Paul

Run Day 3 For This Reason

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Run Day 3 For This Reason

Carol Graft

March 5, 2025

Faith,Gospel,Grace,Longing,Pain,Paul,Produce

Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 3:1-7
Hebrews 6:19-20
Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Timothy 1:15-17

“But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:16)

I could have given up multiple times on my race of faith. Not seriously given up on life itself, but given up on hope, given up on following Christ. 

No matter how hard we try, we cannot journey through life without some hits, scars, betrayals, losses, and hurts. This world has been a fallen and broken place since Genesis 3. Yet, as Christ-followers, we sometimes expect our lives will be different and we will enjoy pain-free living. To this, Jesus says, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33)

Based on Jesus’ words, we know our lives won’t be perfect, but knowing this truth doesn’t remove the hard nature of loss and struggle. 

And yet, God. 

Even in our doubts, even in our messes, God still shows up. 

The Apostle Paul faced this realization himself. Originally on a mission to destroy Christ-followers, he was shown abundant mercy by God. (Acts 9) He realized he was ignorant not of the law, but of grace. Paul was so steeped in tradition, he couldn’t reconcile his expectations of the Messiah with the real Jesus and His disciples. Until Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, that is! (Acts 9:3-6) 

Demonstrating His extraordinary patience, God extended grace and mercy to Paul.

He will do the same for you and me, dear sister. 

Hopefully, we don’t often require a Damascus road moment in our own lives, but we always require mercy and grace! Even more importantly, we need to know mercy and grace are already available even if we don’t readily recognize or acknowledge them. 

Recently, I have been struggling. Many difficult life circumstances have stacked upon one another. I confess I have questioned, “God, do You see me? Where are You in this?”  

But then I experienced a little glimpse of the Lord, and a bit of the weight on my shoulders began to lift. 

Have you ever found yourself there? I have lived as a Christ-follower for over 40 years. If, even after all that time, I sometimes see my faith and hope as tenuous, I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I weren’t following Him. 

In the middle of life’s hardest moments, He extends His grace and mercy to every one of us and desires for us to receive His salvation. 

“This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners [.]’” (1 Timothy 1:15)

Understanding this can change how we view everyone and everything. Even in the hard times, even when we struggle to remember, we have this hope at the center of our world. His name is Jesus. 

1 Timothy 1 goes on to say  in verse 17, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 

He is our true Hope. 
He is the eternal King, ruling yesterday, today, and forever. 
He is immortal, living forever and bestowing upon us the gift of eternal life through Him. 
He is invisible to us now, though we will one day be face to face with Him. 
He is the only God, the only Savior, the only way, the only truth, the only hope we have. 

Those who do not have Christ as their anchor, however, are like ships tossed to and fro by the waves of the storm. (Hebrews 6:19-20, Ephesians 2:12-13)

In choosing to follow Christ, we are recipients of so much grace. (John 1:14-17) 

Every single day.

Perhaps you were running late leaving the house but were spared an accident on the road. 

Maybe a fractured relationship has been repaired. Or maybe it wasn’t, but there was no trickle-down effect.

Maybe finances were provided at just the right time.

Regardless of your background or how large or small your sin, Christ came for you and desires to have you with Him in eternity. 

Understanding our reason and our reward for running this race (2 Timothy 4:7-8) leads us to proclaim:
“Blessing, and honor, glory and power to the King.”  (1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 7:12)

How do we access His grace and mercy for this race, a race which the “great cloud of witnesses” ran before us? (Hebrews 12:1)

We devote ourselves to worship. 
We read or listen to the Word.
We spend time with fellow sojourners who have walked with Christ longer than us.
We do not forget to simply seek Jesus. 

Dear sisters, run to Him and run with Him. 

Tags :
comfort,grace,mercy,peace,struggle
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Run, Day 4
Digging Deeper

Paul loves to tell the story of how Jesus changed his life, and as he impresses his story again on Timothy, he highlights the purpose of Christ’s mercy applied to his sin-wrecked self.

Of course, our salvation is meant to rescue our own souls from the eternal condemnation of Hell and eternal suffering because of our own choice to sin.

But, with Jesus, there is always more purpose and plan to unfold.
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Run Day 2 Mercifully Appointed: Digging Deeper

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Run Day 2 Mercifully Appointed: Digging Deeper

Rachel Jones

March 4, 2025

Hope,Joy,Kingdom,Legacy,Meaning,Paul,Power,Redeemed

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 "Mercifully Appointed"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Timothy 1:12-15

I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry—13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man.

But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) Why did Jesus strengthen Paul despite his former blasphemy and persecution? (verses 12-13)

Paul thanks “Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me because He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief”. (1 Timothy 1:12-13) God had a plan and purpose for Paul that would stop him in his tracks and cause him to do an about face. (Acts 9:3-9)

In his ignorance and unbelief, Paul viciously persecuted Christians. God’s plan called for Paul to make Christians out of unbelieving Gentiles by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus. (Acts 9:15) God knew that a redeemed Paul could draw countless people to Him because of the attention his testimony would garner. (Acts 17:10) Having a former blasphemer proclaim the cross of Christ would be proof of the redeeming power of Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:7)

It would get the attention of religious Jews while also attracting unbelieving Gentiles. Thomas Schreiner suggests, “In the fullness of time the Lord raised up Paul as the theologian of the new missionary endeavor. […] He grasped that the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ fulfilled the promise given to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through Abraham’s seed.” (Genesis 22:18)

Paul was unquestionably knowledgeable about Old Testament prophecies, and God opened his eyes to the Truth of how Jesus fulfilled those prophecies, then filled him with His Spirit effectively equipping him to share the Truth of Christ.

Jesus does the same for us as he did for Paul! He calls us to walk in His Ways (1 John 1:7), He gives us the command to make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19), and He gives us the same Spirit of power to accomplish His mission (John 14:26)!

The Everyday Application

1) Why did Jesus strengthen Paul despite his former blasphemy and persecution? (verses 12-13)

In the classic novel, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, my favorite passage is when the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, wakes up on Christmas morning with a whole new perspective on life. He went to bed on Christmas Eve devoid of hope and filled with bitterness. After being visited in dreams by the Spirit of Christmas past, present, and future, he woke up with a heart full of joy and expectation.

Ebenezer spent all of Christmas Eve with a grumpy “bah, humbug” on his lips, and he woke up wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! Each person who encountered him on Christmas day was amazed by the transformation. He was a completely different person. This radical metamorphosis is reminiscent of the conversion of Paul, who relished persecuting Christians until he encountered the Truth of Jesus.

Paul’s conversion made him into the very thing he had once hated, a follower of Christ. Paul recognized that God did not hold his former mistakes against him, but rather allowed him to walk in the ways God had planned for him. (1 Timothy 1:12-13) Instead of regretting all his mistakes and misdeeds, Paul embraced God’s grace and His will moving forward.

Paul was “saved by grace and continued to minister by grace. He was saved by the power of the Spirit and ministered by the power of the Spirit. He daily depended on divine enablement. Paul understood that the service he carried out for the Lord was supernaturally enabled”. (PreceptAustin.org)

We are easily tripped up by our past blunders and allow shame and regret to keep us from moving forward into God’s plans for our lives. May we, like Paul, fully accept the grace and forgiveness God offers and rely on His power to move into the purposes He has planned for us! (Ephesians 1:11)

The Original Intent

2) How did God’s grace, faith, and love overflow to Paul? (verse 14)

In discussing his conversion to Christianity, Paul wrote, “The grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus”. (verse 14) Paul rejoiced that God extended His grace to set Paul free from sin (Romans 3:24), allowing Paul to share God’s grace and love with others (Acts 28:30).

Charles Ellicott explains that Paul “sums up the divine mercy showed to him in the three words: grace, faith, and love. Grace, the unspeakable gift of God to him; faith and love, the results of the exceeding abundant gift of grace.” Paul was overcome by this grace of God which he had done nothing to earn.

