Kaleidoscope

The GT Weekend! ~ Kaleidoscope 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)The Lord shows His love by rejoicing with truth. He celebrates when truth is shared, when it is embraced, and when His children choose to walk in this truth, anchoring their lives on it. Where do you celebrate and welcome truth? When someone confronts you with truth, this is love! When the Holy Spirit brings Scripture to mind to teach and train you, celebrate this act of love! Ask the Lord to make your lips and life and conduit for love to speak truth with grace!

2)Audra wrote of God’s “bearing up” love, His love that “believes”, “hopes”, and most importantly “endures”.Where do you see Christ’s love displaying these traits in your life? How does that reality of His present love encourage you for the future you face? Be specific as you think of your answer, refusing to give a glib response. Where do you desperately need Christ’s love demonstrated with these traits in your life? Thinking differently, who do you know who needs these traits demonstrated to them? Pray specifically over the names the Lord brings to mind, asking how you can extend His love to them.

3)Sister, where are your broken places? The ones coming to mind as you read this.The sore spots that ache with wounds going deeper than most, if anyone, realizes. Scripture reminds that because God’s essence of love, He Will Never Fail. Never fail to redeem the broken, never fail to stay committed, never fail to always be present. How does this picture of God re-frame how you see your circumstances? What if you took the Lord at His faithful promise to never ever ever fail on His love for you? Who loves you as the Lord does?!

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 8:38-39 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Prayer Journal
Father, Your love is vast. Too wide, too deep, too limitless to even begin to comprehend. Yet, somehow, I still manage to place Your love in a very small box. Too small for my broken relationships, too small for the huge tasks in front of me, too small to comfort my aching heart, too small to bring real comfort. And as I dwell on “small love” lies, my love for others shrinks also. Lord, pour the truth of Your unconditional, never-ending, grace-filled,all-patient, good, kind, generous, hope-filled lavish love over me! Remind me I can never outrun Your love. Fill me up with these truths that others might experience Your love through me! With the smallness of my love, just as a small child would mimic back love to a parent, ‘how I love Thee, Abba!”.

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Kaleidoscope Day 15 Cannot Fail

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 13:8-10
Jeremiah 31:1-6
Isaiah 54:4-10
Hosea 2:14-23

Kaleidoscope, Day 15

“Love never fails.”
Pretty words.

We’ve heard them uttered before, many times, and we know from Scripture that God is love.
But what do they mean for us right now, today?
How do we hold fast to that truth and proclaim Kingdom reality in the now,
when what we are walking in the natural feels like…

Abandonment
Addiction
Adultery
Anxiety
Depression
Disgust
Doubt
Embarrassment
Fear
Grief
Guilt
Illness
Isolation
Loneliness
Loss
Rejection
Self-loathing
Shame
Worthlessness

How do we actively carry His Kingdom in what feels like a terribly broken vessel? How do we reconcile the juxtaposition of what we see and feel in the natural with what our God says about His Kingdom, who He says we are as Kingdom carriers, and most importantly, Who He is?

When our focus is centered on ourselves and how we feel, we struggle to shift out of that mindset and into a mental place where we are wholly fixed on God, what He says, what He is doing and what He has done. In order to break out of that mental and spiritual pattern of thinking, our minds, souls and spirits need to soak in truth we find only in Scripture.

Listen, friend. This is truth worth repeating:
Our minds, souls and spirits need to soak in truth we find only in Scripture.

All throughout history, God has shown Himself strong in the lives of people who wrestled with keeping their eyes in the Kingdom, while at the same time, acknowledging what was happening in the natural.

Adam and Eve
The first man and woman were designed to walk with the Lord in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve lived in a time and space that pre-existed the internet, drugs, alcohol, pornography, and a multitude of other worldly temptations and distractions. If anyone could have possibly gotten it “right,” you’d think it would be them. But, the serpent woo’d Eve with the temptation of superior knowledge, and both she and Adam took the bait.
Man sinned against God, and the first Eden was lost.

And yet, Love never failed.

Sin was no surprise to Him. Before the creation of the world, He knew it was coming. The first Adam would fail, but the way was paved for the second Adam (Jesus) to fulfill all righteousness. While the banishment of Adam and Eve from the garden might seem harsh, the Lord was working out His purpose of salvation to provide rescue for all who would inherit sinful flesh.

Abraham and Sarah
Known as the father of many nations, God made a covenant with Abraham and told him his descendants would outnumber the sand on the shores and stars in the sky. In the natural, Abraham could see he and his wife were far too old. He longed to believe God, and we can’t know his heart, but we do know from Scripture he and Sarah attempted to bring about the fulfillment of God’s covenant by their own design. As a result, Ishmael was born to Haggar, and the division we see now in the Middle East can be traced all the way back to an action rooted in the doubt that God would not accomplish what He said He would accomplish.

