Glimmers Day 5 Hope Of A New Covenant

December 14, 2018 by Quanny Ard Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 15:12-17
Exodus 20:1-21
James 2:8-13
1 Peter 1:14-21
Matthew 26:26-28

Glimmers, Day 5

What comes to mind when you think of the Ten Commandments?
Laws?
A list of do’s and don’ts?
What about considering them in terms of a covenant?
A bond between God and His people.

The Ten Commandments are God’s covenant in the form of a gift given to a prince-turned-shepherd (Moses) for a people (Israel) He called to Himself.
Although we don’t typically think of a connection between these Ten and Christmas,
the link is one we should rejoice in, especially during Christmas.

The commandments were intended to draw the hearts of the children of Israel back to their God. After hundreds of years of slavery, the people had forgotten Yahweh and His covenant with their ancestor Abraham. The commandments served as a legal “contract” between them and God by giving the boundaries within which they would live as His children in the new land He had already promised them. The covenant God had made with Abraham, which was sealed by God’s Word and acted upon by Abraham’s faith, not his performance, was fleshed out by these ten laws.

The Ten Commandments provided the boundaries for Israel’s pattern of living.
They would distinguish God’s people, identifying them by how they lived according to God’s Laws. Israel would be markedly set apart from pagan nations around them.
Through their obedience and adherence to the laws of God, the children of Israel were to be a living, breathing witness of the character of God to these nations; nations that had long ago rejected God through choice or tradition.

God has always had a calling on His people.
In John 15:16 God the Son, Jesus, plainly states, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
Before we even knew to choose God, He had already chosen and ordained us to bear fruit that would be lasting. This was one of the primary objectives for the Israelites living in the Promised Land, to restore the name and glory of God among those who didn’t Him.
They were to bear fruit in a spiritually desolate desert wasteland.

Although the commandments served as a standard by which to live (God’s holy standard), we as sinners are unable to keep the law perfectly. The Israelites broke the law immediately after receiving it.

“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said,
“Come, make us gods who will go before us.
As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt,
we don’t know what has happened to him.”
{In brief, Aaron (Moses’ brother) says, okay! Bring me all the gold jewelry you can find. Aaron melted it down and fashioned a golden calf, presenting it to the people saying….}
“These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
{Then Aaron announced…}
“Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.”
So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.
They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ (Exodus 32:1-8)

Friends, can you imagine the horror when Moses heard from God and reached the based of Mount Sinai to find this scene?
Can you imagine God’s horror?
To break even one of these commandments is to break the covenant with God in its entirety (James 2:10) and leads to death (Romans 6:23).
But God, full of gracious love and tender mercy, knew we needed hope.
Hope by giving us a Savior to kill death for us, and give us righteousness where we had earned death because we had broken His covenant.
Hope that would bring freedom; not just for Israel in the desert, but for all of us, lost in the desert of sin, who would enter into the new covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ for all eternity. (1 Peter 1:17-19, Matthew 26:28)

Jesus is the Redeemer that freed both Israel and us.
The commandments and subsequent Mosaic sacrificial system were an ever-present reminder of our need for a Rescuing Savior.
The commandments provided the Glimmer of Hope.
Hope personified through Jesus Christ, born as God wrapped in flesh.
Born to die as a substitutionary atonement for all sinners.
Born as the only solution to the wages of death brought on by breaking God’s law and covenant.
We are the breakers of this law. Not just Israel, us.
We are the ones in need of a Rescuing Savior. Not just Israel, us.

Christmas and the Ten Commandments?
Absolutely!
The baby in the manger is the Rescuer we desperately needed because we are incapable of keeping the law of God.
Praise God for being both Law-Giver and Law-Fulfiller!
Praise Him for being our Hope!

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Screenshot Day 7 It’s Not Fair: Digging Deeper

August 28, 2018 by Brie Brown Leave a Comment

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 It’s Not Fair!

The Questions

1) What is the context of this passage?

2) What are the sins of the younger son? What is his attitude toward his father?

3) What are the sins of the older son? What is his attitude toward his father?

4) What is the attitude of the father toward each of his sons?