In fact, Paul took pride and pleasure in hunting down and harming any who professed to be saved by Jesus. When God physically and audibly intervened in Paul’s life (Acts 22:11), Jesus’ unmerited grace overcame Paul, drastically altering his life forever. Paul was amazed to find out how wrong he had been, but even more astounded that Jesus loved him anyway! (1 John 4:19)

Robert W. Yarbrough suggests, “Grace gushed across Paul’s blasphemy and violence like water scouring offal from a polluted floor, cleansing him from those and all other transgressions.” What a blessing to know that God’s grace and love overflow to each one of us, just as they did to Paul. (Romans 5:20)

The Everyday Application

2) How did God’s grace, faith, and love overflow to Paul? (verse 14)

In my teaching career and various children’s ministry roles, I frequently heard the backhanded compliment, “You are nicer than I would be in that situation”, or “you have more patience than I would” with certain students. Their implication was that I should be stricter on misbehavior than I was.

I have a few former students (and some offspring!) who think I am plenty tough, but in general I try to err on the side of grace, providing do-overs and encouragement to work more diligently next time rather than throwing the book at someone who breaks the rules. My gentle approach can perturb personalities who highly value procedure and rigorous adherence to guidelines, but I endeavor to build relationships with students above emphasizing rule following when the situation warrants.

Children can be very literal, black and white thinkers with a profound sense of justice. A child who experiences grace when they are expecting consequences can truly appreciate when they don’t receive the punishment they know they deserve. It can be a way to introduce Paul’s message of how “the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus”. (1 Timothy 1:14)

When Paul finally recognized the divinity of Christ, he realized how immense his sin was against the Lord. Instead of being overcome by this reality, Paul found God’s grace overflowed to him. Despite having made the persecution of Christians his life’s work, God forgave Paul and overwhelmed him with the grace and love of His Savior.

Where he expected judgment, Paul received mercy (James 2:13) and that outpouring of grace catapulted Paul into another world. Paul’s new reality freed him to a place where Paul’s singular aim was to lead other people to experience Christ’s lavish grace for themselves. (Colossians 1:28-9)

The Original Intent

3) Why does Paul say he is the worst sinner? (verse 15)

Paul wrote, “This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them”. Paul acknowledged that without God’s grace he was absolutely nothing. Before Jesus reached him, Paul was actively fighting against God’s Kingdom, blaspheming Jesus and persecuting Christ’s followers, a sin he now saw as abhorrent. This may be part of the reason he called himself the worst of sinners.

David Guzik asserts, “Paul felt – rightly so – that his sins were worse because he was responsible for the death, imprisonment, and suffering of Christians, whom he persecuted before his life was changed by Jesus.” (Acts 8:3, Acts 9:1-2, 1 Corinthians 15:9, Galatians 1:13, Philippians 3:6)

Paul’s self-identification as “the worst sinner” amplified the radical change Jesus had made in his life. Whereas he once prided himself as an erudite, respectable Jew doing God’s work, he now saw his former life as sinful in the light of God’s glory and grace. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Donald Guthrie states, “Paul never got away from the fact that Christian salvation was intended for sinners, and the more he increased his grasp of the magnitude of God’s grace, the more he deepened the consciousness of his own naturally sinful state, until he could write of whom I am [worst].”

The more Paul experienced and realized the enormity of God’s love and grace, the more it magnified the sins he committed against God. Paul was overwhelmed with how magnanimous His God was in the face of Paul’s great sin. He felt like the worst sinner in comparison to God’s extravagant, boundless love (1 John 3) and he understood that it was only God’s grace that saved him from his sinful ways and their eternal consequence!

The Everyday Application

3) Why does Paul say he is the worst sinner? (verse 15)

In the classic film, It’s A Wonderful Life, young George Bailey works for a pharmacist, Mr. Gower, delivering prescriptions. One day, George watches Mr. Gower, who has just received word of his son’s death, work in a drunken stupor, filling capsules for a rush prescription with poison instead of the prescribed medicine.

George goes out to seek advice from his father, but when he can’t reach him he returns to the drugstore without making the delivery. Mr. Gower, enraged, starts beating George until the boy can make him understand the mistake with the medications. Mr. Gower is shocked to realize that George had saved him from harming an unwitting customer. He weeps and hugs George, overcome with sorrow for his unjust treatment of the boy and relief that George’s care and attentiveness averted a disaster.

I think of the apostle Paul feeling that weight of sorrow and relief when he understood the immensity of God’s goodness toward him in the light of the great harm he was doing in his sinful life. Paul considered himself the worst sinner (1 Timothy 1:15) precisely because he knew what manner of man he really was in comparison to the goodness and perfect glory of God.

R. Kent Hughes asserts, “This is the thinking of a healthy regenerate heart. Saving Christianity never endows one with a sense of superiority. Paul knew what he had been and what he was and what he continued to be in himself. This knowledge even increased with the years, as he understood his heart even better than at first.”

Paul never recovered from the astonishment of being saved by God’s grace! (Ephesians 2:8) He always remembered what he was before Jesus saved him and acknowledged what he would still be without Christ. (Ephesians 2:12)

Tags :
forgiveness,grace,love,purpose,radical
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Run, Day 1
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In 1 Timothy 1:12-15, apostle and early Church founder Paul calls himself a blasphemer, the worst of sinners.

Strong words, yet they describe each of us. We are the sinners, blasphemers, and ultimately, we stand before the Lord, defiled and dirty.

That is, until mercy.
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March 3 - March 21, 2025 - Journey Theme #137

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Therefore Day 2 One For All; All For One: Digging Deeper

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Therefore Day 2 One For All; All For One: Digging Deeper

Melodye Reeves

May 28, 2024

Faith,Kingdom,Paul,Purpose,Redemption,Scripture

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 "One For All; All For One"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 4:1-6

1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope at your calling — 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) What was Paul’s urgency? (verse 1)

Therefore. The necessity of exploring the background (context) in which this word is used is the purpose of our current GT Journey Theme. We are learning how a deep dive into Scripture is incomplete without reading what comes “before ‘therefore’”.

As some would ask, “What is “therefore” there for?”.

Leading up to chapter 4, the apostle significantly emphasized the gospel’s offer of freedom and forgiveness extended to the Gentiles’ (non-Jews). Paul highlights that, in Christ, reconciliation to God offers relationship with both Him and His people, Israel. “For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:18-20, emphasis mine)

Ephesians 1-3 speaks thematically of all Christ has Done to bring unity and freedom to all those who trust in Jesus for salvation. As he begins chapter 3, Paul identifies himself as “the prisoner of Jesus Christ on behalf of the Gentiles.” This idea connects the purpose of much of Paul’s writing: The gospel gives everyone, Jew and Gentile, the grace to walk in a worthy manner of Christ. (Colossians 1:9-12, Ephesians 2:10-13)

“Walk worthy” is not a command demanding obedience in order to prove our worthiness of salvation. Instead, Paul is encouraging believers to live their lives in unity as evidence (confirmation) they belong to Christ.

Genuine believers will display the fruit of the Spirit alive within them. (Galatians 5:22-26) As they interact with others, the Spirit provides the inner strength to demonstrate their changed lives if they willingly submit to Him. This change testifies of Christ to those watching.

The urgency in Paul’s tone comes from his passion for the gospel message to be made known through the daily walk and talk of the believers.

The Everyday Application

1) What was Paul’s urgency? (verse 1)

I’m thankful we don’t merit what we receive from God. Paul teaches us to walk in a way such as the Lord deserves from us, not in a way that we earn or deserve from Him.

Paul’s call to walk “worthy of the Lord” was an exhortation for the believers to walk together in unity to demonstrate how worthy the Lord is. In the context of this letter, we understand Paul’s call was urgent because he knew their interactions with each other were part of the testimony of faith to a watching world. Their unity was a living example of the gospel, as reconciliation and union fit the glorious nature of God and the message of salvation we’re called to proclaim.

