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Wilderness Day 14 Bitter Places: Digging Deeper

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Wilderness Day 14 Bitter Places: Digging Deeper

Shannon Vicker

March 24, 2022

Alive,Christ,church,Clothed,Creation,Digging Deeper,Faith,Preparing,Security

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 "Bitter Places"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Revelation 21:1-5

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) What is the new heaven and the new earth? (verse 1)

The idea of a “new heaven and a new earth” sounds like a foreign concept to our ears. However, John’s readers would have had context for these words from Jesus. In 2 Peter 3:7-13, Peter presents a very clear description that the currently known world will someday come to an end. The Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven, returning to His place at the right hand of Father God, but He promised to return (Matthew 16:27, Acts 1:11) and Peter likens His return to a “thief in the night” telling his readers the return will be when least expected.

John points to good news; when the earth as we know it ends, there is the promise of a new one! God has promised to deliver this perfection of things to come to His bride, the Church. (1 Corinthians 15:52-55) The letter of John’s Revelation provides details about this new heaven and new earth using the best words and imagery John could possibly use to convey what the Lord Jesus revealed to him in a vision of what would one day become reality.

The Everyday Application

1) What is the new heaven and the new earth? (verse 1)

This world can be difficult to live in with its brokenness and grief. If I have learned anything over the last two years of facing the pandemic of Covid, it’s that life isn’t perfect or easy and challenges will come. Sin runs rampant and we are faced with the consequences of it everywhere we turn. However, as believers in Jesus, we hold a promise that this is not how things will be forever. You and I live in a world that will someday end.

One day, Jesus will return and we will all face judgment. (Matthew 25:31-46) For those who have trusted their lives and souls to Jesus, we are assured we will forever be safe with the Lord, welcomed home to be with Him. (1 Peter 1:3-4) We cling to the hope that God will fulfill His promise of newness, and when He does, He will establish a new heaven and a new earth. This newness will be more than we can imagine; its perfection guarantees God will dwell with us and nothing will remain in the former brokenness.

God has proven Himself trustworthy over and over again throughout the Bible. (2 Timothy 2:13) We can rest assured that God will fulfill this promise right along with every other one. (2 Corinthians 1:20) Jesus will return, defeating sin and Satan once and for all and establishing a new earth without even a hint of sin’s destruction or our enemy, Satan. (1 Corinthians 15:54-56)

The Original Intent

2) How is God dwelling with humanity? (verse 3)

God created Adam and Eve in His image (Genesis 1:27), and ultimately, the rest of mankind are created as image bearers of the Almighty God. While we do not know the extent of Adam and Eve’s dwelling together in the Garden of Eden, we do know God came to them and they hid from Him in shame of their sin. (Genesis 3:8)

Genesis also makes it clear that Adam and God spent time together in some fashion as Adam named all the animals and God told Adam He would make a “helper suitable for him” while on earth. (Genesis 2:15-23) The Bible is also clear that Jesus, the Son of God, came and dwelt on earth as God in the flesh. (John 1:14)

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) detail Jesus’ time dwelling with humanity as a human. John’s audience would have been familiar with Jesus’ dwelling on earth, some had likely even been a first-hand eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry. However, John now tells of a new kind of dwelling. John sees God physically dwelling with humanity for eternity. Up until this point, this has always been impossible due to sin.

There are times in the Bible where God talks to His creation but doesn’t dwell with them. God is now able to live among His creation still as God, but now in a perfected relationship.

The Everyday Application

2) How is God dwelling with humanity? (verse 3)

Though we have a “down payment”, a mere inkling of what is to come, through the Holy Spirit living within us (Ephesians 1:14), God dwelling with His people is something we have only read about. We know Jesus walked on earth as a man with humanity and was God’s Son in the flesh. However, we have no concept of what the coming glory will be like to experience the full glory of the triune God dwelling with us. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

We were born thousands of years after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. However, Jesus came to rescue you and I from the consequences of our sin, which is death (Romans 6:23), just as He came to rescue those who physically walked beside him while He was on earth. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was as much for my sins and yours as they were for those who watched Him suffer.

The best news is His resurrection and defeat of death is also mine to share when I accept His sacrifice. The good news doesn’t end! Jesus promised to return and defeat Satan once and for all, and when that happens, sin will be no more. Jesus’ blood has paid the penalty for sin and we will be able to dwell in the holy presence of God. What a joyful day that will be!

The Original Intent

3) Why is God making everything new? (verse 5)

John is writing his Revelation letter to churches who were being persecuted for their faith. It wasn’t an easy time to be alive and follow Jesus; believers faced harsh penalties for believing in Jesus. However, these believers knew the promises of God and knew that someday all things would be made new. Jesus would return and establish a new heaven and a new earth and what they knew as reality would cease, even if they never saw the fruition of the promise while they lived earthly lives. Because of Jesus, their coming Hope of all things being made new, was incorruptible.

