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The GT Weekend! ~ Worship XIII, Week 1

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The GT Weekend! ~ Worship XIII, Week 1

Carol Graft

March 29, 2025

Adoration,Creation,Handiwork,Kingdom,Worship

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

His Words Before Ours

Psalm 34:11-12

Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is someone who desires life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good?
Read More Of His Words

Reflective Prayer

I come to you, O Divine Master, with every emotion within me, desiring You to rule over them all. Bring order from my chaos. Bring peace to my seas within so my outlook shifts to gaze only at You and Your beauty instead of the disorder, fear, and disappointment of my reality.

Lay my head near your gently beating heart, tuning my ear to match my breathing with the sound of your very human lungs while attuned to the ardor and abundance of all that I have available to me because of your deity.
Pray Scripture

Worship Through Song

Reflection One

For many, it’s easy to become focused on “to-do” lists, pouring our attention on the often-overwhelming tasks that scream so loudly. Sometimes the onslaught of DO feels so impossible, we pull back and begin listlessly scrolling on social media or another mindlessly activity to drown out the call of the urgent.

All the while, in every moment, the Lord invites us to be present with Him, to pull from His strength, to lean into His sure and certain promises. With the Lord, there is stillness and peace, even as the outside world rages on.

“Stop fighting, and know that I am God […].” (Psalm 46:10)

His invitation stands even in the heat of an emotion-filled moment or when every sense of overwhelming hits us.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good […].” (Psalm 34:18)

Think of the time you have left to spend today; how can you respond to the embrace of peace and comfort the Lord offers? Maybe it’s choosing to sing a song of worship, listen to Scripture being read on your phone, sitting still for 2 minutes and reading a psalm, or writing a verse just a few times on repeat and praying it back to the Lord.

Maybe you have a few minutes to jump over and be reminded of Michelle’s example of personalized prayer using Psalm 9 as a guide. His Word is rich with declarations and promises ready to wrap us up with Hope as we meditate on it. Will you say yes to His rest?
Monday & Tuesday

Reflection Two

Not all psalms carry a sense of joy-filled worship; many are laments that speak to the hard realities of life. They honestly display our deeply human responses to painful circumstances by expressing sorrow, cries for help, and even anger.

Just as it was in David’s time, and as it was before him, the world is broken still, and we feel those jagged edges piercing our hearts. These recorded laments span the ages, bringing us together, not just to weep and mourn together, but to collectively bring these pains to the One who carries us close to His heart.

As we wait for the King to return and set all things right, we remember to run in worship to the Lord who hears our cries, is near to the brokenhearted and ready with balm to soothe our souls because He Himself weeps with us! Need a good look at how to do that in real life? Rebecca wrote poignantly on Wednesday (Day 3) of her grief and sorrow, using Psalm 55 as her guide.

Sometimes we sense the balm from the Lord immediately, and sometimes He has a greater reward for us if we wrestle with Him longer in His Word. Often, peace is found simply by learning to quietly trust that He is holding us in the midst of our pain.

Find a few minutes today and turn to Psalm 131 and ask the Lord to teach your soul to worship like the psalmist.
Wednesday & Thursday

Reflection Three

Psalm 24 speaks of the King of Glory and many of His warrior characteristics as well as His righteousness and the abundant bounty lavished on all who walk in His ways and set Him apart as their own King.

It’s as if the psalmist stands outside looking around at the beauty of creation in mountains, waterways, creatures, and people and cannot hold himself back from declaring the greatness of the King. He sees beyond the beauty of the created things to see and magnify the Creator. In so doing, He aligns himself to receive blessing from the Lord for he worships the Lord will a full and abundant heart.

Everything was created by the King of Glory, the Jehovah God, and is meant to reflect back His glory through worship. The rivers clap their hands for His glory, city gates are personified and called upon to adore Him (Psalm 24:9), and so must we, the crown of His creation. (Psalm 98:7-9)

Each day provides countless opportunities to join creation and give praise to the King through the fragrance of our surrender to His righteous ways over our own selfish ones. (Romans 12:1-2) Those who trust the King with their souls find forgiveness, freedom, and eternal life as we become His own. (Psalm 100:3)
2-for-1 Friday

This Week's Journeys

Remade Day 15
The Remade Life

January 20, 2017 No Comments

We’ve talked a lot during this Journey Theme about what it means to live this redeemed life that Jesus has so richly given us, but what does the “box top” look like? What does my everyday look like as I’m chasing after this God who longs to continuously remake me

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Remade Day 14
The Law of Love: Digging Deeper

January 19, 2017 No Comments

The pharisees asked a lot of questions, but they didn’t truly want to know Jesus’s heart. When we study the Bible or look for answers to our questions, let’s not go looking for evidence to support our pre-determined ideas, rather let’s seek to understand the original intent of the Scriptures,

