Life

Waiting Day 10 Once Upon God’s Kairos

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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 2 Not Abandoned: 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!

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The Questions

1) How did Joseph respond to the events he endured and what does this teach us about enduring hardship?

2) What ways does God use waiting?

3) What heart-attitude glorifies God in seasons of waiting?

Genesis 45:1-8

Joseph could no longer keep his composure in front of all his attendants, so he called out, “Send everyone away from me!” No one was with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers. 2 But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and also Pharaoh’s household heard it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt. 5 And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7 God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Original Intent

1) How did Joseph respond to the events he endured and what does this teach us about enduring hardship?
Joseph’s story is one of the longest and most detailed in the whole biblical account spanning a full nineteen chapters from Genesis 37-50. His story gives us the history of God’s chosen people, the Israelites. At age 17, Joseph’s half-brothers sold him into slavery. Fueled by jealousy over their father’s favoritism, they intended to kill Joseph, but Reuben, the firstborn of the family talked them into selling him into slavery instead. As a slave, Joseph served Potiphar and was favored until Potiphar’s wife came on to him sexually and set him up to look like he had seduced her. At that point, Joseph went to prison. We don’t know his exact age at this time, but it is guessed he was around 27 or 28 years old. He had been in Egypt for over ten years. Then he spent two years in prison, all but forgotten. When he was thirty, he interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and was promoted to the second highest position in power in Egypt. When his brothers arrive requesting grain during the famine (which came after seven plentiful years as predicted by Pharaoh’s dream), Joseph is 39 years old. He reveals his identity as their brother and responds by saying, “Don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here…” He could have easily been resentful and attempted to retaliate or make them earn his trust. Instead, Joseph had a God-given perspective, “God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.” Joseph is able to extend understanding and a reconciling forgiveness because He saw God’s greater purpose in the suffering he endured. 

2) What ways does God use waiting?
Joseph waited 22 years to see his brothers and even longer to see his father. In the course of time, he never saw his mother again. How the pain of estrangement must have burdened him for those 2+ decades! The pain of injustice also plagued him as he spent two years in jail when he had done nothing wrong. His suffering wasn’t due to his own poor choices or his sin. And yet, he endured misunderstanding, mistreatment, and what seemed like being completely forgotten to rot in prison. But, God never wastes suffering and He used the painful periods of waiting to deepen Joseph’s dependence on God and show him His trustworthy character. In Psalm 105, when it speaks of Joseph’s time in slavery, it says, “The Word of the Lord tested him (Joseph).” This phrasing means that God’s Torah, His law and His commands refined Joseph. God used this critical period of waiting to lay out His plans to not only birth the nation of Israel, but also to preserve a remnant of His chosen people so they might be strengthened, increase in number, and made to be greater than their foes. (Psalm 105:24) While God had in mind the larger national picture of His people and His eventual rescue for them through Jesus, He also was mindful of Joseph’s individual life. The Lord masterfully crafted Joseph’s sufferable waiting to be used for His holy purposes of refining Joseph’s heart and faith.

3) What heart-attitude glorifies God in seasons of waiting?
Joseph remained connected to God despite the pain and uncertainty of his circumstances. Genesis 39:2 records, “The Lord was with Joseph, and He became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.”  Joseph refused to allow temptation to draw him into sin and away from God. In Genesis 39:8-9 Joseph tells Potiphar’s wife, “My master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority. No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?” He refused to betray God and the favor he’d been given. Joseph continued to give God credit and glory whenever he interpreted dreams, instead of praising himself, “Don’t interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8) Joseph emphasized to Pharaoh, “God will give Pharaoh the answer…” (Genesis 41:16) Over time, Joseph leaned more and more on God’s sovereignty and goodness. Towards the end of our time with Joseph, he proves his surrender by declaring to his brothers, “Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.” (Genesis 50:19-20) He knew God was far greater and His purposes ran far deeper than his own. Joseph saw his life in the context of God’s plan for His people and endured hardship in the waiting seasons because he trusted God.