God provided John with the exact words of hope and promise that Christ’s followers needed to hear in the midst of deadly persecution. Someday, all would be made new and the present sufferings wouldn’t even compare to the coming glory! (Romans 8:18)

Just as when a person is in Christ, leaving their old way of sinful living behind, they become a new creation for the old has passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17), so God will do the same with all of creation when Jesus returns. God is providing a hope for these believers, and all believers, to hold onto in the midst of trial.

The Everyday Application

3) Why is God making everything new? (verse 5)

The earth is full of sin, death, pain, grief, and so much more. There are days when all hope seems lost and the pains of this world seem more than we can bear. We have all experienced some of this by living through a global pandemic, some of us bearing the toll in deeper ways than others.

All true believers experience persecution for their faith in varying degrees, for many around the world this means their very lives and families are constantly threatened for their faith. This persecution we experience, like our brothers and sisters to whom John’s letter was written, is not unexpected, but this is not the experience God originally intended. The Garden of Eden was perfect before Adam and Eve chose sin and, just as the Bible starts with a perfect creation in Genesis, it ends with a perfect creation in Revelation. God absolutely will make all things new in ways that are beyond our wildest imaginings. (Isaiah 64:4)

He will establish His perfect creation where we can dwell with Him and all the pains of this world will cease. (2 Corinthians 6:16) John closes these verses with a promise from God that His words are “faithful and true”. (verse 5) We don’t need to doubt or wonder in insecurity because we can KNOW God will do what He has promised and we have the promise of perfection in eternity with our perfect Creator. I don’t know about you, but that brings joy that can’t be stolen even in the midst of sorrow!

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Wilderness Day 13
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The last couple of years have brought so much loss for us all due to the pandemic. We’ve grieved the loss of celebrations with family and friends, cancellations of long-anticipated plans, the loss of “normal” in gathering and traveling, all of which we once took for granted.

Sometimes, even “smaller” losses hit us hard.

In Naomi’s case, the devastating losses were so overwhelming they affected her whole sense of identity. As her old friends greeted her on her return to Bethlehem, her bitterness poured out.
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The GT Weekend! ~ Advent Week 1

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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) Most people don’t think of kings as servants. The Jews surely were looking for a king with authority and powerful army to rescue them from Roman oppression. This was their idea of the promised Messiah. Monday’s Journey Study showed us how Jesus, the true Messiah, came, not as a Roman-conquering-king, but as a humble servant. Indeed, He was and is, a king, in fact the King of Kings, but he didn’t come to defeat the Romans. He came to defeat the darkness of sin and death. He was the infant Messiah born to bring Truth and Light into the world. Journal about your salvation experience as if you were telling a friend about it. Share how Jesus is your light, and how He came to conquer your sin. Scripture teaches us to be Christlike, what are some ways you can practice humility as He modeled? Ponder how viewing Jesus as a humble servant changes your perspective of Advent as you prepare for Christmas. How can you better anticipate the light and truth ushered in by the birth of Jesus because of what you’ve learned about Him in Scripture? If you feel ambitious this weekend, revisit Week Three from the Journey Theme, If as it digs into Jesus as Victorious King.

2) In Deuteronomy 28:1-26, Moses lays out the benefits of obedience to God and the consequences of disobedience. Our midweek Journey Study pointed out that the Israelites seemed to choose sin instead of obedience. Have you ever judged them as you read the Old Testament? I’m guilty of it. But don’t we do the same thing? Think back on times when you have chosen sin over obedience. Did the consequences echo those described in Deuteronomy 28:15-26? You can also visit Glimmers Day 6 Journey Study for more on the sin cycle and Jesus as our rescuer. Prophets were sent to help the people know, and hopefully obey, God’s Word. One thing they consistently presented was the prophecy of the coming Messiah. From Hosea to Malachi, Jesus is consistently mentioned as the solution to sin and death. On this side of the birth of Jesus, we lose some of the awe and wonder of who the Messiah was and is. Pick one or more of the minor prophets and record how their prophetic work helps you recapture the true sense of who Jesus is. What is one thing you can do each day to lean into the wonder of the coming Messiah?

3) Can you imagine doing the same thing over and over in order to be forgiven, but knowing that forgiveness would never be permanent? That’s exactly what the Israelites had been doing with sacrifices. As Lesley showed us on Friday, the Messiah would be a once-for-all sacrifice granting permanent forgiveness. How does meditating on this reality help you understand the depths of the Messiah’s love for you? Being the ultimate final sacrifice means defeating sin and death’s darkness. What shoots the darkness? Light. Jesus was, and is, that eternally powerful light. Because Jesus, our Messiah, is God, no darkness can eclipse Him and therefore, when we have accepted Him as our Savior, the darkness cannot overcome us either. Jesus came, and His light conquered the darkness. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” Who knows this world is still full of darkness? Record some areas you are personally aware of that need the light of Jesus. Write a prayer asking Jesus to shine His light there. How can you be part of shining that light?

