1700 years seems unimaginable.

They endured so much during those 1700 years. They were exiled several times because they just couldn’t follow God with all their hearts. After one exile, when they returned and were trying to rebuild, rich Israelites took advantage of poor neighbors. They were so ruthless, they accepted their kinsmen’s daughters as payment for taxes! (Nehemiah 5:5)

They should have worked together to help rebuild, not just their city, but also their relationship with God. Instead, they tried to soothe their heartache with money and power over the weak and poor.

And you know what?
Their actions broke God’s heart.
Just read Hosea 11:1-8 again.

Can you feel the hurt and heartache of God? But God is merciful and loving. As He always does, He gave them a way to return to Him, to be His people again:

“If [. . .] my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

God knows we can only be whole through Him, so He has provided an eternal road back to Him, even when we break His heart.

When the 1700 years was up, God delivered His promise.
But His promise wasn’t just for Israel.
It was for us, too.

Jesus came to “bring good news to the poor [. . .] heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)

This promise from hundreds of years earlier was for Jews and Gentiles alike, which includes us. Jesus came to free us from looking to anything or anyone else for freedom and healing because He “is the way, the truth and the life.” Just like the Israelites, we can get caught up longing for something better, instead of looking to the One Who is better.

Let’s face it, living in this world is hard. There is no living without heartbreak and heartache. Sure, it points to the brokenness of the world. But it also points to our own insufficiency: we cannot heal ourselves.

We try, though. We shop, eat all the comfort food, drink, use drugs, isolate, or even deny our pain, but none of these will bring light to our darkness. Similarly, not one idol, power play, or act of rebellion brought light to the Israelites’ darkness. Instead, Jesus came, died, and rose to free us from sin and death. (John 3:16-17) And that’s not even the full picture!

If we look to Isaiah 60, we see God’s full promise to the nation of Israel, and to us. Israel will no longer live in darkness. Jesus will reign there and the glory of God will shine so brightly, darkness will be cast out. Forever. He will draw in other nations, who will find the light they’ve been searching for everywhere else. What a wonderful picture!

Even better, we don’t need to wait for eternity to experience the light and healing of Immanuel, God With Us. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Further, if you have accepted Christ, the light of the Holy Spirit lives within you.

Sisters, let us connect with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let us be radiant and rejoice in Jesus, the light of the world. (Isaiah 60:5)
Until He returns, let us look to Him for our comfort, healing and light.

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

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

Beloved Day 13 Catching Foxes

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 2:15
Galatians 5:22-26
Philippians 4:8-9
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Matthew 22:37-40

Beloved, Day 13

“I now pronounce you husband and wife . . . and now present to you, Mr. & Mrs. Brad Daniel.”
[Audience applause as we joyfully exit the church]

Oh, how sweet are the memories of that day! We believed the best in each other, couldn’t imagine what could possibly ever come between us, had no idea that someday we’d have to actually work to make time for each other. And we certainly couldn’t imagine we’d ever be so angry with, indifferent toward, or deeply wounded by one another. We were embarking on a journey full of mystery, knowing and becoming known, memories, and the true meaning of the vow, “til death do us part.”

Marriage is a gift.  How sweet that our Father has established a relationship so intimate, it provides a glimpse of the most intimate relationship of all, God’s relationship with His people, His Church.

I don’t remember the night I met Jesus as my savior as clearly as I’d like, but I do recall wanting to make sure I knew Jesus. I didn’t understand a lot of the Bible at the age of 10 or 11, but I knew Jesus loved me and had sacrificed Himself for my sins. As a child, I couldn’t grasp the gravity of my sin and the costliness of my salvation, I knew I wanted to follow Him with all I had . . . I just didn’t know what that meant.

Beginnings.
We love them.
We dream about them.

Everything seems fresh and fun as we begin to learn something new, whether it’s in marriage or our relationship with Jesus. We start off with stars in our eyes as we experience new love and speak of “forever” as if it’s clearly visible to us.

One of my favorite ways to serve with my husband is to meet couples for pre-marital counseling. It is an honor to walk with an engaged couple, helping prepare them for marriage.