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Remade Day 13
The Law of Love

January 18, 2017 No Comments

If we really are living out and doing exactly what Jesus tells us are the two most important commandments, then everything else He tells us to do will fall into place… because, by living out these commandments, we are allowing transformation.
When our minds are transformed, then our actions

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Remade Day 12
No Going Back: Digging Deeper

January 17, 2017 No Comments

Are you stuck in the past, attached and grasping for things leading to death, or are you clinging onto and sinking into the things of life? God is a good God, even on days when our past stops us in our tracks or a situation cements our feet. Be reminded

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Remade Day 11
No Going Back

January 16, 2017 No Comments

As fun as it is to “remember when”, there’s danger there too. Either we can romanticize the past and wish for it all over again, or we begin to drown in its sorrows and become perpetually stuck in its cycle. God wants neither for us!

God told Lot’s family

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The GT Weekend – Remade Week Two

January 14, 2017 No Comments

Lord, You have provided perfectly for us. You have given us a means for relationship with You through Jesus. You’ve given the Holy Spirit to keep us walking in step with You, yet I still think I can hide the real me from Your face. Father, forgive me for putting

Read More »

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adore,prayer,wonder,worship
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Done Day 5 Unbreakable

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Done Day 5 Unbreakable

Deborah Rutherford

May 10, 2024

Alive,church,Faith,Freedom,Handiwork,Identity

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 1:13-16
Romans 8:38-39
John 16:7-13 
Proverbs 3:5-6
Psalm 23 

It is a lovely moment when we first believe; lyrics in Amazing Grace, which always pull my heartstrings, describe this moment:

“‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.”

When we place our faith in Jesus’ redemption, we are also sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. This seal, the Holy Spirit Himself, indicates God has adopted us and guarantees our eternal inheritance. (Ephesians 1:13-14) Jesus said in John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” To help us, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, who lives within us and never leaves us. 

Once saved and sealed, nothing can separate us from the love of God. Paul so eloquently writes in Romans 8:38-39, “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.” 

Furthermore, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) God secures our spiritual blessings in heaven. No identity thief, robber, or storm can damage, steal, or trick us out of them. 

But if we already have spiritual blessings, why do we often live like spiritual paupers? Our walk with Christ is meant to be one of continuous personal encounters with Him; as such, we flourish in our spiritual blessings when we delight in God’s presence. We can delight ourselves in the Lord, as the psalmist writes in Psalm 37:4, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.”

As we lean into God, the Holy Spirit begins to work our lives, bringing conviction, drawing us to repentance, and leading us into righteousness. Our gracious Father knew we would desperately need the Counselor to guide us in truth just as Jesus guided His disciples during His time on earth. In fact, Jesus promised, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:13a)

Additionally, the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in Jesus’s name, will teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus tells us. When we have invested in meditating on and memorizing Scripture, the Holy Spirit can bring it to mind when we most need it. When I suffered hearing loss, the Holy Spirit brought Jeremiah 29:11 into my mind, giving me the strength, guidance, and comfort I needed.

Recently, I had anxiety as I drove to a new job. The Holy Spirit used Proverbs 3:5-6 to quiet my concerns and remind me to trust God. With a clear head, the Spirit helped me realize I still had some preparation work to do for the upcoming job; He provided clarity and purposeful direction. 

Sisters, when we invite the Holy Spirit to search our hearts for any strongholds of sin and to direct us as we seek to follow God, we become familiar with His gentle leadership.

I have come to hear the Holy Spirit quite well. At His gentle nudge, or when I feel restless, I know to turn to the Holy Spirit as we examine what is happening in my life. He steers me back when I am distracted from God, idols seep in, or when sin encroaches.

One time at work, I was miffed that another co-worker received a job promotion instead of me. While I knew I didn’t want the job, and should be happy for her, I longed to be recognized too. 

Kind to come near, the Holy Spirit gave me a beautiful vision of green pastures. Immediately, I desired to walk with Jesus as my Shepherd in His green pastures, rather than the world’s empty pastures holding only striving, bitter ambitions, and jealousies. Psalm 23 became my heart’s song, for Jesus keeps me safe in His green pastures beside still waters.

In Ephesians 1:15-16, Paul prayed, giving thanks for the success of the Triune God’s work in the Ephesians’ lives. Like us, these believers were once spiritual paupers. But now, because of their faith, they were thriving, evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit and their love for each other. Similarly, our faith and love show when we grow in our walk with God.

With our Helper and Comforter, the Holy Spirit,
we too become more Christlike,
loving each other as God loves us!

