Purpose

Beloved Day 8 Intimacy

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 4:1-7
Song of Solomon 7:1-13
Proverbs 5:15-23
Ecclesiastes 9:7-10
John 14:8-11

Beloved, Day 8

Intimacy.

There’s no other way of saying it: sexual intimacy within marriage is a gift hand-crafted by our incredible Creator God for the people He made in His image.

Throughout the Bible, there are countless examples of God’s created beings enjoying and participating in the gift of physical union. Early in Genesis, the Lord affirms the goodness of sex for the purpose of procreation. (Genesis 1:28) Just a little later in Genesis, we see Isaac comforted in his grief by physical union with Rebekah, which affirms the great comfort of sex in times of grief and loss. (Genesis 24:61-67) In Proverbs, Scripture also asserts sex for the purpose of physical pleasure and enjoyment is good. (Proverbs 5:15-23)

The entire book of the Song of Solomon extols the heady pleasures of physical desire and fulfillment found in the physical act of sex. Vivid descriptions, expressions of love, and honest dialogue about the emotional and physical experiences which accompany physical intimacy were poured over, examined, tested, and ultimately included in the canon of Scripture for a specific purpose. God gave us sex, and sex within the context of marriage between a man and a woman is a good, good thing.

Song of Solomon is a depiction of the literal joys of physical intimacy, but there are some traits we see exemplified in the two young lovers which warrant further exploration in the context of our own marriages.

They are transparent.
The two young lovers are obviously desirous for each other, but they are also completely transparent with others about the one to whom their thoughts, emotions and desires are drawn. They aren’t hiding the way they feel about their beloved; they are practically shouting it from the rooftops. There is no mistaking how they feel, what they want, and to whom their heart belongs.

They are honest with each other.
There’s no question the two are each in pursuit of the other. There is no sub-text and no veiled references. Neither is playing “hard to get.” There’s no competition, no game, no “prove your love to me.” They are each completely, totally, all in.

They are vulnerable.
Nothing is too intimate to share. No expression too outlandish, no description too flowery. There’s no thought of looking foolish, or saying something silly. Each feels completely safe with the other, and as a result they are unashamed to share their thoughts, emotions and desires.

They are purposeful.
They are willing to do practically anything to steal away for an encounter with the one they love. They talk of slipping away to a vineyard, to a quiet room, to his chambers. They are not embarrassed to say exactly what they want, and their actions support their words.

For a moment, let’s set aside all our expectations of our spouse and take a look at where we are.

Beloved, when we examine how we operate in the context of our own marriage, can we say the same? Are we transparent with our spouses? Do we create space for them to be transparent in return, without fear of us shutting down or refusing to respond? Are we honest? And if we aren’t “all in,” is that an area we need to confess to our Father and allow Him to touch? Are we vulnerable in sharing the intimate spaces of our bodies, yes, but even more importantly, our hearts and minds? Are we purposeful in our marriage? Do we choose to pursue our spouse every day, even when we don’t feel like it?

Let’s take it a step further. Are those traits present in our relationship with our Father? Are we transparent about the condition of our hearts and lives with the One Who holds the power to change us? Are we honest with Him about our thoughts and feelings? Do we surrender them to Him? Do we allow ourselves to be open and soft to His conviction, to His healing? And do we pursue radical intimacy with the God Who is with us? Do we consistently prioritize placing ourselves before Him, in all our humanity?

These are hard questions, aren’t they? I can’t say yes to all of them. 

Maybe you can’t, either.

So what do we do from here? Where do we go from this place of knowing we aren’t where we’d like to be, and recognizing we can’t move forward on our own?

We start with confessing where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’d like to be to our Bridegroom King. We acknowledge our definition of intimacy falls woefully short of the intimacy He designed for us to experience with Him, and we ask Him to show us the way. He alone is the Author of intimacy; we can trust Him to lead us into the fullness of all He created!

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Beloved Day 6 A Lover’s Delight

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 4:12-16
Genesis 2:18-25
Proverbs 31:10-12

Beloved, Day 6

Have you ever walked in a garden under a pale moonlight? It’s counterintuitive, but at night, a garden truly glows. Everything is bathed in the moon’s gentle light. Visitors can breathe in the sweet fragrance of roses and lavenders, an intoxicating aroma.

