Lonely

Ten Day 11 The Deceit Of Not Enough

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 6:25-34
Psalm 27:1-5
1 Peter 5:5-7
Genesis 3:1-6
Exodus 20:15

Ten, Day 11

“What’s in your hand?”, my mom asked as we walked out of the convenience store. I slowly unwrapped my seven-year-old fingers from the small pack of Now and Later candy I had stolen. The pit in my stomach told me I was in trouble and it was only going to get worse.

“You have to take it back and apologize.” My mom held my hand and led me back into the store. We walked up to the counter and I stared at the pickled pig’s feet in the jar on the counter.

“My daughter has something she would like to tell you,” Mom explained to the clerk. I stretched my hand out and dropped the candy on the counter.

“I’m sorry I took these without paying for them.”
I couldn’t make eye contact, I was so embarrassed. Immediately, I headed for the door.

Once we left, my mom explained I had broken one of the Ten Commandments. Stealing was on the same list as murder. I learned a valuable lesson and cemented an aversion both to pickled pig’s feet and stealing that has stuck with me to this day.

I have since realized my desire to take what isn’t mine goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. When the serpent convinced Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were stealing from God.

One of Satan’s most deceptive strategies involves providing a short-term solution giving us something we want or need, but ultimately keeping us from God’s best. 

Though Eve lacked for nothing, Satan enticed her with the forbidden fruit. Just like Adam and Eve, we can be easily convinced God is holding out and we need to meet our own wants or needs.

For many people, our choice to cut corners and take what isn’t ours comes from
a fear God won’t give us what we want,
a sense of entitlement (we deserve what we are taking),
or just plain impatience.

Each of these motivations are based on pride.

Pride means elevating our needs and desires over God and other people.

When we act out of fear, we are choosing to listen to pride’s whispered lie we know more than God and can do a better job providing than He can.

A sense of entitlement elevates our needs and desires over the owner’s rights. Pride tells us our desires are THE MOST important. As Proverbs 16:19 reminds us, “Better to be of lowly spirit with the humble than to divide plunder with the proud.”

Impatience is often rooted in pride and fear, as well. Our pride falsely elevates our ability to know the future, and imposes a man-made deadline on the Creator of the Universe’s capacity to meet our needs. Rather than focusing on God’s unlimited resources and ability, we become focused on our scarce resources and opportunities.

Fear is a weapon Satan often uses to lead us away from God’s best. The best way to fight back is by studying and memorizing Bible verses. God’s Word is a double-edged sword we can use to defeat Satan’s attacks. Dwelling on Scripture builds our faith; faith provides a shield against the fiery arrows Satan uses against us.

At an early age, my mom helped me learn to use this verse to combat fear.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.”
(2 Timothy 1:7)

This promise breaks through the fear of unmet needs.

“And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

When the future looms ahead, murky in uncertainty, let’s remember:

“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26)

“The Lord is my light and my salvation
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
whom should I dread?” (Psalm 27:1)

When pride begins to puff our chests and cloud our vision,
let’s pursue humility with His Word:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

“When arrogance comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2)

Whether we’re tempted to pocket a stolen piece of candy, or steal our future from the hands of our loving Father, we’ve seen how God’s command to refrain from stealing addresses the true condition of our hearts.

And when we struggle with fear of scarcity, impatience, or pride, we can counteract Satan’s assaults with Scripture. When fear strikes, we can ask God to lead us to His truth from Scripture to counteract the lies. Let’s turn our focus to our Heavenly Father as we trust in His deep love, His unbounded resources, and His faithful provision.

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Redeemed Day 12 The Waiting Game: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Waiting Game!

The Questions

1) Why does it matter that Boaz is a relative?

2) Why would Ruth uncover his feet and lie down?

3) Why does Ruth agree in verse 5?

Ruth 3:1-5

3 Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find rest for you, so that you will be taken care of? 2 Now isn’t Boaz our relative? Haven’t you been working with his female servants? This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash, put on perfumed oil, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, notice the place where he’s lying, go in and uncover his feet, and lie down. Then he will explain to you what you should do.”
5 So Ruth said to her, “I will do everything you say.”