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 Isaiah 9:6-7 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end.  He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.

Prayer Journal
Father God, as this Advent season begins, help me to feel the anticipation the Israelites felt, waiting for the Messiah. But having the benefit of knowing how He arrived, and how His birth was ultimately the source of my salvation, may I also anticipate His return. God, I am always baffled as to why You love me enough to send Jesus to take on a human body so that He could reconcile me to You. I am eternally grateful for Jesus, and I pray that I can avoid the sin cycle the Israelites followed. Instead, help me to choose obedience. Help me anticipate Jesus’ return and all that will mean for myself and the Church. While I wait, help me shine the light of Jesus on others so that they too can leave darkness behind.

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Pause V Day 12 Instruction

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Pause V, Day 12

When my kids were younger, my husband and I would leave instructions for them when we went out. We gave the dos and don’ts, the exceptions, and the consequences if rules weren’t followed.

As Jesus was preparing to finish His earthly ministry by dying on the cross to sacrifice Himself for us, He gave instructions for His disciples, as well as consequences if those instructions were ignored. They really didn’t realize what was about to happen. We have the benefit of knowing, so His words should hold more gravity for us on this side of His resurrection.

Jesus instructed us to remain in Him so we could produce much fruit and we will be rewarded. But if not, we’ll be cast aside. (John 15:5-7)

We’re told to love one another like Jesus loves us. (John 15:12-13)

Prepare for persecution as you follow Jesus, remembering the world hated Jesus too, and more importantly, first. (John 15:18-19)

These are not easy things, but we don’t need to worry about how we’ll persevere through them. Jesus reminds us we will always have the Holy Spirit to help us, and He reminds us of a sweet, anchoring truth in our closing verse for today’s reading in John 16:33.

“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.”

Have courage, dear Sisters. When we are loved by the Merciful Father, rescued through the sacrifice of Jesus, and preserved by the Holy Spirit, we can survive hard things. More so, our inner spirits can thrive! We can stand boldly in the face of fear-inducing situations because He who has gone before us has paved the way for us, already attaining our final victory!

Today's Invitation

1) Pull out your Bible and read John 15 and 16 fully through 2 times. Then focus in on reading John 15 verses 9-17 several times through. Go slow. Emphasize different words each time you read it. Savor the message, and pray as you read. Write out verses 9-17 in your journal.

2) Each time you re-read verses 9-17, write down everything that pops out at you, makes you curious, or wonder “why?”. When you’re finished, go back through and you’ll be amazed at the new things the Spirit is leading you into knowing about Him!

3) Pay special attention to each instruction Jesus gives. Note how each is connected to an aspect of your relationship with Him. Pray over how these can be more connected in your life.

4) Memorize John 17:23

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John 15

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.

18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own.
However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it,
the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they don’t know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.

26 “When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father —the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 You also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

John 16

“I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. 2 They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 They will do these things because they haven’t known the Father or me. 4 But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you will remember I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15 Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.

16 “In a little while, you will no longer see me; again in a little while, you will see me.”

17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this he’s telling us: ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me,’ and, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They said, “What is this he is saying, ‘In a little while’? We don’t know what he’s talking about.”

19 Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, and so he said to them,
“Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me’? 20 Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21 When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world.

22 So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.

23 “In that day you will not ask me anything. Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

25 “I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 On that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

29 His disciples said, “Look, now you’re speaking plainly and not using any figurative language. 30 Now we know that you know everything and don’t need anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”

31 Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe?
32 Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

33 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.”

 

How Does “Pause” Work?
1. Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

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 Pause V 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 Pause V!

Kaleidoscope Day 9 A Quick Trip to 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 A Quick Trip to Isolation!

The Questions

1) What end is Peter referring to and why does it call for action now?

2) Why are “alert” and “sober-minded” tied together?

3) What is meant by “love covers a multitude of sins”?

1 Peter 4:7-8

The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Original Intent

1) What end is Peter referring to and why does it call for action now?
Peter, as well as the other apostles, had a pressing, imminent urging of the Lord’s returning to renew all things, which meant the end of all things in creation as we know it would pass away forever. They did not know the patient timing of the Lord would extend generations into the future that many would come to repentance and enter into a right relationship with the Lord. (2 Peter 3:9) But truly, it didn’t matter; they didn’t need to know when the “end of all things” would come, just that it would. Deeper than their current lives ending, the end of “everyone’s” life would end, and with it all opportunities to choose Christ and all opportunity to love another. This perspective is the reason for urgency in Peter’s letter. He writes to remind his brothers and sisters, some of whom were suffering intense persecution for the name of Christ, that an end would indeed come. Because of that future reality, believers were called to live rightly in the now.