During the day, the gardener tends to the plot, and the garden becomes hard-working and industrious. But at night, the garden invites the gardener to lay down the stresses of the day and rest in the pleasure of the fruits of his labor.

Our God is a giver. In Scripture, we encounter His gifts of both literal and metaphorical gardens. In the beginning, He created a world full of blessings. Then, God gave Adam and Eve dominion over creation and entrusted them to rule as He would. God also gave mankind the gifts of food and His Sabbath rest. Tucked away in the midst of all those blessings was another gift, a command to be fruitful and multiply while subduing the Earth.

In Genesis 2, we learn of the creation of the first man, Adam, and how God entrusted him with two gardens. The literal garden of Eden was given as part of Adam’s domain to cultivate, because it is where Heaven met Earth. The second and metaphorical garden, Eve, was given to Adam because God saw Adam needed a companion and helper in order to fulfill his purpose.

In the union of Adam and Eve, we find the design for pure delight and pleasure within marriage:

“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked, but felt no shame.”
(Genesis 2:24-25)
Wrapped up in the sacred space of marriage, both husband and wife were truly free and truly satisfied.

Song of Solomon builds upon the foundation laid in Genesis, giving us a detailed look at God’s plan for pleasure and delight within the boundaries of marriage. Chapter 4 recounts the culmination of the wedding ceremony; here, we find the groom describing his bride as an abundant garden.

Within the garden metaphor, our Creator begins to unlock the mystery of Godly marriage. A good gardener tends carefully to his garden, looking forward to a fruitful harvest. He protects it from pests and disease and rot. The gardener removes troublesome weeds, ensuring a nutrient-rich environment. Finally, his gentle hand encourages flowers and fruit-producing trees to grow. Such a prized and prioritized garden will not only produce an abundant harvest, but will be a great beauty to behold.

In the same way, a husband is to tenderly care for, encourage, and protect his wife, helping her to flourish. Proverbs 31 describes a wife who is industrious and productive under the care of a good gardener.

Within the partnership of Godly marriage, both husband and wife, gardener and garden, delight in the pleasures of a fruitful harvest. In the safety and innocence of lifelong commitment, spouses find every physical sense captivated and exhilarated:

“You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes;
With one jewel of your necklace.
How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride.
Your caresses are much better than wine,
And the fragrance of your perfume, than any balsam.
Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.”
(Song of Solomon 4:9-11, emphasis mine)

As with a garden, cultivating joy and pleasure within marriage requires time and intention. After the battles of the day have been fought, and the responsibilities of the day are laid to rest after bedtime prayers, husband and wife must intentionally turn their hearts, minds, and bodies to one another. Just as a vigilant gardener tends to every corner of his garden, we must make space to nurture our emotional, relational, spiritual, and physical connections.

But this sweet image of man and wife delighting in the fragrance and abundance of their nighttime garden is incomplete. Spouses will never find full delight, full satisfaction, full completion, solely in their mates . . . because husband and wife are human, and imperfect, and sinful.

Only when we have first found fullness of delight in God (our perfect, holy, lacking-in-nothing and possessing-all-we-need God) can we turn our attention from the scarcity in our spouse to overflowing gratitude for all the ways God blesses us through him.

And so, sisters, in the gardens of our marriages, let us first pursue and delight in our Master Gardener. Then, let’s enjoy the blessing of love and take delight in our spouses all the days of our lives.

“Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 9:7-9)

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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 Beloved Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Calling Day 14 One To Another: 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 One To Another!

The Questions

1) What is the Lord’s will and how does it connect with the straight-forward commands given in these passages? (verse 17)

2) Submission feels like a command that chains us up and makes us a doormat; how does Paul want us to see it from God’s perspective?

3) What connection is Paul making in verses 28-33 between marriage and the Church?

4) Why does Paul specifically call out the roles of wives, husbands, children, and slaves?