Luke 15:20-32

So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. ²¹The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²²“But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, ²⁴because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵“Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he summoned one of the servants, questioning what these things meant. ²⁷‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸“Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’³¹“‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Original Intent

1) What is the context of this passage?
These verses are the conclusion to the parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus tells a story about a man with two sons, the younger of whom asks for his inheritance, then goes away and squanders all of it. Once the son realizes he has made a huge mistake, he decides to return to his father to apologize and ask to be treated as one of his father’s servants.
There is also a broader context to this verse. At the beginning of Luke 15, the Pharisees were grumbling against Jesus because they thought it was improper for him to “welcome sinners and eat with them” (verse 2). In response, Jesus tells three parables about finding something that was lost: the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son.

2) What are the sins of the younger son? What is his attitude toward his father?
The younger son was overt in his disobedience and selfishness. He sinned by asking for his inheritance early, which is basically telling the father he valued his father’s stuff more than he valued his father. He sinned by being foolish with his money and wasting all of it, which involved some sinful practices (v. 30). In the beginning, his attitude toward the father was sinful and selfish. But in the end, his attitude toward his father was humble and repentant. He had decided he would rather work as a servant in the presence of his father than struggle to make his own life apart from him.

3) What are the sins of the older son? What is his attitude toward his father?
At first, the younger son appears to be the “good” son, since he stayed and served his father when his brother went away. But these verses give clues to the attitude of his heart. In verses 29-30, we see that he, too, was more interested in his father’s stuff than his father’s heart. He didn’t want the fattened calf to be given for his brother, because that calf was part of his inheritance. He felt more deserving, since he obeyed his father and his brother didn’t. If he really valued his father, he would have rejoiced with his father. But since selfishness was in his heart, he could not rejoice at his brother’s return.

4) What is the attitude of the father toward each of his sons?
The father in this story shows great compassion to each of his sons, in different ways. The younger son had overtly sinned, yet the father forgave him and celebrated his return. He rejoiced that his son, who had not been a part of his life, had returned to him. He also showed compassion to his older son. The older son was also sinful, although less overtly, because of his attitude toward his brother and his father. Yet the father did not withdraw from him, but gently reminded him of his value and inheritance, and ultimately, of the value of his brother.

Everyday Application

1) What is the context of this passage?
Jesus used this parable to show the Pharisees that we should rejoice when a sinner repents, when a lost person is found! We can often have the attitude of the older brother, thinking it is unfair that the father’s riches are shared with the overtly sinful. In reality, it’s unfair of God to share His riches with any of us! It’s good for us to remember that we don’t really want what we deserve, which is death. We want, and need, God’s mercy and grace.

2) What are the sins of the younger son? What is his attitude toward his father?
In the context of Chapter 15, the younger son represents the sinners that the Pharisees didn’t think Jesus should eat with. They were guilty of the sin of licentiousness; that is, doing whatever they want without regard for God. Do you tend toward the sin of licentiousness? By your actions, do you tend to tell God you don’t believe His word? Do you tend to believe you will find more satisfaction in going your own way, rather than loving God, listening to Him, and obeying Him? Repent, sister, and be free!

3) What are the sins of the older son? What is his attitude toward his father?
The older son in this parable represents the Pharisees, people who trusted in their rule-following to make them right with God. This is the sin of legalism. Do you tend toward the sin of legalism? In what ways are you tempted to trust in your good-girl status to make you right with God? Perhaps you add rules and standards, beyond what the Bible says, and look down on those who don’t follow them? Repent, sister, and be free!

4) What is the attitude of the father toward each of his sons?
The father in this parable represents our Heavenly Father. Oh praise You, God, for doing all the work of salvation for us, so that we can’t boast about our works! Praise You for offering the same salvation and inheritance to all of us, whether we tend towards legalism or license. Praise You for gently rebuking us and reminding us of our value and shared inheritance! Praise You for emphasizing relationship over performance!

