Neighbor

The GT Weekend! ~ Mission Week 1

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The GT Weekend! ~ Mission Week 1

Katelyn Palmer

May 13, 2023

Confession,Faith,Heart,Holiness,Holy Spirit,Legacy,Neighbor,Obedience

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

This Week's Journeys

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Friday's DD

Pray His Words Back To Him!

Romans 12:9-14, 21

Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you…do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Read More Of His Words

Prayer Journal Entry

Yahweh, I find myself in a season of preparation. This season has been stalled, I think, because I have been stubborn in giving You my whole heart, but I want to give it to You now Lord God. (Psalm 31:5)

Create and heal as only You do, Lord; break up my unplowed ground and soften the soil of my heart so I may be fruitful. (Hosea 10:12) Open my eyes to see evidence of Your faithful work in me and the rejoicing that comes after seasons of growth. (John 14:26, Psalm 30:5, 11) I want to become so centered in Your goodness that I sing Your praises and experience joy daily (Psalm 96:2, Romans 15:13) regardless of my circumstance. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

In this season and all seasons, Yahweh, I ask for Your unchanging and unshakable love and protection over me. Father, Your will is always good and Your ways are beyond my ways. (Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 55:8-9) In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Worship Through Song

Journal Prompts

JOURNAL ONE

Carol and Merry pointed together to the multi-faceted aspects of prayer as we studied Matthew 9:37-38 and Jesus’ instruction to pray to the Lord of Harvest for more workers. This is an encouraging and exciting prayer, because it means God is at work in so many hearts that Jesus tells us we must pray for Him to send us help. What a marvelous problem to have! 

After petitioning the Lord of Harvest, we are to pray for God to reveal the hearts He has specifically placed in our path. This is important because it aligns our hearts with God’s mission and we don’t know whose hearts He has been carefully preparing. Sometimes, He calls us to seek out hearts in far-away lands, but more often than not, He calls us to seek the hearts of those next door. (Psalm 96:2-3, Matthew 4:19-20, 1 Peter 3:15-16)

In connection with our prayer time, we love others. We love by reflecting the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives (Galatians 5:22-25), illustrating His transformative power at work in messy humans. Adding to prayer and active love, we use our words to point them to Jesus and speak the truth about His message of hope. We are a mouthpiece (Luke 12:12). The Holy Spirit is the real teacher (John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 2:10).
JOURNAL TWO

Our mission from Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) is centered on Himself; Jesus is the heart of the mission. When our heart is aligned with Jesus’, we allow God to use us to build His kingdom. (2 Timothy 2:21, Isaiah 42:6-7) What privilege it is to be part of God’s plan!

How do we align our hearts with God’s? We meditate on Scripture, turning it over like a diamond in our fingers, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our eyes and our hearts with understanding.

The Holy Spirit will always point to the Father. (John 16:13-15) We must break up the unplowed ground in our lives (Hosea 10:12) and invite the Holy Spirit to prepare the soil of our hearts so we may be fruitful according to God’s heart. (John 15:5, 8) Before Jesus was taken into heaven, He instructed the disciples to stay in Jerusalem until God empowered them with the Holy Spirit.

God did the work, they simply had to stay put. There will be seasons in our lives where God has asked us to be still until He has prepared us for the next step. Those seasons will likely be difficult, but they will bring us closer to God and closer to our purpose.

JOURNAL THREE

Actions offer immediate proof of motivation, desire, priorities, and character. Living out our faith will testify of God’s glory far more deeply than our words ever could. Consistency is the key to effective ministry through action. We must choose daily to live in the Spirit and deny the flesh.

Practically, this looks like clothing ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. (Colossians 3:12-17)

This looks like exercising our divine gifts how and when God calls us. (Ephesians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31)

This looks like doing everything in love. (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)

Our mission from Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) is accomplished by adopting a lifestyle founded on living His heart passion out in real life. Mission work is not a trip to a remote village in the mountains. Mission work is intentionally loving others as Christ loved us. The trip to the remote village is a manifestation of that love.

Once we stop believing the lie that mission work requires uprooting our lives, spending money, or meeting a set of qualifications, we can begin to fulfill Jesus’ mission for us where He put us, with the gifts He gave us, today. 
Tags :
confess,faith,mission,others,purpose,renew
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Mission Day 2 Praying For Purpose: Digging Deeper

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Mission Day 2 Praying For Purpose: Digging Deeper

Merry Ohler

May 9, 2023

Neighbor,Purpose,Rescue,Shepherd

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Praying For Purpose"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 9:35-38

35 Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) What is the “good news of the kingdom” Jesus preached? (verse 35)

Jesus Christ was the Son of the living God (Matthew 6:13-20), Emmanuel (God With Us, Isaiah 7:14), Messiah (John 4:25-26), and King (Zechariah 9:9). Fully God, wrapped fully in flesh, came to earth to bridge the gap sin had caused between created beings and their Creator God. Promised from the moment the Lord God dealt with the introduction of sin in the garden of Eden, the Saviour had been prophesied to God’s chosen family over and over throughout all of time. Every part of Jewish history pointed toward the fulfillment of promise and prophecy.

The “good news of the kingdom” that Jesus would one day preach in person was echoed in every page of Scripture. From that initial curse of Satan and promise that the woman’s offspring would crush him beneath His divine heel (Genesis 3:14-15), to the law delivered to Moses on the mountaintop (Exodus 20-24; 31-35), to the sign of Jonah and his three days in the belly of the great fish (Jonah 1:9-2:10), and countless other types and historical arrows pointing straight to the promised Saviour: Jesus Christ.