2) Why are “alert” and “sober-minded” tied together?
Because the time is so short, Peter calls for clarity within the believer. He specifically calls out the mind, but the intention is for the wholeness of a person which also includes body and spirit. Peter urges his readers to be aware of the vanishing breath of life, and be alert for the ways the Lord is moving around them. The only way to be “alert” is to also be “sober-minded” and the only way to be sober minded in the manner Peter intended is by focusing intently on the relationship between God and self. Peter calls for prayer because by focusing intently on speaking with the Lord and listening to His Spirit speak, we will be prepared to live well in these last days.

3) What is meant by “love covers a multitude of sins”?
The interesting thing to note before this phrase is how the command to “maintain constant love”, or fervent, passionate love, is specifically called out “for one another”. Peter was writing to all believers in his letter. He was writing to the Church at large, the global Body of Christ-followers. The love Christians are to have for one another is to be intense, passionate, and something we should intentionally “stir up” as we engage with other Christians. Paul says in Romans, “Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Again, “Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters; outdo one another in showing honor.” The author of Hebrews adds, “let us watch out for one another to stir up love and good works….all the more as you see the day approaching.” The idea is constant and pressing, love intentionally because we only have the right now to love like this on earth. Of course, we are to love all people, even our enemies, but a special love for brothers and sisters in Christ should be given special attention. Because of this brotherly bond of love, we can forgive offenses easier. When forgiveness is couched in the blend of love and a desire for unity, “covering sin” is a natural outcome.

Everyday Application

1) What end is Peter referring to and why does it call for action now?
In the span of eternity, our lives are a vanishing mist. (James 4:14) One only needs to take a cursory glance through our social media feeds to be reminded of the brevity of our quickly disappearing lives. The “end of all things” is indeed near, generations nearer than it was at the time of Peter’s writing. Peter urges, we have no time to waste on selfishness and all manner of lusts and passions that are self-absorbing. We are called to love and love we must, because the day is near! We are called to think rightly about the Lord and spend our days communing with Him in sweet fellowship as He fills us up to love others. There is no better way to live in the now. (Romans 13:8-14) Looking for a life with no regrets? It’s rooted here, in a deeply abiding relationship with the Lord of All which overflows onto others as we love with the love the Father has given to us. Spend time intentionally wrapping your mind around the idea that “the end of all things is near”, and live your days with that pressing perspective. Not in a panicked frenzy, but by breathing in every moment in depth of relationship with the Father and loving others.

2) Why are “alert” and “sober-minded” tied together?
If I begin thinking about “seize the day” or “live every moment like it’s your last”, I feel the panic rise inside. Am I making every day count? What did I waste? What opportunity did I throw away? But the Lord does not call us into this mindset, He calls us to Himself. He is the anchor and He intends us to discover how to correctly perceive our circumstances and learn how to love in the last days when our mind is stayed on Him. Don’t get caught up in thinking a “prayer-life” is for old, stodgy Christians from centuries long past. Instead, consider your own communication with God. As I was reading the Psalms a few weeks ago, the psalmist spoke of praising God seven times a day. (Psalm 119:164) Surely, I praise Him more than that and I decided to mark a tally on my wrist every time I praised God that day. I was shocked I only made it to five! Be alert, be aware of the movement of God in your life and in the world around you, and lean in to the only solid foundation available, a deep and intimate relationship with Him!

3) What is meant by “love covers a multitude of sins”?
How well do you love with the minutes in your day? This is the focus of Peter’s letter, and its practical description is provided by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13. How we love is to be a glorious reflection of how Christ loves us! It was God’s love for us that sent His Son to die in our place. It was God’s love for us that sent the Holy Spirit to indwell every heart that proclaimed Christ as Lord. It is God’s love for us that forgives again and again, covering over every offense and every sin, large and small. This is how we are to love; this is how we are to spend our days, however many we have. Be alert, be grounded in your relationship with Jesus Christ, speak with the Savior constantly, and love the Church. By loving well, we steer clear of all the little “off-ramps” like rudeness that lead us into sin and isolation.
Love for the Day is near!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

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Cross Day 3 John The Baptist

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Cross Day 3 John The Baptist

Rebecca Chartier

April 3, 2019

Cross,Gift,God,Gospel,Holy Spirit,Jesus,Preparing

Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 1:5-25; 39-45
John 1:29-34
Luke 3:1-6
Matthew 3:4-12
Luke 7:18-23

For a moment, I doubted.
I was stuck in a prison cell, jailed for calling out Herod Antipas for his sins.
I did no wrong; in fact, I was doing the will of God.
But was Jesus truly God? Was He the one we had been waiting for?
Was He really who He said He was?