It is by the one Faith of believers and its fruit of love that the worth of God and the gospel is adorned. (Titus 2:10-14) Paul’s prayer for believer in Ephesians 3 reveals his heart for them, “I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through His Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

From this heart, one filled with boldness and confidence regarding God’s purposes (Ephesians 3:11-12), Paul urged them to be unified in their walk with Jesus. With this same heart, my sweet Sister, I urge you to do the same!

The Original Intent

2) What are the characteristics of those who walk together in the Spirit of Christ? (verses 2-3)

Genesis 1:26-27 tells us humans were created by God, not manufactured in a factory. In Scripture we learn He created us with different talents, personalities, and characteristics. (Psalm 139:13-16, Exodus 31:1-10)

As believers, we dig into God’s Word to learn how He wants to use our gifts for His glory. We should desire to be growing in our awareness of how we can be used by the Spirit of God for the good of the Church, as well as praying for His Spirit to shape our attitudes. The emphasis on the Spirit makes it clear that we won’t be able to maintain the right posture toward others apart from God’s Spirit working in us. (Galatians 5:22-26)

Unity in purpose is a natural result of believers being filled with God’s Spirit. To maintain godly unity, there must be an intentional effort by all. (verse 3) Paul doesn’t expect a perfect peace among believers, but there should be a healthy bond between us, one void of long-term resentment or bitterness.

Paul made it clear that walking by the Spirit was not only to be an individualistic obedience, but a mutual response of obedience. (Ephesians 2:21-22) Unity comes from the Greek word henótēs, and is especially referencing “the God-produced unity (oneness) between believers – i.e. the harmony from sharing likeness of nature with the Lord.” (biblehub.com/greek)

Together, they were to practice humility, gentleness, patience and love. The idea of cooperative humility must have been a key component of following Jesus, because Paul repeated this teaching often in his letters. (Romans 12:9-13, Philippians 2:1-6, Colossians 3:11-14)

The Everyday Application

2) What are the characteristics of those who walk together in the Spirit of Christ? (verses 2-3)

Paul gives us quite the challenge in these verses, doesn’t he? “… with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” I am so thankful we don’t need to attempt this on our own effort. In fact, it would be impossible without Jesus’ love and power working in and through us. (Romans 13:14, Colossians 3:9-17)

Friend, when we exchange our life for Christ’s we begin a journey with Him. As we learn what walking worthy looks like (Colossians 1:9-11), we understand He has walked out His obedience before us and now walks along with us. There is no greater picture of this than what the apostle wrote in Philippians 2:5-8, “Adopt the same attitude as Jesus.”

Growing in Christian maturity will be demonstrated in how we interact with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul wasn’t demanding perfection from them. He understood that conflicts could arise among believers. Paul himself experienced a relational tension with a gospel partner in which he had an opportunity to practice these characteristics. (Acts 15:36-39, 2 Timothy 4:11)

It’s inevitable that disagreements will arise between Christians. Our call is to pursue faithfulness in disagreement, with love always being our aim. The conflict with Paul and Barnabas is the only one of its kind in the New Testament, but we believe it was preserved and given for our instruction. It would be wise to conclude, though, that most disagreements ought to be reconciled without separation.

We do know we must not allow bitterness to take root toward and among our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Original Intent

3) What does it mean for believers to be one with God and one other? (verses 4-6)

Paul uses the word “one” seven times in just two verses! Whenever a word is repeated in just a few verses, it’s worth a deeper look. In chapter 3, Paul prays for the believers “to be strengthened with power in your inner being through His Spirit … that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, [and] that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love.” (Ephesians 3:13-19)

Paul’s prayer demonstrates his understanding of God’s work in the life of believers. He wants followers of Jesus, as a merged group of believers, to know the depth of God’s love in order to walk it out. His urgency (verse 1) is demonstrated in his desire for the reader to comprehend the greatness of God’s power in them as one body. (verse 5)

Remember, unity is a theme in this letter. (Ephesians 2:16-19) Paul expounds a bit more regarding oneness and unity in the Spirit in his letter to the Corinthian church. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14) Though it may be tempting to linger at “one baptism,” we shouldn’t let it prevent our understanding of the whole.

Whether Paul is referring to water baptism (literal baptism of believers as a testimony to their salvation) or Spirit baptism (symbolic baptism of believers into the Body of Christ through the Spirit), the emphasis is certainly on unity among the believers.

In Romans 10:10-13, Paul writes against making distinctions among God’s people. Since there is one God over one body of believers, then there is only ONE FAITH we have obtained through the grace poured on us all. (Ephesians 1:7-8)

The Everyday Application

3) What does it mean for believers to be one with God and one other? (verses 4-6)

Sister, don’t miss this: all Christ followers are of ONE faith! (verse 5) As we offer God our empty-handed and true-hearted response to His gift of salvation, humbly casting ourselves on His mercy through Jesus Christ, we also receive a family.

No other response promises so rich a result as this one. The Scriptures take on fresh meaning as together we read and apply them. There is one faith we share and present to the world. (Jude 1:3)

This is the Faith:
1) An acceptance of the truths of the gospel as found in the Bible;
2) a trust in the person of Christ Jesus to provide forgiveness of your sins;
3) a commitment to follow and obey Him as Lord. (Romans 10:9-13)
It is in this commitment we become one with God and each other.

Three components, one faith. Friend, have you come into this oneness with God and others through faith in the finished work of Jesus? There is no one left out of the salvation God offers. Even now, Sister, you can humble yourself by asking God to reveal Himself to you and give you the faith to trust Him for salvation.

I’m so thankful that 50+ years ago I did just that. Are you enjoying the gift of being in God’s family? If you haven’t found a place to belong, don’t lose hope. Pray and seek a place to grow with others in the family of God. For these many years, I’ve savored the gracious gift of being unified with all those in the family of God … even those spread across the world!

Tags :
church,ephesians,gospel,love,therefore,victory
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Therefore, Day 1
Journey Study

Back in Ephesians 2, Paul identified this unity as a key aspect of the gospel message. Christ died not only to unite us with God, but also to unite us with one another.

Writing about the Jews and Gentiles, Paul says Jesus’ death “made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.” (Ephesians 2:14)

Together, all who follow Jesus are a holy temple to God, with Jesus as the cornerstone.

This unity can be a challenge, though. Despite our common faith in Jesus, Christians come with different backgrounds, perspectives, and opinions.

We don’t always agree with one another, but we can choose how we handle disagreements.
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May 27 - June 14, 2024 - Journey Theme #133

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Done Day 14 Follow In Full: Digging Deeper

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Done Day 14 Follow In Full: Digging Deeper

Rachel Jones

May 23, 2024

Paul,Sacrifice,Sin,Transformation,Truth

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 "Follow In Full"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 3:1-13

For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that he gave me for you. 3 The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. 4 By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. 5 This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.

8 This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, 9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him. 13 So, then, I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) Why did God wait to reveal his secret, mysterious plan of salvation? (verse 9)

God instructed Paul to share the Gospel with Gentiles, offering them salvation alongside Jewish believers. God chose Paul’s generation to “shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.” (Ephesians 3:9)

God’s salvation plan was a revelation to Paul, but William Barclay reminds us the “salvation of the Gentiles is not an afterthought of God; the bringing of all men into His love was part of God’s eternal design.” God knew from the beginning of time He would send His Son, Jesus, to reconcile all people, Jews and everyone else, to Himself. (John 1:1-5) With such good news, why did He wait so long to share the secret?

Like clues intending to grow faith, God revealed His plan in part throughout Old Testament Scripture, waiting for the “fullness of time” for a full revelation. (Galatians 4:4-5) He made known to the Jews there would be a Savior (Isaiah 7:14) and He provided signs to validate the true Messiah (Isaiah 9:6). The Israelites waited 400 years on the promised Messiah, eagerly and desperately praying through wars and captivity for their Deliverer.