The good news of the kingdom Jesus preached was that the promise was indeed fulfilled; their long awaited Saviour had come, and Jesus was He! The law served its intended purpose: to illustrate what sin was, show the holiness of God and the utter un-holiness of people, and demonstrate their desperate need for a Saviour.

They didn’t need to keep trying to save themselves by their own merit, or by tiptoeing their way around countless additional rules manufactured by people and tacked on to God’s law. Just as promised in the moment the serpent was sentenced, Jesus came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:13-20) in the way that human beings never would (Romans 3:21-26), and He did it perfectly.

The Everyday Application

1) What is the “good news of the kingdom” Jesus preached? (verse 35)

As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, it can be embarrassing to admit that the simplicity of the gospel, or the “good news of the kingdom” can be challenging to easily share. When I consider the overarching story of the Gospel written through every page, chapter and book of the Bible, sometimes my words get jumbled. It all seems too big, too wonderful, too miraculous to share in simple terms. But the Holy Spirit is faithful to remind me that the reality of the wonderful mystery of the gospel is simple enough for a child to understand and rich enough to change every aspect in my life, and the lives of all people, if they choose to receive it.

When there is an opportunity to share the gospel, the Holy Spirit will work with us to communicate the good news; we can bring glory to God by sharing the gospel with believers, too. We all need to hear and preach the good news, daily! The good news of the kingdom is this: there is a holy, righteous God, and we can have a personal relationship with Him because of His Son, Jesus Christ. Because of His Word, the Bible, I know I can never do enough, be enough, say enough or give enough to earn my salvation or pay the price for my sins. (Ephesians 2:4)

There is no list of rules or behaviors I can follow to prove my holiness, or right the wrongs I’ve committed. I am a sinner, and I know this because God’s law shows me what sin is. But Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, came to earth as a man. He lived a perfect, sinless life, then laid down His life when He was crucified on a cross to pay the price for my sins and the sins of all people, was buried in a tomb and was resurrected to bodily life three days later. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father, and He also lives through me because I have put all my trust in Him.

This good news changes everything about my life, because it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20-21) 

The Original Intent

2) What is the significance of “sheep without a shepherd,” and why did Jesus feel compassion for the crowds of people? (verse 36)

The reference of crowds of people being compared to sheep without a shepherd would not have been lost on the original readers of Matthew’s gospel. Shepherding was common in that region and age, and the characteristics of sheep would have been inferred and understood easily.

Jesus, and those with Him, knew that sheep are completely dependent upon their shepherd for survival. They knew a shepherd provides for his sheep in every way, from caring for the sheep’s wool and ensuring there are no pests or infestations, to maintaining the sheep’s hooves and ensuring they are able to move without injury or interference. A shepherd leads his sheep to pastures with suitable grazing, protects his flock from predators, and goes after sheep that wander off.

Sheep have strong flocking tendencies, and if one sheep begins to wander, the rest will follow…even if the wandering sheep falls into a ravine or off a cliff. This is why it is so important for the shepherd to retrieve the wayward sheep; it is for that sheep’s safety, but it is also to prevent the rest of the flock from following their fellow sheep into danger.

When Jesus saw the crowds of people, He recognized their humanity, their confusion, and their hopelessness. The Good Shepherd knew that without faithful shepherding, the people were vulnerable and in danger of falling prey to false teaching and a false Gospel. (John 10:11-18)

The Everyday Application

2) What is the significance of “sheep without a shepherd,” and why did Jesus feel compassion for the crowds of people? (verse 36)

Shepherding may not be common in our culture, but it doesn’t require much to look around and recognize the hopelessness, fear, and dejection our peers without Christ feel, does it? Can you imagine navigating a devastating loss, terminal diagnosis, broken marriage, financial ruin, or other earth-shattering life change apart from your Good Shepherd?

Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the mindset that I am self-sufficient and capable of handling the different valleys and challenges life brings my way, but the reality is that we are called to live our lives completely dependent upon Christ for all things. Christ is my provider (Philippians 4:19), my shelter (Psalm 27:5), my protector (1 John 5:18-19). He brings me back when I wander and keeps me from following others who go astray. Day by day, he provides exactly what I need. By the same token, I can trust him to care for His flock when other believers (myself included!) wander astray.

We are called to live in willing responsibility to one another in godly community and hold ourselves accountable to the word of God and each other, but I mustn’t forget the Lord of the harvest is also the Good Shepherd. He sees and knows every need; He alone provides for each one. He knows exactly where His sheep are at all times and He can be trusted for their care, just as I trust Him for mine. 

The Original Intent

3) Why did Jesus tell His disciples to “pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest”? (verse 38)

Throughout His time with the disciples and ministering to people, Jesus repeatedly pointed to God as the one who orchestrated all things. Jesus was fully God, yet Jesus told His disciples He only did what He saw His Father doing. (John 5:19-23) Here, He again pointed to God the Father as Lord of all. In this case, Jesus wasn’t referring to a harvest of wheat, but to a “harvest” of people who were ready to receive the good news of the kingdom. (Matthew 13:24-30)

His words “pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” made several points clear. First, He stated God the Father was the Lord of the harvest. No person could step outside the sovereign rule and reign of the Lord God, even the exact places they lived were under His sovereignty from generation to generation. (Acts 17:26) Promise and prophecy after promise and prophecy, all fulfilled. All pointing to Jesus as Messiah, all perfectly fulfilled in spite of human fallacy and sin by the hand of God alone.