In counseling sessions, we work through various areas in the relationship possessing the potential for conflict, and provide tools to navigate those areas well. We encourage intentional communication and potential resolution before little problems become big ones. We also affirm areas of strength and encourage the couple to keep communicating and working together.

Song of Solomon paints a picture of two lovers, completely enthralled with one another and willing to do whatever it takes to be together.  Song of Solomon 2:15 advises them to “catch the foxes” before they ruin the vineyards. Foxes are known for being cunning, sly, and destructive, an enemy to the vineyards, not only eating the grapes, but gnawing and digging, destroying an entire vine.

What a great analogy when applied to the marriage relationship! In the beginning, everything is new and fun and effortless. It is then we should begin to prepare for the possible “foxes” to creep in, small and seemingly innocent at first, taking just a few minutes of our time or attention, but if left unattended, potentially destroying the relationship.

Relationships require quality time and attention. My husband and I encourage engaged couples to find a recreational activity they both enjoy, and to use its intentional pursuit to provide relaxation and something different to look forward to doing together.

To sustain any relationship requires time. Our culture tends to value busyness, so our spouses . . . or Jesus . . .  can get the leftovers of our day if we are not intentional in planning and honoring our time together.  We all need time alone together to remember the specific reasons we love each other, and to nurture the unique friendship marriage brings.

Distractions come in all forms, including electronic devices, children, and careers, as well as our own pursuits or selfishness. Most of these are not inherently evil; we just have to hold them in proper perspective.

One of the most familiar distractions in our society is the cell phone. I know I am guilty of mindless media scrolling, as my husband is in the room with me, neglecting prime time together. Instead of pursuing genuine connection, I look at the lives of others, comparing myself, my life, and my marriage to those on the screen. This has the potential to evoke jealousy, insecurity, and irritability.

In addition, our scrolling habits tend to rob us of time we could be spending with Jesus, allowing His presence to guide our thoughts and actions. Paul instructs us in Philippians 4:8-9 to think about what is true, honorable, lovely, and worthy of praise.  When we begin comparing and focusing on what we lack, we abandon lovely thoughts toward our spouses, or the truth about ourselves.

Marriage was created by God and is GOOD. Good marriages serve others and each other, out of the overflow of being strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit.  As we spend time with Jesus, we are filled with His perspective, strengthened by His Word, and able to bear good fruit. (Galatians 5:22-26)

Empowered by God, we see the needs of our spouses, and set aside the time necessary to invest in and nurture the relationship. We are able to prevent cute little fox kits from destroying an entire vineyard. With vigilance and intentionality, prioritizing time with both God and our spouses, we can help the vineyards of our relationships to flourish!

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Beloved Day 6 A Lover’s Delight

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 4:12-16
Genesis 2:18-25
Proverbs 31:10-12

Beloved, Day 6

Have you ever walked in a garden under a pale moonlight? It’s counterintuitive, but at night, a garden truly glows. Everything is bathed in the moon’s gentle light. Visitors can breathe in the sweet fragrance of roses and lavenders, an intoxicating aroma.

During the day, the gardener tends to the plot, and the garden becomes hard-working and industrious. But at night, the garden invites the gardener to lay down the stresses of the day and rest in the pleasure of the fruits of his labor.

Our God is a giver. In Scripture, we encounter His gifts of both literal and metaphorical gardens. In the beginning, He created a world full of blessings. Then, God gave Adam and Eve dominion over creation and entrusted them to rule as He would. God also gave mankind the gifts of food and His Sabbath rest. Tucked away in the midst of all those blessings was another gift, a command to be fruitful and multiply while subduing the Earth.

In Genesis 2, we learn of the creation of the first man, Adam, and how God entrusted him with two gardens. The literal garden of Eden was given as part of Adam’s domain to cultivate, because it is where Heaven met Earth. The second and metaphorical garden, Eve, was given to Adam because God saw Adam needed a companion and helper in order to fulfill his purpose.

In the union of Adam and Eve, we find the design for pure delight and pleasure within marriage:

“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked, but felt no shame.”
(Genesis 2:24-25)
Wrapped up in the sacred space of marriage, both husband and wife were truly free and truly satisfied.