I wondered if it was all worth it…

my being set apart from birth, the preparation, the preaching.

Was it enough?

Enough to justify prison and facing death?

From boyhood, my father told me I was special. I was a gift from God, sent to prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah. He told me the angel, Gabriel, had announced my birth when he and my mother were very old. Gabriel’s announcement came with several specificities:

“…He will be a joy and delight to you,
and many will rejoice because of his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.  
He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.  
And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
(Luke 1:14-17)

As a boy I didn’t know what it all meant, but I listened for the voice of God to lead me; I was so eager to fulfill His calling on my life. To make others ready for the Messiah!! What an honor!

My mother said Jesus was her cousin’s child, my distant relative. She remembers so vividly when I recognized Him, even while we were still unborn in our mothers’ wombs. This child, born after me, would be greater than me or anyone else who ever walked the earth because He was born of God’s Spirit, not from man.

My appointment was to call people to repent of their sins and ready themselves to receive Jesus as their Savior from sin!
I could baptize with water, but Jesus the Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit!

Instead of following in my father’s footsteps and studying under a rabbi to become a priest, I followed God out to the wilderness. I had no profession other than practicing the discipline of listening to the heart of God and worshipping Him. I had no true home and only the land to live on. I spent years wearing clothes made from camel hair and surviving on just locusts and wild honey. But God was with me, teaching me, preparing me to be an outspoken evangelist. I wasn’t caught up in caring what people thought, what they said, or even how I suffered.

I was singularly focused on my mission
because I spent decades focusing on God alone.

When He told me it was time, I set out from the wilderness toward Israel. As I encountered people, I told them exactly the Lord’s message as He had given it,
“Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!”
This was the fullness of my purpose, and with great zeal I leaned into the work!

People came out of the city to listen to me and be baptized.
Despite my father’s words that I was a special gift, I knew the true gift was what the Lord was doing in me. He prepared my own heart to receive His Salvation.
I was no one.
I was society’s reject.
I preached the unpopular sermon of repentance many prophets before me had declared.
Yet remarkably, I could see God point others beyond myself to One Coming.  
The One.

I still remember the day Jesus came to the Jordan River to see me.  
His purpose was so intentional.
How my hands shook as He entered the Jordan and our eyes met!
Here was the moment, Jesus was The One, yet I couldn’t help but back up.
He should be baptizing me! I was not worthy to untie His sandals, let alone baptize Him!
“Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness”, Jesus insisted.

Suddenly, everything became clear!
He went under the water like all the others I had baptized, but when He rose up a white dove descended as the skies were opened and rested on Him.

God had told me to look for that sign, for it would signify the Messiah.
What an honor! My heart came alive – truly alive!
Here was confirmation of God fulfilling His promise both to Israel and myself!

I stood motionless, taking in this magnificent occasion.
Arms stretched to heaven, I glorified God the Father as Jesus the Messiah, God in the flesh, stood with me in the river.

His ministry began and I continued to confront sin in peoples’ lives, clearing the path before the Savior of the World.  When it was King Herod whose sin I called out, I was locked up.

Faced with looming execution, the doubts and questions came rapid-fire.

Will Jesus save me from this?

Was I duped, or is He truly the Messiah?

Was my hope misplaced?

Were my efforts for naught?

Was my life wasted?

My life had been surrendered to ministry in Jesus’ Name since before I was born.
I’d experienced incredible moments – proofs – of Jesus having the very nature of God wrapped in humanity’s skin.
Still, I doubted.

I had heard, of course, about His miraculous acts:
the blind see,
the deaf hear,
the lame walk.
None but God could do these things.
Still, there I sat, awaiting death for doing the will of God.
I could not help but ask,
“Are you The One who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

Jesus sent back a response reminding of truths I’d already witnessed and then finished with this, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

The language He had chosen was itself a message as I quickly recalled another prophet’s words, “And He will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense…”
Isaiah foretold how Jesus’ message would be offensive and bring persecution for those who loved Him. But as Jesus now reassured, this message was the one by which all peoples who embraced Him would be blessed.

Persecution would come.
The cost of sacrifice was for all followers.
Was it worth it to be counted among those who were granted eternal life because they were not offended by His grace?
Absolutely!
 
Jesus’ divine destiny was the undeserved persecution of the cross, enduring the fullness of God’s wrath, in order to take away the sins of the world (every person EVER) if they chose Him. (John 1:12; Acts 10:43)

Just as I have.

And here I rest in confident peace.  