Next, He rightly pointed to God as the only one capable of sending out Gospel-spreaders who would deliver the good news of the kingdom and point a lost and weary people to their true Savior. The commissioning of faithful workers could only come from God Himself. He had prepared the circumstances, He had prepared the people, and He had prepared their Savior. Only He could send out partners who would labor in His field to bring in His harvest.

Last, Jesus affirmed the harvest was God’s alone. No self-righteous additions to God’s law had brought about this turn of events. No devoted Pharisees or Sadducees could claim the ripe hearts of the crowds as the fruit of their labor. This harvest was first and only God’s.

The Everyday Application

3) Why did Jesus tell His disciples to “pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest”? (verse 38)

Jesus only ever did what He saw Father God doing, and He knew it was time to commission the disciples to go and preach the gospel. Jesus exemplified a lifestyle of constant prayer, and He knew God desires for people to partner with Him in prayer. There have been times I have stumbled with getting caught up in the temptation to fixate on my personal “calling” or purpose and have missed accepting the invitation to pray for opportunities to partner with God’s purpose.

It’s not a sin to desire to operate in a certain sphere or field, but when we place such an emphasis on our individual role, it is only a stone’s throw to slip into elevating self over our Savior. As a believer, I trust God will fulfill His ultimate will through my life, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t invitations He extends that I sometimes overlook or ignore. Ultimately, God’s purpose is clear: to spread the good news of His kingdom to all the world and teach new believers to obey Him in everyday life.

He fulfills this through His Church, the family of believers operating together in cooperation with him to further His kingdom and point everyone to Jesus Christ. We can and should partner with Father God in the same way: by praying that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into His harvest!

When we pray in agreement with His will, we can trust that He will fulfill His purpose through us and make us ready workers in his field!

Tags :
evangelism,gospel,mission,prayer,purpose,share
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Mission Day 1
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Early apostle and preacher, Paul, expressed similar encouragement in his letter to the church at Galatia. (Galatians 5:22-26)

We are image-bearers of Christ (Genesis 1:26-27), reflecting Him to our world. This mission isn’t just to get people to Heaven, but to show them the grace and hope they can have as believers while they still inhabit the earth.

This is why we pray for a mission. Pray to our Lord of the Harvest, who sees the fields ripe and needing workers. Pray for workers, pray for a field to work in, pray for open doors and divine appointments to share the Gospel.
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The GT Weekend! ~ Neighbor Week 3

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The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Oh wounded. We hear the word and we feel the ache of our own wounds. We likely don’t need to reach too far back to feel a wound we’ve endured from another. Or, maybe, we call to mind the shame of knowing how we’ve wounded another. This life is fraught with wounds. Kendra brings on our attention to the main character of our Journey Theme, the Samaritan who was a good neighbor to the one who lay wounded and dying on the road. The physical wounded man was overlooked by the religious ones, but there was another wounded man in this story, the Samaritan neighbor. Samaritans lived with mockery and racial slurs constantly attacking them. Yet, he chose love over bitterness. Does that hit you, Sister? It does me. We are not called to only love those who love us back, but those who have wounded us. Who is that for you? How will you love them this week? Maybe it starts with simply a prayer over them. Will you begin?

2) Forgiveness. An easy word for our lips to form, a difficult task for our hearts to live out with authenticity. Whether the offense is a mountain formed over years, or a sharp word spoken just a few hours ago. May I speak from my own life experience for a moment? I’ve realized I just don’t have the ability to forgive. I love myself too much. I like revenge. I like payback that is equal to or greater than what I was served. One pastor helped my heart along significantly by giving me freedom to admit I couldn’t forgive offenses, but Christ in me, He can. When I humble myself before the Lord, when I remember how big of a sinner I am and how much I have been forgiven, Christ fills me with His power to forgive. Who is Lord calling you to forgive through His power?

3) I don’t know about you, but I’m guessing that, like me, you know what it feels like to have unmet expectations by those you love. Frustration springs up quickly for me when I find myself breathing in the air of unmet expectations. I love them, they love me, so why would they not do X or Y or P, L, Q for that matter?! Choosing to pick up love instead of offense is always a choice we have in our relationships. Love is what the Samaritan chose, when he had every reason to keep walking past the man on the road. Though our reasons may be fully justified as to why we should be offended, let’s decide together to pick up the gift of love instead! Oh Lord, help us to love well this week!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Luke 7:41-43 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Prayer Journal
Remind me, oh Lord, of my sin. Not with waves of guilt or condemnation, but to keep before me how rich Your immeasurable mercies of forgiveness are that have been given to me. Clear my eyesight so I can see Your holiness more plainly. Sweep my heart clean of any thoughts of what is owed me because of my own righteousness and flood me with Your love. Cast out fear of judgement and greedy stinginess of pride, and give me anew, every single moment, a greater awareness of Your vast love and deep forgiveness. Let me pour that over those around me with as much gentleness, care, and love that You extend to me. Teach me to love like You, Lord Jesus!