Original Intent

1) Why does it matter that Boaz is a relative?
Ruth and Naomi are both widows.  Being a widow during Old Testament days meant a life of poverty. Expositor’s Bible Commentary describes their life this way, “lonely, with no prospect before them but hard toil that would by and by fail, unable to undertake anything on their own account, and still regarded with indifference, if not suspicion, by the people of Bethlehem.” Their life would have little to no hope unless someone stepped in to provide. God, in His wisdom, had provided for this reality within Israelite culture by means of a relative. Ruth and Naomi needed a “kinsman redeemer”, who was typically the closest male relative, in order to have assurance of provision for their future. While Boaz was not the closest relative, he was the closest relative willing to take on this responsibility. As long as the closest relative agreed, the next in lineage, would have the opportunity to step in as “kinsman redeemer”.

2)Why would Ruth uncover his feet and lie down?
When we read Naomi’s instructions to Ruth they seem inappropriate, at best, within our modern context. However, Expositor’s Bible Commentary helps us understand what Ruth is truly doing. “Ruth is to go to the threshing floor on the night of the harvest festival, wait until Boaz lies down to sleep beside the mass of winnowed grain, and place herself at his feet, so reminding him that, if no other will, it is his duty to be a husband to her for the sake of Elimelech and his sons.” (Expositors) Ruth is presenting herself to Boaz in hopes of redemption. This was not a scandalous action, rather, it was common for a servant to lay at the feet of their master.  Naomi is encouraging Ruth to present herself in hopes that Boaz will marry her, or find another relative to do so, therefore redeeming her (and Naomi). Matthew Henry says, “Naomi herself designed nothing but what was honest and honourable, and her charity (which believeth all things and hopeth all things) banished and forbade all suspicion that either Boaz or Ruth would attempt anything but what was likewise honest and honourable. If Naomi’s instructions were as indecent and immodest (according to the usage of the country) as they seem to us now, we cannot think that if Naomi had had so little virtue (which yet we have no reason to suspect) she would also have had so little wisdom as to put her daughter upon it, since that alone might have marred the match, and have alienated the affections of so grave and good a man as Boaz from her. We must therefore think that the thing did not look so ill then as it does now.”

3) Why does Ruth agree in verse 5?
If Naomi’s instructions seem strange to us, then what must we think of Ruth’s agreement! Surely, it speaks to Ruth’s character. Matthew 1:5 includes Ruth in the genealogy of Jesus which speaks greatly of her faith and character. By no means was she perfect, but she was chosen much like Abraham, Noah, Moses, and so many others because God knew their heart and chose to work through them, despite their weaknesses. Matthew Henry says, “We may be sure, if Ruth had apprehended any evil in that which her mother advised her to, she was a woman of too much virtue and too much sense to promise as she did (verse 5), “All that thou sayest unto me I will do.” Thus, must the younger submit to the elder, and to their grave and prudent counsels, when they have nothing worth speaking of to object against it.” Ruth found no objection in Naomi’s instruction and therefore agreed to follow it.

Everyday Application

1) Why does it matter that Boaz is a relative?
While we do not live in Old Testament days, we are still in need of a redeemer. In our flesh and humanity, we are just as Ruth and Naomi, lost and hopeless in our sin, “unable to undertake anything on their own account” (Expositors). We are all born with a sin nature and not one of us has lived without sin, except for Jesus.  Matthew Henry says, “that he is our near kinsman; having taken our nature upon him, he is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.” It is through His sacrifice that we are redeemed. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, provision was made possible for the eternal future of every single person who believes on Him with full trust and faith. A future that includes a restored relationship with God and an eternity spent delighting in His love for us and then reflecting that love back to Him in worship.

2) Why would Ruth uncover his feet and lie down?
This action seems completely immoral in our sight. However, we cannot assume that to be the intention Naomi (or Ruth in her agreement) had as they made this decision. Ruth presented herself to her redeemer and awaited further instruction from him. She did not make advances, but sought redemption. We must do likewise with our redeemer, Christ Jesus. Matthew Henry says, “Thus must we lay ourselves at the feet of our Redeemer, to receive from him our doom. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” We should lay ourselves at His feet seeking His direction and guidance. His plans and ways are always best, we simply need to ask, listen, and then obey. We come with humility and total trust and acceptance of His response, which, according to Scripture, we already know is glad welcome and the gift of eternity with Him! As we lay ourselves down in surrender, the Lord Jesus redeems us, raising us to walk in newness of life!