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hearts,John The Baptist,Messiah,rejoice,Savior,spirit
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Cross Day 4
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We can look at John and see a standard of true gospel living. He pointed to Christ and walked humbly waiting for Him to come. From the womb where he leaped with excitement (Luke 1:41), to the tomb where he lost his head because he faithfully followed Christ. John the Baptist is a follower whose entire life points to the redemption found at the cross.
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The GT Weekend! – Worship IV Week 1

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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) What are your personal experiences with worship? Pause, reflect, and journal through those. What are the circumstances and surroundings where you come into deep worship the easiest? What defines worship in your experience? How much do your feelings play into the “how” of your worship time? Spend the next 2-3 minutes writing out unchanging truths about God’s character, then steal away to a quiet place and spend 7-8 minutes worshipping God for being exactly who He says He is. Grab a candle, a journal, your Bible, or just a willingness to speak openly as you worship even now.  

2) Who or what is the “glue” that holds you together? Who or what do you rely heavily on for stability? Maybe it’s the relational state of your marriage, likes on social media, the cleanliness of your home, or how you perform at the gym. Consider how often you turn to the anchor of Christ to be your center. When you think of where you would like to be in your daily relationship with Jesus, what practical piece is currently missing? Write down 1 easy thing you can begin doing today to make a shift, taking your walk deeper with the Lord. Then connect with a friend and ask her to hold you accountable to regularly taking that step! 

3) When was the last time you worshipped the Lord right in the middle of the mayhem of your everyday mess? What did you praise the Savior for? As Crystal shared yesterday, we are invited in to “sing Israel’s song” as our great Rescuer and Redeemer. Challenge yourself you to take notes, even just for this weekend, writing down the ways the Lord has been gracious, setting His kindness upon you. Maybe it’s a paper journal or a note on your phone, but actively choose worship by taking note of the gifts of the Father!

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 Colossians 1:19-20 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

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.

Prayer Journal
Making peace is something we all long for, Lord; it’s something I long for in my everyday life. My relationships need peace. My children need peace. My hurting friends need peace. My finances need peace. My workplace needs peace.  
 
But, these people and places need much more than I can possibly give or bring. As much as I grieve for the unrest, I know I’m at a loss to give anything but temporary emotional support, and even that isn’t possible in all cases. Lord, teach my heart to find peace in one place, Your shed blood for my redemption. Be my anchor, Jesus, and in that place of security, give me opportunities to extend Your peace to those around me. Remind me, Spirit, to lift my loved ones and my circumstances up to You for your perfect peace to surround. How I love you, Abba! How grateful I am for Your deep love and boundless peace!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

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Incorruptible Day 13 Sweet Sufferings

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Read His Words Before Ours!

James 1:2-18
Romans 5:1-11
1 Peter 4:12-19 

Incorruptible, Day 13

I distinctly remember standing in the pantry searching for an after-school snack. I absent-mindedly looked at my options and stood there for quite sometime trying to decide what would satisfy. In hindsight, I can see that the indecisiveness probably stemmed largely from the fact that I sought something to soothe my wounded heart more than something to fill my snack desire. I don’t remember what age I was but guess I was in late elementary school or early junior high. I lack the details now of what had caused the heart wound, but I do know it was fresh enough that I had not yet decided how to respond to the pain.

As I stood there in indecision, I clearly remember these words coming to mind: “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2-3)
In that moment I decided to choose joy, to look at my current situation and invite the Lord into it. The hurt did not go away, but joy and hope bloomed alongside it filling that void in a way that no fruit snack or granola bar ever could have. I remember leaving the kitchen knowing I’d just made a choice that pleased the Lord. Little did I know how foundational this decision would be throughout my life.  

A short while later, still pondering this encounter, I told a friend from church about it. Her response both shocked and surprised me. “That is not a trial,” she said with a finality that ended the conversation. I knew she was right as calling it a trial may have been a stretch in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time, I knew her response was horribly wrong.  

Yes, most trials are categorically more horrific than my Jr. High experience.
Abuse, natural disasters, persecution, heavy responsibilities, and health problems are all items that come to mind as trials. Scripture promises we will have trials and suffering. My friend had wisdom in her young age to remind me of the power of perspective and the need to be aware of my word choice as others may not view my situation as a trial at all.  

However, I also knew that my pantry encounter with the Lord
was not one to be dismissed.

While not necessarily a trial, the wound proved to be the perfect platform for the glory of the Lord to be both displayed and rooted in my life.  I walked away from that moment in the pantry with an understanding of the Lord’s response to a heart surrendered to Him regardless of the cost.
A heart that chose to believe Him at His Word.

I had made the decision to let Him take the pain of my current scenario and use it for His glory, a lesson that prepared me for much harsher circumstances to come. My friend may have closed the conversation between us with a somewhat brunt statement, but the Lord has kept the conversation alive between Him and me in the years since, though quite often I discovered this by reflecting on those hard choices to trust Him in the dark.

