Waiting Day 10 Once Upon God’s Kairos

October 15, 2021 by Sarah Young Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
1 Peter 1:13-25
1 John 3:1-3
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Isaiah 40

Waiting, Day 10

Almost a decade ago, I was introduced to the concept of KAIROS time.
Did you know ancient Greeks used two words, chronos and kairos to describe time?

Chronos time is linear and sequential, the timeline in which we live.

Kairos is a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action; the opportune and decisive moment. Throughout Scripture, kairos describes the time in which God exists and moves.

I was profoundly impacted by the reality that God is not limited by chronos time, yet He created a world functioning within it. From the very beginning, He established minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. (Genesis 1) But we are told in 2 Peter 3:8, “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” God sees the past, present, and future simultaneously. He has orchestrated how ALLLLL the millions of puzzle pieces of history will come together; He is weaving a beautiful tapestry, a breathtaking masterpiece.

WE, however, see the back of the tapestry with strings tangled and knotted. WE get confused and frustrated, not understanding what is happening or why. Meanwhile, God confidently weaves away, working in His KAIROS time, to bring about plans He established BEFORE the creation of the world. (Titus 1:3)

Today, we have the advantage of looking BACK through the Bible and see all the clues God was providing as people looked FORWARD to Jesus, who would ONE DAY deliver us ALL from sin and death.

One of the most beautiful pictures of this promised redemption was when God rescued His people from Egypt after 400 years of slavery! Leading up to their miraculous exit, God sent 9 plagues to convince Pharaoh to free the Israelites; in the midst of the chaos and confusion of the final plague, the death of the firstborn sons, God foreshadowed what JESUS would one day do as the FINAL Passover Lamb. You see, God had told His people to sacrifice their best lambs and put the blood on the top and sides of their doors (forming a CROSS). As the angel of death went throughout the land, God would PASS OVER those covered in lamb’s blood. The sacrificed lamb would die in their place, and they would be saved. (Exodus 11-13)

Fast forward hundreds of years to another Passover festival. That night, Jesus was arrested and beaten, and mocked. (Luke 22:1-23:25) Yet, He remained silent, like a lamb led to slaughter. Jesus, the SACRIFICIAL LAMB, was nailed to a cross, dying in OUR place and paying the price for OUR sins. (Luke 23:26-56) Jesus’ death, precisely on Passover, was no coincidence. God was fulfilling generations of prophecies and orchestrating the tiniest of details at just the right time, His kairos time.

Right before Jesus breathed His last on the cross, He cried, “It is finished!”. (John 19:30) At that moment in the temple, the centerplace of Jewish worship, the curtain separating delineating the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies where God’s presence dwelled, split from TOP to bottom. (Luke 23:44-49) No longer was there a separation between God and people. Anyone could now enter God’s presence, because of JESUS.

For thousands of years, ONLY the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and ONLY on the Day of Atonement. On that day, Israel gathered together and the High Priest offered a sacrifice to pay for the sins of the entire nation. (Leviticus 16) On THIS Day of Atonement, Jesus became the FINAL sacrifice, paying for ALL sins for ALL time. (Hebrews 10:11-12)

Looking back through history all the way to the Old Testament Tabernacle (check out the Tabernacle Journey Theme!)God was giving us glimpses of His Son and the relationship we can now have with Him because of Jesus.

The tabernacle had ONE entrance, where people accessed an Outer Courtyard.
Jesus is THE DOOR, the ONLY way to God.
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)

In the Outer Courtyard was the bronze basin, where priests would wash before approaching God’s presence.
Jesus declared He is the Living Water (John 7:37-39); His blood cleanses us from sin. (1 John 1:7-9)

Within the tabernacle was a smaller tent divided into two sections, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Only priests could enter the Holy Place, which housed 3 items made of pure gold: a table, a lampstand, and incense altar.

On the table was the Bread of Presence.
During His ministry, Jesus revealed He was the Bread of Life. (John 6:35)
During the Passover meal with His disciples on the night of His arrest, Jesus broke bread and announced, “This is My body, which is given for you.” (Luke 22:19)

The lampstand lit the Holy Place.
Jesus is the LIGHT of the world. (John 8:12)
He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. (Colossians 1:13; 1 Peter 2:9-10)

Incense was to be continually burning, symbolizing the prayers of the priest, on behalf of God’s people, rising to the Lord.
Today, we have direct access to God, while Jesus, and the Holy Spirit within us, intercede for us! (Romans 8:26-27; Romans 8:34)

Every aspect of the tabernacle points to Jesus.
Glimpses of Jesus are revealed through the ENTIRE Old Testament.
Even during His silence from Malachi to the birth of Jesus, He was STILL working out His purposes in His KAIROS time.