Song of Solomon builds upon the foundation laid in Genesis, giving us a detailed look at God’s plan for pleasure and delight within the boundaries of marriage. Chapter 4 recounts the culmination of the wedding ceremony; here, we find the groom describing his bride as an abundant garden.

Within the garden metaphor, our Creator begins to unlock the mystery of Godly marriage. A good gardener tends carefully to his garden, looking forward to a fruitful harvest. He protects it from pests and disease and rot. The gardener removes troublesome weeds, ensuring a nutrient-rich environment. Finally, his gentle hand encourages flowers and fruit-producing trees to grow. Such a prized and prioritized garden will not only produce an abundant harvest, but will be a great beauty to behold.

In the same way, a husband is to tenderly care for, encourage, and protect his wife, helping her to flourish. Proverbs 31 describes a wife who is industrious and productive under the care of a good gardener.

Within the partnership of Godly marriage, both husband and wife, gardener and garden, delight in the pleasures of a fruitful harvest. In the safety and innocence of lifelong commitment, spouses find every physical sense captivated and exhilarated:

“You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes;
With one jewel of your necklace.
How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride.
Your caresses are much better than wine,
And the fragrance of your perfume, than any balsam.
Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.”
(Song of Solomon 4:9-11, emphasis mine)

As with a garden, cultivating joy and pleasure within marriage requires time and intention. After the battles of the day have been fought, and the responsibilities of the day are laid to rest after bedtime prayers, husband and wife must intentionally turn their hearts, minds, and bodies to one another. Just as a vigilant gardener tends to every corner of his garden, we must make space to nurture our emotional, relational, spiritual, and physical connections.

But this sweet image of man and wife delighting in the fragrance and abundance of their nighttime garden is incomplete. Spouses will never find full delight, full satisfaction, full completion, solely in their mates . . . because husband and wife are human, and imperfect, and sinful.

Only when we have first found fullness of delight in God (our perfect, holy, lacking-in-nothing and possessing-all-we-need God) can we turn our attention from the scarcity in our spouse to overflowing gratitude for all the ways God blesses us through him.

And so, sisters, in the gardens of our marriages, let us first pursue and delight in our Master Gardener. Then, let’s enjoy the blessing of love and take delight in our spouses all the days of our lives.

“Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 9:7-9)

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

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The GT Weekend! ~ Worship VII Week 1

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) “Be still and know”. In a society which urges us at every moment to hustle harder, hurry to the next thing, and do more, the King of Kings calls His beloved children to be still. He calls those who love Him to cease their striving, to rest in His goodness and His completed work. He has always been faithful, and He will continue in His faithfulness. No amount of work or hustle can change His faithfulness toward you. Over the last six months since Covid-19 hit, some of us had the opportunity to slow down and sit with our thoughts as we have been kept at home, while others of us have had more and more responsibilities heaped on our plates beyond what we can manage. Spend some time today considering your response to God’s call to be still. Where in your life are you striving and working to make yourself better? Where are you resisting the gift of rest God has provided for you? Set aside some time this week to practice stillness. This may require getting up a little earlier or coordinating with your spouse to allow for some time away. Find space to rest, listen to God’s gentle leading, worship Him with honest transparency, and renew your soul by remembering “the Lord is on your side.”

2) “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” Jesus gave His life on the wondrous cross so we who believe might be united to Him. This unity demands we die to our selfish desires and relinquish any control we think we have over our lives. In Philippians 3, Paul tells his readers he has lost everything for the sake of Jesus, but considers all he lost as nothing because he has gained Christ. As followers of Christ, we will face suffering. This is the nature of our broken world. How have you responded to suffering in your life? Have you allowed God to make you new, even in the midst of suffering, or are you carrying around bitterness? Write down a current or recent struggle, then intentionally turn it over to the Lord. Ask for His help as you navigate this suffering. Name specific heart responses you have had toward your difficult situation, both positive and negative. Praise God for His work in you! If you’ve never died to yourself, knowing you have no righteousness on your own apart from Jesus, (Philippians 3:9) take these moments to repent from sin, asking Him to bring you the fullness of life only He can offer!