Ephesians 5:15-6:9

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. 4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ. 6 Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. 7 Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people, 8 knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. 9 And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Original Intent

1) What is the Lord’s will and how does it connect with the straight-forward commands given in these passages? (verse 17)
At a high-level view based on what we’ve already studied in Ephesians, particularly Ephesians 1:3-14 and especially verse 9, the Lord’s will is for us to know Him and understand Him not only regarding the means of salvation, but all the vast riches believers have access to through Christ. This knowing Him is the fullness of His will for a relationship with us, because through this gateway, our lives our transformed in greater and greater facets. Through knowing the Savior, His Spirit makes us new, shaping us into the image of the Son, Jesus Christ, who perfectly represents God the Father. We are drawn in deeply as a child of God. We are given new DNA, a new birth, a new life, a new purpose, and as we study His Word and learn the rhythms of the heart of God, our everyday lives take on new life and purpose. Everything is made new! Knowing the God of the universe in deep intimacy is the crown jewel of our existence; it’s what we were created for!

2) Submission feels like a command that chains us up and makes us a doormat; how does Paul want us to see it from God’s perspective?
In a society where women actually didn’t carry value and were often viewed as being property owned by men, Jesus radically turns their worldview upside down. To the original audience, it was impossible to read these words and get the idea Jesus didn’t value women. In fact, He elevated them! They were partners together in marriage with men. Wives were to submit to their husbands’ leadership, as husbands were called to love and honor wives as their own bodies! (Ephesians 5:25, 28) Husbands were called out to stop viewing women as property, but as partners having equal value as men. In this context, a woman’s passion should be valued just as highly as a man’s passion. A wife’s voice was to receive the same value as a husband’s voice. Co-equal. Co-valued. Yet still, like two beautiful dancers, there can not be two leaders. In a stalemate, one must submit to the other’s lead or the dance ceases to be beautiful and the two, intended to act and love and live as one cohesive unit, split up and walk away in opposition. This is not God’s heart because it isn’t how God operates within Himself. Jesus only spoke what the Father told Him to say. (John 12:49-50) The Spirit only moved between Father and Son in blessed unity. (John 15:26-27) There was never discord, only mutual love and submission. As we hold onto this view of God, we can more clearly understand how God lovingly designed wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives. Marriage is intended as a beautiful dance of mutual love and submission!

3) What connection is Paul making in verses 28-33 between marriage and the Church?
God designed marriage for many purposes, but one of the most important was to illustrate, like a breathtaking painting, the relationship between God and the Church, His chosen Bride. Verse 25 is power-packed with breathless, ardent, unconditional love from a God whose love for us will literally take an eternity for us to comprehend. Read these words slowly, pausing after each word for amplified understanding, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her…” Each. Word. Slowly. God chose people to be His own priceless inheritance. He has chosen us to be included in His Bride, the Church. Oh, how He loves each of us as individuals and as a whole as we join together with other believers to make up the Bride! (verse 30) He loved her (the Church) so lavishly, He gave Himself entirely up for her. This is unfathomable! Marriage was always intended to be the public, on-live-display reflection of what it looks like for God to love His people. As husbands sacrificially love their wives, the wife responds with trust, honor, and a love that follows whole-heartedly. Christ sacrificed Himself for every believer as individuals, which composes the whole of His Bride, the Church. Because of this incredible demonstration of radical love, the Church responds by following Him, honoring His sacrifice, and, in turn, radically loving Jesus and all those around us.

4) Why does Paul specifically call out the roles of wives, husbands, children, and slaves?
It’s important not to follow our natural tendency and section off these roles as teachings separate from the main emphasis of the text as a whole. These role distinctions are meant to each be woven in connection with the thick, life-giving cord of living out the calling of following Jesus holistically. Spouses, children, slaves, whatever your role in life, heed this imperative calling from the Lord Jesus Christ, “walk worthy of the calling you have received.” (Ephesians 4:1) We have each been called to love the Lord and one another, so let’s walk it out! “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3) Live it out with humility and utmost love for one another, regardless of your role in family relationships or in societal rank. “From Him (Christ), the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.” (Ephesians 4:16) Just as each one has a role in life, so do each of us have a role in the Body of Christ. We are called to live it out by “walking in love, as Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.” (Ephesians 5:2) Whether we answer to mama, sister, daughter, friend, wife, boss, or coworker, each role is uniquely and critically woven to our highest calling, “walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8) and “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)