Worship Through Community

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Neighbor Day 13 Wounded One

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 7:36-50
Luke 10:25-37
Romans 5:6-11

Neighbor, Day 13

“Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity”

These words from Hillsong’s “Hosanna” echoed from the walls of a small school cafeteria full of people seeking Jesus one bright, Palm Sunday morning.

God was already working in my heart before those words even left my mouth as I sang along.

The morning before, I’d run through my normal Saturday routine and headed to a nearby coffee shop to join some of the best women I know as we dove into God’s Word.

I happened to arrive a little early, so I ordered my breakfast and had a seat to kill some time.

Opening Facebook for what I thought would be a mindless scroll, I ran across an article about a 5-year-old boy who was thrown from the 3rd floor of the Mall of America by a random man. There wasn’t much information available, because authorities still were unclear on many details. Normally, I would read the article, think something like, “Oh that’s so sad” and move on, but for some reason, I was prompted to delve further.

I looked up several different articles and then unwittingly dove into the comments section on Facebook. People were commenting with prayers for the young boy and his family, for healing and peace and comfort. I was heartened to see the support pouring out for this family in their time of crisis.

Yet, what really struck me were the comments about the young man who’d allegedly thrown the boy. Comments abounded regarding what an evil person he was, and vengefully suggesting people violently take matters into their own hands. As I read, I felt convicted to pray for the accused man. So, throughout the rest of the day, I prayed.

The next morning, as our setup team for our little plant church gathered for prayer, I continued to feel burdened to pray for everyone involved in the tragedy. As I shared about how this man was God’s creation and needed healing and Jesus just as much as any of us, tears flowed uncontrollably from my eyes. The depth of my reaction surprised me, but I knew it was a sign of the Holy Spirit working within me.

The rest of the morning I was a mess, crying during prayer and as I spoke with others, all outward signs of God breaking my heart for what breaks His. Opening up my eyes to the things unseen. Showing me how to love like He has loved me.

Jesus spoke often on forgiveness and its power to completely change a person’s life; the parable of the man who was forgiven much in Luke 7 is an amazing example. If you’ve ever been subject to debt, imagine how grateful you would feel if it was completely paid at no expense to you. 

What if extravagant forgiveness was shown to the young man from the Mall Of America incident? What if, instead of all of those hateful, vengeful remarks, the comments were filled with words of compassion and forgiveness for this man? Imagine how his life might have changed.

None of us deserves forgiveness. Regardless of the ranking system we humans have erroneously developed for sin, all sin deserves God’s wrath. And yet through the death and resurrection of Jesus, forgiveness is ours. All of our debts, past present, and future are paid.

That man at the Mall of America could be any of us, one snap or mental health breakdown from wreaking havoc on another life, community, or ourselves.

So, before we are quick to condemn today, let’s ask ourselves if that person could use forgiveness.
If they could use love and an encouraging word instead of ridicule and condemnation.
If they need Jesus.
Because don’t we all?

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

Neighbor Day 12 The Neighbor Who Wounds: 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 Neighbor Who Wounds!

The Questions

1) How do I love my neighbor as I love myself?

2) Why is it important to show mercy to others?

3) What must we do to inherit eternal life, as the expert in the law asked?

Luke 10:25-37

Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”

28 “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. 34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’

36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”
37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said.  Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”

Original Intent

1) How do I love my neighbor as I love myself?
In the book of Leviticus, God gave Moses the laws of holiness for the Israelites to follow.  One of them, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), is mentioned again in Luke 10:27 when a teacher of the law suggests to Jesus how he might inherit eternal life by following this law. The teacher mentions this command along with the great command to love God with all your heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5) The Old Testament command to love your neighbor as yourself is very similar to the Golden Rule, found in Matthew 7:12, “Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Pastor John Piper suggests, “Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves is the visible expression and manifestation and practical completion and fulfillment of all that the Old Testament was about, including love for God.”  We show God love when we love others with the love of God.  We love God well when we love all those He loves, no matter what.  As author David Guzik explains, “my neighbor is the one who others might consider my enemy. My neighbor is the one with a need right in front of me.”  To love your neighbor as yourself is to treat other people the way you want them to treat you.  It is to reach out to the one near you, no matter what she looks like or what she believes, and give her the same treatment you would hope to receive from her.

2) Why is it important to show mercy to others?
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan in answer to a question from a lawyer. If the law says to love your neighbor as yourself, then how do you define neighbor? (Luke 10:29) Jesus tells of a Samaritan who stopped to help a Jewish man beaten by robbers, even though two Jewish religious leaders passed by without helping. The Jews and Samaritans had a long history of hatred between them. As Robert Deffinbaugh explains, “When the Assyrians defeated Israel, they dispersed the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom among the Gentile nations.  They also brought foreigners into the land of Israel to re-populate the land.  The result was a half-breed race (half Jewish, half Gentile) that populated the Northern Kingdom of Israel from then on.”  So, even though Samaritans were hated by Jewish people, the Samaritan in the parable had compassion on the wounded man.  When Jesus asked who was the neighbor in this story, the lawyer answered, “The one who showed mercy to him.” (Luke 10:37) As author Albert Barnes notes, “His Jewish prejudice [against Samaritans] would not permit him to name the Samaritan.”  Why would the Samaritan help when the two Jewish leaders would not?  He helped because he was merciful. It is just as important for us to show mercy in our daily lives, because Jesus has given mercy to us.  As author Scott Sauls notes, “We make it our aim to love as we have been loved by Jesus, to show mercy as we have been shown mercy by Jesus, and to bear burdens as our burdens have been borne by Jesus.”  We love and show mercy because God loves us and is merciful to us.  When we reach out in mercy in the name of Jesus, we are declaring the mercy of our Savior.