3) Why does Ruth agree in verse 5?
Ruth is a foreigner in Israel. She listens to the guidance of her Israelite mother-in-law trusting she knew best. Her obedience is not blind, rather a result of trust built in a relationship. She knew Naomi and trusted she would not guide her into destruction, but a better life. In our lives, we face situations and decisions where we need to seek the wisdom of others. We need to surround ourselves with believers who are wiser than us and whose guidance we can seek. However, we must also be willing to listen, like Ruth did, to the guidance given. Ruth would have lived a much different life had she not heeded the council of Naomi. God places people in our lives who, along with the direction of the Holy Spirit, guide us into a much different life than we can lead on our own. We are not meant to walk this journey of life alone, but with others who can help support, guide, and direct us into the best of what God has for us. However, just like Ruth, we must know the guidance being given is done in wisdom from the Lord. We determine this through an established relationship with the person and by spending time seeking the Lord through prayer and study of His Word. If we are given sound, biblical wisdom, it will always line up with what the Lord says in His word.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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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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Neighbor Day 15 When Unloved

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Leviticus 19:17-18
Matthew 5:33-48
Luke 10:1-16
Romans 13:8-14

Neighbor, Day 15

The Command
Love your neighbor as yourself. 

Most of us have repeated the words countless times, so they roll off the tongue easily. But what does it really mean? Human nature urges us to draw the boundary line so we know what’s expected. We want to know exactly who we should consider our neighbors…and whether we consciously realize it or not, who we can exclude.

Let’s dig in a little deeper.

The Context
In this story, the title, citizenship and position of the people involved didn’t matter at all. 

Jesus was showing the disciples God was not at all interested in labels that appeal to mankind; rather, His focus was heart posture. When Jesus told His disciples the parable of the good Samaritan, He didn’t hesitate to jump knee-deep into the hypocrisy of the age and point out the wrong heart motives hidden behind titles of priest and Levite.

Jesus was a master storyteller. Every word He spoke held great intention and profound revelation. He knew that because of their heritage, those listening would be predisposed to connect with the priest, or the Levite, and prejudiced against the Samaritan.

Make no mistake; His purposeful vagueness with regard to the man who was beaten and robbed was by design as well. Because it didn’t matter who he was or where he was from. Jesus was making the point that their neighbor, and ours, is anyone and everyone in need. 

The Questions
But what about those who don’t return our love?
What about those who will not love us the way we desire to be loved? 

Dear friend. This may be a hard word to receive, but it’s absolutely vital that we grasp it. Those very questions are rooted in the great deception of our current age: that our faith is about us and how we feel. For the people in the back, I’ll say it again.

Our faith is not and can not ever be based on our feelings.

There never has been and never will be another human who will ever be able to fulfill in us the needs that God alone can fill.

As tempting as it may be to seek approval and fulfillment from those around us, our salvation can only ever be founded on Scripture alone, by faith alone, by grace alone, through Christ alone, and to the glory of God alone. This is the true gospel. The moment we begin to believe it is acceptable for our faith to be dictated by our feelings is the moment we begin to settle for a false gospel: the gospel of self.

Friends, we can not allow this to be so. The gospel message has never been about us beyond the salvation, freedom and whole heart, whole mind, whole life transformation Christ Jesus works in us when we submit ourselves to His hands.

In short, it doesn’t really matter how we feel. 

Woo. Talk about counter-cultural. But the gospel has never been about fitting in or being comfortable, has it? Jesus himself assured us that to answer His call and follow Him required us to pick up our cross and die to self.

But what about those who harm us?
Jesus said to love them.

But what about those who persecute us? What about our enemies?
Jesus said to love them.

But what about when our spouse doesn’t show love or communicate the way we need? What if we have grown apart, or are simply incompatible?
Jesus said to love them.