Everyday Application

1) How did Joseph respond to the events he endured and what does this teach us about enduring hardship?
Joseph’s response to his long years of hardship, rejection, imprisonment, and unfair treatment, including being forgotten and left to waste away in prison was to forgive those who harmed him. He chose to see their actions in light of God’s greater plan and goodness. He humbly allowed God to shape his perspective and he viewed his life through the lens of a greater picture. In each of our lives, we also will endure hardship. Some of us will endure broken relationships, misunderstandings, being overlooked, or persecuted and rejected. All of these injuries are similar to what Joseph endured. As we live through the excruciating pain of these trials, we can remember Joseph’s example of humble trust and ask God to reshape our own perspective. We can seek to see the bigger picture and remember that regardless of what we endure, God is with us and He will use every circumstance for ultimate good. Romans 8:28 reiterates the fact that God uses all things for our good and His glory. In James 1:2-4, we are reminded that God allows trials to accomplish His good work in us, making us mature, complete, and lacking nothing. Colossians 3:1-2 reminds us to lift our eyes above the things of this world and place them where our real life is hidden with Jesus. When we gain an eternal perspective, we can see our troubles and difficulty with the same patience and faith Joseph demonstrated. 

2) What ways does God use waiting?
As He did with Joseph’s life, God uses waiting seasons in our own storylines to deepen our dependence on Him. With our desire to control, we often want to ask God for a map and compass so we can set off on our own (thank you very much). He is not the God of the map; He IS the map. I heard the story of a man lost in a jungle. Eventually, he ran into a native living in the jungle. He asked the man to show him the way out of the jungle. The man replied, “There is no way out. I am the way. Follow me.” That is what Jesus says to us. He IS the way. (John 14:6) We would rather He give us vague guidelines and leave us to our own devices, avoiding surrender. Thankfully, God loves us too much for that; He is the God of relationships and He saved us that He might restore us to relationship with Him. He uses waiting seasons to teach us to lean on Him instead of ourselves, this is God’s wonderful refinement of our souls. James writes, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4) If we choose to let the Lord have His way with us, surrendering to the “full effect” of His work in our sufferable waiting, He will faithfully use us for the good benefit of others who suffer, just as He did with Joseph in restoring relationship and physically providing food for his family. (2 Corinthians 1:4-7) We never know what God is doing for both our good and the good of others while we wait in surrender to His ways. Let’s choose to surrender our will to His while we wait!

3) What heart-attitude glorifies God in seasons of waiting?
Not only does God promise to use our suffering for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28), He provides instruction on how to wait. He calls us to be “patient in affliction” (Romans 12:12), to “rejoice in the Lord always”, and “don’t worry about anything” instead choosing “prayer…with thanksgiving”. (Philippians 4:4-6) In the midst of our waiting, we are to “be strong, let your heart be courageous”. (Psalm 27:14) As we wait, He promises to renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31) and bless us (Isaiah 30:18). I associate the word “waiting” with waiters in a restaurant. What are they doing while they are waiting? Serving! As we wait on the Lord, we can serve Him with our everyday surrender. Seasons of waiting provide us with opportunities to “Trust in the Lord and do what is good.” (Psalm 37:3) If we humble ourselves before the Lord (1 Peter 5:6), He will strengthen our trust in Him, proving He will neither abandon nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) Like Joseph, we can remain connected to God despite the pain and uncertainty of our circumstances. We can resist temptation to sin and choose to give God glory for His work in our lives while trusting his sovereignty and goodness. God is far greater, and His purposes go far deeper than we perceive. We won’t always do these things perfectly in our waiting seasons. Our faith will falter. We will be tempted, and sometimes we will fall into sin. We may forget God’s goodness and even question His presence. These things happen, but we don’t need to stay here. We can acknowledge our doubt and bring it honestly to God, allowing it to be a bridge between us instead of a wall. Like the psalmist, we can tell God we are weary of waiting. (Psalm 6:6, Psalm 69:3) God is with us in our waiting!

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2) Read it, and the verses around it,
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3) Write down your questions
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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)
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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.