3) What must we do to inherit eternal life, as the expert in the law asked?
In Luke 10:25, we meet a teacher of the law (some versions refer to him as a lawyer) who asks Jesus a question, “Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” According to author Thomas Constable, “the term inherit had a particular significance for Jewish readers distinguishing a special way of receiving eternal life. (Matthew 5:5; Matthew 19:29; Matthew 25:34). However, Gentile readers for whom Luke wrote would have regarded it as synonymous with obtaining eternal life (Mark 10:17). Eternal life is the equivalent of spiritual salvation and included entrance into the messianic kingdom.”  Peter Pett echoes this, pointing out that “Canaan had been Israel’s inheritance. But now that inheritance is replaced by ‘eternal life,’ the life of the age to come, life under the Kingly Rule of God. That now was what all Israel sought for.” For Jewish people at this time, gaining eternal life was not about living forever but rather about living a godly life and following God’s laws completely. This is seen in the teacher’s answer when Jesus throws the question back to him in Luke 10:27 by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”  As author Peter Pett explains, “The Scribe points first to the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:5), which was repeated twice daily by every pious orthodox Jew, and was borne by many on the forehead in a leather pouch at the hour of prayer.”  The last part of his answer came from Leviticus 19:18.  Jesus knew that there was no way to love God perfectly and love others apart from knowing God, which was why He came to earth.  He came to give us a way to live in His kingdom while we are on earth and when we go to heaven.

Everyday Application

1) How do I love my neighbor as I love myself?
I want to see myself like the hero of the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37.     After all, I am compassionate and caring, but sometimes I am more like the clergymen who ignored the dying man. Too often I choose not to see some of my neighbors in need.  According to author Christine Caine, loving our neighbor is a “decision we must make to open our eyes, take notice, elevate our thinking, and reach out to meet the needs of those around us.”  We don’t get to decide who God wants us to love, He wants us to show love to everyone! Sometimes it seems easier to love those who look and talk like me, whose ways I understand. John Wesley cautioned us against displaying “insensibility for all the human race, but a small number whose sentiments and practices are so much our own, that our love to them is but self- love reflected.” I want to love the neighbor God puts in my path the way I would love myself because I love God. That will not just be the neighbor who is like me or who is convenient to love, though it includes her. While it is not possible to care for the needs of everyone, it is possible to reach out to those around me where I am right now.  That means the widow at book club who is falling into depression, the single mom getting resources from the food pantry, and the refugee family at school who seems overwhelmed and afraid.  If they are within my reach, they are my neighbor.

2) Why is it important to show mercy to others?
Once, as a child, I was playing with two cousins when we had the idea to throw rocks at birds’ nests.  We were having fun until we knocked a nest from a low-hanging branch and found a chirping baby bird inside.  We were devastated! We tried to return the bird and the remains of the nest back to the safety of its limb, but we couldn’t.  We ran crying to our parents, and each child was punished.  I could hear how the others’ punishments were going with lots of yelling and crying.  However, my parents gently discussed with me what had happened and why it was wrong. They could have punished me severely, as my cousins’ parents did them, but instead they showed mercy, though I didn’t deserve it. I deserved to be punished for destroying a bird’s nest and leaving the hatchling with no way to survive.  My parents felt my sorrow had taught me a more valuable lesson than severe punishment could. This reminds me of the fact that “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end.  They are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)  When Jesus told the story of the merciful Good Samaritan, He told the listeners to be like the Good Samaritan and “go and do the same”. (Luke 10:37) We must be merciful because people need to know about the merciful Savior who desires to save them from the punishment they deserve. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:4-5 that “God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. . .”.  When we show mercy, we are reflecting the love and mercy shown to us by God whose mercy triumphs over judgment! (James 2:13)

3) What must we do to inherit eternal life, as the expert in the law asked?
The verse in Luke 10:25, can be confusing because the teacher of the law asks what he can do to inherit eternal life.  To me that sounds like he is trying to earn his way to heaven.  It is reminiscent of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17 who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. In Luke, the teacher mentions the two great commandments, to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27) In Mark, Jesus mentions the Ten Commandments and selling all to come follow Jesus. (Mark 10:19-21)  Both answers dismay the petitioners because, as author David Guzik points out, “It is clear enough what it means to love God with all we are, though it is impossible to do completely.”  Jesus is not suggesting the men can earn a spot in heaven with their good behavior.  Instead, He is pointing out the fact that He has come to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17) so they do not need to do the impossible, which is to be perfect. In John 5:39-40, Jesus says, “You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me. But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.”  When we accept the life Jesus offers, we have life abundant here on earth and life forever in heaven.  With the help of Jesus, we can love God and love others.  We can give sacrificially and serve God with abandon because of His strength empowering us.  We don’t need to struggle to obey all the rules and follow all the laws because we know His righteousness covers us. We just need to accept Jesus and allow Him to work through us, giving us an empowered life.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with The Neighbor Who Wounds!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Neighbor Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Neighbor Day 11 The Neighbor Who Wounds

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 10:25-37
Luke 9:51-53
Luke 4:14-30

Neighbor, Day 11

“The one who showed mercy…” 

I read “wounded” and my heart reels.