Everyday Application

1) What is the Lord’s will and how does it connect with the straight-forward commands given in these passages? (verse 17)
Often, Christians want an “easy answer” button to the specifics of their life choices, so we concoct a mysterious pursuit of “finding the will of God”. Which job opportunity? Which spouse? Do we adopt a child? Which house should we buy? We are tempted to elevate this “finding God’s will” in specificity far above focusing on the relationship we have with God in our ordinary day-to-day lives. He intends for us to follow Him one small step at a time. He will make the specifics clear to us, but first and foremost we are to seek His face, know Him deeply, and study His Word to understand who this God is we follow. It’s in the unpacking, not the pursuing, of the God who is right here with us. He is not far off and we are left trying to chase after Him. Our pursuit should not be a mysterious “God’s will”, but rather God Himself! As we seek Him, we will find not only the most precious jewel of all, the fullness of God, but we will slowly, over time, find that we are being faithfully, gently, graciously, being led step by step in small and big decisions. Follow Him by studying Him, then allow that knowing of Him to color everything else. When we know Him, we want to be like Him. This means we won’t choose to live foolishly like the world. We won’t make rash decisions, because our God is not rash. We won’t enable others because God calls out our own sin with His gracious truth. We won’t speak with rudeness, because God is not rude to us. When it comes to major life-decisions like where to move, which job to take, and who to marry, the Lord will faithfully lead us through those decisions, just as He has faithfully led us before. However, if we don’t make a habit of knowing Him, of choosing His will (which is to know Him), then the big decisions will continue to be a wrestling match of uncertainty. What God wants most is not our decision to move to city A instead of city B, it’s to know Him. If we refuse to prioritize this “will of God”, nothing else will fit.

2) Submission feels like a command that chains us up and makes us a doormat; how does Paul want us to see it from God’s perspective?
There are many passages in Scripture that have tragically been manipulated to assert someone’s twisted perception of reality and justify their own sinful actions. Sadly, this beautiful passage in Ephesians 5 has been used to press women down, especially regarding their role in marriage. Even in Christian marriages where the husband genuinely loves the Lord, these verses on submission are often taken out of context to assert the wife has no voice or value. Sisters, let’s be so clear here, this is not the heart of God! Jesus stopped everything on a busy day of ministry to call out an outcast woman, elevate her, value her, heal her, and esteem her by publicly declaring her His Daughter. (Mark 5:25-34) As we read these verses in Ephesians, it is imperative we study through the correct lens of lavish love God has for women and all people regardless of race, gender, or role in life! (Galatians 3:27-28) Each human being was created on purpose by the handiwork of God. (Jeremiah 1:5) Each was made in His image. (Genesis 1:27) He knit together every bone and marrow, every patch of skin, and artfully crafted every hue of eye color. (Psalm 139:13-16) There are no “cookie cutter molds” in God’s craftsmanship; He intimately loves every person as an individual with the exact same value and worth. It is simply not in His character to show favoritism. (Ephesians 6:9)

3) What connection is Paul making in verses 28-33 between marriage and the Church?
A husband is meant to love his wife so deeply and unconditionally that there are no boundaries on his faithful, sacrificial love for her. He is to forever be willing to sacrifice himself for her because he loves her. She, in turn, is to respond to this love by trusting her husband and following his lead, respecting and honoring him as the God-ordained leader in her home. This colors how wives speak to their husbands, spend their money, raise their children, have disagreements with him, and even sleep with their husbands. Radical love is intended to foster trust and respect because this is the picture of how Jesus loves us and designed us for deep, intimate relationship with Him! I know what you might be thinking… ‘If I had a husband who loved me like that, it would be easy for me to respect him and follow him. But I don’t.’ I know, Sister, I know. God, however, does not call us to lovingly submit to our husbands only when we are in a phenomenal marriage and all our needs are being met. He calls us to live out love and gentleness and respectful submission even when we aren’t being loved the way we were created to receive love. God is not a selfish God. When we do not follow Him, when we love ourselves and our ways better than His, He does not withhold His love from us. He continues to be present, offer love, tenderness, and forgiveness! We cannot love our husbands like this on our own! Even in great marriages, this kind of love requires supernatural help! When we fix our eyes on knowing God first and foremost, investing daily and intentionally into our relationship with Him, we will be given the strength and ability to love and honor our husbands. Whether it’s a marriage relationship or your relationship with Christ, honor the Lord by loving Jesus first and most. This always translates to loving others sacrificially and unconditionally just as we are loved by God Himself!