And yet, Love never failed.

God accomplished exactly what He promised. Sarah became pregnant, and gave birth to Isaac, and through him, Abraham did become the father of many nations. Although Abraham and Sarah’s actions brought about repercussions that are still felt in current culture, God’s Plan was not thwarted.

Moses
The vessel God used to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses was an understandably conflicted guy. Sentenced to death as a Hebrew baby boy, he was rescued when his mother placed him in a basket in the river. Egyptian royalty discovered and adopted him, and raised him as a prince of Egypt…but Moses struggled with his identity. One day, when he came upon an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, Moses murdered the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. When he was confronted by his own people, he ran.

And yet, Love never failed.

Moses made a terrible mistake, but God is in the business of transformation. He loves to take someone we would write off and rewrite their story in a way that brings unmistakable glory to His name. Amid feelings of fear and inadequacy, Moses protested about being the mouthpiece for God. Nevertheless, God gave him Aaron as a helper, and Moses accomplished God’s good purpose and delivered the Israelites out of Egypt.

Jesus
Fully God and fully man, Jesus is our Emmanuel, God With Us. The new Adam, sent to fulfill the law perfectly where we only fall short. Though His message was love and His healing brought deliverance, His own people, the Jews, did not receive Him. In fact, He was crucified by the very people He came to free.

And yet, Love never failed.

On the third day, Jesus rose again, defeating death forever. The Plan God had set in motion when He crafted Eden was brought to fruition. Salvation had come for the Jews, and more.

Paul
Saul (later known as Paul), led efforts to persecute and root out the followers of Jesus Christ. He was responsible for countless Christians being imprisoned and killed. Saul wanted nothing to do with “Christus,” and he carried the full support of religious leaders of his time.

And yet, Love never failed.

Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, and the experience sparked such total and complete transformation in Saul that he became known as Paul and dedicated the rest of his entire life to serving Jesus and supporting the growing church. He wrote many letters that comprise much of the New Testament, fulfilling the purpose God set out for him.

You and Me
So what about you, Love? Where are you in your story? Are you in the before, or the after? Wherever you find yourself, know that Love, personified in the Savior Jesus Christ, will not, no, cannot fail.

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Kaleidoscope Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Kaleidoscope!

Kaleidoscope Day 14 Enduring: 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 Enduring!

The Questions

1) What do I do if I don’t feel like loving someone?

 2) Why is love so important to God?

3) How can love endure all things?

1 Corinthians 13:7

 [Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Original Intent

1) What do I do if I don’t feel like loving someone?
When Paul described love in 1 Corinthians 13, he used the Greek work agape. Agape love, according to Biblical commentator David Guzik, is a ”sacrificial, giving, absorbing, love. The word has little to do with emotion; it has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another.” At the time of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the church was struggling with spiritual immaturity, immorality, divisions and false teachings. Christ’s heart desire is for His Bride, the Church to live in sweet unity with one another for this is how Jesus loves. Paul wrote to provide clear instruction on how the Corinthian church could love like Jesus.  In chapter 13, Paul described the love of God, emphasizing the unselfish actions of love rather than the emotions. Author John Piper shares how Paul was “applying love to the Corinthians’ situation and using it as the criterion for why some of their attitudes and behaviors are unacceptable.” Paul was telling the believers in Corinth that Christ-followers become like Jesus when they choose to show love even when they don’t feel like showing love. (Biblica.com)

2) Why is love so important to God?
The Bible tells us love is vitally important to God; it’s the very essence of who He is. When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” (Matthew 22:37-40.) To Jesus, loving God and loving the people God loves is imperative. Because God is love (1 John 4:16), His followers are known by their love (John 13:34-35), which is God’s love flowing through them onto others! The way we come to God is by recognizing His love for us. (Romans 5:8) One way we introduce Jesus to others is by sharing His love with them (1 John 4:11). We love God by loving others, and loving others demonstrates to God our love for Him!

3) How can love endure all things?
The Greek term for endure, hupomeno, means to “remain or abide under . . . not simply with stoical resignation, but with a vibrant hope” (PreceptAustin.org). Love has the ability to endure all things because God’s love is rooted in hope. Psalm 118:1 tells us how God’s love endures forever. According to author Debbie Hannah Skinner, that phrase appears over 40 times in Scripture. God encourages us through the repetition of this specific truth that His love empowers us to endure all things because His love will never stop enduring all things.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39) so nothing can ever keep us from the hope and strength God gives us to endure any hardship. Love shows up when things seem bleak and hangs in when things are hard.  God promises He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Forever enduring love is God’s kind of love demonstrated for eternity and this is the love He enables us to extend to others through His Spirit’s equipping power.