The Call
We are each called to yield to the work of the cross as God performs the outworking of our faith, and to live and love the gospel out in every aspect of our lives. From the moment we accept the gift of salvation, we receive the impartation and installment of Holy Spirit inside us. This is something we can take absolutely no credit for, because none of it is possible in our own strength. Our part is only to submit to what He is doing and recognize all glory belongs to God alone!

However, as we go about our daily lives, there is an enemy who actively works to destroy, distort, and disengage us from the transformation Jesus desires to work in us. How does he do this? By introducing a thought pattern rooted in lies.

So what is the lie here?

You deserve to be treated the way you want to be treated. 

Friend, the enemy loves to woo us with thoughts and ideas which glorify our feelings, ourselves, our needs, and our desires. He wants nothing more than to see us so completely wrapped up in ourselves and what we think and feel and need, that we miss what God has to say about anything. He’s sneaky, and a masterful liar, and Scripture tells us he prowls around like a lion, searching for anyone to devour. This lie is a prime example of how he works. He takes a tiny bit of truth, or even a big chunk of truth, and distorts it into something we want to hear.
Close enough to sound right, but just enough off course we miss the message. 

The Truth
Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Do you catch the difference between the two statements, Love?
The lie is all about what serves us.
The truth is all about what serves others.

Because the Jesus we follow and submit to was a servant to all.
When we look at His life on earth, we can’t escape the fact the King of Kings chose humility and servanthood over control.
He chose righteousness over self-righteousness.
He chose holiness over being heavy-handed.

This is the truth, and cost, of our calling: we are called to love and serve all people.
Regardless of how they respond to and treat us.
No caveats; no excuses.

We are called to 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 Neighbor Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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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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Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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

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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Awaken Day 1 A Prayer For Mercy

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 6
Psalm 13:1-6
2 Corinthians 1:3-7 

Awaken, Day 1

One of the beautiful things about Gracefully Truthful is the vulnerability required to write each Journey studies. From the beginning, we have strived for authenticity, as our desire has been for other women to know we are walking the reality of the Journeys we write.
Rarely do I write from distant experience,
I write what the Lord is revealing in my heart moment by moment.
It is messy, I cry many tears as I write,
and I trust that the Lord will somehow use my scattered words to bring Him glory.

With that transparency I tell you, sisters, I am walking through an incredibly dark valley.
My future is uncertain.
My dreams are shattered.
My heart is broken.

In the midst of this valley, the Psalms has brought comfort, putting into words prayers I haven’t known how to pray. I’ve spent days sitting in one Psalm drawing as much truth and comfort from it as I can hold before moving onto the next.

It is beautiful to see how the Bible has so many dimensions!

The same verses I clung to as a little girl learning the Lord is my shepherd, are the same verses God used to makes me lie down in green pastures.
Today, those same verses remind me I will never walk alone.

The Bible never changes.
But I change.
Because of that, the Bible will always be relevant.

God spoke through Psalm 6, meeting me exactly where I am.
But His word is ready to meet each of us in every circumstance
because His Spirit makes it come alive!

Women trying to conceive can pray these words back to the Lord.
Mamas grieving loss can read these words as the Spirit ministers directly to their souls.
Soldiers could feel as if this psalm was written just for them, finding solace in His rescue.
God’s Word is relatable, bringing us life!
His Word is for each of us!

“Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking;
my whole being is shaken with terror.
And you, Lord—how long?”
Psalm 6:2-3

My heart echoes amen and amen.
And countless hearts down through the centuries do the same.
Our beings shake.
Be gracious, Lord!
And Lord?! How Long??

The older I get, the more I realize how incredibly messy life is.
Even in the beautiful seasons, there will always be trials to face.
Every single person reading this page has faced a trial of some kind,
so we can all draw comfort from His Word.

“Save me for the sake of your steadfast love!”
Psalm 6:4

Oh sisters, how weak I have felt in this valley!
How deeply I’ve begged, “Save me for the sake of your steadfast love!”
I’ve never experienced the shaking of my bones quite like I have lately.
Often, I find myself crying out to God,
“How long? How long will this season last? Surely this valley can’t be any deeper?”