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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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Eve Day 11 Eve of Judgment

December 18, 2017 by Merry Ohler Leave a Comment

Eve Day 11 Eve of Judgment

Merry Ohler

December 18, 2017

Believe,Broken,Excuses,Faith,Flawless,Forgiven,Freedom,Generous,God,Gospel,Grace,Hope,Jesus,Life,Prodigal,Redemption,Relationship,Restored,Return,Sin,Truth

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 1:1-18
Luke 23:26-43
Matthew 13:16-23

Marcus groaned. Every muscle in his body protested as he shifted uneasily. He stretched slowly and searched for a comfortable position before resigning himself to the same posture he had just abandoned. He crossed his arms and his brow furrowed as he glanced out the small window.

He listened intently for the man he had seen escorted into the house across the way, but could hear nothing. No surprise there. The other man had practically been carried through the door, and even in the dim light Marcus could see that he had been beaten.

The damp, cold air seemed to seep into his bones and he shivered. The tossing and turning of another prisoner caught his attention and he glanced through the darkness toward the other side of his small cell. The younger man snored blissfully just a few strides away, and Marcus regarded his apparent ease with wonder. He shook his head slowly as his mind replayed the life that had led to this moment, this night. Snapshots of memories flitted through his mind with razor sharp clarity and he settled on one with eyes wide open, stepping into the moment as if he were living it again…

Marcus pressed his back against the cold stone wall and willed himself to fade into the shadows there. Shouts echoed as soldiers hurried past, heavy armor clanking as their sandal-clad feet slapped the ground. One of the centurions slowed and paused, glancing in his direction. The soldier was no more than ten feet from him! Marcus held his breath and closed his eyes as the centurion peered into the deep shadows. The soldier looked down the alley to his right, then back toward his comrades. He glanced into the shadows once more, then turned and jogged in the direction of the group. Breathing a sigh of relief, the thief called Marcus stealthily crept along the wall in the opposite direction, silent and sure-footed in the dark. He turned the corner and paused to survey his surroundings. One path led to his left, into the dark, foreboding hills and away from the city. The other path led to his right, twisting between homes and other buildings. He swung the heavy pack from his right shoulder to his left and shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he silently deliberated.

The hills to the left offered relative safety from the soldiers…but thieves and robbers far worse than he had made those hills their home. If they found him, they would beat him, strip away his clothing and loot, then throw him into some dark and desolate ravine. If he escaped unnoticed, maybe he could start over somewhere.

But if they caught him…death.

The city to the right held a rich network of alleys, homes and businesses. Plenty of ways to slip away unnoticed. The soldiers would be watching, yes. However, the city held a thousand dark corners and places to vanish. He was quick-minded and light on his feet, for his age. If he could find someplace to hole up for a while, maybe he could forge a friendship with someone, catch a ride somewhere else. There might be safety in numbers.

But if they caught him…death.

Weariness overtook him for a moment and he wavered, undecided. Soft strains of music and the sound of a woman’s tinkling laughter drifted through the night breeze, and a sudden longing filled him. Marcus turned in the direction of the noise and stole into the night.

The sense of sharp pins and needles laced through his left leg, pulling him back to the present. Wincing, he stretched, then slowly stood as the remainder of that night played out in his mind.

Marcus crept toward the source of the sound, drawn by something he couldn’t quite define. Cloaked in shadows, he peered through the nearby opening to see a group of Jewish friends dining. Except…as he observed them, he couldn’t help but notice that there was something different about them. They didn’t seem like just friends. They feel like a family. Nothing like his own…but perhaps something like the family he had always wished for. Laughing and joking over a meal. Breaking bread and talking over the events of the day together. Joy was evident in every voice, and Marcus was amazed at the overwhelming sense that they all belonged. Something he didn’t recognize stirred deep in his chest, and he crept closer to listen.

“Did you hear what Yeshua did the other day? Just when I think I’ve heard it all, He pulls something like that! Wow! Can you imagine what it was like to see a dead man come walking out of the tomb…and his sisters! What an incredible thing to experience in the face of such loss, such grief! To have Lazarus back!”

The man’s voice faded away as another more energetic voice interjected, “Sometimes, I can’t even remember what life was like before He came. It’s hard to describe…so much of what’s happened lately has felt like a dream… but really, it’s more like I finally feel awake. Alive. He is changing everything.”

