Produce Archives - Gracefully Truthful

Run Day 3 For This Reason

March 5, 2025 by Carol Graft Leave a Comment

Run Day 3 For This Reason

Carol Graft

March 5, 2025

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

Read His Words Before Ours!

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

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

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

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

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

And yet, God.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1 Timothy 1 goes on to say in verse 17, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”He is our true Hope.
He is the eternal King, ruling yesterday, today, and forever.
He is immortal, living forever and bestowing upon us the gift of eternal life through Him.
He is invisible to us now, though we will one day be face to face with Him.
He is the only God, the only Savior, the only way, the only truth, the only hope we have.

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

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

Every single day.

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

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

Maybe finances were provided at just the right time.

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

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

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

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

Dear sisters, run to Him and run with Him.

Tags :

comfort,grace,mercy,peace,struggle

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

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

But, with Jesus, there is always more purpose and plan to unfold.

Dig Deeper!

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Pause V Day 12 Instruction

November 9, 2021 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

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!

Incorruptible Day 13 Sweet Sufferings

November 21, 2018 by Sara Cissell Leave a Comment

Incorruptible Day 13 Sweet Sufferings

Sara Cissell

November 21, 2018

Believe,Broken,Character,Comfort,Design,Faith,God,Good,Grace,Healing,Help,Hope,Life,Pain,Preparing,Produce,Promises,Relationship,Scripture,Significance,Strength,Struggle,Time,Trust,Truth,Wisdom

Read His Words Before Ours!

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

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!

Tags :

desire,endurance,faith,glory,God,heart,joy,pain,perspective,promises,satisfy,scripture,struggle,surrender,testing,trials,trust,wounded