Are you weary from your groaning?
Is your pillow drenched every night?
Do you wait until your kids are in bed, then let the tears flow?
Do you hold them in for as many days as you can, until they just burst while you’re driving?
Me, too.

Take comfort in this, Dear One, the Lord sees every single tear that falls.
He catches those tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8); He knows the source of those tears.
He knows the heartache, the grief, the loss, the suffering, the anger, the disappointment.

Are your eyes swollen from grief?
Does your head throb from the overwhelming thoughts running through it?
Does your body ache from exhaustion as you long to sleep just one night without the interruption of horrible dreams or racing thoughts?
Does your jaw hurt because of the constant clenching?
Me, too.

He sees.
He knows each thought, each dream, and your aching body. (Matthew 11:28-29)
He longs to give you rest.

As I sat in my counseling session sharing with my therapist the anger I was feeling, he explained that my grief will come like the tide, sometimes it will roll in and come further up on the shore before descending back down, but like the tide, it will surely come.
The beauty of grieving, he explained, is that I am able to understand even more deeply the devastation caused by sin, and therefore, grasp the need for a Savior even more than I ever have before.
But I do not have to walk through grief alone.
As I enter into a new phase of grief I can bring it to the Lord,
transparently asking Him to walk with me.

The Lord has heard the sound of my weeping!
He hasn’t turned a deaf ear to my pain.
He hasn’t blocked out my mourning or allowed it to become like white noise mixing with the sounds of weeping across the globe.
He has heard each individual cry.
Yours. Mine. Your neighbor’s. Your child’s. The hungry child in Honduras.
The mourning father in Guam. Each and every wail is heard by the Lord.

And the Lord accepts my prayer.
Not only has He heard.
He listens. He accepts.

I look forward to the day I can write a Journey like this from the other side.
But I’m not there yet, and I won’t be for a while.
So, I sit in the peace that is offered in Psalm 6 and throughout the rest of Scripture.
The Lord knows my pain. He knows my tears.
He knows exactly how long this season will last.
And He will walk with me every step of the way.

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Worship IV, Day 9 Relentless Worship: 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 Relentless Worship!

The Questions

1) Why was Hannah moved to worship God in this way?

2) What do we learn about how to worship God through Hannah’s song?

3) What does Hannah’s worship reveal about her heart?

1 Samuel 2:1-10

 Hannah prayed:
My heart rejoices in the Lord;
my horn is lifted up by the Lord.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.
2 There is no one holy like the Lord.
There is no one besides you!
And there is no rock like our God.
3 Do not boast so proudly,
or let arrogant words come out of your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and actions are weighed by him.
4 The bows of the warriors are broken,
but the feeble are clothed with strength.
5 Those who are full hire themselves out for food,
but those who are starving hunger no more.
The woman who is childless gives birth to seven,
but the woman with many sons pines away.
6 The Lord brings death and gives life;
he sends some down to Sheol, and he raises others up.
7 The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the trash heap.
He seats them with noblemen
and gives them a throne of honor.
For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
he has set the world on them.
9 He guards the steps of his faithful ones,
but the wicked perish in darkness,
for a person does not prevail by his own strength.
10 Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered;
he will thunder in the heavens against them.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give power to his king;
he will lift up the horn of his anointed.

Original Intent

1) Why was Hannah moved to worship God in this way?
1 Samuel 1 reveals the background to Hannah’s beautiful hymn of worship.  For years, Hannah had longed and prayed for a child.  As the barren, second wife of Elkanah, she had lived in perpetual torture by the fertile and cruel Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife.  Then in a moment, her whole world changed: God promised her a child.  Some time later, she became pregnant.  Her broken heart, anguish and resentment  (1 Samuel 1:15-16) were replaced with strength, joy and peace.  Hannah had promised to give her child to God as a gift back to Him. Her son would be His servant in the temple, if He would answer her prayer.  The words of her worship come as she is taking Samuel to the temple as a young boy to live with Eli the priest, fulfilling her vow to the Father. (1 Samuel 1:24-28)  In a moment of great personal sacrifice, Hannah worshipped God because of His work on her behalf.  He had removed her shame from being barren (a common cultural belief), and had taken away her sorrow from being childless.  Though she was leaving her son behind, her focus remained on God and His provision in her life.