Another voice piped up, “He is Everything! He is Who we’ve been waiting for all this time! All the stories, the prophecies… It’s all about Him. It’s always been HIM. HE IS the Christ…”

The voices faded from his memory and Marcus stopped pacing and stood in silence. His cell mate’s slumbering breath was the only audible sound. No one has ever talked about me that way, he thought. And no one ever will.

He glanced back out the window and strained his ears. Still nothing.

His heartbeat quickened. What kind of man could inspire that kind of conversation, that kind of relationship, in his absence? Was it possible? Could it be that they had spoken the truth that night? Had he really raised a man from the dead? What did that mean? What kind of power did he have? And more importantly – who was he?

Marcus’ stomach churned along with his thoughts as they raced back over the past three decades. Broken vows. Broken intentions. Broken relationships. Broken laws. A broken life.

Days…months…years… All wasted. And now, tomorrow, his pathetic whisper of a life would be over. Whatever potential he may have buried inside himself long ago, would be snuffed out, gone forever. And whatever happened to him after… he held little doubt that he would pay handsomely for the life he had carved out for himself.

A lump welled in his throat, and he worked to swallow as he choked back a sob.
Too little, too late.

And yet, he thought. HE is here.

The man, Yeshua. Jesus.

Marcus had seen a group of men take him into the house down the way, just a few hours ago. As two of them walked back up the road, Marcus had heard them speaking in hushed and hurried tones. They said he had healed a man right in front of them. One of his followers had cut someone’s ear off, but Jesus had picked it up and healed him like nothing had even happened. Their wonder was obvious and their fear was tangible. They had no reason to lie… the two men didn’t even know Marcus could hear them.

His mind hummed, working to reconcile what he had heard with what made sense.

What kind of Man is that?

What kind of power does He have?

And, most importantly,

Who is He?

Marcus stood motionless, his dark eyes trained on the door of the house where the Man, Jesus, was being kept.

And for the first time in his life, on the last night of his life, he felt something like hope.

Scripture doesn’t tell us much about the men who were crucified with Jesus. We know that one of the two mocked Jesus, but the other acknowledged Him to be the Son of God. This Journey is a fictional account which explores what could have transpired in the life of the penitent thief leading up to the Eve of the Crucifixion.

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faith,gospel,grace,hope,Sin,transformation,Truth

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Justice Day 10 The Fatherless

September 22, 2017 by Kendra Kuntz Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Esther 2:5-8
James 1:26-27
Romans 8:5
Psalm 68:4-6

There once was a woman named Esther.
She was young. She was stunning. She was an orphan.

Perhaps she is the most well-known orphan of all time; people have been reading her story for thousands of years.

But stop for a moment and imagine Esther as a little girl. Imagine a slight little girl with wavy, dark hair that wisps around her face. Smooth, olive colored skin and a little button nose. Big, dark eyes, framed by thick lashes, looking up at you, while her head bows in shyness. She blinks, and for an instant, you can see the sorrow that has settled in her spirit.

She has no mama. No one to wipe her nose when it runs or to rub her back when she wakes from a bad dream. The mama that labored this child into existence and cradled her baby face in her hands, is gone.

And this little girl has no daddy. No one to scoop her up and toss her in the air when he gets home from work. No one to playfully tease her, and remind her that she is beautiful. The daddy whose finger she once grasped with her chubby little fingers, has died.

What would you say to little Esther if you encountered her today? Would you wrap your arms around her and say, “Sweet one, you will go on to do incredible things”? Or perhaps, “Our Abba Father loves you, my dear, more than you will ever comprehend. He has great plans for you”?

Esther was adopted and raised by her cousin, Mordecai…
Who raised her
As
His
Own.

Mordecai became the daddy that scooped her up and tossed her in the air before nuzzling his nose into her neck and tickling her with his beard while whispering, “I love you, my girl.”

He became the man who would lovingly tease her and remind her that she is beautiful.

Adoption…

such a beautiful word because it reflects our relationship with Him.
We were once lost, wanderers, and slaves to our sin.
And when we decided to follow Jesus, we were adopted into the family of God…
He is our Father. We are His children.