4) Why does Paul specifically call out the roles of wives, husbands, children, and slaves?
The specific roles in chapters 5 and 6 are not additional, new concepts, but rather they are a pinnacle demonstration of all Paul has been teaching regarding what it looks like to live out Jesus’ calling in real life. These truths Paul wrote of are not mere doctrines to study or pious words to memorize, but they are the very fabric of the life we are to live in Jesus! No true Christ-follower is exempt from this high calling, regardless of their role in life! Paul didn’t call out these specific roles so we would isolate them from the rest of his teachings, but would view them, and every role, through the stunningly beautiful lens of submission, love, respect, and honor for others. When the whole Body of Christ, every single believer, follows this pattern of living, we truly are exhibiting what it means to live a life worthy of the calling we have received in Jesus! Imagine the difference it would make if you took this high calling seriously and began thinking through your everyday actions through the lens of loving submission, charged with the aim of honoring others before yourself? How would meal times feel different around the table as you encouraged others? How would your relationship with your spouse deepen as you intentionally chose to lay aside the weapon of offense and instead pick up the grace gifts of humility and tender love? What transformations might happen as you choose loving respect and submission at the workplace instead of gossip and self-promotion? Live out this rich love Christ has called us to as we love one another!

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Catch up with One To Another!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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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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The GT Weekend ~ Calling Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) What is your “why” as a follower of Christ? As we consider the magnitude of our eternal blessing of eternity in the presence of God, everything else in life seems to fade in comparison. When we grasp the depth of this truth, we ought to be stirred to invite others to share in the blessing with us regardless of any struggles we may experience as we share. When you read this study, did a name jump to your mind of someone you want to share Christ with? Maybe you have a friend who is far from God or someone who has drifted away from your church body in the last few months, realizing she doesn’t really miss the Lord. Maybe there is a college student you know who is struggling to reconcile her faith and her doubt. Set up a time to get together with this friend with the express purpose of sharing your faith and how God is working in your life. Commit to pray through Ephesians 3:14-21 for your friend every day leading up to your appointment. If you are struggling to come up with a name, have a conversation with God in your journal about what would keep you from setting this kind of appointment and ask Him to send someone into your life with whom you could share the gospel.

2) In Ephesians 4:1, Paul urges the Ephesians to live in a manner worthy of their call. Those who have been called to follow Jesus have the honor, privilege, and responsibility to live focused on God, becoming the people He wants them to be. By practicing spiritual disciplines, we can learn and grow in our faith so we can walk in a worthy manner. In Galatians 5:19-23, we see two lists of behavior patterns and character traits to help us visualize and grasp what our way of living ought (and ought not) look like. Take some time to read these two lists again. Did any traits from the first list stand out to you as ways you have been living and need to change? Honestly evaluate your life before the Lord and write down the specific ways you have been living outside of a manner worthy of your calling. Repent of those things, and ask God to help you walk in a new way. As you look at the second list, consider how you have grown in your walk. Name a specific fruit of the Spirit God has developed in you. Write down a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the work He has done in your life.

3) The book of Ephesians talks frequently about living in unity with the body of Christ. When we trust Jesus as our Savior, we become a part of a new family, the family of God. With this new family comes a new set of expectations and a new way of living. This new way of living can only be authentic when it comes from the Holy Spirit working in our lives, changing us from the inside out. We can try to force outward actions, but true change can only come from imitating Christ and allowing Him to change our inner selves. Where in your life have you been forcing an outward change without submitting your heart attitudes to the Lord? Take some time to write a prayer asking God to reveal the heart attitudes you are holding onto that need His redemptive work. As you see those attitudes in your life, confess them and ask for His changing power in your life. Take part in your spiritual family by telling a trusted friend what you are struggling with and asking her to pray with you for true and lasting life change.