Everyday Application

1) What do I do if I don’t feel like loving someone?
I am a born romantic, so I am drawn to stories that pull at the heart strings, lyrical poetry, and sentimental ballads.  All of these are lovely, but they are not love.  They represent only one aspect of love, the feeling kind.  Real love, the love discussed in 1 Corinthians 13, moves far beyond a feeling into action (1 John 3:18).  Love is a decision every believer has the power to make because the Spirit of God, who is love, dwells within them. God Himself is love (1 John 4:8) and He calls and empowers me to love others even when I don’t have feelings of love.  Author Ted Cunningham says, “We can only give love when our hearts are full of God’s love.”  I can choose to love my spouse and children even when they make me angry, disappoint me, or hurt my feelings because God’s love is alive inside me (1 John 4:7).   My actions can show I love them when my heart does not feel it.  There is an old song by the artist Don Francisco with a line that goes, “Love is not a feeling/It’s an act of your will.”   When I choose to love like Jesus, in and through His power, and am not ruled by my emotions, my loved ones experience Christ’s love! We are called to love with the love of Jesus, and that means a love powered by God, not emotions.

2) Why is love so important to God?
Love is so important to God because without it, we no longer reflect Him and His essence. The moment we stop loving others as Jesus does, we stop imitating Christ. Through love, God made Himself known to us, and it is through this same conduit Christ calls others to Himself as we love them! His love began our relationship with Him; He loved us first and drew us to Him (1 John 4:10).  The Bible warns if we don’t love, we have not known or truly experienced God, because God is love.  Everyone who lives a life of love knows God and has been born of God (1 John 4:7-8).  Love is who God is; it is His DNA. To love Him and accept His love is how we know Him. He designed His love to overflow from us to those who don’t know Him so they can experience His love (John 15:12) through us. The Bible teaches us to “put on” patience, kindness, humility, gentleness and forgiveness, and that Jesus’ love will bind all these virtues together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:12-14) as we live out our calling to love others. Struggling with loving others like Jesus? The solution is to know and experience the essence of love in fuller ways! Study Scripture, communicate with the Lord God, and begin exploring the Being of Love in deeper ways!

3) How can love endure all things?
Being a teacher and a mom has taught me the virtue of being flexible.  The better able I am to adjust my expectations to the reality of my situation, the less stressed out I am in the situation.  But there often comes a point where I say, “Enough!”. I feel like I can’t handle one more disobedient student or one more whiny complaint from my offspring.  I am all sweetness and delight until I reach that point, and then, suddenly, I am anything but sweet.  In those moments, I am showing how far my love can go in my own strength, without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and it isn’t very far.  For me to endure all things, I must be operating in the love of Christ and not my own inadequate version.  I Thessalonians 3:5 tells us God leads our hearts into God’s love and Christ’s endurance.  When I am relying on God’s love, a love that gives sacrificially, I am able to respond in love rather than react in frustration.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Catch up with Enduring!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Kaleidoscope Week Three!
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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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Kaleidoscope Day 13 Enduring

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 13:7
Jonah 3:8-10
1 Peter 5:6-11
Luke 23:32-35

Kaleidoscope, Day 13

“I LOVE Chipotle!”
“I LOVE this nail polish!”
“I LOVE that outfit!”

Love is a word we use to describe admiration for something.
It begs the question, what is love?

As believers, we refer to 1 Corinthians 13, “The Love Chapter”, to define love and how it’s fleshed out in everyday life. We’ve spent the past 3 weeks diving into each of these descriptions in this chapter and walked away with some incredible truths, but we are coming up on the benediction.

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:7
Loves bears, meaning to carry or support.
Love believes, means to accept something as true.
Love hopes, reflects the desire for something to happen.
Love endures, which is the most challenging one, means to suffer patiently.

All of these words are verbs, suggesting that love is an action not a feeling;
at its core, love is a choice.

Have you ever heard….
“we fell out of love” or
“I don’t feel the love I use to feel” or
“I just don’t love him anymore”?

The reality is that true love in its best form is
exceedingly difficult,
exquisitely costly, and
downright impossible for us to live out in real life.
Impossible, that is, without Christ and His love flowing through us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What does Christ’s love look like?
Let’s start with Jonah 3:8-10.
“but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God.
Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
Who knows?
God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way,
God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”

The prophet Jonah was asked to go to the ISIS of his time, the Ninevites. Jonah was tasked to call these people, cold-hearted, brutal killers, to repentance away from sin and towards God. Jonah was not happy, understandably so, and he ran in the opposite direction.
But God followed him with a storm and even a “big fish” that swallowed Jonah whole in effort to get his attention. In the fish’s belly, Jonah decided reluctantly to be obedient..
He went to Ninevah, preached as God asked, and to his surprise (and frustration), the people repented.
In this story God is lovingly hopeful.

Hopeful, because He wants the people He created to know Him and have relationship with Him. He was so hopeful He continued to push until the opportunity was brought to those people.