3)It is easy to forget all that went into securing our hope of salvation. Jesus was brought down low in order that we who trust in Him could be united to Him. He suffered and died so He might invite the weary and burdened to follow Him and take up His easy yoke. I don’t know about you, but I am humbled that anyone would choose to die such a horrific death on my behalf; much less Jesus himself who stepped down from the highest heaven to become the lowest servant. This sobering thought should lead us to consider how we can serve others. What could we possibly do that Jesus Himself has not already done to serve the Church? How can I ever possibly think I am above any position of service? Where is God calling you to lay down your life and serve others today? Is there a need for volunteers in your church? Do you have a friend or neighbor in need of encouragement or a meal? Ask God to show you ways you can reflect the humility of Christ by serving those in need around you. Make a plan to serve at least one person this week because Jesus came low to serve you.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Romans 8:37-39 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Prayer Journal
Lord, quiet my heart. Help me to be still and consider the greatness of the gifts You have given Your people. Thank You that You are on my side, despite what the world tells me. I know You gave Your Son to die on a cross, so I might have life to the full. Help me to never take Your gift for granted! Remind me the wonderful cross was the ultimate sacrifice for my ultimate good. Give me courage, strength, and perseverance to die to myself and live out my union with Christ. And oh! Let me not forget the glory awaiting me in the life to come! Let my weary soul find rest in the comfort of knowing that one day, I will dwell in Your presence. I trust You are preparing a place for me, and I find joy in knowing You will make all things new. As I consider what heaven will be like, help me to live out the principles of Your Kingdom “on earth, as it is in heaven.” Let me abide in Your perfect love and share Your love with the world around me. May I be full of Your goodness and truth.

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Worship VII Day 4 The Wonderful Cross: 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 Wonderful Cross!

The Questions

1) Who is Isaiah describing in these verses and what event is he foretelling?

2) Why is there a comparison to a sheep in verse 7?

3) What is the beautiful promise made in verse 11?

Isaiah 53

Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a young plant
and like a root out of dry ground.
He didn’t have an impressive form
or majesty that we should look at him,
no appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.
He was like someone people turned away from;
he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses,
and he carried our pains;
but we in turn regarded him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion,
crushed because of our iniquities;
punishment for our peace was on him,
and we are healed by his wounds.
6 We all went astray like sheep;
we all have turned to our own way;
and the Lord has punished him
for the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth.
Like a lamb led to the slaughter
and like a sheep silent before her shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
8 He was taken away because of oppression and judgment,
and who considered his fate?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
he was struck because of my people’s rebellion.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
but he was with a rich man at his death,
because he had done no violence
and had not spoken deceitfully.

10 Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely.
When you make him a guilt offering,
he will see his seed, he will prolong his days,
and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished.
11 After his anguish,
he will see light and be satisfied.
By his knowledge,
my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will carry their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will give him the many as a portion,
and he will receive the mighty as spoil,
because he willingly submitted to death,
and was counted among the rebels;
yet he bore the sin of many
and interceded for the rebels.

Original Intent

1) Who is Isaiah describing in these verses and what event is he foretelling?
It is important to note this section of Scripture actually begins in Isaiah 52:13-15 and continues in Isaiah 53. Isaiah, through divine inspiration from God’s Holy Spirit, provides an incredible picture of the promised Savior, Jesus Christ. Isaiah paints a picture unlike anywhere else in Scripture of what Christ would endure as He took upon the sins of the world in all of His innocence. These verses describe the mission Jesus came to accomplish in dying sinless in order to offer rescue to sinners.

2) Why is there a comparison to a sheep in verse 7?