Tags :
forever,Holy Spirit,hope,rescue,sealed
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Recent Journeys

Done, Day 5
Digging Deeper

Paul assured the Ephesians there was no cause to fret over his situation.

Because of his suffering, they were finding freedom in Christ and the gospel message was being spread all the more, as was the common result of persecution of the church.
(Philippians 1:14)

Because he was sitting in prison and not traveling or preaching, he had time and energy to write encouraging, instructive letters that would benefit the global church for generations to come, including our own!
Dig Deeper!

Can We Pray With You?

Prayer is central to our ministry as believers in Jesus as we carry eachother’s burdens and intercede for one another. Our team is honored to share the work of praying alongside you!

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May 6 - May 24, 2024 - Journey Theme #132

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Worship XII Day 15 Angels From The Realms Of Glory

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Worship XII Day 15 Angels From The Realms Of Glory

Rebecca Adams

December 8, 2023

Birth,Creation,Glory,Handiwork,Heaven,Joy

Read His Words Before Ours!

James 2:8-11
Exodus 20
Luke 2:8-18
Isaiah 40:1-2

“Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes your sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.”

Having trouble placing those lyrics among your repertoire of Christmas hymns?
Before I give it away, let’s sing these words slower.
There’s a reason this verse isn’t normally sung anymore; its heavy words hardly sound celebratory.

“Sinners” doesn’t exactly depict “holiday cheer”.
No one wants to apply “sinner” to themselves, especially at Christmas!
But Scripture leaves no room for argument.
“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
(Romans 3:23)

Holy
“Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20:7)
Have you ever used the Lord’s name for your glory, your convenience, as a cuss word, or by not living up to His standard even though you call yourself a Christian, claiming His Name? Guilty of breaking His law makes us a sinner.

Worship
“Do not have other gods besides Me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Have you ever loved anything more than God? A job, our home, a spouse, family, children, or hobby? Elevating even one thing one time, makes us guilty of breaking this law, earning us the sentence “Lawbreaker” and, you guessed it, sinner.

Truth
“Do not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16)
Has your tongue ever repeated gossip? Have your words ever slandered another? No one can honestly claim innocence here meaning, once more, we are sinners.

That’s only three of God’s commands,
and we’ve achieved 100% failure rate.

Truth is truth whether we like it or not.
The reality that we have epically failed to live up to God’s standard of righteousness (and His is the only one that matters) leaves us inarguably, as sinners.

“Doomed for guilt to endless pains”
God’s Word says the consequence of sin is death and eternal separation from God, which means being cut off from all hint of goodness and left to suffer under ceaseless wrath.

“…we were by nature children under wrath…” (Ephesians 2:3)
I cannot fathom a worse existence.

Our default destination after life on earth is eternal death without relief.
Souls exist in the afterlife eternally tormented under the rightly deserved wrath of God. How can it be rightly deserved?
How can a good God send good people to an eternity of suffering in Hell?

The answer is why the songwriter, James Montgomery, started his stanza with “sinners”. We rightly deserve this punishment because we brought it on ourselves
by our own choice to love sin and choose to act it out on the daily.

God doesn’t “send good people” to Hell because truly, no sinner can claim “goodness”, not according to God’s standard. Again, since He’s the Judge of all (Genesis 18:25), He gets to decide the standard, not us.

“There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10)
God doesn’t do the “sending, we do. A good judge simply doles out the just punishment a guilty person rightly deserves because of the choices they made.

Our sins make us guilty of death, keeping us under God’s eternal wrath, hence Montgomery’s line, “Doomed for guilt to endless pains.”

Are you feeling cheered by Christmas glee
and warmed by yuletide anticipation as we sing this carol slowly?
I don’t blame you for not having warm feelings.
Honestly, it’s pretty bad news at this point.
The worst news actually.
Sinners, you and I, condemned to eternal death by our own willful actions against the Perfectly Righteous Judge of the Whole World.
HopeLESS.

This is precisely why the angels broke through the curtain of night separating the heavenlies from humanity the night Christ was born.

Angels from the realms of glory
Wing your flight o’er all the earth.

What radical news was brought by such an angelic host of warrior singers?
God Himself snuggled in swaddling cloths
would be exchanged 33 years later for burial clothes.

An inn keeper’s manger
would be exchanged for a rich man’s tomb.

From wooden manger to wooden cross, it was the pleasure of the Father to crush the Son, that we might exchange our sin-stained garments for Christ’s own robe of righteousness!
(Isaiah 53:10, 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Christ, the Perfect Judge, had come Himself
to pay the penalty of death and separation we owed. (Isaiah 40:1-2)
He took our place.
He died our death.
He was separated from the Father.
(Matthew 27:46)

“Justice now revokes your sentence!”