Lord, am I really failing they way they keep saying that I am? My future resides on passing this year. I keep trying my hardest and I keep praying for You to come.  

Are you enjoying our times together as you read My Word? I specifically chose that verse to come to life for you today to help you. Yes, your love for Me and My Word will be multiplied by the end of this season.

Lord, that person just mocked me for believing You are the only way to heaven. What am I supposed to do with that?  

Did you see the way they watched you to see your reaction? Did you catch the surprise in their eyes that you did not lash out in anger? Another seed planted. 

Lord, my coworker just yelled at me in front of the office for something I did not do. I wanted to correct them in front of everyone just to prove my point.   

What if you are the first person to show them My love for them? What if you are the last? 

Jesus has taken the short conversation with a young girl and transformed it into a lifelong invitation to know Him. Intimately. Deeply.
Suffering, by its very nature, seems to be something to avoid and despise.
While I have never reached the point of loving suffering, especially while in the midst of it, I have come to love more deeply the One who leads me through the pain, the One who redeems it.
Each time I embrace the suffering, He makes me more like Him.
Sweet sufferings for Your glory, Jesus.
  Behold, Daughter, nothing given to Me will be in vain. I redeem all things! 

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Incorruptible Day 11 Food For Life

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Peter 2:1-5
1 Peter 5:1-6
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
Hebrews 5:12-13
Ezekiel 36:22-38 

Incorruptible, Day 11

My husband has the biggest sweet tooth I’ve ever known.
Actually, the second biggest.
My Papa had him beat by just a little bit.

Because of Matt’s love of all things sweet and mouth-watering, I knew our twin daughters would be exposed to delicious desserts sooner than most babies, and I chose to embrace that and laugh whenever the time came…

At six months old, their daddy gave them a taste of his strawberry ice cream. I can still remember their big eyes as that freezing goodness slid onto their tiny tongues. They continued opening and closing their mouths as trying to figure out exactly what they were experiencing, because it certainly wasn’t their mama’s milk… it was better!
Their big eyes shifted into a sparkling gleam and the corners of their mouths turned upwards into grins, as they savored the new delicacy.

Eventually, their teeth came in and as they grew and developed, so did their love for food, expanding from mama’s milk and strawberry ice cream to vegetables and protein.
With that first taste of ice cream, they knew that “grown up food” was good and they began their journey into developing their palates for solid food. 

It is natural in our physical lives for the food we eat to change and broaden as we grow.  

Just as with our physical palates we grow and broaden in flavor profile and food choices, so it with our spiritual lives. As we spiritually mature, our spiritual taste for spiritual food deepens and widens, moving from beginner’s milk to nutrient rich “meat and potatoes”.  

But sisters, we can’t do it alone or overnight.  

I never expected my daughters to transition from milk to solid food in the span of 24 hours, or without my guidance. They needed me to provide them with milk, then they needed me to cook and mash their food for them, and now, I still need to cut their food into small pieces before they can digest it.  

We cannot grow deep in our faith on our own. 
We cannot live a holy life by sheer will power and determination.  

Scripture teaches this truth, but I also know it to be true from experience. 
Trying to live like Jesus on my own strength is not only exhausting,  

It is impossible.  

We MUST have Jesus living in us and transforming us from the inside out.
We MUST surround ourselves with biblical community, walking alongside brothers and sisters who also are being transformed by God’s Spirit, who can encourage us and hold us accountable to grow deep.

A simple Google search on the importance of community reveals hundreds of results on the significance of surrounding yourself with people who are encouraging and uplifting.
That age-old quote, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” is hard to argue with.

To grow in maturity with Jesus, it’s simply a non-negotiable to surround ourselves with a community who reflect 1 Peter 2:1, people who have “rid themselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander”.  

Yes, Jesus loves the lost and broken, the slanderers, the liars, the gossip, the adulteress, and the murderer, but He never intended them to remain in their sin.
He came to free us!
He offers depth and maturity and full redemption!

Jesus spent plenty of time with people who weren’t walking in God’s redeemed grace.
These were who He came for!
But these were not the people He made His community.  

Redeemed people, those who have intentionally crossed the line of faith and said yes to Jesus, were designed to grow.
We were given a new heart and the Spirit of the Living God inside us,
we were made for more! (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

The Lord designed our palates to move beyond mushed up carrots and peas,
but to get there, we must consistently spend time in His Word.

Just as any relationship, growth means investment.
We invest by joining community groups and small groups at church, studying the Bible, consistently worshipping at church, and in our own precious time with our Father through Scripture and prayer.  

When we invest like this, we’re moving beyond milk, growing our appetite for maturity in Christ. We’re starting to get the really good stuff! 