Finally, “When the time came to completion, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5, emphasis mine)

God’s timing was PERFECT in sending Jesus to be born in Bethlehem.
His timing was PERFECT in having Him crucified in Jerusalem.

His timing WILL BE perfect once more when He sends Jesus to establish His eternal kingdom. He will make all things new again, restoring the perfection that was broken and lost when sin entered the world in the Garden. (Revelation 21:5)

We may feel God is slow in answering prayers, be it physical healing, adoption paperwork, financial provision, or His final return.

We may grow impatient as we wait.
When waiting seems too much to bear, we can look back through the Bible and see God at work, masterfully weaving a beautiful tapestry to bring about His plans at JUST THE RIGHT TIME.

Maybe not according to OUR chronos way of thinking, but rather in His sovereign, divine, PERFECT kairos timing!

So, as we watch and wait, may we trust and confidently declare with the Apostle John, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

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Waiting Day 9 The Anticipated Gift: Digging Deeper

October 14, 2021 by Michelle Promise Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

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

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

The Questions

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

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

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

Luke 2:21-37

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

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

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

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

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

Original Intent

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

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

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

Everyday Application

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

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

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

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

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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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The GT Weekend! ~ Alive Week 2

September 25, 2021 by Erin O'Neal Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

1) Legacy. Inheritance. Privileges. Generation. What things stir in your heart as you read those words? Perhaps your upbringing was difficult, and painful memories push their way in before you back away as you’ve long practiced. Maybe, when you consider the legacy your parents left you, whether financially, relationally, or spiritually, you’re left holding brokenness and emptiness instead of fullness. For others, you enjoyed a rich closeness with your parents, imperfect though they were, and you see your life, and the lives of those around you, benefiting in extremely positive ways because of the investment of the generation before you. When it comes to “sonship” in the Bible, it’s imperative we understand the all-inclusive nature of its original intention in the first-audience culture. In a patriarchal society, sons inherited everything. There was nothing left for a beloved slave, or a second-cousin, unless the son was deceased. Regardless of your own upbringing, what are your gut reactions as you consider the rights and privileges of being called a “son” of God (even though we are women J). What worries can you release? What relationships or situations can you stop trying to control? What truths need to settle into your heart? If you’ve surrendered to Christ, everything is yours, the most important being God Himself!

2) When God created the world, He declared everything very good. But today, each one of us is keenly aware this world is full of hardships and struggles that are decidedly not good. The brokenness that entered the world through the sinful rebellion of the first man and woman touches each of us. From our very first breath, we have all been subject to pain and brokenness. For our whole lives, we long for something more. Here lies our great hope: that one day we will be face-to-face with the God who makes all things new. He will make us new, and He will make the whole world new and unbroken. All creation groans, waiting for this glorious day. It’s easy to focus on our own groaning, especially in difficult seasons. Today, consider how your neighbor may be experiencing brokenness and how you can extend hope’s love to them. Maybe a friend is struggling with infertility, and you can send her a card or flowers. Maybe your family member is sick or struggling financially. Is there something tangible you can do to alleviate their suffering, if only for a moment? Pray for the Spirit’s guidance as you reach out, and meditate on the hope that is yours in Christ Jesus.

3) Like putting money away in savings, a future inheritance we might receive from a parent isn’t something we think about every day. We know the money is there, but we don’t draw on it, plan for it, or give it much consideration from day to day, let alone year to year. But God intends something much different for the coming inheritance meant for all who trust in Him. The more we think about our perfect future where we will dwell with God and other believers in exquisite harmony, the more urgently we desire to live well today and tell others of this beautiful hope we have. In fact, our coming rich inheritance causes us to become even more disenchanted with the temporary things of this world and the lusts of sin. There’s no sweeter way to set our eyes on the inheritance that is coming than to read the testimonies of believers who have gone before us. Their example of love for Christ above all else, encourages us to stay focused on this coming hope in the middle of our everyday lives. Take time today to read Hebrews 11. Once silently. Once aloud. Then, on the 3^rd time through, pick a few names and put yourself in their shoes. Consider what it would have been like for them to put on the “glasses” of eternal, certain hope in spite of their circumstance. How might you do the same?!