At the proper time, God revealed Jesus as the Savior of the world. (John 3:16) God knew the exact moment to uncover the hidden mystery and enact His plan for salvation. F.B. Meyer reminds us “God has many secrets, which unfold as the ages are ripe for them, but not before.” Because God is Sovereign (Psalm 115:3) and Omniscient (Psalm 147:5), we can trust His timing even when we don’t understand.

We know God does not view time like we do (2 Peter 3:8), and we know He has a time and a purpose for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1). It is not for us to know and understand God’s timing (Acts 1:7), but we can trust His timing is always perfect.

The Everyday Application

1) Why did God wait to reveal his secret, mysterious plan of salvation? (verse 9)

In the movie, The Wizard of Oz, young Dorothy is deposited by a tornado in the land of Oz and struggles to get home to Kansas. When she finally completes her quest to find the wizard who can take her home, she discovers her ruby red slippers could have transported her home at any time.

That part of the story frustrates me! Why didn’t anyone mention this when she landed in Oz and received the slippers? Instead of following a yellow brick road all over Oz, she could have clicked her heels 3 times and returned to Kansas instantly. Of course, everything Dorothy learned about love and friendship was only discoverable on her journey.

We can say the Author of Life (Acts 3:15) did the same for us when He revealed His “mystery hidden for ages in God”, which was His plan of salvation for all people. (Ephesians 3:9) God could have sent Jesus to the earth at any time in history to reconcile all people to God, but He knew the perfect time. Only God, the Alpha (Beginning) and Omega (End) (Revelation 22:12) knew that 2,000 years ago in a little town called Bethlehem, the perfect time and place for Jesus to come would arrive on history’s timeline.

Jesus, the All-Powerful deity would come wrapped in the humility of newborn skin and laid in a feeding trough in order to bring the gift of salvation to everyone on earth who would accept it. (Ephesians 2:8)

We don’t need to understand God’s reasons or His ways to acknowledge that they are infinitely wise and above our own. (Isaiah 55:8-9) We can trust that the God who was, and is, and is to come (Revelation 1:8), the One who holds the past, present and future (Psalm 31:15) can be trusted to orchestrate everything in the proper time. Even our daily circumstances are held in His hand and used to teach us to trust His good heart.

The Original Intent

2) How does God’s plan to allow Gentiles to be God’s heirs connect with revealing His wisdom to unseen rulers and principalities? (verse 10)

In Ephesians 3:10, Paul explained that God’s plan of salvation for everyone, Jew and Gentile, was meant to reveal His wisdom to the unseen spiritual realm. God’s strategy was to use His Body, the Church (Ephesians 1:23), to do His will and complete the works He laid out. (Acts 14:21-23)

His main avenue of teaching about His love, both in the natural and the spiritual realms, is through the actions of the Church (Ephesians 2:10). John Piper suggests, “We show the wisdom of God to the cosmic powers by. . . being the church Christ died to create.” What better way to explain the gift of grace God offers than to open up the doors of Heaven to everyone, both Jews and non-Jews?

Gentiles didn’t know or follow Jewish laws, so everyone understood that it was only by God’s grace, not anything they had done, that they could become His children. (John 1:12) An invitation to be restored to a right relationship with God, including complete forgiveness and life everlasting, offered to the Jew who failed to keep the Law and to the Gentile who didn’t know the Law, is radical grace. This is a picture of Christ’s love for the world who can’t earn His salvation but can only receive it as a gift. (Romans 6:23)

God’s plan was for His Church to follow Him and draw others to Him, demonstrating His love in the way they loved each other and the rest of the world. (John 13:35) Handley Moule suggests that angels and demons look at Christians and “see a nature which, wrecked by itself, was yet made in the image of their God and ours. And they see this God at work upon that wreck to produce results not only wonderful in themselves but doubly wonderful because of the conditions.”

When believers in the Church live and love like Jesus, not only does the world take note, but so do angels and principalities in the unseen realm!

The Everyday Application

2) How does God’s plan to allow Gentiles to be God’s heirs connect with revealing His wisdom to unseen rulers and principalities? (verse 10)

If integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching, it is difficult to demonstrate integrity in this age of cameras everywhere you turn! Many social media influencers do altruistic things, but they care more about getting likes and views than about showing kindness.

It is refreshing to hear about people who don’t expect recognition for doing good things like returning a lost wallet or showing kindness to a stranger. It can be easy to forget that as Christians we have both an earthly and a heavenly audience for our actions, even though the Apostle Paul tells us plainly in Ephesians 3:10 that God uses us to make His multi-faceted wisdom known to principalities in the heavens.

Whether we are mindful of it or not, God is using us, His Church, to demonstrate the Wisdom of His Word to both angels and demons. David Guzik explains that God will use “the saints to reveal His wisdom to the angelic beings, both faithful and fallen angels . . . We are called to be the means by which God teaches the universe a lesson, and a beautiful lesson.”

When we carry out the will of the Lord, it brings glory to God here on earth and also in the heavenly places. The Scriptures even tell us that angels longed to catch a glimpse of the Gospel message freely shared with us. (1 Peter 1:12)

We demonstrate God’s power to everyone watching when we allow Him to be our strength (2 Corinthians 12:9) and change us into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18). May God make us ever-mindful of the fact that He uses us to declare His glory to both the physical and the spiritual realm.

The Original Intent

3) What kind of boldness and confidence do believers have through Christ? (verse 12)

In Ephesians 3:12, Paul states that in Jesus, believers “have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.” Donald Spence Jones explains that the Greek word for boldness literally means freedom of speech, but is used here in a wider sense to describe “lacking restraint, ease of feeling, comfortable self-possession, in our access to God.” Paul instructs Christians that their faith in Christ gives them full access to God. Because the blood of Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness (Hebrews 9:14) we have no shame to keep us from approaching God.

Sin separates us from God, but Jesus bridged that gap when he took our sins upon Himself on the cross. (1 Peter 2:24) Because God sees us as righteous through Christ, we have the boldness and confidence of sons and daughters of the King of Kings. Andrew Murray wants Christians to “Understand how the Father’s heart longs that His children draw near to Him boldly. He gave the blood of His Son to secure it. Let us honour God, and honour the blood, by entering the Holiest with great boldness.”

God wants us to approach Him bold and confident without shame holding us back. Prayer is the great privilege of direct communication with the Most High God, and not only does He allow it, but He invites it! God desires relationship with His people. Author Susie Larson reminds us that “Jesus invites us into His presence without shame, without our past baggage, without the need to cover ourselves or to be someone we’re not, without the enemy’s constant taunts.”

The next time you feel like you don’t have the right to talk to God or seek His presence, remember it is His precious blood that gives you the boldness and confidence to approach the God who longs for communion with you.

The Everyday Application

3) What kind of boldness and confidence do believers have through Christ? (verse 12)

I never tire of seeing the viral video of a live BBC interview with a professor from his home that gets interrupted by his 2 young children who happily wander into the interview room. He tries to move them out of camera view while the mother swoops in and escorts them out. The kids are not deterred by the fact that Daddy is on TV. They just happily approach him like they would any other day at home.

I think of this kind of confidence before God when I read Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:12. He writes that in Christ “we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.” This confident access to the Father comes from Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross, where His shed blood covered our sins and erased the division between God and His children. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Jesus came so we could approach Him with boldness and confidence, unhindered by sins that formerly held us back. (Romans 6:6) With nothing to hinder us, God longs for us to worship Him, pray to Him, and learn from Him. Andrew Murray suggests, “the measure of our boldness is the worth God attaches to the blood of Jesus.” Because we know that God is well-pleased with His Son’s sacrifice, we know He encourages us to come to Him boldly and confidently (Hebrews 4:16) like children who trust they will be welcomed lovingly by their Father.

Jennie Allen explains, “We have prayer so we know the heart of God. It’s how we walk with him. Prayer is the heart of our relationship with God. It is the expression of our faith.” God wants us to always be in communication with Him through prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and He wants us to come to Him boldly and confidently.