Another example is 1 Peter 5:6-11.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Peter says we are free to cast all our worries or anxieties on our Lord, who is present to constantly bear us up in love.  Even though suffering and enemy attacks will come, in the end, Christ will restore us and strengthen us.
This is a beautiful picture of bearing with us!
The creator of everything loves us enough to bear each of our individual burdens. He supports and also carries us through this life and into eternity!

Forgiveness? Its thread can be found on every page of Scripture, but the most powerful one is found in Luke 23:34:
“And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

While nailed to the cross, after being beaten, mocked, and abused,
Jesus asks for forgiveness on behalf of His murderers.
In His cries for forgiveness, He believes they do not understand the depths of their actions.

How powerful is the love of Christ!
I have experienced Christ’s sweet love for myself; it has changed me and how I love others. Christ has born up the hardest things I have had to carry.
He has hoped things for me I couldn’t see.
He has believed beautiful things about me I am still learning to trust.
But, sweetest of all, Christ has endured me.

As a mother, I can only imagine part of the pain He has felt as He has endured with me.
He has endured me hating Him.
He has endured my turning from Him.
He has endured me trying to kill myself.
He has endured me living a lie.

He has suffered patiently, waiting for me to open my heart back up to Him.
He lovingly endured my walking away to demonstrate the vastness of His love that has always stayed beside me.

This Jesus love is the very best thing that has ever happened to me.
It is the most addictive, sweet, precious thing I’ve ever tasted.
His love has not only brought me into beautiful grace,
but also daily challenges me to love others with this love.

As I reflect on Jesus love showing up with kaleidoscope colors in my everyday life, I wonder….
Does my love bear the hardest things with people?
Does my love hope the craziest things with people?
Does my love believe on behalf of others?
Does my love endure with the goal of Christ at its end?

Where I lack, I am called deeper into the well of love He offers
in order that His sweet nectar may flow through me.
I will choose expensive, lavish, enduring love!

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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 Kaleidoscope Week Three! 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 Kaleidoscope!

Kaleidoscope Day 12 For The Love Of Truth: 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 For The Love Of Truth!

The Questions

1) Who is Jesus addressing in this passage and why does He call them out?

2) What does it mean to practice sin?

3) What – or Who – is the truth?

John 8:31-38

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

Original Intent

1) Who is Jesus addressing in this passage and why does He call them out?
Here we find Jesus teaching in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. There were many Jews in the city to celebrate, and they were crowded in to hear Jesus speak. Among the crowd were the Pharisees, a group of religious leaders, who already had tried to arrest Jesus for blasphemy. The Pharisees held a lot of power in Jerusalem: the Pharisees, although primarily a religious party, were highly involved politically because of how tightly religion was tied to government. (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, from www.studylight.org)
While Pharisees were Jewish, not every Jew was a Pharisee, far from it. These words were directed to all Jews, Pharisee or not, for a very specific reason. Jews tended to, wrongly, hinge their “favor with God” on their lineage and their performance. If they could trace their heritage back through the bloodline of Abraham, then they considered themselves “safe” for eternity and having “favor with God”. The truth Jesus spoke here is for all hearers, but He specifically calls out Jews because they did not understand they were in desperate need of a Savior to rescue them from sin, just as much as their Gentile counterpart. Salvation has never been about works or performance, but always centered around radical, undeserved grace!

 2) What does it mean to practice sin?
Webster’s Dictionary defines “practice” as a verb meaning: To do or perform frequently, customarily, or habitually; to make a practice of; as, to practice gaming. (www.studylight.org) So to practice sin means to sin on a fairly regular basis, whether that be daily, hourly, or twice a week.
Jesus describes His Jewish audience, who claimed Abraham as the reason they had favor before God, as those who practiced sin. He said this because without the freeing, resurrecting power of Jesus Christ, human beings have no other course of action except to keep on practicing sin. Jesus died to set us free from the power of sin and death and break the chains of “practicing sin”, but unless we take Him at His Word and realize our need for a Savior, we will just keep on sinning with no hope of ever being in right standing before God. Jesus loved the Jews and confronted His audience with these bold words, calling out their shaky beliefs, in order that they would repent and turn towards Christ for salvation.

3) What – or Who – is the truth?
Jesus begins His address to the Jews with an outstanding statement they would readily accept and agree with “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) These Jews knew the Truth inside and out as they faithfully studied the Old Testament Scripture. Jesus started here because He knew the Jews would be tracking with Him, following and understanding where He was going.
What the Jews had missed in their study would cost them their eternity because they attributed their knowledge of truth to being what saved them because of their lineage.
But Jesus would take His audience further than they expected by bringing a brilliantly colored dimension to their reality by saying, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!” (John 8:36) Jesus equated Himself to actually being truth!
Jesus began with “knowing the truth” relating to studying the Scriptures, but took it full circle, helping the Jews to see that without accepting Jesus as the fulfillment of Scripture and the embodiment of truth, they would still be slaves to sin.
Later, John recorded Jesus stating, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus is The Truth and only in Him, could the Jews (and us!) find eternal life!