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 Psalm 42:1-4 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so I long for you, God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while all day long people say to me,
“Where is your God?”
I remember this as I pour out my heart:
how I walked with many,
leading the festive procession to the house of God,
with joyful and thankful shouts.

Prayer Journal
Father God, defender of the helpless, father to the fatherless, You make all things new! You, oh Lord, have prepared an inheritance for us far greater than both the good and the painful things we experience in this life. We rejoice, knowing You have a plan to redeem and renew all things in Your time. Thank you for your grace. You have welcomed in those who are poor and underserving, adopting all who call on You as full sons into Your holy family. May we never forget, or take for granted, this vast and unsearchable gift! Forgive us when we grow short-sighted, caught up in our daily cares, and forgetting Your great goodness. Forgive us when we sin against our neighbor and against You. Help us persevere in times of trouble and prosperity, living for the coming kingdom rather than for our own fleshly longings and desires. Sustain us in Your faithfulness. You, oh Lord, are our only hope and joy!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Music

Alive Day 10 Hope Unseen

September 24, 2021 by Stacy Daniel Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:24-27
Hebrews 11:4-12:2
Habakkuk 2:3-4

Alive, Day 10

“Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:24-27)

Seeing is believing. What you see is what you get. Prove it. Show me.

When we are skeptical about something, we often seek ways to confirm its truth or error. We want evidence. Even Jesus’ own disciple, Thomas, said He would believe Jesus was alive after the crucifixion only when he saw the scars. (John 20:24-29)

Our Christian walk requires faith in what we do not and cannot see right now. Furthermore, it requires hope that Jesus is Who He claimed to be and is trustworthy. We are promised eternity with God and an end to all suffering and tears. We can trust His promise!

We are not, by nature, good at waiting. We seek the quickest way to the desired result.
Waiting can be excruciating.

During our adoption journey, we were first told our child would be joining our family about a year after we started the process. It wasn’t until two years later, however, we were able to hold her for the first time, welcoming her into our family.

The wait was painful. I prayed my daughter would be safe and cared for, having no idea of her condition. I wept for her as I wondered who was there to kiss her “ouchies”or wipe away her tears. Who was making sure she didn’t go to bed hungry? I wept because I missed her, though I didn’t know I could miss a person I’d never met. I longed to be with her, to hold her in my arms and tell her I loved her.

Though the wait was painful, we had hope that someday she would be with us. Until then, we prayed, we encouraged each other through the hard times while dreaming of what life would be like when she came home.

Our waiting for Jesus is similar. Waiting isn’t easy, as we long to be with Him, to have Him hold us and to tell Him we love Him, to marvel at the beauty and tenderness of His face, and to feel His loving touch.

We are not alone in our waiting! Romans 8:26-27 show us the Spirit knows what we need and is able to communicate with the Father in ways we cannot, because we do not know how to express our longing!

How comforting to know that though we cannot see, the Father planned in advance for the Spirit to guide us!
To comfort us and to remind us of the hope we have in Him!

This world has pain, sorrow, and struggle, but in the midst of it, God is faithfully caring for us while we await the completion of His plan! He not only left the Spirit, He also gave us His Word. There, we find examples of His faithfulness, as well as the faith-filled lives of those who have gone before us reminding us He is preparing a place for us! He has planned for our rescue before He even created the earth! (Titus 1:2)

Hebrews 11 tells of faithful believers who depended on God, clinging to their hope in Him. They were willing to set aside comfort, security, and their very lives, because they considered trustworthy the One who was doing the asking.

In Habakkuk, we find God’s people in captivity in Babylon.
The prophet has inquired of God, how long?
How long will Your people have to wait for rescue? (Habakkuk 1:1-4)

God answers, “I am doing something in your days that you will not believe.” (Habakkuk 1:5) In chapter 2, He urges Israel to wait for deliverance with endurance and hope, “Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late [. . .] the righteous one will live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:3-4)

As God gave His word to Habakkuk, He has given us His word concerning our eternity. We labor in this world, looking ahead to the hope He has given us through Jesus, for we are assured, “He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

How do we hold onto hope when life gets difficult?
We continue to join together with other believers, to encourage and remind each other of God’s goodness and the hope we have in Him. (Hebrews 10:23-25)

We live together as a body united in Christ,
praying for one another,
bearing each other’s burdens,
and rejoicing in the victories of other believers.
We continue to keep incorruptible hope before us, remembering from where we have come as sin-sick depraved souls, embracing the sacrifice of Jesus with grateful hearts.
In light of the Unseen Hope, we can live fully surrendered to His lordship and leadership, giving glory to the One Who has called us to Himself.