2) What do we learn about how to worship God through Hannah’s song?
Think about where Hannah was at the moment she voiced this song…she was leaving her son behind!  Let that sink in.  What Hannah knew in the moment was that God had been faithful, and she would be faithful to her promise.  In her song, Hannah worshipped God for who He is, in both character and attributes.  She acknowledged God as her salvation (verse 1); for being altogether different from other gods; for being her rock (verse 2); and for being the God of knowledge (verse 3).  She spends the rest of her song explaining how He has a plan, is in complete control, and will see that justice is done (verses 4-10).  She demonstrates a deep trust in His plan beyond anything she can fathom on her own.  Hannah knew what she had promised to God, and she was committed to following through, yet she did not know how God would ultimately put her sacrifice to use.  Samuel would grow up to play a pivotal role in Israel’s history, serving as the nation’s last judge and ushering in a new era with King Saul being anointed to lead God’s people. (1 Samuel 7-9)

3) What does Hannah’s worship reveal about her heart?
This worshipful response shows us that Hannah worshipped God from a heart grounded in truth.  She was well-balanced in the truth about God and the truth about herself.  Hannah was solid in her understanding of God’s character and the fact that He is in control of everything (verses 4-10).  Even more, she was clear in her need to remain humble (verse 3), acknowledging God’s holy perfection.  Hannah’s accurate view of herself allowed her to fully trust in God and find herself in a place of rejoicing and strength, despite the fact that she was about to leave her child in the care of another.

Everyday Application

1) Why was Hannah moved to worship God in this way?
How often do you worship God because of His work in your life?  Really think for a moment. Like Hannah, we must learn to thank God regularly for His work in our life and on our behalf.  Do you wait for God to do something major?  Or do you remember to worship Him for even the smallest things?  Even when we are waiting for God to answer a big request or a deep longing we may have, we still have the reality of the gospel:  God gifted us with salvation through the death of Jesus Christ, His Son. (Romans 6:23). Nothing we can worship Him for is greater than that!  Do you keep your focus on God alone in those moments of worship, or do you have a tendency to allow your mind to become self-focused?  We must be careful in times of worship to not become preoccupied with ourselves, and end up praising ourselves for the faith I had, or the suffering I fought through, or the pain I endured, or the worship I am giving.  Our focus should be on the One and only who moved on our behalf and is the giver of all good things.

2) What do we learn about how to worship God through Hannah’s song?
How often do you worship God simply for who He is?  Do you find yourself mostly focused on the work God has done in and through your life?  Though that aspect of worship is critical (as discussed in the previous question), when we lack balance, we risk missing the fundamental component of worship that focuses on God and His character.  We must develop our worship of God for his attributes and character.   This aspect of our  worship is important because it reminds us exactly WHO we worship.  God isn’t like anyone or anything else.  He is different in every possible way.  Remembering God and His character builds our trust in Him and His plan for our lives.  To do this, we must put effort into continually growing and expanding our knowledge of God and what we know of Him. This is a lifelong pursuit we will never exhaust as we seek to know more about our infinite Creator.

3) What does Hannah’s worship reveal about her heart?
When you worship the Father, what is revealed about your heart?  Think back to the last time you were in church, or your car, or your bed, or in a chair in the morning, offering worship to God.  What was on your mind?  What occupied your thoughts?  What feelings and emotions did you have?  How do all of these reflect your heart and what preoccupies you?  Our worship and thoughts reveal much about our hearts and their current status, whether we are preoccupied with ourselves, with fear, with doubt, with demanding expectation, with truth, with faith, or with love.  Just as we learn from Hannah, we need to ensure that our worship is built on truth and focused on God alone.  Take a good look at yourself and see what comes to mind and what the Father shows you as you seek insight into your own motivations in worship.  You may want to even pray Psalm 139:23, “Search me God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns,” as you seek His wisdom.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Worship IV Week Two!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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Worship IV, Day 8 Relentless Worship

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Read His Words Before Ours!