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Journey Study

“I know the plans I have for you[.]” (Jeremiah 29:11)

This verse is often cited (out of context) to encourage modern Christians of the good plans God has for them. But so often, God’s good plans for us aren’t what we expect at all.

Imagine what God might have said to Paul if He’d laid out His good plans for him.

I know the plans I have for you. Prison. Persecution. Rejection by your own people. Serving people you would have previously disdained.

Those plans hardly seem good or prosperous! Yet Paul testifies otherwise in Ephesians 3:1-13.
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Done Day 3 Adoption Story

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Done Day 3 Adoption Story

Sarah Afan

May 8, 2024

Adoption,church,Family,Forgiven,Freedom,Life,Paul

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 1:3-12
1 Corinthians 15:3-11
Colossians 1:19-28
Isaiah 53:10-12

What comes to mind when you read adoption?

For many, “adoption” quickly conjures the human arrangement of assuming legal responsibility for a non-biological child. 

While this arrangement is called adoption, the adoption we find in Ephesians 1:3-12 reaches far beyond human institutions; it is God’s own arrangement from long before the foundation of the earth. 

We were dead in our trespasses, by nature children under wrath, when we walked according to the ways of the world and according to the ruler of the power of the air. (Ephesians 2:1-5) But God, in His mercy, chose us in Christ Jesus by grace, and adopted us as His children.

Scripture explains, 
“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 
(1 Peter 2:10)

God proved His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) He died, was buried, and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-5); therefore, in Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins. (Ephesians 1:7)

Scripture promises, “But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name[.]” (John 1:12) By receiving Him and believing in His name, we received “the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out ‘Abba Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children[.]” (Romans 8:15-16)

This adoption story was the mystery of God’s will, revealed to us in the fullness of time. According to Scripture, it is God’s hidden wisdom predestined before the ages for our rescue. (1 Corinthians 2:7) In Colossians 1:26-27, Scripture describes “the mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to His saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory[.]” 

Further expounding on the mystery of God’s will, 1 John 1:1-2 reveals, 

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life–that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us[.]”

The mystery of God’s will, then,
is the life given to us through our adoption in Christ,
which is our hope for glory.

Early church preacher and apostle Paul explains the deep significance with which God views our adoption through Christ. In Ephesians 5:2, Paul teaches that Jesus Himself, having loved us, gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

What great love!
Jesus sacrificed Himself on our behalf,
that we may be adopted into the family of God!
(Isaiah 53:10; John 10:18)

This, sisters, was God’s “good pleasure that He purposed in Christ”! (Ephesians 1:9)

Galatians 4:4 confirms God’s plan to reconcile and reunite His family:
“When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” 

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 
and through Him to reconcile 
everything to Himself, 
whether things on earth or things in heaven, 
by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”
(Colossians 1:19-20)

As I remember all God has done for us, I recall when I did not know about His love and mercy. Having accepted Jesus Christ out of fear of hell fire, my thoughts of God centered on His wrath. Therefore, I tried all the time to do good works, to avoid His wrath. 

But when I came to know His love and mercy, I understood my salvation was about the riches of His grace. The fear disappeared after realizing I was not God’s enemy, but a daughter. As an adopted child of His, I have access to every spiritual blessing He has blessed us with in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

Oh, how great is God’s love, the riches of His grace and mercy,
that we should be called His children!

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Done, Day 4
Digging Deeper

All around the known world there was strife and tension because of this division.

But Jesus came into the world to wipe out the division and offer rescue from sin for all people. (Ephesians 2:13-14)

This was the secret of God, bound up in the sacrificial work of Jesus on the cross!

Not only was He the now-revealed promised Messiah from the Old Testament, He also extended forgiveness and new life to all people, regardless of nationality. (Revelation 5:9)
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Pause VII Day 5 Hope’s Anchor

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Pause VII Day 5 Hope’s Anchor

Rebecca Adams

January 26, 2024

Believe,Character,Courage,Deep,Jesus,Pain,Paul,Pause

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 46:2-3

2 Therefore we will not be afraid,
though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple
into the depths of the seas,
3 though its water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with its turmoil.
Selah
Read More Of His Words

As you’ve stepped into the messy, but redeemed legacy of Korah and listened to the lyrics of his legacy….

As you’ve become more aware of the safe Stronghold of Christ and His enduring, rescuing, shielding love intended for you…

As you’ve slowed to sit in the middle of the glorious gospel that frees us to dance, despite our painful why questions…

As you’ve been summoned into deeper waters to Pause with the Almighty every single day and sit in His astounding, breathtaking Presence…

Have the circumstances of your life begun to fade in such glorious, radiant love?
Has your worship begun to sing louder than your fears and the salty tears begun to dry on your cheeks?
Have the rays of Hope begun to peek through the dark curtains of doubt, anxiety, and distress?

This is the common experience for Christ-followers as we turn to God, hiding ourselves in His refuge, choosing by faith to trust His good heart as revealed in Scripture for us.

Is that not absolutely astounding?!

The more we read His Word, trust what it says to be true, and put our full weight upon the Almighty God, the impossible becomes possible, and circumstances fade as worship takes center stage in our hearts. Fear’s grip loosens, peace floods, and Hope’s roots dig deeper, anchoring our hearts.

Anchoring is what comes to mind for me as I read Psalm 46.
The lyrics begin with rock solid truth about what is known about God.
This leads to a stalwart statement of faith screaming into the winds of both tragedy and monotony, “Therefore, we will not fear!”.

Faith is anchored in God alone, and from it, Hope deepens.

This truth came to light with even more brilliance hundreds of years later when Christ came, fulfilling prophecies, putting a literal face to the Unseen Yahweh, and depositing the Spirit of the Living God within believers. Having suffered much for Jesus, Paul penned profound words that rang with the truths of Psalm 46.

“We have also obtained access through Him (Jesus Christ) by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
(Romans 5:2)

Anchored through what is known about being found safe within the Stronghold of Christ through faith because of His grace to forgive our many sins. Hope is ours for the possessing.

“And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions,
because we know that affliction produces endurance,
endurance produces proven character, 
and proven character produces hope.”
(Romans 5:3-4)

We cast a glance at our afflictions, knowing the pain runs oh so deep.
According to the Sons of Korah, the intensity of our circumstances are likened to earthquakes, crashing mountains, tsunami waves, and volcanic eruptions. (Psalm 46:2-3)

But we look through our afflictions to see our anchor holds fast. Under the careful, loving hand of the Almighty, even heartache is handled by the Healer and Hope emerges all the stronger.

“This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
(Romans 5:5)
 
A little read Old Testament prophet who distributed Hope like his people would die without it, because they were, quoted the Lord of Armies,

“Old men and women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of advanced age. The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.”

The Lord of Armies says this:
“Though it may seem impossible to the remnant of this people in those days,
should it also seem impossible to Me?”
—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.”
(Zechariah 8:4-6)
 
The God who anchored the Sons of Korah, the nearly decimated Jews, and Paul the persecuted pastor in the midst of life’s tsunamis, holds out Hope to you and me.

We can trust it, Sisters.
We can allow its tendrils to make our eyes light up, our tears dry, and our voices swell with worship, for the Lord of Angel Armies is our God!

Today's Pause Challenge

1) Read through Psalm 46:1-3 out loud today twice. Slowly. Linger over the words that stick out to you, slowing, repeating, and listening as God’s Spirit speaks to your heart! Choose a phrase or two to write on notecards and post them around your house. Post a picture of your reminder cards on Instagram or on our Facebook Community Page.

2) We are so excited to share our Spotify playlist for Pause VII Week One! We created it as we prayed over *you*. Put this playlist on repeat this weekend and be reminded of the rich truths God has shown you this week in Pause VII!

3) Continue to memorize Psalm 46; how far can you go after just one week?!