Sisters… if you’re wondering,
“There has to be more? This isn’t everything I thought it would be?”
THERE IS!
There is so much more.

If you feel your walk with the Lord has plateaued, or maybe even slowly dwindled,  then you’re still just drinking milk.

Are you craving His Word like sweet strawberry ice cream?
Taste and see that the Lord is good, His food is rich for life! 

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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 Incorruptible 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 Incorruptible!

Incorruptible Day 8 Redeemed From Emptiness

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Peter 1:17-21
1 Peter 5:8-14
Ruth 2-3
Joshua 2

Incorruptible, Day 8

“For you know that you were redeemed (bought back) 
from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, 
not with imperishable things like silver or gold, 
but with the precious blood of Christ.”
1 Peter 1:18-19

Rahab. 
Ruth. 
Saul. 

And so many others throughout Scripture have been bought back
by the precious blood of Christ.  

Joshua 2 tells the story of Rahab.
A prostitute.
Giving away her body for money, she was used and abused.
Hers was an empty life.
Rahab had heard of the mighty deeds of the Hebrew God called Yahweh, enough to know He was worthy of awe and respectful fear. (Joshua 2:8-11)
Enough to know that if He would provide her protection, she would turn her back on her people.
True to His Word, as the walls of Jericho collapsed around her, Rahab’s house was left untouched and her family was saved.   

Rahab married a Hebrew man, was rescued from prostitution, was welcomed into the blessings of Yahweh, and grafted into the lineage of Christ.
One moment of choosing to be in exile from her people 
brought about new life for Rahab. 

As we come face to face with the reality of who God is, 
we are free to walk confidently into the redeeming grace He offers. 

Ruth was a Moabite widow who followed her mother-in-law Naomi, against cultural custom, back to Israel. She was a foreigner without food and protection of a husband.
An outcast among Jews.
If anyone felt empty, it was Ruth.  

Like Rahab, she chose to be in exile, displaced from her own land to follow Naomi and her God.  

Through events only God could ordain, Ruth became the protected wife of Boaz and mother to Obed, another generation in the lineage of Jesus.
Redeemed from emptiness and vulnerability, 
Ruth found fullness, life, and purpose. 

As we lay ourselves humbly at His feet, the Lord faithfully redeems our empty places. 

In Acts 9, we meet Saul. 
Well-known as murderer and persecutor of Christians, Saul made it his life mission to kill all who claimed the name of Jesus.
Death always leads to emptiness. 

But Jesus interrupted Saul’s crusades in a blinding moment of awe-filled truth where Saul surrendered to radical grace.  

Having been redeemed from his old way of thinking and living life, Saul-turned-Paul spent the remainder of his days proclaiming Christ, forever exiled from the life he’d once so passionately known. 

Emptiness was all he had known, 
but grace captured his heart, exchanging life for death.

As we accept the redemptive grace of God, we become new people.  

Each of these people were exiles in one form or another.
Each heard and understood the character of God through His people.
Each found hope in the midst of their exile because of God’s faithful, trustworthy character.  

Peter reminds us that we are exiles too.
Separated here on earth from the One in Heaven who crafted our hearts to beat in rhythm with His. Aliens here with broken relationships, heartache, loss, destruction, and sufferings coming in all shapes and sizes.
Exile is not forever, Sisters.
We can trust that truth because of our God’s character! 

“And after you have suffered a little while, 
the God of all grace, 
who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, 
will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
1 Peter 5:10
Jesus says He will restore us, confirm us, strengthen us, and establish us!  

Restore – to repair or renovate so as to return it to its original condition.
Confirm – to establish the truth or correctness of something believed. 
Strengthen – to make or become stronger.
Establish – to achieve permanent acceptance or recognition for. 

As we look at those definitions we see redemption so clearly!  

Through the lives of Rahab, Ruth, Paul, and so many more, we see how God
restored the broken places,
confirmed what they believed about Him to be true,
strengthened their faith,
and established them firmly in the incorruptible inheritance that was to come.   

Redemption is such a beautiful thing, 
but it’s only ours to claim if we accept the gift of salvation.  

Salvation is a free gift from God that buys back (redeems) us from the chains of Sin and Death, adopting us as His very own daughters.  

Jesus Christ, the only mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) between humanity and God, wrapped Himself in human flesh (1 Peter 1:20-21), became one of us, was sinless like none of us, and willingly laid His life down on the cross that each of us might know Him, trust His character, and be redeemed from emptiness!  

“For you know that you were redeemed (bought back) 
from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, 
not with imperishable things like silver or gold, 
but with the precious blood of Christ.”
1 Peter 1:18-19

What’s your emptiness?
Has it been redeemed?!

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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 Incorruptible 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 Incorruptible!