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Alive Day 8 The Groaning

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:18-23
Romans 8:15-17
2 Corinthians 5:16-19
Genesis 3

Alive, Day 8

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly awaits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility–not willingly, but because of him who subjected it–in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we who have the Spirit as the firstfruits–we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:18-23)

As we have been journeying together through Romans 8, we recently read “Adopted” covering verses 15-17, which told us of our adoption as children of God and our inheritance as co-heirs with Christ, both in suffering and glory. In turning our focus to verses 18-23, we unpack what is meant by “sufferings.”

Today’s passage speaks to our innermost groanings experienced on a daily basis as we journey through life in a fallen world. Not only do we groan, but the whole of creation groans right along with us, not one aspect of creation remains unaffected by the fall. All of creation groans for a better life and a more eternal inheritance, because our world was never meant to be broken this way.

This world, according to verse 20, has been “subjected to futility.” The Greek word for futility is “mataiotēs,” and literally means “what is devoid of truth and appropriateness, perverseness, depravity, frailty, want of vigour.” Reverend Matthew Henry, a great author of Bible commentaries, further explained, “There is a present vanity to which the creature, by reason of the sin of man, is made subject. When man sinned, the ground was cursed for man’s sake, and with it all the creatures (especially of this lower world, where our acquaintance lies) became subject to that curse, became mutable and mortal, under the bondage of corruption.”

Never before has the reality of this groaning seemed as clear and tangible for me personally. As I write, I am a mere three weeks into my husband’s first deployment, a separation I know is a direct result of the fall. Were it not for sin, disease, and trial in this life, military deployments would be unnecessary and my kids and I would not be separated from our favorite person for the next several months. We are only three weeks in, but we’ve already experienced our own fair share of groaning.

Because of the fall and our disobedience, we experience a brokenness all around us in this life, a suffering which often feels too much to bear. In those moments, it’s vital to understand such misery is not doled out at the whim of a cruel God, but is the direct result of our sin.
Our sin is a slap in the face of God’s righteousness and His loving care towards us, His creation.
Our sin is not a mere mistake, accident, or “no big deal” we can just explain away.
Rather, it is something we must own, for it keeps us impossibly far from God – were it not for Christ.

The good news in the midst of this hard, sad reality is that Christ has secured for us a sonship, an adoption into the family of God which provides us with a rich inheritance. Just as we have been made alive in the Spirit, so, too, do our bodies anticipate the coming inheritance of life on a new earth.

The most blessed and encouraging part of this inheritance?
It is so rich and grand that it renders the sufferings of the here-and-now
as nothing in comparison!
(Romans 8:23)

Which is saying a lot, considering just how painful our sufferings can be! Yet truly, our suffering is a mere blip on the backdrop of the whole of eternity, a painful blip, yes, but nothing compared to the unimaginable joy that will be ours! (Romans 8:18)

As long as these days of deployment feel, they are nothing compared to the unending years of eternity.

As challenging as solo parenting is for me in this season, it is nothing compared to the unending joy and peace I will enjoy for eternity.

As alone as I sometimes feel right now, it is nothing compared to the unending fellowship I will have with the God of the universe and all His people for eternity.

It is true that life in this fallen world is hard.
But it is also true that hardship doesn’t get the last word.
In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul reveals how God sets about making all things new in our hearts when we come to Him in salvation. And this restorative aspect of God’s character? It will see its final and ultimate manifestation on that glorious day when the world-breaking curse is itself broken. (Revelation 21:1-5)

So, take heart, dear friend, in the midst of whatever hardship these words find you.
We’ll be home – for all eternity! – before we know it if we lay claim to the gift of Life that Jesus holds out to each of us right now!

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Alive Day 1 Justice + Mercy = Freedom

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 7:22-8:4
1 John 1:5-2:2
Galatians 5:13-18
Hebrews 12:1-6

Alive, Day 1

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4)

“Son, do you love Jesus? Have you given Him your whole life?”
“Yes, Mama. You were there when I prayed to Him.”
“Do you see how you have been jumping quickly to make rude comments to your brothers? Do you see how fast you are to throw a punch and then say you were ‘just playing?’”
“Yeah, I do. It’s just…so hard to follow Jesus all the time.”