The worst news ever becomes the most unfathomable news possible!
Suddenly, no Christmas party, gift-buying, or perfect tree-trimming compares to this joyous hymn’s proclamation.
This is Christmas!

Montgomery closes his unsung stanza with three words that should warble in our hearts all year, “Mercy calls us”.

The gift of Christ in a manger,
of His death and resurrection,
and the good news that every single sin
has been paid for in full
by the righteous God Himself is astounding.

But it makes no difference
if we simply stare at its packaging tied up with a bow,
refusing to unwrap it and make it our own.

Christ’s payment for sin is a free gift. (Romans 6:23)
No need to perform or clean up your life in order to earn its deposit into your spiritually deficit account. But we must choose to trust Him by being “wrung with true repentance”.

If we do, Montgomery’s last three words will ring in our hearts for eternity,
“Break your chains”.

Come to Jesus, worship Him by laying down your sin and shame and be set free!
“If the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”
(John 8:36)

“Come and worship!
Come and worship!
Worship Christ the newborn king!”
(Angels From The Realms of Glory)

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Angels,Christmas,creation,eternity,hope,new,worshp
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Recent Journeys

Worship XII, Day 15
Digging Deeper

God calls people, no matter who they are, to fall in love with Jesus and accept his gift of grace and redemption.

Are you well-educated, powerful, or famous?

Are you struggling with shame for sins you have done?

You qualify for Christ’s love!
Dig Deeper!

Can We Pray With You?

Prayer is central to our ministry as believers in Jesus as we carry eachother’s burdens and intercede for one another. Our team is honored to share the work of praying alongside you!

This Week's Lock Screen
Explore This Journey Theme!
Nov 20 - Dec 8, 2023 - Journey Theme #125

Join a GT POD!

Authentically living out a life of worship to the God who rescued us from darkness requires accountability and intentionality. Join a GT POD and take the next step in your faith journey!

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Sketched XI Day 5 Faith Forward

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Sketched XI Day 5 Faith Forward

Meribeth Schierbeek

June 23, 2023

Amazed,Glory,Handiwork,Help,Trust,Waiting,Worship

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Kings 17:8-16
Hebrews 11
Psalm 73

Just as the Lord foretold, savage drought was upon the land, a result of Israel’s abandonment of the LORD their God.
Yahweh revealed Himself as sovereign.

Just as the Lord foretold, He cared and provided for me, Elijah, near the brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.  
Yahweh revealed Himself as enough.

As the wadi dried up, the Lord continued to guide me…a widow will feed me on my next leg of the journey. 

Today I am moving, at the Lord’s command, to Zarephath: 
“Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.” (1 Kings 17:9)

As I hear these words from my God, I’m reminded of the weight of my calling as a prophet. Following Yahweh rarely means staying in one place, which often feels wearing. Still, I am reminded of the truth. I dwell with the Lord, the God of Israel, MY God; my home and my comfort are in Him. He will be enough. My rest comes from knowing He sees; He knows and He alone is ALL things wherever I dwell…I am with Him as I walk.

I begin my travels wondering about this widow, her name…her story… 
The Lord knows it but I do not…I trust she, too, will follow the Lord’s command.  

As I walk toward Zarephath, I see vile wickedness all around. These are sacred, and sometimes scary, times. I have seen the Lord prove Himself faithful time and time again, and yet my humanness perceives the brokenness around me and wrestles with faith.  

In these moments, I recall the faith of my forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I’ve heard of their lives from the Torah, our holy Scripture; while each man was undeniably caught in sinful humanity, Yahweh drew them again and again to faith in Him. (Hebrews 11:6-22) Bolstered by remembering God’s empowering work in their lives, I ask Yahweh for the gift of faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

As I come to the gates of Zarephath, I lay eyes on a woman in widow’s clothing, gathering sticks. My thirst is unbearable, and I immediately ask for water. She turns to bring it willingly and I add a request for bread. 

Her first words landed on my ears sweetly. “As the LORD your God lives [. . .]” (1 Kings 17:12a) She, a foreigner, knows my God! 

Then, I hear her heart cry as she continues, “I don’t have anything baked–only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.” (1 Kings 17:12b)

I am struggling. 

Struggling with loneliness as I bear the crushing burden of survival for myself and my sweet boy. 

Struggling with a society that leaves us scraps at the best of times, dust and searing hunger and the looming specter of death during this time of drought and famine.

Struggling with fear, which snarls in my ear and prods me to clench tight the handful of grain I have left. Who does this stranger think he is? What does he imagine I, who have nothing, can give him?

And struggling with the gentle nudge I feel in my spirit, like the first rivulets of rain slipping along the cracked earth of my soul. Trust Me, I seem to hear. I have not abandoned you. I have sent My prophet to you. Heed his request, for I can bring bounty from nothing. 