Close by reading Psalm 46 (Out Loud!)
God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.
2 Therefore we will not be afraid,
though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple
into the depths of the seas,
3 though its water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with its turmoil.
Selah

4 There is a river—
its streams delight the city of God,
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5 God is within her; she will not be toppled.
God will help her when the morning dawns.
6 Nations rage, kingdoms topple;
the earth melts when he lifts his voice.
7 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah

8 Come, see the works of the Lord,
who brings devastation on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease throughout the earth.
He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces;
he sets wagons ablaze.
10 “Stop fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
11 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah

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Pause VII, Day 4

To be human is to wrestle with our perception of an unfair suffering wherein we repeatedly ask, “Why?”. We ply our prayers with those three letters as tears stream and fists curl.

Some of the deepest sufferings known to humanity are pocked with those three letters as we desperately seek an answer to justify the jagged edges of our grief made manifest in guttural cries.

We aren’t alone in this.
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Sketched XI Day 14 Unpopular Justice: Digging Deeper

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Sketched XI Day 14 Unpopular Justice: Digging Deeper

Melodye Reeves

July 6, 2023

Christ,Digging Deeper,Grace,Mercy,Paul

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 "Unpopular Justice"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Deuteronomy 32:1-9

“Pay attention, heavens, and I will speak; listen, earth, to the words of my mouth. 2 Let my teaching fall like rain and my word settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass and showers on tender plants. 3 For I will proclaim the Lord's name. Declare the greatness of our God! 4 The Rock-His work is perfect; all His ways are entirely just. A faithful God, without prejudice, He is righteous and true.

5 His people have acted corruptly toward Him; this is their defect-they are not His children but a devious and crooked generation. 6 Is this how you repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Isn't He your Father and Creator? Didn't He make you and sustain you? 7 Remember the days of old; consider the years long past. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will teach you.

8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance and divided the human race, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the people of Israel. 9 But the Lord's portion is His people, Jacob, His own inheritance.”
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) What does God’s continual interaction with Moses reveal about His character? (verses 1-4)

As his time on earth was ending, Moses obediently arranged for his departure. (Exodus 33:17-23) Commonly called “The Song of Moses,” its lyrics were given by God to Moses (Deuteronomy 31:19-22, 30) for the people to sing as a reminder of their God-authored history. It was a song delivered in the presence of all creation (verses 1-2) to remind the people of God’s continued faithful ways in contrast to their continued rebellious ways. (Isaiah 25:1)

Moses’ own sin resulted in him coming only to the border of the Promised Land. (Deuteronomy 34:4) His unrestrained frustration had revealed a deficiency in his reverence for God’s holiness and justice. Even as a man of great faith, Moses had demonstrated a lack of trust in God’s revealed character. (Exodus 34:5-10, Numbers 27:12-14) Though it had been a learning process for him, Moses now vividly sees that the name of the Lord should be honored. God’s name represents His essence! (verses 3-4)

Earlier in his life as a shepherd, Moses had been tending his flock when he guided them toward Mount Horeb (Sinai) and met the LORD there. (Exodus 3:1-8) This location would take a prominent place in Israel’s history. (Psalm 68, Judges 5:1-5, 1 Kings 8:9, 1 Kings 9:8-12, Acts 7:29-38) From then on, Moses would come into the Lord’s presence and learn the significance of the Lord’s name.

After he received “The Ten Words”, Moses came down from the presence of God only to find the people had rebelled, breaking the first and second commandments. In anger, he smashed the tablets the Lord had given, but God again showed His compassionate character by declaring His great name to Moses. (Exodus 33:17-23)

So as it is, Moses has now learned to fully and sincerely sing, “The Lord’s name is great … perfect … just … faithful … righteous and true!” (verses 3-4) This is who He is!

The Everyday Application

1) What does God’s continual interaction with Moses reveal about His character? (verses 1-4)

There are at least two more songs Moses wrote. One is recorded in Exodus 15:1-21 after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, and the other is found in Psalm 90. I imagine whenever Moses rehearsed his own story, he went way back to that day. (Exodus 3:4-6)

Surely he recalled the fear he experienced in that unexpected moment as he was simply tending sheep. But Friend, I believe he also remembered the awe and wonder he felt. The God of the universe had come to Moses.

The Israelites usually missed the value of God’s nearness, responding instead by complaining or rebelling. They refused to believe God by trusting His character. They rejected His mercy, believing they didn’t need Him. Oh Sister, I feel their pain! I tend to trust what I perceive or assume instead of what God has clearly revealed about Himself. HE IS our salvation and hope!

At Mt Sinai (Mt Horeb), God gave the Law with its guidelines and promises. Moses would not understand how God, in Christ, would Himself one day suffer the consequences of His laws being broken. Though Moses had wrongly struck the rock in anger, it is our God – the Rock – who would strike death, and Himself be stung in the process. (Isaiah 53:1-6)

The Son was struck not by the rod of Moses, but by the Father’s rod of wrath concerning sin. It is our unchanging Rock who perfectly completed the work of redemption and satisfied the justice of God. (Romans 9:30-33, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

Sweet Sister, as a result of this, we have been given, not the promised land of Israel but a promised life with God! God’s love lasts forever!!

The Original Intent

2) How had God’s children, the nation of Israel, acted in the wilderness toward God? (verses 5-6)

God’s instruction to Moses and His people had repeatedly pointed to a God who was close and interactive! “The Lord God spoke to us…”. (Exodus 19:9-11) But Moses and the Israelite people underestimated the consequences of allowing themselves to tolerate a rebellious and critical spirit.

At the rock where they received water (Exodus 17:1-7, Numbers 20:3-13, Psalm 95:8-9), the people demonstrated their distrust of God by complaining about their circumstances and criticizing God. Then Moses demonstrated his distrust of God by misrepresenting Him, choosing instead to unnecessarily lecture the people with harshness.

“Moses misrepresented God by acting as if God needed him to provide water for the people … angrily striking the rock twice, instead of just speaking to the rock as God had, told him to.” (enduringword.com) In verses 5-6, however, we notice that Moses has gained a little perspective. He knows God is loyal and true while so many of the people are not. (Deuteronomy 7:7-12)

The Hebrew for “defect” in verse 5 indicates “Israel’s major fault was its failure to act like God’s people; in fact, they acted quite the contrary.” (bible.org) Knowing what he knows, and what they know, Moses calls into question their rebellion and foolishness. (verse 6)

Did they not remember who made them? (Isaiah 45:18) It had been about 400 years since Joseph’s brothers promised to bury his bones in the Promised Land. Had they not heard how God had been faithful to Joseph and would be faithful to them? (Joshua 24:31-32)

Had not all the people been together to see the mighty works of God in how He had delivered them, provided for them, guided them and been so patient with them? (Acts 7:17-45) Moses is appalled at their continued unbelief!

The Everyday Application

2) How had God’s children, the nation of Israel, acted in the wilderness toward God? (verses 5-6)

Simply put, the people had forgotten. Remembering God is an essential disciplined practice of our faith! The Old Testament uses a form of the word “remember” over 200 times. (blueletterbible.org) The prophet Jeremiah summarized the condition of the defiant Israelites, “My people have forgotten Me.” (Jeremiah 18:13-23)

What an indictment on those to whom the Lord has revealed Himself. Maybe you are like me, friend, and the ‘sin of forgetfulness’ creeps up on you. By God’s grace, let’s strive to be like the saints of old mentioned in Hebrews 11 who had come to know Yahweh’s character by believing Him.

Jesus told His disciples to “remember” His sacrifice, and Paul urged his fellow believers toward that practice of remembering. (Luke 22:14-20, 1 Corinthians 11:17-26) Sister, we can discover the character of God as we remember the triumph of grace (Romans 5:18-21) through His perfect justice, and as we revere the Lord’s name as the great I AM who created you and me.

He loves us and wants to rescue us from the consequence of our sin, which is eternal death. (Colossians 1:13-20) Let’s heed the warning and remember God’s mercy. Let’s sing it together!

You’re our creator, our life sustainer –
deliverer, our comfort, our joy.
Throughout the ages, You’ve been our shelter – our peace in the midst of the storm.