Everyday Application

1) Who is Jesus addressing in this passage and why does He call them out?
Sometimes I find myself feeling a little bit like a Pharisee, trying hard to perform and keep “all the rules” in effort to “make God happy” with me. Maybe you do, too?Jesus made a specific point to call out the Jews for trusting in themselves for eternal security, but He calls us out at the same time. How do you view God’s perspective of you? Is He sometimes pleased with you? Does His love for you waiver back and forth depending on what you choose to do or not do? This line of thinking contains dangerous lies! We are neither saved from sin nor do we grow in righteousness through our own performance.
The entire process of our salvation and the journey from now until eternity is always, and has always been, about God’s rich grace lavished upon us.
As a reader of Scripture, the words of Jesus are amazingly relevant to each of us. No matter the original circumstance or people involved, His words transcend time and speak directly into our souls – that is, if we let them, dear ones. When we open the Bible, we must also open our hearts to recognize that the One who loves us the most is alive on every page. He instructs, chastens, comforts, and encourages when we allow ourselves to be teachable.
Listen in with the Jews of that first century and gladly set aside all our attempts to “earn God’s favor” on our lives, and simply welcome His un-ending, un-conditional love over us as believers who have confessed Christ as Lord with our lips and our hearts! (Romans 10:9)

2) What does it mean to practice sin?
In light of the dictionary definition, I must admit that I practice sin. Sometimes it’s mindless, almost automatic…other times it is quite planned and deliberate.  But does this mean that I am a slave to sin? No, not since I gave my life to Jesus!
Jesus is the chain breaker between me and sin’s rule over me. It no longer dictates what I must do (keep on sinning). As Jesus pointed out, every human being is a slave to one of two masters, either we are a slave to Sin or a slave to Christ. One rules with Death, one rules with life and love! The question is who is your Master (because you do have one).
So if I can see how I have a habit of “practicing sin” by choosing it over the life of love Jesus offers me, there is still hope because my eternal security is not anchored in my performance!
Sweet sister, the difference between us and the Pharisees is we have the Holy Spirit residing within our hearts, lovingly but firmly convicting us when we sin.
(Yes, when. Not if.) We have the opportunity to repent and ask for Jesus to forgive us.
Which He does. Each time. This is love!

 3) What – or Who – is the truth?
The Jews were missing salvation because they mistook themselves as their own Savior. They trusted in everything but the actual Savior found in Jesus Christ. The trusted their knowledge, their studies, they performance, their good deeds, their self-proclaimed righteousness, and even their heritage to save them. All of which would fail them.
Sisters, it’s not hard for us to find ourselves in the same boat. Maybe we even trusted Jesus for salvation, but don’t trust Him to carry us onward in the journey of becoming more like Him. Do you beat yourself up over not being fill-in-the-blank? This is not from the Lord! His constant face towards you as His child is loving delight. If you’ve never truly crossed the line of faith, there is no hope for eternity or life here in the now outside of Jesus Christ and the righteousness He offers in exchange for our utter un-righteousness. Jesus held out grace-wrapped truth to the Jews that day because He loved them and He is doing the same for each of us, regardless of where we are on the faith journey!
Jesus is The Truth.
God is Love.
And Love rejoices with the Truth.
It all makes sense now, doesn’t it? God throws a proverbial party when Jesus triumphs!

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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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Kaleidoscope Day 11 For The Love Of Truth

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 13:1-13
1 John 4:7-21
John 8:31-38

Kaleidoscope, Day 11

Love rejoices with the truth.
Love.
Rejoices.
Truth.

When was the last time you rejoiced in the truth?
When was the last time receiving truth registered as love?

The last few weeks I have shared a unique dance with the truth. More accurately, the dance has been a battle between my willingness to embrace the truth or to dabble with the doubts entering my mind.
Have you ever been there?
It’s a dance that leaves me exhausted until I choose to move to the trusted rhythms of the truth the Lord speaks to me.

I have been a bit of slow learner the last few weeks. In preparation for an event a church, one at which I held a leadership role, I found myself assaulted by so many thoughts. Some moments I stood solidly on the truth of the Word and all the Lord has spoken to me over the years regarding who I am in Him. Other times I teetered on the edge of full on panic as to my role in the event.

I write this journey study after the event has taken place, and I am still stunned at the way the Lord demonstrated Zephaniah 3:17 throughout the event:
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you by his love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.

He faithfully answered prayers and demonstrated that stepping out in obedience is never wasted. Each time I have reflected on the event and the way the Lord demonstrated His goodness, the reality of the truth in 1 Corinthians 13 comes to mind, specifically how
“Love rejoices with the truth.”