Yes.
Yes, it is.

“So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.” (Romans 7:25)

To surrender our lives once to the Savior of the world for the rescue of our souls is an incredible, necessary act. But to surrender to His Spirit at work within us on the daily, in every moment, is something else entirely.

Herein is the long, grueling, often painful process of sanctification by which our souls, once dead to God and alive to sin, are now being fashioned into the image for which we were always intended: Christ’s.

“… the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

But, oh, the habits of the flesh cling hard and fast to our rhythms of life. Always competing with our desire to follow Jesus is our desire to still love ourselves most and first and best.

“For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body,  waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.” (Romans 7:22-23, emphasis mine)

What wretches we are!
And who will rescue us from this ceaseless war within ourselves? (Romans 7:24)

With tears, oh Christ. Only Christ!
Jesus, the only One worthy to sit at the right hand of our Father God. (Ephesians 1:20-21)
Jesus, willing to take our sin and shame upon Himself that we might never bear it again. (1 John 2:2)
Jesus, willing to break us free again and again and again from the ridiculous chains of sin we insist on slinging around ourselves. (Romans 5:21)
Oh Merciful Christ.

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25)

This beautiful Christ, and the freedom He lavishly gives, are the subject of one of the most profoundly significant chapters in all of Scripture, Romans Chapter Eight.

And the benefactors of such magnificent love?
The wretched ones.
Us.

We who, having witnessed the atrocities of our own sinful rebellion, have now turned instead to look upon the blood stained, nail-pierced body of the resurrected Jesus. He who, having died the death we deserved, now offers us His life and righteousness. He willingly laid down His life that we might live anew with Him, both in eternity and right now, in the nitty-gritty of everyday choices. Here, we choose either to surrender to His Spirit or lustfully love ourselves.

This great unfolding of the vast love of Christ begins here in the dark places of our souls. For only in knowing, grasping, and insistently gazing upon the ugliness of our sin can we truly be taken aback by the sheer glory of the love of a magnificent God who chose to set His love upon us simply that we might be called His own forever.

Never could we dream of becoming good enough to qualify as “righteous” before the Holy One. No amount of law-keeping, good deeds, kind words, gut-wrenching sacrifices, or generous giving could ever amount to earning even a single drop of God’s mercy.

“All of us have become like something unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment…” (Isaiah 64:6)

Our law-keeping is meaningless for earning right standing before God.
So, what hope have we?
None, Sisters.
None.
We are utterly without hope.

Our sin demands the death penalty, for we are wholly unrighteous.
We cannot earn goodness, for we have already earned death.
“For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)

And here, in the inky blackness of hell, eternally separated from a loving God, the Spirit of God whispers, “For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did.” (Romans 8:3)

Like brilliant, white light streaming into a once-darkened dungeon, “God Did” thrills our hearts with blissfully delicious, entirely immovable H O P E.

With perfect Justice, God “condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us.” (Romans 8:4) He paid for sin with His perfection, forever slaying Death on our behalf, and now extends to us unshackled freedom if we surrender our sin-loving, self-focused selves.

His justice.
His mercy.
Our freedom.

And what will we do with this freedom?
Come alive, Sisters, we will come alive!

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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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Fruitful Day 13 The Gentleness Of Jesus

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Read His Words Before Ours!

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

Fruitful, Day 13

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

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

His daughter’s life hung in the balance.

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

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

Again, the crowds followed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fruitful Day 11 Cultivating Fruitfulness

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Numbers 14:1-10
Joshua 14:6-15
Joshua 21:43-45
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
2 Timothy 2:11-13

Fruitful, Day 11

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit requiring time to grow.
Therefore, in a fast-paced world seeking instant gratification, it is sometimes underrated.
Faithfulness may not be glamorous, exciting, or fashionable, but it’s a fruit with richness and depth making it well worth the effort of cultivating.