With signs and wonders,
You’ve shown Your power.
With precious blood,
You showed us Your grace.
You’ve been our helper, our liberator –
the giver of life with no end.

When we walk through life’s darkest valleys, we will look back at all You have done.
And we will shout, our God is good, and He is the faithful One!

We will remember, we will remember, we will remember the works of Your hands.
We will stop and give you praise, for great is Thy faithfulness!
(We Will Remember by Tommy Walker)

The Original Intent

3) What does Moses call the people to do as a response to his testimony about God? (verses 7-9)

Moses makes one last appeal to the people before his death in verses 7-9. He calls on the people to REMEMBER! In verse 6, Moses questioned how they could forget what they had seen and heard. The love of God had always been on display for His people. In verse 7, Moses refers them to their parents and grandparents if they couldn’t come up with the answers.

If it was anything at all, God’s love was a proven love! His faithful love was evidenced by the many times God had repeated it to the wilderness-wandering children of Israel. I emphasize again: God IS love! (Exodus 34:6-7) God is abounding in faithful love. He is daily maintaining faithful love. God’s love is FOREVER lasting. God had centered the Law around this reality of love. (Exodus 20:3-6)

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God said of His people, “I have loved you with an everlasting love”. (Jeremiah 31:2-3) The Lord’s portion in verse 9 refers to His beloved people, those He most highly values. We find the same thought in Exodus 19:4-6, “Now if you will carefully listen to Me and keep My covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples.”

The New King James Version translates the phrase as “His peculiar treasure.” The Hebrew noun segullah, which means a special possession, conveyed how Israel was to stand in a place of privilege simply because God picked them. It wasn’t for anything they’d ever do, that’s for sure!

This scene in Deuteronomy 31:28-30 is stunning and Moses can’t help but remember it. He also realizes he only has a little time left on earth to convince them to remember the two most important things 1) Whose they are as the Lord’s portion and 2) What they have; an inheritance! (verse 9)

The Everyday Application

3) What does Moses call the people to do as a response to his testimony about God? (verses 7-9)

Sister, how should we respond to the challenge from Moses to remember? Let’s do so by reflecting on Peter’s words to those “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit.” If you’re a true believer in Jesus, that’s you and me, the “chosen” ones!

I can’t improve on Peter’s encouragement and invitation, let’s read and reflect on it together, allowing it to remind us to remember the Lord!

“So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.
Cry out for this nourishment now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor.

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, ‘I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.’

Yes, you who trust Him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject Him … they stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” (1 Peter 2:1-10, NLT)

Let’s all practice remembering the truth of who God is!

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grace,justice,mercy,Remember
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Sketched XI, Day 13
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“Ahab’s death is near”, I finally managed to speak after several minutes of heavy, silent walking.

Elisha’s arm stopped my forward momentum as he turned hard eyes on me, “It will be dishonorable, won’t it?”.

I closed my eyes against the scene the Lord had given me of dog’s licking up Ahab’s blood. (1 Kings 21:19) He was intended to be Israel’s king, leading us to worship Yahweh, but instead his death would be a mockery just as his life had been.
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The GT Weekend! ~ Steadfast Week 1

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The GT Weekend! ~ Steadfast Week 1

Carol Graft

April 1, 2023

Christ,Equipped,Faith,Jesus,Paul,Resurrection

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!

Luke 24:36-38

36 As they were saying these things, he himself stood in their midst. He said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. 38 “Why are you troubled?” he asked them. “And why do doubts arise in your hearts?”
Read More Of His Words

Prayer Journal Entry

Lord, when we read about You actually appearing in the flesh to Your disciples and so many  more, over 500!, following your physical resurrection from the dead, I’m astounded with awe! It gives me pause to wonder, “How would I react?”

I’d like to think that I would not doubt or question the sight of You. For how I have longed to see You as Your first disciples did, especially on my hard days and dark seasons. One day, Lord, one day I’ll be welcomed Home because of Your resurrection! Because You conquered death, and my faith hangs on You, I will also conquer death.

Until that day, when I’ll see you face to face and worship at Your feet, give me eyes to see You moving in the midst of my every day. In my hard circumstances and my joyous ones, give me an ear to hear your words of wisdom and a heart to quickly obey.

I desire a deep, abiding relationship with You just as Your first followers had when you walked the Earth. Draw me close, Jesus, through Your Spirit! Amen.

Worship Through Song

Journal Prompts

JOURNAL ONE

On Monday, Sarah pointed to the essential foundation Pauls’ words built in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 when he described “of first importance” how Christ died for our sins, was buried, and raised on the third day.

This is our foundation for both Eternal Hope of life after death as well as Living Hope in the midst of every circumstance on earth. Christ is our resurrected Savior! “…Because of His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope…” (1 Peter 1:3)

Sarah also asks questions that have been asked throughout millennia. Perhaps you’ve wrestled with God’s identity and purposes, His promises, His timing, and His presence in our lives. God’s Word reveals Him, and His Spirit teaches us to trust His faithful, steadfast character.

We can take the truth of Peter’s words from the Lord and hold fast, “The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you…” (1 Peter 5:10)

We can declare these truths over ourselves, personalizing His Word in us. His Words discipline us to keep our eyes on the prize of Jesus and the coming reward of an eternity with Him for all who trust Him as Lord and Savior.

JOURNAL TWO

Like reading the preface of a book, understanding the background of biblical characters helps us grasp the workings of God in their lives.

Lesley evidenced this as she helped us enter the life of Paul and his ministry beginnings. We seem to think Paul was the apostle of all apostles because of his numerous writings and successful church plants. We forget he began as an enemy to the church. After the dramatic meetup with God on the road to Damascus, he spent a few years studying God with new understanding and growing in his faith.

Looking back through the Scripture, the Torah, the psalms and the prophets (what we term the Old Testament), Paul grew in dependent faith on the Lord Jesus. Paul studied not with his former eyes of a Pharisee, but through the lens of his new relationship with the Christ.

Paul neither became the “super apostle” nor changed the early church overnight, and neither will we. Steadfast growth requires discipline to study God’s Word and a willingness to keep on surrendering our ways to the Lord one small step at a time. As the Lord shepherds our hearts, just as He did for Paul, we will see Him shaping us to be more like Jesus!

JOURNAL THREE

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

These comforting words were evidenced in Friday’s Journey Study depiction of Christ as the very same God who authored humanity’s redemption beginning to end. Our rebellion as human beings against the Lord God has never lacked in fervor from the Garden of Eden to the 21st century. Neither has our need for a resurrected Savior ever lessened.

Melodye unpacked the fundamentally essential component of the physical, literal resurrection of Christ’s dead body back to life from the grave. Without this piece, not one of us has any hope for life after death!

We don’t generally like to ponder the end of life. But for the person who has surrendered full control to the God of the Universe and placed their Hope on this God whose power raised Christ from the dead, death is the beginning of the consummated Hope we’ve longed for!

When you think about your death, what emotions surface? Trace the roots of those emotions to their source and be curious about what drives them. Do you find Hope or Fear? Why?

Spend time this weekend considering what you personally believe about the biblical account of Christ’s resurrection and why, or if, it matters.
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courage,Easter,faith,hope,resurrection,Truth
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Steadfast Day 4 Not In Vain: Digging Deeper

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Steadfast Day 4 Not In Vain: Digging Deeper

Rachel Jones

March 30, 2023

Faith,Faithfulness,Glory,Kingdom,Obedience,Paul,Persevere

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 "Not In Vain"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 15:8-11

8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) What does Paul mean in reflecting that he was spiritually “born at the wrong time”? (verse 8)

Paul did not become an apostle while Jesus ministered on the earth like the other 12 apostles. (Matthew 10:1-4) Paul answered the call of Christ after Jesus’ death, when the resurrected, ascended Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus and chose him to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. (Acts 9:15)

Describing his place as the last apostle called, Paul wrote “Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, He also appeared to me” (verse 8) David Guzik explains how the phrase “born at the wrong time” comes from “the ancient Greek term ektroma meaning, ‘abortion, stillbirth, miscarriage’ – it speaks of an untimely birth with ‘freakish’ associations.”