But the Lord’s plan was never actually “adoption”.
The Lord’s original plan was no death.
His plan was for children to never feel the sorrow of not having a mama to love and snuggle them, or a daddy to care for and protect them.

But sin.

Because of sin, millions of children have never known what it is to have a father whose love reflects THE Father’s love.

It isn’t FAIR. It isn’t JUST.
But our God is a just God.

Children not knowing the love of two parents, is a great injustice.
God says that orphans will receive justice – and we, as believers who have been adopted by our Father, are expected to play our part in that beautiful, redemptive plan!

We are told to defend the weak and the fatherless.
We are expected to care for the orphans.
We, the Church, are called to be justice deliverers! We are called to look into the eyes of orphans and tell them that they are loved, and have purpose!

And we, of all people, should want to extend the gift of adoption because we know how life-changing that gift is.
We were not left as orphans.
We were adopted into the family of God.
We are not Fatherless, and we never will be.

Five years ago, I volunteered for a very special camp for children in foster care. I arrived not knowing what to expect, but excited to love on two little girls who didn’t have a mama or daddy. My life changed that week, and my eyes were opened to the heartache and hurt that comes when parents are not actively present in their children’s lives. Today, I went through some keepsake boxes and pulled out a note I received that week. Written in big, bubbly letters were the words, “Will you adopt me?” My eyes stung with fresh tears, just as they did five years ago. Those words changed me.

Two years later, my fiance drove me out for another week of camp, but he didn’t leave.
He couldn’t.
I had tried to convince him to come to camp, but he repeatedly said, “I can’t. I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t want to pour into these kids and leave drained and empty.”
(He voiced what many of us think but never have the courage to say.)
Yet, when he got to camp, he was captivated.
That week was defining for our marriage.

We began classes to become foster parents in June 2016. I was six weeks pregnant and our twins had just turned one. Almost six months later, we met our first foster son.
Six weeks after he moved into our home, he asked Jesus to be the Lord of his life.

While we could not adopt our sweet boy, we had the honor and joy of watching him become adopted by THE FATHER!
He is an orphan because his parents are absent,
but he is NOT an orphan because he has a Father
who will never leave him or forsake him.

Sister, what are you doing?
What is your place in God’s incredible redemption plan for the orphans in our world?

Today, I leave you with a challenge… DO SOMETHING.
There are millions of children in this world who need the Church to rise up and declare that the Lord will deliver JUSTICE to the fatherless.
Think of the MIGHTY and POWERFUL things children will accomplish when they have someone pick them up, toss them in the air, and whisper, “I love you”.
—

Not sure where to start?
Check out Royal Family Kids Camp!

Local to Kansas City? Check out a similar camp just for kids in this area!

Want more information on adoption? Head over to Bethany Christian Services!

See how your church can help local foster families get the supplies they need by connecting with a Care Portal in your area!

Support children all around the world and in your community through the Global Orphan Project.

Learn more about what it takes to be a foster parent here: A Child’s Hope Int’l’s!

Or, if you have specific questions, you can always shoot us an email or write on the Gracefully Truthful Community’s Facebook wall to get many responses and a lot of ideas!

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The GT Weekend – Prodigal Week Three

November 19, 2016 by Michelle Promise Leave a Comment

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!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) Think of how deep the Father’s love for you is. Have you accepted that love? Embrace it and be made new in Christ! Email us at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com if you have questions on accepting God’s great love for you.

2) What are you running from? What’s keeping you from turning to Jesus and letting Him wash you white as snow? Listen to His gentle whisper, calling you to Himself. Lean in, listen and talk with Him now. Write out what you wish you could tell Him if you knew there was freedom, safety, and total forgiveness.

3) Who do you need to show forgiveness and grace to today? Have you accepted the Father’s perfect forgiveness for yourself first? We cannot give away what we don’t have! Think of some ways you haven’t forgiven yourself and others, then let the truth of Christ’s forgiveness free you to love deeply!