Like every fruit of the Spirit, faithfulness begins with God. It is a key attribute of His character, woven through every page of Scripture; His faithfulness is unchangeable. Paul writes, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

This is a relief! Firstly, because in a rapidly-changing world, it is comforting to know God is constant, but secondly because we don’t need to look far in Scripture (or the world around us) to see the unfaithfulness of humanity. The whole of the Old Testament is a story of God’s faithfulness despite His people’s failure and disobedience.

We see this on multiple occasions as the Israelites journey to the Promised Land. Despite God’s repeated promise they would receive the land, and although He’d already demonstrated His power and love by rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness is marked with their faithlessness. The result was complaining, lack of trust, disobedience, and even idol worship.

Consider how the Israelites waited at the edge of the Promised Land for 12 spies to bring back a survey report. (Numbers 13) Overwhelmed by the ferocity of the land’s residents, the Israelites doubt their ability to conquer it. Their focus on challenges, instead of God’s power and faithfulness caused fear to infect the majority of Israelites resulting in a refusal to enter the land.

Amazingly, God doesn’t give up on His people. There are consequences for their faithlessness, and they wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, but the Lord continues to go with them and guide them, showing His faithful commitment to them even in small details, “I led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes and the sandals on your feet did not wear out[.]”(Deuteronomy 29:5)

When they finally arrived in the land, the challenges continued, but through the ups and downs of their circumstances, God’s faithfulness remained constant.

“None of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed.
Everything was fulfilled.” (Joshua 21:45)

Amid the Israelites’ unfaithfulness, two men stand out as shining examples of faithfulness. Caleb & Joshua

They were two of the twelve spies who explored the land, but, unlike the others, Joshua and Caleb remained confident of God’s presence and power to enable them to conquer the land.  s willing to stand against the crowd.

Their courage to stand against the crowd nearly resulted in death by stoning as their fellow Israelites were unwilling to listen or follow in faith. (Numbers 14:10) Caleb and Joshua were left with no choice but to join the rest of their nation as they turned around and began their journey away from the Promised Land.

It must have been incredibly frustrating, but when we meet Caleb and Joshua again, 45 years later, we see they have remained faithful to God. The two men are just as sure of God’s faithfulness as they were all those years earlier.

“Here I (Caleb) am today, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then. Now give me this hill country the Lord promised me on that day[…] Perhaps the Lord will be with me and I will drive them out as the Lord promised.” (Joshua 14:10-12)

Their passion and determination are undiminished, and their faith in God is as strong as ever.

When I think of examples of faithfulness today, I think of Ian. In his mid-80s, much like Caleb, Ian is still actively involved in his church and community, and has a passion to share God’s Word with younger generations.

Until last year, he ran a club in a local school helping pupils explore the Bible, and each year he organised funding for them to go on a weekend away, then accompanied them on the trip. One year, when we were short on space, he even offered to sleep in a tent if necessary!

Ian will never be well-known, and he doesn’t seek any reward, but his life is one of quiet faithfulness to God. A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending a prayer meeting Ian participated in. This group had been meeting together once a month to pray . . . for over fifty years!

It is one of the most inspiring prayer meetings I have ever attended. There is something wonderful about hearing the prayers of people who have followed Jesus for decades, who have known His faithfulness through the ups and downs of life, and who in turn have faithfully committed themselves to Him.

So how do we cultivate a life of faithfulness?

One step at a time, one day at a time, as we seek God, hold to His faithfulness, and allow His Spirit to work within us.

There is no quick, easy way to grow this fruit,
but people like Joshua, Caleb, and Ian encourage me it’s worth it.
Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 remind us it’s possible
because of God’s faithful commitment to us.

“Now may the God of peace sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.”

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Fruitful Day 5 Peace For Life

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 13
1 Samuel 25:1-35
Daniel 6:10-24
Romans 12:9-21
Galatians 5:22-26

Fruitful, Day 5

The storms of life can rage without warning,
just as unforeseen storms swept across the Sea of Galilee in Jesus’ time. (Mark 4:35-41)

Even after 5 years, it is hard for my husband, Michael, and I to wrap our minds around the betrayal and heartbreak from our last pastorate.
Our children grew up there.
It was home.
Once we could finally breathe after the breaking, we struggled with all the decisions. Do we find a new church or retire early? Where would we live? How would we survive?