I know wounded.
I know slowly retreating to care for the deep cuts and sharp blows I’ve endured.
I know sprinting away from the lashes against me.
I know wounds so deep they begin to look healed on the outside, but still throb and gape.
I know wounded, friend.

I bet you do, too.
But no one knows wounded quite like our Jesus. 

In Luke 10, Jesus tells a fictional story about a Jewish traveler attacked by robbers and left for dead.

Wounded. 

Two men passed by the nearly lifeless body, a priest and a Levite, both religious and both the same race as the wounded man, but they didn’t stop.
They saw him, and they chose to look away.

Wounded. 

Then a Samaritan man enters the scene.
The original audience of the story possessed the context to understand this Samaritan man was wounded, too. But, like so many of us, his wounds weren’t visible.

At the time Jesus told this parable, Samaritans and Jews had a long-standing rivalry, spanning hundreds of years. Due to the mixed Assyrian and Jewish genealogy of Samaritans, Jews resented Samaritans’ “impure blood line” and often treated them like trash.

We know from a true story in Scripture that Jews and Samaritans never interacted with one another (John 4:9), and even Jesus wasn’t received by Samaritans when He was heading into Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51-53)

We don’t know the kind of ridicule this Samaritan endured from Jews, but undoubtedly, the hatred seething from the Jewish community cut him deeply.

Wounded.

Yet, we see the Samaritan man, wounded by the Jews, breaking barriers of racism by caring for the physically wounded Jewish man.

We’ve all been wounded.
Maybe, like the Jewish man, we’ve been physically and emotionally wounded from abuse.
Maybe, like the Jewish man, we’ve been spiritually wounded by “religion” and people in leadership positions who’ve told us we’re too dirty and too damaged to be worth helping.
Maybe, like the Samaritan, we’ve been wounded by society, or racial and economic barriers.
Or maybe we’ve been wounded by something else….
friends, family, business deals, jobs, the government. 

But Jesus?
He was wounded by it all. 

He took on the sins of the world when He suffered on the cross,
eventually dying from the extreme torture He endured.
He was wounded physically and emotionally.

He was wounded by the religion bearing the same name as His nationality,
and He – who IS God – was killed by the religious people who claimed to worship God.

Jesus knows wounded, friend.

He knows the sharp pains piercing our hearts by betrayal. (Luke 22:3-6)
He knows the hurt embedded in us when grief becomes part of our story. (John 11:32-36)
He knows the rejection of people who have loved us and known us for our entire lives. (Luke 4:14-30)

Jesus knows wounded.

Because Jesus knew wounded so well, because He allowed Himself to be wounded beyond recognition, so badly He eventually died …

We don’t have to live a wounded life.
We have hope.

So, what do we do about the people who hurt us?
What do we do with this story about a wounded man loving another wounded man?
How do we love those who have wounded us?

Mercy.
Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. 

The Samaritan had every excuse to ignore the beaten man on the side of the road. This Jewish man had spent his entire life scoffing and scorning Samaritans, believing they were a lesser people, unwanted by God. And even if he didn’t believe it, his people did.

No one would’ve been surprised if the Samaritan kept walking.

But mercy.

Mercy isn’t just the Samaritan’s compassion, but the forgiveness he displayed toward a man he could’ve left for dead.

Mercy is the forgiveness God offers to us, even though we deserve death.

Mercy is hard, isn’t it?
I get a knot in my stomach just thinking about loving the people who inflicted my deepest wounds.

Friends, I cannot go on without emphasizing that forgiveness and even love are completely possible while still maintaining strong boundaries.

Sometimes, you can love someone best by enforcing boundaries, and forgiveness does not mean boundaries must be removed or even lowered. Abusive and toxic relationships can cause some of our deepest wounds, and we can forgive abusers while still protecting ourselves.

I want to be “the one who showed mercy”. (Luke 10:37)
I want to live ready to show compassion and offer forgiveness to people who have wounded me. I want to love my neighbors, even the ones who have wounded me.

Merciful love is going to take all of me, and all of you.
It’s going to take all of our strength.
But it’s worth the struggle because of
Jesus, the One who showed us mercy.
If He can be merciful to us, surely, with His strength, we can extend mercy to others.

We, too, can be . . . the ones who show mercy. 

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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!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Neighbor!

The GT Weekend! ~ Neighbor Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Sara helps us view our work through the perspective that we each provide a service of one kind of another. Whether grandmother, neighborhood quilt lady, school bus driver, or nail salon technician, we all provide a service to others. Consider the roles you actively serve in your everyday life. When was the last time someone noticed your work and encouraged you in it? Think back through those feelings and that scenario. What made it impactful for you? Now consider who are those providing a common service around you who you may have a tendency to overlook? The trash removers? The cashier? The bank teller? The postal worker? Your spouse? Your boss? Pray over these people!! Ask the Lord to give you a heart to love them as neighbors!

2) Rebekah identifies isolation and busyness as the culprits working against her when it comes to intentionally recognizing the people who are so close to her. While she regularly sees these people, she admits to knowing very little about them. Good intentions of offers to connect and build relationship slam hard against Isolation and Busyness. Closing the garage door is easier than crossing the street. What if we decided to re-arrange our schedules to allow space to engage our neighbors, the ones we “see”, but decide aren’t worth the investment? Suppose we, collectively, chose to take off the glasses that insist our plans must be prioritized over that text message to a neighbor or the decision to walk across the lawn and ask how we can pray for someone, or maybe even ask what they are having for dinner. Pray over who the Lord wants you to connect with, then step out and fight against Isolation and Busyness for the sake of the gospel!