God, who is love, rejoices with the truth.
He rejoices when I believe Him and His Word.
He rejoices when I trust the promises He has spoken.
He rejoices when I embrace the identity He has given me, hidden away in His truth.

I could sense His overwhelming love this weekend not only to me, but to all those involved in the event. His love was woven throughout every moment.
The more I reflect on that love poured out at the event,
the more I see the value and blessing of truth in my life.

One way this blessing is unleashed is through the parameters truth sets in life.
There is an absolute truth and Jesus is it.
My feelings are useful in many ways, but they are not the best determining factors as to what the truth is. As the event approached, my feelings were like a compass that had lost its true north. One day I was petrified of the responsibility I held as a leader in this role. Another day I felt like a boxer psyching myself up for a match for which I had long prepared. Still other days I would look in the mirror and ask myself who I thought I was. Our event centered around worship and as I listened to the worship team practicing, I found myself wishing I had their ability to pour out my heart to the Lord in song. Some days singing off-key just doesn’t cut it when my heart is overflowing.

In all of those scenarios, truth provides boundary lines.
I may be able to sing better than some, but I can guarantee that leading others in worship is not the skill set the Lord has anointed me to walk out. On the opposite side of that coin, I recognize the Lord has called me into leadership, specifically with women. Both of those truths help me know how to navigate the good works God has prepared for me to fulfill. (Ephesians 2:10)

I believe there is rejoicing when I learn
the boundary lines He has placed for me.
I am able to receive His love more fully because I am not holding onto something I was never meant to carry. Because of the Lord’s truth, I am free to fully focus on who He has called me to be.

Truth provides the foundation for my life’s anchor.
The story of the man who built his house on the rock is the reality I want to see in my life. When Jesus is my foundation, my Absolute Truth, my life has a stability that allows me to survive and thrive throughout the highs and lows of life.

Not only does truth provide the guidelines for life,
it also provides the bedrock of the path I walk.
Lord, help us rejoice in the truth and to love the truth You pour out.
May both enable us to experience all the love You desire to pour out upon us.

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The GT Weekend! ~ Kaleidoscope Week 2

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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) Only humility born out of true, genuine, unconditional love is able to love the unlovely when they least deserve it. To not think of themselves so special and important that to love another would be beneath them is the kind of love God modeled for us. Loving like this is in our everyday life is ridiculously impossible in our own human ability. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit are we able to love with strong humility like Jesus! Prayerfully consider those people, or even types of people, you feel are beneath you to love. Don’t shy away in disgust to think you could have that kind of entitlement, we all do. Be honest, and let the Lord speak tenderly to your heart, bringing His refreshing love.

2) I have been convicted of rudeness in my life recently. As the Lord opened my eyes to it, I began seeing it everywhere in how I treated others and I saw it rubbing off in how my kids treated others as well. It wasn’t blaring or blatant, but there were consistent instances of rudeness marking our days. Just as the Lord spoke to me about my rude habits, so I began speaking to my children with the same kind and gentle, yet convicting manner, “Is that a loving choice? Were you rude or generous?”. Consider doing something similar this next week and begin observing where you might be “taking the exit of Rude”. Where, or with whom, is the Lord calling you to choose love over rude?

3) “Love is not easily angered.”  If all you did this weekend was dwell on these words from the Lord, it would be a weekend well spent. It’s easy to jump into anger, isn’t it? And we almost always feel justified when we do. The next time you feel the urge to become angry, or annoyed, slow down and consider why you feel your rights have been infringed upon. Ask yourself how you are honoring and loving the other person, and the Lord, by becoming angry. Make an “easily angered” journal, noting what kind of events spark your anger. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you His power to choose love over anger.

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 1 Corinthians 13:3 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing

Prayer Journal
Lord God, it’s difficult for me to grasp the magnitude of Your un-ending, un-conditional love for me and all of humanity. I struggle loving the people within the four walls of my home sacrificially! I want to love better than I do. I’m not saying this with a self-pity, “I love horribly” attitude, but as genuinely and authentically as I can muster, “I want to love others better.” Remind me that “good deeds” piled end-to-end will never be anything but dust in the wind if love is not my motivator. Teach me to love like You love me. Teach my hands, my eyes, my tongue, Oh Lord my Tongue! Teach me to love that the world might see You!

Worship Through Community

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Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Kaleidoscope Day 10 Un-Annoyed

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 50:15-21
Matthew 5:43-48
I Peter 1:3-4

Kaleidoscope, Day 10

“Is it just me, or is it loud in here?”
I find myself saying this when my students’ noise is louder than usual.
But sometimes, it really is just me.

“I can’t believe he did that!”
“I can’t believe she said that!”
I’ve heard myself say this too.
Maybe my feelings were hurt by another’s actions, but sometimes, if I’m honest, I’m looking for a reason to be upset.