Thankfully, God had already prepared me spiritually, drawing me closer and closer to Him. I was spending much time in Bible-reading and prayer. Although everything seemed unsettled, I felt indescribable peace. God had a plan for us!

Reading a Psalm or two each day was comforting; David’s words expressed exactly how we were feeling. The Shepherd’s Psalm has been my favorite for many years. Though it never mentions peace, I experience a calm in my heart every time I read it. I remember the farm where I grew up, and wonder if David reflected on his own childhood in his father’s pastures as he penned the words.

What does peace mean to you?

Many might answer world peace, or an absence of conflict, but God’s peace isn’t about laying down our weapons. In fact, Jesus promised His message would cause tribulation and conflict, because the true source of the battle is spiritual. (Matthew 10:34) We live in a fallen world, one incapable of manufacturing its own peace.

“They have treated my people’s brokenness superficially,
claiming, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6:14)

Laying down weapons (peace on earth) will only come when Jesus establishes His Kingdom on Earth. (Revelation 21:3-4)

On the other hand, Isaiah said Jesus is the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) Through His propitiatory death on the cross, He made a way to peace between us and God. When we repent from our sins–turning away from following evil desires and toward following God–He will give us His Holy Spirit. Peace is one of the many gifts the Holy Spirit grows in a believer’s heart! This peace of God surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:7-9) God’s peace remains, EVEN when the world around us is stormy.

The Bible is filled with God-followers who found peace in relationship with Him, despite their circumstances. Daniel’s daily relationship with God gave him peace and faith that God would protect him from being consumed by lions. (Daniel 6) Consider Peter when he walked on the stormy water at Jesus’ invitation. (Matthew 14:22-33) As long as he remained focused on Jesus, Peter walked in peace in the midst of a literal storm. We can find this same supernatural peace by continually turning our minds and hearts to Jesus. (Isaiah 26:3)

Peace describes a way of living in a right relationship between man and God; peace should also pervade our relationships with other people. In his epistle to the Romans, Paul says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18) Working to live at peace with others is only possible when we invite the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we are moving by His direction, He teaches us to become the peacemakers Jesus speaks of in His Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5:9)

In fact, the Bible is filled with Spirit-empowered peacemakers! Abraham made peace with Lot (Genesis 13); rather than fighting over land, he allowed Lot to choose his portion. Abigail was an effective peacemaker when her husband, Nabal, refused to feed David’s army. Abigail gathered food and gifts and hurried to David to make peace. (1 Samuel 25)

Of course, Jesus is the Great Peacemaker. He explained, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33) Through the work of His Spirit within us, we can remain at peace, no matter what the world throws at us.

Theologian, Stanley Horton, writes, “Real peace comes only from the Holy Spirit. It includes a quiet spirit, but it is more than that. It is the consciousness that we are in a right relationship with God, a sense of spiritual well-being. It includes the assurance that we can trust God to supply all our needs. (Philippians 4:19) Along with love and joy it becomes the help of the Spirit for the development of the rest of the fruit.” (Journeyonline.org)

How can we experience this fruit of the Spirit, peace?

  1. Accept Christ into our lives. (Ephesians 2:14-22)
  2. Know God and be under His Spirit’s control. (Job 22:21)
  3. Trust God with all our hearts. (Isaiah 26:3-4)
  4. Love the Word of God. (Psalm 119:165)
  5. Live in righteousness. (Isaiah 32:17-18)

Sisters, as we are transformed by His Spirit, may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

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Terrain Day 15 Life’s Landscape

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Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Peter 3:8-18
Matthew 10:1-15
Luke 22:35-42
Psalm 23

Terrain, Day 15

Most of our “lasts” go unnoticed, slipping slowly from one season to the next like a gradually fading sunset. One day, we simply notice how the last has come and gone.