The reference to a sheep, or lamb, would have been a familiar one for Isaiah’s Israelite audience. From the first sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God has required the shedding of innocent blood for atonement. Genesis 3:21 describes how God made garments of skins to clothe Adam and Eve. He sacrificed the first animal and innocent blood was shed, as He made clothing to cover their shame. Later, God called Abraham to sacrifice His son, Isaac, and at the last moment God provided a ram for the sacrifice instead. (Genesis 22) During the plagues in Egypt, the final plague required an innocent lamb’s blood to be shed. This blood was to be painted on the doorposts, allowing the angel of death to pass over their homes sparing the life of the eldest son. (Exodus 11-12) During the days of the temple, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement, and presented blood from an animal sacrifice to atone for the sins of the Israelites, a practice established in Leviticus 16:11-14. Isaiah uses language familiar to his audience to tell of a day coming when animal sacrifices would no longer be needed. There would be a day when the perfect, final sacrifice would come in the form of the promised Messiah. He would take the place of the innocent animal sacrifice; He would be led to slaughter for all sins.

3) What is the beautiful promise made in verse 11?
These verses are filled with an incredible promise. The Israelites likely didn’t grasp the entirety of this promise as they lived centuries before its fulfillment. However, Isaiah tells of a time that would indeed come when the promised Messiah would fulfill what God had put into action in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:15) Isaiah tells of a coming time when Jesus would take the sins of  the world upon Himself and exchange them for glorious salvation and restoration for His people through the work only He could accomplish. Isaiah tells of the Suffering Servant who would “justify many” (verse 11); this is the hope-filled promise Isaiah describes! Through Isaiah, God promises that one day, animal sacrifice would no longer be necessary because the final price would be paid in full. At that time, all who choose to accept His sacrifice would finally be justified before the Holy God because their sin would be paid for in Jesus.

Everyday Application

1) Who is Isaiah describing in these verses and what event is he foretelling?

Isaiah, hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, describes Jesus for us with vivid imagery of all He would endure as He took my sins and yours to the cross where He would die in our place. Because of our sin, we deserve death and eternal separation from God. We are utterly incapable of becoming righteous on our own; our sin is too great, so we are stuck in eternal death. But Jesus, in magnificent love, took the punishment we deserved and offers us His righteousness in place of our sin, if we are willing to trust Him. None of us are deserving of this gift! God chose to lay all our guilt for all of our sin on Jesus as He went to the cross for us. (Isaiah 53:6) Isaiah’s words in these verses lead us to a new understanding of exactly what Jesus did for you, me, our neighbor across the street and across the world, all those years ago. As we read Isaiah’s God-inspired prophecy, we can sense the anguish Christ lovingly chose to endure for all of us so we might be in right relationship with Him.

2) Why is there a comparison to a sheep in verse 7?
Atonement for sin has always required bloodshed. Since Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden, God has required innocent blood for those sins, but He has also faithfully provided a way for sin to be atoned. Even the Old Testament sacrificial system of bloodshed from an innocent animal was given by God as a grace gift. During Passover in Egypt, God provided lamb’s blood to spare lives, painting a clear picture of His provision that would one day come as Jesus poured out His blood in exchange for our eternal souls. We have the privilege of living on the other side of Isaiah’s prophecy foretelling a coming Messiah because Jesus has already fulfilled this promise. We are no longer called to sacrifice an animal to present as atonement for our sins. Jesus became flesh and offered Himself as the perfect Lamb who sacrificed Himself for all sins of all people on the cross. He willingly went to the cross of suffering although He was innocent. We have been given the opportunity to receive the gift of salvation because of the incredible sacrifice of Jesus’ life as He became the final, perfect sacrifice to atone for all sins. (1 John 2:2)

 

3) What is the beautiful promise made in verse 11?
“This verse tells of the enormous family of believers who will become righteous, not by their own works, but by the Messiah’s great work on the cross”. (NLT Study Bible) There is nothing you or I can do to be justified and become righteous on our own, but Christ willingly carried our iniquities to the cross, taking our punishment and, in return, providing us with His righteousness and forgiveness. He did what we could never do on our own account and permanently intercedes for us. This means, in Jesus, every one of our sins, past, present, and future, has already been paid for in full by the perfectly innocent Lamb of God! What an incredibly beautiful promise! When we choose to accept the gift of forgiveness and salvation offered to us in Christ, we agree to turn from our sin and are fully washed by the blood of Christ, becoming a new creation and part of the family of God forever!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Catch up with The Wonderful Cross!