3) We all have a story. We all know this is true. Every person we meet, at the store, in our neighborhood, driving down the road, standing next to in the parent pick-up-line at school, or sitting beside at church. Heavy baggage. Wounds. Heartache. Triumphs. Victories won. Loss experienced. And every story matters to the Lord. He saw the bleeding woman in the crowd (who didn’t want to be seen), and wanted her to feel known and loved. This was Christ’s mission, for all to be known and accept His precious gift of love for them. It’s one thing to say we love people. It’s another to sit with someone who aches, listen to their story, and reflect the love of the Savior in that present moment. Maybe it’s your child, or your spouse, or a friend you’ve lost touch with, or maybe it’s a perfect stranger, but the Lord is calling you to lean in and love well. Who will you be a neighbor to this week?!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

Prayer Journal
I don’t mean to indifferent, Lord. I just truly don’t see them. All the people around me; I don’t really see them. I certainly don’t see them the way You do. It’s too easy to think about my problems, my relationship dynamics, the ways I feel I’m walking in circles, my losses, or the ways my needs aren’t being met. I confess, Lord, I often don’t see those around me as being real people. Broken people. People with just as many hurts and needs and broken stuff in their lives as I do. Father, I plead with You to break my heart for them. Open my eyes, Lord Jesus. Refuse to let me stay blinded to them, because You see every person uniquely and with tender love. You know their stories; they matter to You, just as my own stories, struggles, and triumphs do. Teach my tongue to speak Your truth and love over them. I know You’re already giving me opportunity to love them, help me to step out in obedience to share hope!

Worship Through Community

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Neighbor Day 9 Reaching Beyond Isolation: 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 Reaching Beyond Isolation!

The Questions

1) Why is this lawyer asking questions of Jesus?

2) Although Jesus never directly answers the man’s question, what can we gather from His answer about our neighbors?

3) During the story Jesus told, He used three characters; what is the importance of the three characters He used?

4) Why is Jesus’ command at the end so important then and today?

Luke 10: 25-37

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Original Intent

1) Why is this lawyer asking questions of Jesus?
There were many who questioned Jesus throughout his ministry, especially religious leaders of the day, as well as those who simply did not understand what Jesus was doing. In the verses just before this passage Jesus is celebrating with a group He has empowered and sent out to do to ministry. They are celebrating over the work that has been accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit through them. As they rejoice, Jesus reminds them there will be those who will not understand, nor see, or hear as they do. On the heels of that conversation, this lawyer stands up and asks, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”. In Jesus’ answer, Jesus emphasizes His point to the disciple about people missing the message of hope even though they are hearing it. While the lawyer answers the question according to the law, he entirely misses the point Jesus was making, which why the lawyer follows up with another question, “And who is my neighbor?”. Luke tells us the lawyer seeks to justify his own actions by seeking a point of clarification rather than embracing the fullness of hope Jesus offers.

2) Although Jesus never directly answers the man’s question, what can we gather from His answer about our neighbors?
Jesus tells a story, called a parable, to answer the lawyer’s question. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus used them often to answers questions such as these. Through this story we gather that, as follower of Christ, we should show compassion, mercy, and hospitality to our neighbors. We can also understand that our neighbor isn’t just the person who lives next door to us, but rather anyone we happen upon in our goings and comings, whether they are permanent fixtures in our life, or just in our lives for a season.

3) During the story Jesus told, He used three characters; what is the importance of the three characters He used?
Although the three characters may have little connection to present day, when Jesus was telling this story His three characters had significant impact on His audience. The priest and Levites were the Jewish religious leaders of the day who had great knowledge of the Law of God and were regarded as the leaders of the Jewish people, both politically and spiritually. The Samaritans where considered “half-breeds”, outcast, even unclean by the Jewish people because they were descendants from the Jews who had married women during the time of the establishment of northern kingdom when the ten northern tribes separated from Judah. The children who came from these marriages were not fully Jewish, rather only half Jew, which was a disgrace beyond reconciling in the eyes of Jewish people and Jewish leaders. This family lineage made them “less than” in the eyes of those who had two Jewish parents. Jesus used this cultural resistance to the Samaritans to prove a point to Jewish listeners and break down cultural barriers that existed at that time.

4) Why is Jesus’ command at the end so important then and today?
When Jesus told stories of this nature there was intentionality and purpose behind them. In this case, He uses this story to form to activate those listening to go and follow in the footsteps of the Samaritan. His command is simple, Go and do. The importance of this is found in the simplicity of the command. Two thousand plus years have come and gone, but the command of Christ remains to show mercy, be intentional, and show hospitality to those around you, regardless of who you are, or who they are, in the eyes of the world.

Everyday Application

1) Why is this lawyer asking questions of Jesus?
Some people ask questions because they are truly seeking an answer and desire greater understanding, and some ask questions with the intent to justify their own actions because they know what should be done, but are instead trying to find a “loop-hole” around it. As we read this passage, we should take note of our hearts before the Lord. When God moves us to speak to our neighbor or talk to the person behind the counter as we check out at the grocery story, our first response should not be one of questioning and finagling around the situation, but rather one of obedience much like the Samaritan. Questions are not wrong, if our intent is true wonder and deeper understanding rather than justification of our actions. Intentionality, even in our questions, could open our eyes to see and our ears to hear in new ways.  Do we desire loop-holes or obedience?