I watch the battle between faith and fear play across the widow’s countenance.

I encourage her in her obedience, trusting the Lord alone to be sufficient: 
“Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son, for this is what the LORD God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the surface of the land.’” (1 Kings 17:13-14)

As long as I live, I’ll always remember the day my mother returned from gathering wood for what we thought would be our final meal. Hearing her enter our home, I barely had the strength to lift my head from the place I layed curled in a ball, quaking with hunger and fatigue, my mouth too dry to ask what she was doing. Consciousness slipped away.

I awoke to the smell of baking bread as my mother pressed a cup of water to my bleeding lips. As I swallowed and sputtered, unaccustomed to such bounty, I caught a glimpse of a stranger seated nearby. He ate a small loaf of bread as he watched me, kindness in his weary gaze.

That day and beyond, the widow chose to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), as she shared her flour and oil. The Lord, in His great power, kept her supplies full. She fed her household and me, knowing Yahweh was sovereign, enough, and in control of her life, in His way and His time. 

A Note About Sketched

In Sketched themes, we imaginatively step into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally.

We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters viewed God, themselves, and the world around them.

Perhaps we will find parts of our story reflected in theirs!

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death,heart,hope,life,relationship,trust
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Sketched XI Day 5
Digging Deeper

If the widow’s pantry had been full, all Elijah would have gotten was a meal. Instead he reaffirmed he could hear God and trust what He said.

Elijah also became the means of blessing a faithful servant of the Lord who would have starved to death had he not come.
Dig Deeper!

Can We Pray With You?

Prayer is central to our ministry as believers in Jesus as we carry eachother’s burdens and intercede for one another. Our team is honored to share the work of praying alongside you!

This Week's Lock Screen
Explore This Journey Theme!
June 19 - July 7, 2023 - Journey Theme #120

Join a GT POD!

Authentically living out a life of worship to the God who rescued us from darkness requires accountability and intentionality. Join a GT POD and take the next step in your faith journey!

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Eden Day 1 Ex Nihilo

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Eden Day 1 Ex Nihilo

Christine Wood

April 18, 2022

Creation,Deliver,Design,Fellowship,God,Good,Handiwork

Read His Words Before Ours!

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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beauty,creation,eternity,hope,Majesty,nothing
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Eden, Day 2
Digging Deeper

Astronauts who have witnessed what earth looks like from space report feeling overwhelmed by the beauty of the “blue marble” and the sight of it suspended in space.

Astronaut, Michael Massimino, described his mission with the shuttle Atlantis as “I felt like I was almost looking at a secret . . . It’s too beautiful. There’re no words to describe how beautiful things are out there.”

This sentiment echoes the words of David in Psalm 19:1 who announces, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.”
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Beloved Day 3 Radical Love of Marriage

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Beloved Day 3 Radical Love of Marriage

Sarah Afan

November 18, 2020

Beauty,Beloved,Christ,God,Handiwork,Marriage,Relationship,Sacrifice,Strength

Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 1:1-11
Song of Solomon 5:2-8
Song of Solomon 8:5-14
Genesis 2:18-25
1 Corinthians 13:4-8


 

Studying the Song of Solomon gave me a fuller perspective on marriage. The book describes the relationship between a man and a woman from its beginning, into marriage, and thereafter. All along, their relationship was marked by romance.

Their love was radical; it was original.
It was God’s kind of love, which is unconditional.
The couple compared the strength of their love to fire, saying many waters cannot quench it nor can rivers drown it. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)
No force, or condition, would alter their decision to love one another.

This is a picture of the marriage relationship God wants His children to enjoy.
He desires marriage relationships soaked in a deep friendship, emotional bonding, and physical pleasure; this is an enduring marriage. Though misunderstanding and disagreement arise, these cannot quench the love of a husband and wife who are committed to the perfect plan of God.

Marriage, we know, was instituted by God Himself with the command for two becoming one flesh. God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.” (Genesis 2:18) When the man saw the woman, he exclaimed, “This one at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken from man.”  Therefore, Scripture says, a husband leaves his parents to be united to his wife. Here within the mystery of radical love, God binds two into one. (Genesis 2:23-24)

God’s handiwork is marvelous! He made them two kinds, one man, one woman, but one pair with one intention. Our differences as individuals help us acknowledge we are fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator. (Psalm 139:14) Though two kinds, we complement each other, and our union achieves something altogether unique.
Oneness doesn’t mean sameness!
Within the context of marriage, God designed individuals to create a single bond together. We can celebrate our Maker God and His creativity on display in marriage!