Worship In Song

Music Video: Worship Mob “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”

Pour Out Your Heart

Jesus, I praise You for leaving Your rightful place on the throne and coming to Earth. For getting messy and involved in the lives of sinners. Jesus, thank You for living a perfect life and dying the most brutal death to save me. Lord Jesus, my heart wells up with thankfulness at the way You have redeemed me back to You so gently, perfectly and wholly.

Lord as I look to You, show me places in my life that are broken and breathe new life in me. Remind me of Your love that covers me, Your grace that saves me, and Your forgiveness that brings me back to Your embrace. Give me opportunities to extend Your embrace of forgiveness to others and to love people the way You love me!

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Prodigal Day 15
Extending His Embrace

November 18, 2016 by Kendra Kuntz Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 15:11-32
Ephesians 4:31-32
Colossians 3:12-17

My eyes closed as I let the song fall over me, and before I could stop myself, my arms were spread and I could practically see Jesus before me. My heart was soaring and I pictured myself running to the arms of Jesus, closer, closer…
And there He was before me.
He embraced me, and held me as I crumbled in His arms.
“I am so sorry. Oh Jesus, I am so sorry.”
I could feel Him whispering to me, “I love you, my daughter. I love you so much.”

I opened my eyes as the song ended and looked around the white chapel filled with other students worshiping our King. I didn’t know their stories, and they didn’t know mine, but for some reason,
we all needed to be reminded that Jesus was waiting for us with His arms wide open.

Oh, I’m running to Your arms
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world
Forever Reign

Every time I sing that song, I picture myself running into the arms of Jesus.
Sometimes I’ve crumbled in His arms, as I’ve been embraced by the only One who knows every intimate detail of my heart.
Sometimes I have laughed as I’ve felt Him loving me as only a Daddy can.
Sometimes I have basked in His presence or allowed His embrace to heal my brokenness.
But every time, as I’ve run into His arms, I knew He was always running to me.

We’ve deeply studied the parable of the Prodigal Son, told by the same loving God who has held me every time I needed Him. It’s the story of a son who blows his inheritance in the Biblical version of Las Vegas and when he is broke, starving, and homeless, he finally goes home,
a mess of a man who is wrecked and lost.
He had drunk the richest of wines and lived in deepest of poverty, but when he had absolutely nothing, he went home.

As he walked towards his home, there was his father. His daddy.
The man who had prayed for him, worried about him, and lost countless nights of sleep over him. This daddy wasn’t just standing at the gate waiting for an apology.
No, he had already fully forgiven his son,
which allowed him the freedom to run when he saw his son in the distance.
He ran as fast as he could, with arms wide open.
In that moment of welcome, wounds began to heal.
When they met, there was no awkward pause; there was no judgment.
There was brokenness and healing.
Deep love.
Gut-wrenching tears.
Pure joy.
There was an embrace that both had dreamed of and longed for many times over.

And though forgiveness had already been given, the son hadn’t received it yet.
So, in a humble state, the broken son asked his father to allow him to be a servant.
But the father proved his forgiveness with gifts and celebrations.

Forgiveness offered, but yet unrecognized.
Sound familiar?
Doesn’t that embrace of total forgiveness sound freeing? Yet, perhaps impossible?
“Oh, but you don’t know what I’ve done….where I’ve been…all the shame.”
Forgiven.
Embraced.
Are you ready to receive what He stands open to give?

I think of my daughters, though still small, they already make mistakes. Mistakes I know will multiply as my girls get older.
But I will never stop loving them.
Ever.
Forgiveness will always be offered.

I can love my daughters unconditionally because I have been forgiven and loved by the Father God. Because of His lavish love poured over me, I’m empowered to extend His embrace of forgiveness to others.

It is so easy to say, “I can forgive people who have hurt me”, but it is something completely different to do it.
I know.
As I write, there are a handful of people I am picturing whom I need to forgive.
I don’t want to “preach” something I don’t “practice”. I feel that the Father wants me to share that
I am working on forgiveness, just as many of you are.