I Samuel 1-2:10
Psalm 31:19-24
Matthew 5:43-48
Romans 8:18-30
Lamentations 3:22-26

Worship IV, Day 8

Do you remember begging for a certain gift as a child?
What was it like when you received it?
Or didn’t?
Were you disappointed or was it exactly as you imagined?

What about now?
Is there something you desire more than anything?
Something you’re waiting for God to deliver?

When I’m feeling disappointed about unfulfilled desires, I think of Hannah.
Hannah was married to Elkanah, husband of two wives.
Peninnah, the other wife, had plenty of children, but Hannah, shamefully, was barren.
Adding to her heavy shame, Peninnah provoked Hannah, mocking her empty womb.
Oh, that hits your gut doesn’t it?!

Have you been in her shoes?
Maybe you’re Hannah with the ache, marked by shame, carrying shards of broken dreams,
dragging around lost hope.
Or perhaps you’ve worn Peninnah’s shoes a few times too, provoking just to stir up trouble, finding a sense of satisfaction in what you have instead of another’s “have nots”.

Each year the family traveled to Jerusalem for worship.
This particular year Hannah was so distressed, she refused food.

I see much of myself in Hannah.
I too have carried shame and broken dreams, losing hope along the way.
I too have had a “Peninnah” in my life, so distressed I hurt.
Hannah responded as each of us should, she worshipped through prayer.

Broken, empty, hungry, and weeping Hannah entered the temple, and bowed before the One True God
and worshipped. (1 Samuel 1:10)
Hannah opened her heart to her God, praying God would remove her shame and fulfill her dreams.
She asked God for a son, promising to relinquish him back to God for service in the temple his entire life.
Eli, the priest, saw her, was moved by her worship, and spoke the Lord’s word to her,
she would have a son!

Some time later, Hannah held her fulfilled promise in her arms, naming him Samuel, meaning “God Has Heard.”

No longer marked by shame and lost dreams, Hannah held the little boy hand of her dream-come-true, entrusting him to the Lord as she left him at the temple to serve the Lord.
Later, her dream son, given back in worship to the Lord, would become a wise judge and humble prophet, mighty in spirit, leading Israel.
Happily Ever After.
The End.

No, Hannah’s story does not stop here.
I’ll be honest, I usually stop here.
But if we close the book in chapter 1, we miss the pinnacle of Hannah’s heart in chapter 2.
We miss her worship.
Hannah continued a hymn of worship that had been her relentless song from the moment she first cried out to her God.

In verse one, Hannah rejoiced in God.
She did not rejoice in Samuel.

She rejoiced in the Giver, not the gift.
In fact, in all of Hannah’s prayer, she didn’t specifically name Samuel even once,
instead she focused on the character of the God who had heard her.

Hannah rejoices in her “horn.”
Just as the horn of a bull signifies its strength, Hannah declared that the Lord had removed her disgrace and weakness, replacing it with His own mighty strength.

Was Hannah strengthened because she could prove her value to Peninnah?
No, her strength was God.

Speaking of Peninnah, is she even mentioned?
No, because Hannah didn’t need to.
She didn’t carry bitterness and slander because worship had shifted her focus.

I wonder if we let worship shift our hearts as well?
In the midst of everyday life, will we relentlessly worship or relentlessly slander and self-focus, eager to return hurt for hurt, carrying the burdens of bitterness and un-forgiveness.
Hannah’s example proves we can’t worship and grudge-carry.

Verse 5 of Hannah’s song declares, “Those who are hungry have ceased to hunger.”
God was Hannah’s sole supplier.
This wasn’t about physical food, Hannah was hungry for relief.
She was hungry for her shame to be lifted and her emptiness to be filled.
What are you hungry for?

We know the ending of Hannah’s story.
We know she was freed from shame and filled with the Lord Himself.
We don’t know our story’s end.

We ask, will I ever be delivered?
Will I always be empty?