Paul’s salvation was atypical in comparison to the other leaders who had been hand-picked by Jesus. He did not live and work with Jesus on a daily basis in the same way as the other apostles who learned from Him and had grown in faith while ministering together. (Mark 4:34) Instead, Paul was on a mission to shut down Christianity after the death and resurrection of Jesus before God captivated his attention and changed the direction of his life. (1 Timothy 1:12-14)

Because of this early persecution and late calling, Paul considered his birth as an apostle to have come at the “wrong time.” David Lowery suggests “Paul considered himself abnormally born because he lacked the ‘gestation’ period of having been with Christ during His earthly ministry.” Though Paul didn’t spend three years walking with Jesus physically, he spent three years in Arabia before entering full time ministry to personally learn from the Lord and grow in his newfound faith. (Galatians 1:16-17)

No matter how or when we come to Christ, God has plans for us to know Him and to make Him known to those around us. (Acts 20:24)

The Everyday Application

1) What does Paul mean in reflecting that he was spiritually “born at the wrong time”? (verse 8)

Having come to Jesus late in life, Paul may have felt he missed out on being trained in the same way as the other apostles. I felt something similar as an older first time Mom. I was nearly 30 when my first child was born. I didn’t think my age was that uncommon until the labor room nurse asked why I’d waited so long to have a baby. I noticed the age difference throughout those early years whether on field trips, at ball games, or during dance lessons. Mommies my age were in the minority. I was tempted to feel bad about being a little older, but the joys and demands of motherhood left little time for regret. I had baths to run, lullabies to sing, and stories to read! There was no time for looking back when there was so much living to be done.

The apostle Paul realized this as well. He may have missed out on learning at the feet of Jesus, but he was dramatically chosen to share the story of Jesus with those who would listen. (Acts 22:14-15) Once he knew the truth, he began to learn, grow in his faith, and “immediately” shared the Gospel. (Acts 9:20)

I encourage each of us today to focus on the plans God has laid out for us (Psalm 32:8) without wasting time wishfully comparing our storyline with someone else’s. If the Lord has saved you, He’s not wasting time; He is intentionally using your surrender to point others to Himself and strengthen you in your faith if you continue your willful surrender!

Resist the temptation to linger on regrets over what lies behind (Romans 8:1); press onward to all you have been given in Christ! (Philippians 3:13-14)

The Original Intent

2) Why was God’s grace toward Paul shown to not be in vain? (verse 10)
The Apostle Paul wrote, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of [the other apostles], yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10) Paul was saved by God’s grace in an intense fashion, literally apprehended by the power of God on the road to Damascus en route to persecute Christ’s followers. (Acts 9:1-4)

By God’s grace he was shown the redemptive power of Jesus’ sacrifice, and from that moment forward he made it his highest purpose to share the Good News of Jesus and His saving grace. (Galatians 1:23) Still, all of this was not accomplished by Paul’s ability or strength, and he calls our attention directly to his power Source: God’s lavish grace. Paul needed to continually surrender his way to the Lord’s, but he also needed to rely on Christ’s work in and through him instead of his own grit and determination.

God’s grace toward Paul was not in vain because Paul shared God’s love with everyone he came in contact with while fueled by God’s loving grace, even though it often landed him in prison or resulted in persecution. (Acts 16:16-24, Acts 14:19) John Stevenson asserts that Paul “pictures the grace of God as a motivation for service. As he comes to see the wondrous and undeserving goodness that God has bestowed upon him, he is moved to labor even more greatly.”

Paul did not experience God’s grace and keep the Good News to himself; he was inspired to share the freedom and joy he found in Christ that God would be glorified through his willful surrender.

The Everyday Application

2) Why was God’s grace toward Paul shown to not be in vain? (verse 10)
One frustrating thing about teaching is that no matter how much help you provide, you can’t guarantee a child’s success. You can give everything necessary for high achievement, but you cannot force students to accept the help given. A teacher can offer after-school study sessions, provide notes and study aids, give practice tests and identify study partners, but these efforts are all in vain if the student decides to ignore the assistance. It is exasperating as a teacher to expend so much energy and get so little in return.

The Apostle Paul assured the Corinthians that the grace extended to him by His Savior was not given in vain. He wrote, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of [the other apostles], yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (verse 10). God extended incredible grace to Paul, a self-proclaimed “worst sinner” (1 Timothy 1:15), so His redemptive power would be beautifully displayed in Paul’s transformed life; Paul allowed Christ’s lavish grace to radically change everything. He became one of the most faithful Christians of all time, dedicating his life to sharing the Gospel.

Paul allowed God’s grace to empower his life, ensuring His grace was not given in vain. Author Tony Evans asserts, “Without the power of God’s grace working in us, our labor for Him would produce nothing of eternal value. Once you get your eyes on Christ alone for your assurance, your Christian life will soar, not crash.” This was the case for Paul, and so it is for any Christ follower who allows God to work through them to spread the Good News of Jesus’ offer of total forgiveness and new life.

The Original Intent

3) Why doesn’t it matter how the Corinthians came to believe on Jesus? (verse 11)

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he emphasized that the Gospel preached by the other apostles and by himself was one and the same. He wrote, “Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.” (verse 11) Paul pointed out that no matter how the Corinthians came to the saving knowledge of Christ, whether through Paul’s own preaching or through the message of another apostle or follower of Jesus, the important thing was that they heard the Truth and believed in Jesus.

Dr. Thomas Constable explains, “Even though Paul had a different background from the other apostles, he heralded the same message they did. Consequently, his original readers did not need to fear that what they had heard from him was some cultic perversion of the truth. It was the true gospel, and they should continue to believe it.” What mattered to Paul, and what should matter to us, is that the Gospel be shared with everyone, regardless of who shares it. (Matthew 28:19-20)

The importance should be placed on whether it’s the True Gospel and whether we are believing the True Jesus as recorded in Scripture rather than a “Jesus” of our own desires or imaginations. Paul’s goal was that the truth of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection be shared by everyone who hears and accepts the message of Jesus. (Colossians 1:25-29)

May we each fulfill our mission from the Lord with the same focus on Jesus and the same dedication to sharing God’s love as Paul had.

The Everyday Application

3) Why doesn’t it matter how the Corinthians came to believe on Jesus? (verse 11)

Most students have strong feelings about getting a group assignment where everyone does part of the work and gets the same grade as everyone else. Some students want to coast by on the work of their classmates, and those classmates dread doing extra work to make up for the group’s slackers.

One group project I had in high school was to research, write, and perform a historical play that included a dinner scene where we served dishes made from vintage recipes we had compiled. My approach was a factual, academic treatment of the subject matter, but my partners wanted to add some fun, whimsical details. Eventually I agreed, against my better judgment. I was shocked to discover that our teacher loved the facts and recipes I had voted to keep out of the presentation. I learned to be more open to other people’s ideas and that a strong team working together can accomplish much.

The apostle Paul addressed the team effort of evangelism in 1 Corinthians 15:11 when he wrote, “Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.” Paul wanted to assure his readers that the Gospel he preached was the same Gospel preached by the other apostles and had the same effect on those who heard and believed.

It did not matter to Paul who did the work or who got the credit, so long as Christ was proclaimed and converts were made. (2 Corinthians 2:14) Each apostle had a different style and manner of presentation, but they all experienced Jesus and shared His love and His truth with others.

It was the same information, shared in different ways, to the same effect: salvation from sin (Romans 3:23) and freedom from chains. (John 8:36)

Tags :
eternity,faithfulness,persevere,perspective
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Steadfast Day 3
Journey Study

Often, progress in the Christian life can seem slow. Sometimes it can feel as if we’re pushing forward, trying to do the right thing day by day, without really getting anywhere.

It can be tempting to look at the lives of Jesus’ followers in the Bible and think the process of spiritual growth was different for them, especially when it comes to someone like Paul.
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