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!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Worship VII Week One!
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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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Worship VII Day 3 The Wonderful Cross

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Philippians 3:1-11
Isaiah 53
John 15:6-17
Mark 15:6-37

Worship VII, Day 3

Dichotomy
Such a fancy-sounding word, simply meaning a contrast between two differing or opposing ideas. Why is this word important for today’s journey into worship? As we explore the hymn The Wonderful Cross, we uncover the incredible dichotomy of the cross of Jesus, simultaneously wonderful and horrible. Come, discover with me.

“When I survey the wondrous Cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain, I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.”

In Biblical times, there was nothing wonderful about a cross. It meant crucifixion, which was excruciatingly painful, while also publicizing the victim had committed a crime deserving a penalty of death.

Except Jesus committed no crime.
There was no sin to attribute to Him. (1 John 3:5)

However, human beings have sins to spare, and Jesus took every last, ugly, despicable one of them to that cross of death and shame. (Isaiah 53:5-6)
His holiness took on our sinfulness.
His righteousness was willingly offered in exchange for our unrighteousness when we embrace the cross. This place of death offers a slaying of our sin as we submit to His rule and reign! Anything we give up in this life to follow Him is a loss so we can gain eternity. (Philippians 3:7-9) Praise Him, the Prince of Glory!

“See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet?
Or thorns compose, so rich a crown.” 

Jesus’ cross experience was filled with pain and suffering. Can you imagine being beaten with a whip laced with metal? (Mark 15:15) Picture a crown of thorns beaten into your head. (Mark 15:17-19) Then carry a cross beam on your wounded back, only to be nailed to it, and hung to die. Every drop of blood, from His head, hands and feet flowed from joyful obedience to the Father. He could have focused on the pain of the cross. Instead, He focused on the joy of it, because He was winning our salvation.

In the face of hatred and jealousy, He expressed love.
In response to the envy of the chief priests (Mark 15:10),
His fellow Jews yelling, “Crucify Him!” (Mark 15:12-14),
Roman soldiers mocking Him (Mark 15:20),
and crowds scoffing as He hung on the cross for their sins (Mark 15:29-32),
He offered His life for them all.

This was pure love.

John 15:13 says, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”
Jesus, however, went beyond this definition. Romans 5:8 says,
“while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

While they were not His friends.
While we were not His friends.
He still laid down His life, because He loves us! Does it ever bring you to tears to think about someone, anyone, loving you so much? I can scarcely handle the thought of the most holy God loving sinful me that much. Yet He does! Glory!

“Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
All who gather here by grace, draw near and bless Your name.” 

The chorus mentions “gathering to bless His name.” This is what we do on Sundays at church, at Bible study, in small groups, and as we pray together throughout the week. We bless Him.
When we lay our problems down so He can handle them, we bless Him.
All made possible because of the wonderful cross that brought His brutal death and our freedom.

On the day Jesus died, people gathered at the foot of His cross, but their intention was not to bless. They drew near to mock the very One who could save them. Today, in light of what Jesus finished for us, we metaphorically gather at the foot of the cross to bless the very one who did save us. (Isaiah 53:5 and Isaiah 53:11)

“Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

How do we respond to this costly, sacrificial love? In His horrific death, we find the most profoundly extravagant act of love and selflessness ever displayed.

I can think of three actions we can take in response.
First, accept the gift of salvation. Jesus paid a high price for us to spend eternity with Him. Let’s not leave His gift unaccepted and unopened.

Second, since Jesus died for us, we should die for others in sacrificial love. On a daily basis, we work toward dying to self and to our sin. Philippians 2:3 explains it best, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.” In a nutshell, dying to self means:

  • Operating in humility
  • Considering others before ourselves
  • Placing others’ needs before ours

I warn you, it will feel like death. I’ve tried it!
But it’s nothing compared to the cross of Christ. So, let’s just do the thing, and live in the love of Jesus as we follow Him, okay?

Third, we can take hold of the life Jesus died to give us.
Let’s read our Bible and do what it says.
Let’s use our gifts for His glory, not ours.
Let’s press on toward the goal for the prize of following Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)
We can do this in honor of the wonderful cross and our beautiful Savior!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
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Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

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