Scripture answers,
“Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for His mercies never end.
They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness!
I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24

Hannah wasn’t faithful to God because He was faithful to her;
she chose relentless worship before He answered her prayer.
Hannah prayed for years.
She worshipped for years.
Yet, she didn’t give up.

We may not receive exactly what we desire or when we desire it,
but our faithful God will deliver, free, fill us.
Until then, we relentlessly worship!

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

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Worship IV!

Incorruptible Day 3 Worth It

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Peter 1:3-9
Ruth 1:6-22
James 1:2-3
Matthew 5:10-12

Incorruptible, Day 3

This Christian walk is challenging.
It’s scary and sometimes down right crazy.

I remember when my parents told me we were leaving our home country and moving to the US. I was shocked, terrified and downright upset.

How could my parents take me from the life I knew,
and the family I loved, to go to a strange place?
A place where I had no friends or family?

I remember asking them why and their answer will forever stay in my mind,
“We are Christians and we need to leave the comfortable life
we have been living to study God’s word.”

When we arrived, I remember feeling like an outsider, unable to understand the dialogue.
I remember being picked on and people telling me that I was an alien.
Kids made fun of my Bahamian lunches and my accent.
They also poked fun at the fact that I was a product of a mixed-race couple.

Why would my parents bring me to a place like this?
A place where we were outcasts and denied the “joys of life”?

They had a greater hope.
A hope that what Christ had to offer in the long term,
was greater than the temporal struggles.
This hope was worth their endurance.

The lesson I was learning from my parents, was the same one Peter taught.
He encouraged believers to endure through intense persecution in order that the testing their faith would reap heavenly reward and inexpressible joy.
Peter wrote described our hope in Christ as being greater
because our reward is heavenly not worldly.

During this time in history, there were a lot of people facing legal and social backlash from their communities for following Christ.
The cost to follow was Jesus was extremely high.
Yet, Peter reminded them, though their earthly rewards were slim to none, they could trust in the truth that they had an incorruptible inheritance.
The eternal reward freely given to those who call Jesus Lord surpasses anything Peter’s brothers and sisters or you and I could receive on this earth whether in material possessions or relational gain.

Today, believers are ridiculed and mocked for claiming the name of Christ,
yet we are told to endure.

Why?
Because the living hope of Jesus is worth our endurance

God has given us this truth in His Word.
“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)

Around 1300 BC, a woman named Ruth steadfastly endured in the face of heartache
because of eternal hope.
Ruth chose to return to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law after losing her husband.
She was a foreigner in a new place, yet she said to her mother-in-law,
“Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.”

Ruth faced poverty because of her ethnicity,
yet God was faithful to provide.

Through physical eyes she had nothing,
but through spiritual eyes she was blessed beyond measure.
Eventually, she became the great grandmother of King David through whom the Eternal King Jesus would be born.

She clung to a greater hope. She endured. She was blessed.

Christians are spiritual foreigners in this world, just as my family and Ruth were physical foreigners. The United States wasn’t my home, Bethlehem wasn’t Ruth’s,
and this temporal world is not ours.
Heaven is.

We are called to be set apart;
to be in the world but not of the world.

Just as my cultural differences where very obvious to the people around me,
the differences in believers’ lives should also be exceedingly obvious.

James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3)

While I lived in Virginia, I saw God’s miraculous hand of protection and provision.
When we did not know where our next meal was coming from,
boxes of food would show up on our door step.
When we had no money to pay my school fees,
we received notifications that the fees had been paid by anonymous donors.
My faith was tested and it grew.

Being a foreigner was difficult, but the spiritual benefits were so much greater.
Eternal hope was worth the endurance.

In my life now, those gifts that God blessed me with during difficult times
are the gifts I rely on in the good times, how sweet is that?
He takes us through the fire and we come out pure!
Sisters, this is a truth we must embed in our hearts!

We must remember as believers, as Sisters in Jesus,
that we don’t need to move to another country to be considered foreigners.
If we claim the name of Jesus, we are spiritual foreigners.
We will suffer and face trials for naming that Name.
Yet, be reminded: suffering for His name is considered sweet suffering, because the rewards it produces are much greater than gold.

So, Ladies let’s cling to greater hope!
Let’s endure!
Together!

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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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