Unfortunately, sometimes we fail to appreciate
the beautiful combination of our differences crafted by God,
instead elevating ourselves over our spouse.

We wish our spouses were more like us, so we could get things done our own way.
We want them to think our thoughts, follow the direction we go, and do what we want.
We forget our Maker crafted us as individuals to complement each other and fulfill His perfect plan for us in marriage, as opposed to our plan in our way! The apostle Paul told the Corinthian church regarding unity, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?” (1 Corinthians 12:17)

If we want all things done our way,
we miss the beauty of the union.

Furthermore, it’s difficult to celebrate God’s creativity in crafting us as individuals
unless we first pursue a deep relationship with Christ.
Only in Christ, can we find our true identity and deepest delight.

We were once in darkness, following the inclinations of our sinful nature. Our Plan. Our Way. God the Father sent Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God. Our faith in Christ has made us new creatures in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17-21); this is our new and true identity.

Finding our identity in Christ is one thing, choosing to remain in Him is another. The Lord Jesus said we must remain in Him, because without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) When we fail to remain in Him, we hold on to our old, selfish nature of sin.
This selfish nature is all about having our way, even if it is wrong.

But if we choose to remain in Christ, He fills us with His radical, sacrificial love.
This is the love that drove Him to the cross to pay for sins He did not commit.
He willingly put Himself in our place, receiving the punishment meant for us,
so we may have fullness of life in Him.

We must learn sacrificial love from Him.
According to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, His love is patient and kind,
it is not jealous or boastful, proud, or rude.
It does not demand its own way, neither is it irritable nor keeps a record of wrongs.
It never gives up, never loses faith, but is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.

This is the love expected of us whose Master is the Lord Jesus.

As I was preparing to write this study, I spoke with my husband, and he said something that hurt me deeply. I almost reacted negatively, but immediately the Holy Spirit reminded me love is patient and kind, and not easily provoked. I was humbled and quickly refrained from being angry. The Bible says love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

When we surrender our control to the Holy Spirit, our pattern of thinking changes.
Radically, we begin appreciating one another as individuals. When we look at our spouse through the lens of a lovingly handcrafted being with unique gifts, talents, and insights, our appreciation for God and our spouse both broadens and deepens.

When we firmly root our identity in God,
appreciate our spouses as individuals,
and share a common aim of pursuing and honoring the Lord together,
our relationship allows radical romance to thrive in our marriages!

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Beloved Day 4
Digging Deeper

While humans experience the sensation described as “falling in, or out, of love”, Solomon’s song affirms a far deeper, much more radical commitment. Beautifully, this type of human love relationship is intended by the Lord to reflect the love He has for us, as His very own chosen Bride.

Jesus gave us His living self as the single greatest display of covenant love when He chose to take on our consequence for our sin at the cross. Here, He willingly laid down His life to make us His Bride, washing us in His forgiveness.
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Treasure Day 13 Living Treasure

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Deuteronomy 7:6-9
Matthew 13:44-46
2 Corinthians 4:1-18
1 Peter 1:13-25
1 Peter 2:1-9

Treasure, Day 13

Treasure.

What images fill your mind when you read the word? Mounds of gold? Rubies, diamonds, or other costly gems? The fanciful Cave of Wonders from Aladdin? Scrooge McDuck and his millions? Captain Jack Sparrow and his endless quest for bounty? Maybe you’re like me, and your mind is instantly filled with glimpses of Gollum and his “Precious.” (Thank you, Mr. Tolkien.)

Interestingly, of all the things most of us picture when it comes to treasure, actual people are close to, if not the, very last on our list.

And yet, treasure is exactly what our Creator God says we are.

“But you are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people for His possession,
so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

Let’s talk about treasure for a minute.

What do people usually do with treasure?

We take care of it, right? We might hide it, or bury it, or (if we’re being current) take it to the bank.
We protect it, keeping it for ourselves.

In Matthew, Jesus weaves the stories of the man who finds a treasure in a field, and of the pearl of great worth. His parables make perfect sense and resonate with us because they fall in line with our natural tendencies to hide, protect, save and keep treasure for ourselves. We might take it out to look at from time to time, but for the most part, we tuck it away and leave it alone.

What does God do with His treasure (read: us)?
He takes care of us.
He hides us in Himself.
He sets us apart.

Here the similarities end, because His ways are not our ways, and His purpose is much greater than anything we could envision. He hides us for a season, as He is working in and on us, but His end game is to reveal His handiwork to all.

Next, He polishes us and purifies us, getting rid of everything marring the beauty and testimony of His transformative, powerful handiwork. If you’ve been through any of His polishing, you know it’s a life-changing, beautifully brutal process by which He eliminates our dross and cultivates His refined glory in our lives.