Irritations, annoyances, and hurtful actions are often found staring us in the face. Maybe they show up as a family member pushes our buttons.  Or perhaps it’s a constantly nagging voice, seemingly relentless to attack you.

But the Lord’s voice rises above them, “Love is not irritable or resentful”.
His is a precious voice to me because I know I’ve lived in the land of Irritable and Resentful.
I took up residency there for several years.

Looking back, I was a grouch with a sour disposition.
Anything could set me off.
I could “hold it” until I was alone, but catch me at a bad time, and you might get an earful.

The Lord’s voice whispered this passage, and my heart knew I needed His truth to move me out of Irritable and Resentful.

Other translations say, “Love is not easily provoked” or “Love is not easily angered.”  
That isn’t to say we don’t have hurt feelings, however, it’s a call to consider our response to those feelings.  How quickly do we pick up anger, harsh tones, or sharp words?

I know I’ve regretted my harsh choices; Moses did too.
In Numbers 20:2-13, Moses was a little, well, maybe a lot, irritated.
The people were fighting and complaining (again). There was no water in Maribah.
God, their constant Provider, instructed Moses to speak to the rock and water would come.
But Moses didn’t choose his response well and gave his feelings full reign.
Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses hit it with his staff, choosing his way over the Lord’s.

We may say it wasn’t Moses’ fault, it was the Israelites’ complaining.
But the Israelites didn’t hit the rock, Moses did.
Moses had a choice.
And he chose to live and act from the land of Irritated and Resentful.

When it comes to resentment, other translations say,
“Thinks no evil”, “Does not hold a grudge”, or “Keeps no record of wrong”.
What does this look like in real life?
Do you dwell on the hurt that happened, repeating every detail over and over until YOU have decided what the other person was thinking/saying/doing?
It’s easy to find fault, judge from our perspective, and look for the bad.
I’m guilty.

So was Esau.
Genesis 27 tells the story of Esau and his grudge towards Jacob for stealing his Birthright and tricking him out of his Blessing.  A birthright, usually given to the firstborn son, is our modern-day family inheritance. A blessing could be given to any son, but the oldest, holder of the birthright, usually received a greater blessing.
Jacob, the younger son, had finagled his way to win both of these.
Esau despised his brother for stealing what was intended for him.
Esau held onto resentment, had evil thoughts toward Jacob, and nurtured hatred towards his brother with a desire to kill him. Justified or not, Esau chose to live in the land of Irritable and Resentful for much of his life.

I Corinthians 13:1-3 beautifully defines love, but it also provides a definition of the opposite of love by replacing “love” with “irritable and resentful”.
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, and am irritable and resentful,
I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and I have all faith,
so as to remove mountains, but I am irritable and resentful, I am nothing.
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but I am irritable and resentful,
 I gain nothing.”

Ouch, when I read it like that, it makes me want to love others better!

Both irritation and resentment grow over time. When someone says or does something a little irritating or a little hurtful, we might easily let it go.
But if the offense repeats again and again, it becomes easier to dwell on it for longer periods.
We might even gossip about it.
Before we know it, we get snappy and mad.
Like Esau and Moses, when we allow resentment and irritation to grow, it becomes easy to let our feelings control our actions.

Love is the opposite of allowing life’s irritations and hurts to control our lives.
Love calls us out of the land of Irritable and Resentful.

Hannah had good reason to be irritated as someone in her life constantly provoked her. (I Samuel 1:6)
The Lord calls out, “Love is not easily irritated….love is patient.”
While our insides may scream frustration, Hannah modeled an example for us we can all learn from.
She prayed in the middle of her distress. (1 Samuel 1:10)

Joseph had every reason to hold a grudge as his brothers hated him, plotting to kill him.  (Genesis 37:18-20) Eventually, as God moved in Joseph’s life, Joseph chose forgiveness for his brothers instead of retaliation. God’s love changed Joseph because His love doesn’t live in the land of Irritable and Resentful. If God’s love lived there, none of us could stand before Him as we have all sinned against Him!

God calls us to love just as He loves when He laid down His life for us, even while we were His enemies.
His love abides in the land of Gentle, Kind, and Good.
His love forgives, even in the face of irritation.
His love intentionally chooses un-annoyed.

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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!

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Kaleidoscope Day 8 A Quick Trip to Isolation

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Numbers 12:1-16
Proverbs 12:18
1 Peter 4:7-8
1 John 4:7-11

Kaleidoscope, Day 8

To love is to commit to paying a costly price.
To love is to commit to messy, broken relationships.
To love is to commit to being hurt.

The alternative?
Isolation.

The on-ramp to safe isolation, far away from great cost, mess, brokenness, and excruciating pain?
Rudeness.