As a mama, l know there has been a singular finality for many precious things, whether I recognized it or not.
The last time I changed a diaper, danced with a toddler, had baby fingers in my hair, played hide ‘n seek, sat someone in “time out”, or firmly said, “One minute, please. Mama is talking.” As I send my oldest off to university, there are a few “lasts” that stand out.
Our last Saturday with all 9 of us living under one roof.
Our final family meal before a new season.
Her last night in her childhood bedroom, and many more.

But, I also know, there will be new terrain to explore.
I just don’t know what it looks like yet.

While a million unknowns tug at the corners of my heart, one steadfast constancy takes my hand and leads me beside still waters.

My Shepherd knows my terrain.
He always has, and He always will.

In this Journey Theme, we’ve walked beside Abraham as he left his idol worship, following God for decades until God led him to the perfect place to fulfill His promise.

We’ve stood shaking with wonder at Mount Sinai,
marched around Jericho’s walls,
been invited to wash in the Jordan River,
nearly missed the forgotten fork in the road of Bethlehem and Nazareth,
and scaled the Mount of Olives to hear Jesus teach and watch Him pray.
We’ve dipped toes in the Sea of Galilee and tied our sandals to match Jesus stride for stride down dusty roads, and we’ve explored the caverns and sunrises of Patmos.
All along the way, we’ve witnessed the Creator of Life enter Creation to shepherd His people. Every step was a new opportunity to see His heart with deeper brilliancy.

The same God who marked off pathways on the Mount of Olives, also summoned Abraham to follow Him and Moses to meet with Him. The same God who filled Joshua with divine courage, humbly walked the seashore of Galilee. The same God who came as a Babe in Bethlehem, gave up His Body as the Bread of Life on Calvary’s hill while the weight of our sin crushed Him. The God who conquered Sin and Death by rising victorious from His grave, filled John with visions of a coming Beautiful City where one day, God would dwell with His beloved people forever.

Because He is a God who has been present on every hill, valley, and sandy seashore from eternity past to eternity present, this is the God who can be trusted with my journey.

Early in Jesus’ ministry, He gave His disciples an opportunity to practice what He’d taught them. He gave them authority to heal disease, preach, and raise the dead. He sent them to their own people, the Jews, telling them they wouldn’t need anything extra for He would provide for them through His people.

“Don’t take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don’t enter any Samaritan town. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Don’t acquire gold, silver, or copper for your money-belts. Don’t take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a staff, for the worker is worthy of his food. (Matthew 10:5-10)

Was it scary? Surely!
Was it exciting? Definitely!
But this was also a season; just another pathway on their journey.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, with His disciples gathered on the moonlit pathways of the Mount of Olives and the sound of soldier’s feet in the distance, the Lord reminded them of that initial opportunity to practice following Him.

“When I sent you out without money-bag, traveling bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Not a thing,” they said. (Luke 22:35)

Here they were, the ‘Eve of Last’ with Jesus, and He was reminding them of their journey.
Never had He left them alone. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
This time was no different. (John 14:16-17)

Though His body would soon be mutilated, and their time of walking the shores together was over, His Spirit would come and live within them.
Their journey would continue for a new season.

When that glorious moment came and the Spirit’s rushing wind whirled around them, His fire licking their souls, truth resonated afresh. This God was trustworthy to lead, love, and never abandon, for now He lived within them.

The Great I Am, the Timeless One (2 Peter 3:8), would now lead them to see with fresh eyes the Terrain around them as He breathed within them. They saw fields ripe for harvesting souls. They saw opportunities to heal. They knew they had been called to pray deeply for one another. They became His Body, His Bride, the Church.

And so we are, Sisters.
His Body living, walking, and breathing in our very own landscape of life.

Grip the Shepherd’s hand, dear friend, and choose to follow the God who, though existing outside of time and terrain, chose to dwell within it, that we may journey together into every unknown.

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Terrain Day 9 Bethlehem & Nazareth: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

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

The Questions

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

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

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

John 6:22-35

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

Original Intent

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

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

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

Everyday Application

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

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

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

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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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