Scripture clearly shows us we are treasured in God’s eyes and heart…but are we living this truth? 

Do you honestly believe you, Dear One, are treasure? I mean, really, deep down in your heart, do you believe it? Your spirit believes it, sure. If you’ve given your life and heart to Him, your spirit is joined to His already by the work of the cross.

But does your soul (your heart, mind, emotions, and will) operate daily in the reality of the truth? 

To put it another way, when you look in the mirror, do you wince and turn away?When you think about yourself, do you think in treasured terms?
Is your self-speech lovely and kind? Or is it harsh and critical?
Do you joke about how “terrible” you are, or make light of your shortcomings in a self-effacing kind of way?

Sweet friend. I’m guilty of it, too. But it ought not be this way.

Believe it or not, poor talk and thoughts about ourselves are actually a form of self-idolatry. We are called to align ourselves with His truth, not to adopt whatever bits and pieces of His truth fit our own personal narrative.

When we insist on thinking about ourselves in any way other than what He says about us, we are effectively elevating our own selves, and what we think is true, above our Creator. Ouch.

Friend, how can we expect to be a light and share His love with the world, when we don’t even believe He loves us the way He says He does? How can we ever hope to make a difference in the lives of those in our spheres of influence, or in the lives of our very children, if we do not believe and live what we claim to believe?

And further, how in the world do we expect to genuinely care for others in the Church as treasure, when we don’t even believe we are treasured by Him?

Hard questions, I know. I’m squirming, too. 

But Loves, we have to stay here in this uncomfortable place and wrestle with this until we get it.
Because this is big “T” Truth.
Because this is how He loves us, and how He calls us to love: by edifying our brothers and sisters in Christ and treat them as the treasures they are!

Lord, You are worthy of all my praise. I repent of not agreeing with You about who and what You say I am. I break agreement with the negative self-talk I have been using, and I agree with Your Word, which says I am treasured, loved, and a masterpiece. Help me to keep from speaking poorly about myself, and renew my mind with true thoughts in alignment with Your Word. My life belongs to You. In Jesus’s Name, amen.

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Worship IV, Day 3 Holding Us Together

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Colossians 1:15-20
Hebrews 12:26-29
Isaiah 9:1-7 

Worship IV, Day 3

Some may ask what the value is of their high school studies in chemistry (let’s be honest: high school math, art, etc.). While I always thought there was some use in what I was learning even if passing the class was the main reason, preparing for this Journey Study highlighted how the Lord can use anything for His glory.
High school chemistry included.  

I read through Colossians 1:15-20 and spent some time pondering the truths nestled there. What does it say about the Lord? What does it say about me? What does it speak to regarding my interactions with the Lord? 

In the midst of those questions, my high school chemistry class materialized in my mind. The long black countertops and the silver gray stools that became the backdrop of our scientific explorations set the scene. I remembered the feel of the delightful goggles providing safety as we dealt with chemicals as well as deep imprints on our cheeks announcing to everyone that we had just spend time dabbling with liquids, and solids, and mass (oh my).  

In my mind’s eye, I remember seeing a centrifuge on the counter and clearly recollected this actual day in class. We had a few liquids in our test tube and the only way to separate them was using the centrifuge, which essentially spun the tube at high speeds, the force of which caused the liquids to layer themselves by their densities. Little did I know that learning how to use that machine and comprehending all the science behind it would bring a section of Scripture to life years later.
Yet, here we have on display the goodness of the Lord through His creation.  

Colossians states that the Lord is before all things and in Him all things hold together. 

All things. 
Held together.  

Have you ever had one of those days, weeks, months, seasons where you just don’t feel like you have it together?
That everything is spinning out of control?  

Me too.  

Those personal examples came flooding to my mind after the centrifuge memory.
They marked my own moments of surviving the centrifuge of life.
Moments where life only seemed to pick up speed and everything began coming apart at the seams.

Hebrews 12 says that the Lord will shake things to prove what cannot be shaken. Those times have come and will come again, and I have learned to rejoice in the outcome of those moments because I am then able to separate what is from the Lord and what is not. I have discovered that sometimes that “spinning” of life is the only way to find that dividing line, much like using the centrifuge enables separating the liquids in that specific way as well.   

So if you are like me, may this section of verses from Colossians grant you the permission to quit trying to hold everything together by your own strength and rest in the arms of Jesus.  

Because He is strong enough to hold us together
and to separate what needs to be removed.  

Colossians 1:15
Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
Wait, what? He is the image of the invisible God.
Have you ever known that the Lord has you but you still wanted some “real” arms to hold you?
I have.
It’s comforting to know that Jesus lived and walked the earth. He came to us with skin on and arms that could truly hold us together. Hands that healed the servant whose ear had just been cut off and hands that willingly surrendered to nails at the cross. So while I’ve never experienced the literal arms of the Lord encircling me, I know that they once embraced those that came before me, and He brought to life the picture of God the Father.  