Extreme?
Well, I’ll let you decide.

Surely, there are other, more clear symptoms of isolation and lack of love, right?
Traits like anger, bitterness, and hatred seem pretty key in a successful journey to isolation.

True, these traits are clear evidences of having lived a life in attempt to keep a heart safe from the costly effects of love, but these are destination signposts, not on-ramps.
One who is perpetually angry, bitter, and hateful has already succeeded in staying away from love.

But rudeness.
There is the attractive little signpost flashing brilliantly along a benign highway, promising a quick detour to safety and self-justification.
“Just a little rudeness,” the lie begins.
“Just a little self-protection.”
“You deserve, no, you have a right, to be rude.”
One sweet little sampling of lies after another and our quick detour lands us far off course, well on our way to Isolation.

Not sure you believe me?
I present you with a true story….

A widely respected, deeply kind, and exceptionally humble man had been given the opportunity for a highly visible leadership position, despite his genuine objections. He had no desire for power or profit, but was compelled to take the position out of love and respect for authority above him.

While he made some mistakes, he genuinely loved the people he led, and continually sacrificed his own good for their own. From the outside, it was plainly obvious what a rare, and incredible leader this man was.

Like any leadership role, it came with its share of criticisms and complaints directed towards him, but the one to whom he reported was constantly watching his back. Often, the man overlooked the negativity, not allowing it to deter him from his strong, gentle leadership. Other times, it drove him absolutely batty to the point of near insanity, but always the one above him, protected him.

The man was in this specific leadership role for over 40 years and there was no end to complaints filed against him as he was constantly under attack for his extremely difficult position. Curiously, the records of his career carefully chronicle one specific incident out of the mass lump sum.
One incident with incredible detail.
One incident of blatant rudeness.
Ending with isolation.

The man had a deeply devoted sister whom he loved, but she was beginning to feel as if she deserved some of leadership’s limelight. Unlike her honorable brother, she wanted the attention and the power. She saw the neon flashing lights on the highway and she exited onto “Rude”. She tossed a handful of caustic words in the air, feeling quite justified. Her words were seemingly harmlessly, but undeniably drenched in rudeness. Her rudeness was heard and felt. As a result, she found herself granted a personal audience with the one in authority who had heard her curt remarks.
And it wasn’t pretty.
I’ll let you listen in…

“Listen to what I say:
If there is a prophet among you from the Lord,
I make myself known to him in a vision;
I speak with him in a dream.
Not so with my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my household.
I speak with him directly,
openly, and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the Lord.
So why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
The Lord’s anger burned against them, and He left. (Numbers 12:6-9, emphasis added)

Sister Miriam’s words were intended to hurt. She wanted to make her point known. She set out to amplify her perspective even if it cost her being just a bit rude in order to justify her position against a man who was not only her leader, but also her brother.

The Lord heard, He saw her heart of arrogance, He felt her rudeness, and called her out on it. He took up the cause of Moses, fighting on his behalf, because God is a just and loving God. When it was all said and done, the Lord’s presence left Miriam and her sympathizing brother, Aaron, alone. What’s more, the Lord also gave Miriam a skin disease as He left her as further consequence of her rudeness. Moses, the loving leader, pleaded with the Lord for healing on behalf of his sister, which the Lord gave, but He also said, “If her father had merely spit in her face (as a consequence), wouldn’t she remain in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp (as a consequence to her rudeness) for seven days; after that she may come back.”  (Numbers 12:14)

Her rudeness was disgraceful.
Her rudeness was not loving.
Her rudeness was sinful.
Her rudeness brought isolation.

Miriam took the easy exit off the highway of genuine, authentic Love, and she ended up alone.
How often I’ve done the same!
Rudeness is like an arrow jutting into the people around us. (Proverbs 12:18)

The Lord is a God of unconditional love.
He is a triune God who Himself dwells eternally in community.
Isolation and rudeness have no place in His character,
and neither do they in ours as we take on the Name of Christ.

Maybe you can identify scenarios where you tend to take that quick trip to Isolation via the on-ramp of rudeness. Maybe you can identify people you’ve alienated or perhaps you’ve become familiar with that sense of distancing you feel when you choose to be rude.

Or maybe, just maybe, you know someone who habitually takes that glittery exit called Rude. You see them isolating themselves.
In fact, you want to be isolated from them because of their sharp, cutting habits.
But, I wonder, what if the Lord intended for you to love them with His love, drawing them back just as He did with Miriam. Just as He does for me when I’m rude, again and again.

Suppose He is equipping us to love those who are rude, and to stand at that exit sign,
pointing the way back to Love?!

To love another is worth the high price it will cost us.
It’s worth the mess.
it’s worth the pain of entering into the brokenness.

How do I know?
Jesus did it for me.

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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 Kaleidoscope Week Two! 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 Kaleidoscope!