2) Although Jesus never directly answers the man’s question, what can we gather from His answer about our neighbors?
It is much easier to move through life if the world were always structural defined with obvious black and white lines rather than gray. Giving specific definition to who our neighbors are with names and places would make it much easier. As we read the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus answer is quite clear. Setting aside cultural differences and societal status, our neighbor is everyone we encounter. Every encounter is an opportunity for expressing the gospel in love, and that is the simple answer Jesus was giving through a detailed story. Our purpose is to be on point for Him and be imitators of Him regardless of who crosses our path (Philippians 2:5).

3) During the story Jesus told, He used three characters; what is the importance of the three characters He used?
Jesus, the Messiah, the Emmanuel, the bringing of salvation, came to break down barriers, changes lives, and help us see differently than the world. He empowers us to have open eyes to those who are different from us, to those who believe differently than us, and those who look different as well. There are no barriers when the Gospel is present. May our prayer be to follow Him despite the barriers the world, or even we, put in the way. May our eyes be open to see as He sees and love like He loves!

4) Why is Jesus’ command at the end so important then and today?
In our busyness, we create obstacles with our schedules and our time. The simplicity of the gospel is evident in Jesus command to go and do. In the Great Commission, His words were very similar: go, make disciples, baptize, and teach them. What’s interesting in Jesus’ story is that the Samaritan man wasn’t putting on a great production or doing something special in his everyday life when he encountered the wounded man. He happened up a man on the road and helped him. An injured man entered his world, and he had a choice to make. Much like the Samaritan, we have people constantly entering into our lives and we too have a choice to make just like he did. God, changer of lives, can use anybody to impact this world for Him, we must make the choice to let Him work through us!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Reaching Beyond Isolation!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Neighbor Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Neighbor Day 8 Reaching Beyond Isolation

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 10:25-37
Matthew 28:18-20
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Psalm 139:1-6

Neighbor, Day 8

I look out my window and see her walking to her mailbox. I suddenly realize we have now lived in this house, next door to this lady and her family, for a whole year, yet I know very little about her.

I’ve certainly never invited her over for tea or coffee like I intended. All I really know about her is she is a fellow homeschool mom. Embarrassingly, I don’t even know how many children she homeschools.

Perhaps you can relate to this scenario. Sadly, it’s an incredibly common one in our age of isolation and busyness. But common though it may be, it is a far cry from what God intended for us.

From Genesis 2:18, when God first declares it is not good for man to be alone, to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, which speaks of the sad danger of doing life in isolation, we see God created us as relational humans, designed to do life in community.

Not only that, but a crucial aspect of the Christian life is seeking to fulfill the Great Commission, which centers around relationships and living an invitational, hospitable life.

But we have allowed busyness to creep in.
We have allowed to-do lists, expectations, and goals
to crowd in and crowd out
long teatime chats, visits, hospitality, and potluck dinners with friends and strangers alike.

We may not realize, however, how foundational prayer is to reaching our neighbors with the love, light, and good news of Christ. Scratching tasks off the to-do list, or removing events from our calendars, in an attempt to make space for discipleship is a good first step, but it won’t get the job done. Even purposing to “do better” and be more hospitable in the future leaves us relying on our own efforts.

Instead, effective discipleship is a living, moving partnership with the Father,
and it all starts with prayer.

4 Prayers to Pray As We Seek to Reach Our Neighbors

1. Pray for eyes to see and a heart to care.
We all have neighbors with whom we have barely had a complete conversation, let alone made time to build deep and authentic connections. Often, this stems from a lack of understanding of the huge importance of befriending our neighbors and sharing the love of Christ.

So, let’s pray for understanding hearts, ones who care more deeply for those around us than we do for our own comfort, convenience, or daily agenda. Then, pray for eyes to truly see those around us, eyes not fixed on our own busyness and to-do list, but rather on the people the Lord has placed in our communities. Let’s ask for God’s vision for reaching our neighbors. He will undoubtedly answer our prayers!

2. Pray for opportunities to reach out, and the fortitude and intentionality to follow through.
Once our hearts are in the right place, we can pray for opportunities to build relationships with our neighbors. Those around us are often just as busy as we are, so unless we are praying for open doors and for the will to intentionally take advantage of the opportunities when they do arise, they may just slip by unnoticed. As we work to build trust, our consistency and follow-through are key.

3. Pray for receptive hearts.
We don’t know what our neighbors are currently going through or what their worldview may be, but God does. We can ask His Spirit to touch their hearts and make them receptive not only to our invitations to get together, but also to the words He leads us to speak.

4. Pray for God to speak His powerful, incisive words through us.
Lastly, let’s cover those anticipated conversations in prayer. Let’s ask for His wisdom and discernment to guide our words. Finally, we can seek the Lord’s blessing on our efforts to genuinely connect with, love, and serve our communities.

And then sit back and watch what He does with your willingness to obey and live out His great commission, right where you are, in your very own neighborhood!

It can feel rather uncomfortable to reach out to people we don’t even know. But it is part of our Great Commission from our Lord, and it is worth the awkwardness it may take to get there!

Step out in faith and obedience, and the Lord will do the rest!

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Neighbor Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Neighbor!