Colossians 1:16
All things have been created through Him and for Him.
I am friends with artists of many kinds. I have watched the love and effort they pour into their creations. Their investment is not haphazard and their joy at the completion is deeply felt. Now imagine Jesus’ response to His creation. (For the record, we are His creation.) Let that soak in for a bit. 

Colossians 1:17
He is before all things and by Him all things hold together.
Read this one out loud. Read it with the understanding that as the Creator of all things He alone has the capability to hold all things together.
Let the words sink into the depths of who you are.  

Colossians 1:18
He is the head of the body and the church and is the firstborn from the dead. Jesus has the authority and capability to lead us into eternal life.
He died and defeated death for us. He has us.  

Colossians 1:19-20
For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Jesus came to earth as fully God and fully man. Because of this duality, His death on the cross and victorious resurrection created the way through which we are reconciled with the Lord God. Without Jesus and His sacrifice, I would be spiraling out of control due to the weight of my sin and the separation from Him it causes.  

So, is your world spinning?
Is the force of life starting to pull you apart?
Run to Jesus.
Surrender it all.
He can hold you together.  

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Worship III, Day 3 Returning To Wonder

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Revelation 4:6-10
Psalm 5:1-3
Exodus 33:18-23
Isaiah 45:5-7
Psalm 96:10-12

Worship III, Day 3

While my mother would tell you she does not have a good singing voice, to me,
her voice will always be a sound of comfort and home.

One of my earliest memories is of my mother singing a hymn as she cleaned the house, her voice floating down the hall and into my room,
“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning my song shall rise to thee!”

Even now, as I remember the lines of that song, I hear it sung in her voice and I long to go back to that happy time, to my childhood home. As an adult, however, the Lord has used that song
to bring me home to Him.

I have recently come to a place in my faith where I am tired most of the time.
I’ve spent a great deal of time and energy “doing” the work of the Lord,
and not enough time simply “being” his daughter.
If you’ve read my story, you’ll understand this is an ongoing battle for me.
One from which the Lord is consistently winning me back.

One particularly harsh side effect of my busyness is I often lose the wonder of my faith.
The more I focus ministry and the service of God, zeroing in on accomplishments and tasks,
the more I forget to simply see Him, love Him, and worship Him.

In the past few weeks, however, the Lord has been playing “Holy, Holy, Holy” in my mind, bringing it up in those quiet moments. I woke one morning with this song in my head and felt compelled to look up the lyrics. An hour later I was in tears, overwhelmed by the beauty and wonder of our God.

This is the power of a good hymn.
They can help us see and understand the theology of our God with fresh eyes,
bringing us to worship Him the way He deserves.

Relational & Personal
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

The author of this song tells us so much about God in these four powerful lines.
We are reminded that God is holy, merciful, mighty and in perfect relationship with the members of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

King David declares,
“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3)

We serve a God who loves us and listens to our requests.
David knows God not only listens to us, but He responds and therefore, when we cry out to Him in the morning, we can spend our day waiting expectantly for His response.
It blesses me to know that this merciful, mighty, and awesome God
listens and responds to me.

He Alone Is Worthy
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Painting a picture of Revelation 4, the author describes the “right now” snapshot happening in God’s heavenly throne room, where elders and living creatures are bowing down and worshipping God. The scene depicted is beyond imagination: thunder, lightning, rainbows, creatures covered in rare jewels, and of course, a “sea of glass, like crystal”. While everything in this throne room is awe-inspiring, it is our eternal and infinite God, the Creator of all these things, who alone deserves our worship.
He alone is worthy of our praise!

Perfectly Holy
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

Here, the author takes a moment to remind us of our sinful condition and its implications. Because we are born into sin,
we are unable to fully grasp the glory of our God.

It is my sin that constantly draws me away from worship
and into frenzied action.
But, as we know, He has not left us in this state.
Mercifully he sent us Christ,
who became sin,
defeated death,
and hides us within Himself until He returns.
It is His perfect power and love that has opened the door to intimacy with God!

Without Christ, we could not draw near to a holy God, who is completely separated from sin.
But covered by Christ’s perfect purity,
we too have been made holy and can draw near!

I love that the Lord used this song from my childhood to draw my eyes back to Him.
I am floored by the amount of wonder the author of this hymn packed into four little stanzas!
I pray that we would always remember just how wonderful, powerful, mighty and gracious our God is, and should we forget, I pray He would sing his songs over us again and give us the ears to hear Him. Amen!

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