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Alive Day 6 Adopted

September 20, 2021 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 1:12-13
Ephesians 1:3-10
Titus 1:1-3
Romans 8:14-17
Hosea 1:10-11

Alive, Day 6

For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:14-17)

Father, You know I love you.
You also know the level of overwhelmed I feel right now, Lord.
I know You’ve been faithful to preserve me before, and I know You will continue.

But, Abba?
No matter how hard I try and pray and organize and squeeze in time, there is just not enough. I’m empty. I can’t keep this up. I can’t do everyone’s job. I keep praying, throwing myself on You, but the hours of work aren’t disappearing and my time narrows. How do I manage all this AND be un-burdened?

Daughter, come to Me. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Yes, I know. My coming to You has been pretty lacking. My quiet time has been, well, lack luster. I feel so far from You, Lord. I can’t muster up anything.

I died for this.
For your feelings of alone. For your sense of being abandoned. For your inability to follow Me on your own power. I died so those lies could be defeated, holding no weight.

What other lies did You die to defeat, Jesus?
I really need some anchors for my flailing feet right now. My marriage, friendships, kids, grieving places, failing areas, the places I’m hurting, the places I’ve hurt others… I keep running rickshaw over all of them. I hate that I’m doing it, but I just can’t seem to stop.

I died for you.
Full stop, my heart. Lord, I know this…but, do I?

I died for you to be mine, my Own, my Beloved One.
I died so you would never need to cling to fear, and could instead run from it, filled to overflowing by the fullness of truth and grace found only in relationship with Me.
(Colossians 2:9-10, John 1:14)

Only in Me. (John 14:6-7)
No other Father will love you like this. (John 10:30, John 15:15-16)
Never will I disown. Never will I forget you. I cannot, for I am perfectly faithful.
I Am here. (Isaiah 49:15-16, 2 Timothy 2:13)

All the riches of eternity are ours to share because you are Mine and I am yours. (Ephesians 1:3-4)
That’s adoption.

And when you don’t feel close, when the mountains loom larger than life,
when the walls are closing in, and you feel crushed beneath it all,
remember adoption has hemmed you in on all sides behind and before.
(2 Corinthians 4:8-10, Psalm 139:5)

Once you are Mine, you cannot escape My hand. (John 10:28-29)
I am your shelter, your shield, your very great reward. (Genesis 15:1)
The boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places for you, (Psalm 16:5-6)
and though others abandon you, I will never forsake you. (Psalm 27:9-10)

You’re adopted.

You are my enough, Yahweh. (Psalm 121)
Who am I to call into question the lavish love of a God who sacrificed Himself for me when I hated Him, loathed Him, spurred Him? (Romans 5:8)

God, who has the highest right to be offended and every right
to disown all of us as hell-bent rebels, chose us.
Never will He UNchoose us. He cannot.

“To all who received Him, He gave them the right to be His children, to those who believe in His Name.” (John 1:11-12, emphasis mine)

Sisters, with all urgency, we must not miss this!
Only those who respond to His warm welcome of adoption are finalized as His own.
Only then are the spiritual “papers” signed and His Spirit comes to dwell within us as His down-payment to prove His promise that He will one day complete the good work He has begun in us by welcoming us Home. (Philippians 1:6, Romans 8:15-16, John 14:16-17)

He has paid the price of our adoption by spilling His own blood in humble sacrifice, the response is ours to give, accepted only by faith in Him. (1 Peter 1:18-19, Hebrews 11:6)

He is willing to become ours, will we become His?

The God who crafted each freckle on your cheek, each pivot of your naval, and every fleck of color in your eye, has already chosen to offer adoption since before time began. (Titus 1:2-3)

This God, who simply could not let us drown in the demise of our deathly, sin-loving ways without offering His perfect love to us, is holding out the adoption papers. (John 1:12-13) He desires us to understand that to be adopted by Him is far more than belonging, it’s to embraced by love on purpose.

His adoption is a love story lived out in every thread of our lives, woven behind and before, above and beneath, as we explore again and again, how magnificent it is to be known and loved, chosen, and adored.

This is adoption.
What will you do with this grand love?

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Alive Day 5 Dead To Me

September 17, 2021 by Sarah Afan Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

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

Alive, Day 5

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

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

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

How can one be both dead and alive?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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