My Papa passed away recently, and as my uncle spoke at his funeral, in the humblest of settings, with tears streaming down his face, I watched my dear uncle look up and ask a man for his forgiveness. He was in the middle of sharing what a forgiving man my Papa was, and he couldn’t even continue without being convicted to ask forgiveness.

I cannot continue without being convicted.
I cannot continue without telling you that I am currently forgiving, because often, forgiveness isn’t a one-time-done-deal.
I am choosing to offer grace, love, and forgiveness to people who have hurt me.
And as I do, I feel myself running into the arms of Jesus.

I might share with Him that it is really hard to forgive.
I might let Him hold me as I cry because of the pain.
But I’m running to the arms spread wide because of His unconditional love and I’m receiving His grace
as He teaches me to extend His embrace to others.

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Prodigal Day 14
Never Too Late: Digging Deeper

November 17, 2016 by Brie Brown Leave a Comment

Prodigal Day 14
Never Too Late: Digging Deeper

Brie Brown

November 17, 2016

Believe,Broken,Digging Deeper,Flawless,Forgiven,Grace,Jesus,Love,Peace,Prodigal,Redemption,Restored,Sin

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

Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 23:32-43

32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The Original Intent

1) How did the rulers, the soldiers, and the first criminal respond to Jesus’ crucifixion?

The religious rulers scoffed at Jesus when He was crucified. The soldiers mocked him and cast lots to divide his garments. The first criminal joined in their mockery.

All these people treated Jesus with contempt because they did not believe that He was the Son of God.

The Everyday Application

1) How did the rulers, the soldiers, and the first criminal respond to Jesus’ crucifixion?

The religious leaders knew all about the prophecies that promised a Messiah would come. But they had a certain idea of what that Messiah would look like, and Jesus didn’t match up.

Instead of letting go of their expectations and accepting Christ, they dug into their own ideas about the Messiah and rejected Him. The soldiers likely didn’t understand the Scriptures, and likely didn’t know who Jesus was or really claimed to be. They saw Him as an insurrectionist, someone who was out to usurp the authority of Roman rule. Their rejection of Him was more ignorant than the Jewish religious leaders, but they rejected Him just the same.

All these people, if they died still rejecting Christ, ended up with the same eternal destiny, apart from Christ. There is no excuse for rejecting Christ!

The Original Intent

2) How did Jesus respond to the rulers and the soldiers?

Jesus’ response to this mocking, and to the crime of killing an innocent man, was to ask His Father to forgive them.

Jesus understood they did not understand who He really was, and that they were really fulfilling God’s ultimate purpose of providing an ultimate payment for sin through Jesus’ death.

The Everyday Application

2) How did Jesus respond to the rulers and the soldiers?

Jesus asked His Father to forgive those who wronged Him. He is the ultimate example of meekness and forgiveness.

No matter what wrong has been done to you, even if the offender was never sorry, Jesus’s example of forgiveness can give us the strength to forgive others!

The Original Intent

3) How did the second criminal respond to Jesus’ crucifixion?

The second criminal understood who he was before God—a guilty man who was getting what he deserved. But he also understood who Jesus was—an innocent man who did not deserve to die. When he asked Jesus to remember him in His kingdom, the criminal evidenced saving faith that Jesus was the Son of God. His response was one of true belief.

The Everyday Application

3) How did the second criminal respond to Jesus’ crucifixion?

The second criminal gives us an example of the right way to respond to Jesus. This man saw himself for the sinner that He was, and asked Jesus to save him.

Have you realized the depths of your sin against God? Have you seen yourself for who you really are—a person who desperately needs Jesus’s forgiveness? And have you called on Jesus to save you? Do not delay!

The Original Intent

4) How did Jesus respond to the second criminal?

Jesus responded to the second criminal by accepting him into His kingdom. Because of his faith, Jesus forgave the criminal’s sins, and because of Christ’s death, those sins were paid for.

The Everyday Application

4) How did Jesus respond to the second criminal?

Jesus offers us forgiveness and acceptance. Although our sin is greater than we want to believe, the love God has for us is greater than we dare to hope!

Praise You, Father, for your great love, for providing a way for us to be reconciled to You! And Praise You that we are never too far gone to call on Your name!

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