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 Ephesians 3:20-21 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer Journal
You, oh Lord, are able to change lives. You have come down from Your holy hill and made a way for Your people to be united to You and be one in You. You have given Your children great gifts and blessed us with a new way of living. Help me, merciful Father, when I fall short. Search me and reveal the ways I am trying to fix myself or make myself better without relying on Your power and transforming work. Help me to leave behind my old way of life, my fleshly desires, and my sinful tendencies. Make my heart soft to the spiritual fruit You are growing in my life. Help me to live my life so others see Your changing work. Thank You for the many ways you have already changed me. Thank You for setting me free from my old ways of life and for bringing renewal to my relationships. You have shown up for me in ways I could never have imagined. Give me courage to speak your truth to those around me, so they may also experience the life-changing work You do every day.

Worship Through Community

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The GT Weekend ~ Calling 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 a breathtakingly stunning thought! The God of the universe is pleased to dwell among people! His desire is to have a deep and meaningful relationship with every beloved person in His church body. The opening poetry of Ephesians is full of magnificent truths about the believer’s position and identity in Christ. Rebecca gave us a list of declarations every believer in Christ can cling to as a promise of their standing with God. We do not need to wonder what God thinks of us because He tells us plainly in these verses. Go back and read through the list again! (Ephesians 1:1-14) Choose two or three specific promises and remind yourself of those truths in your life. Spend some time praying and imagining how God could change your life if you fully accepted those truths as part of your everyday. Write down those two or three declarations on a notecard or sticky note (make them pretty if you want!) and post them somewhere you’ll see them daily. When you see those cards, be reminded to pray to God for His help to live faithfully in light of His call on your life.

2) In Ephesians 1:15-23 we see the love Paul has for the Ephesians in his prayer for them, and we see the greatness of the calling of God on the lives of His people. Paul prays for the Ephesians to intimately know the call of God on their lives. If we believe in Christ, we share in this calling. By this calling, we can be confident in our rich, intimate knowledge of God, our value in His kingdom, and the power we experience through Jesus Christ. This truth should radically change how we live our lives! We experience God’s power when we obey His call on our lives. Identify one way in your life you are resisting submission to Christ’s call on your life. This could be a besetting sin you are holding onto or a step of faith you have been hesitant to take. Ask God to show you the greatness of His power by setting you free from whatever is holding you back, then make a plan to walk in obedience in this area, trusting God to sustain you. Consider sharing your plan with a trusted sister in Christ and invite her to check in with you about how you are following through.

3) When all we know is death, we can grow comfortable in the filth and stench of our own decay. Death feels like the inevitable pattern until we see the alternative. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:1-22 we were dead in our sins. But God, rich in mercy, made a way for us to be alive in Him. If you have believed in Christ, you are no longer a slave to the old, dead ways of living. You are alive in Christ! Rebecca challenges us to remember we are alive and then to live like we’re alive. Echoing her final thoughts, take some time to consider, and write down, answers to the following questions. Who can you love better? What is a tangible step you can take today to love God with your life? Is there a relationship in your life where unity is broken; what is a first step you can take toward reconciliation? Are you honoring the people closest to you? Ask God to help you take meaningful steps toward living like you are alive. Ask Him to give you an opportunity to share with someone in your life about how God has brought you out of death and into life.

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 Ephesians 1:17-19 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the wealth of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of His strength.

Prayer Journal
Oh great and merciful Father, how can it be that You would love me? I cannot fathom the depths of love You have shown Your people by making us Your dwelling place. You are not a God who is far off, watching at a distance. You are a God who is nearby, providing for Your children, displaying Your great power in our lives. I admit I have often learned facts about You simply to increase my own knowledge. Forgive me of my pride, and use the knowledge I have found to enlighten my heart and draw me into a deeper relationship with You. I know I often live in my brokenness, forgetting the power of the truth of my new life in You. Help me to be aware of my sin, to recoil at my old desires, and to truly live in such a way that reflects the power You have in my life. Thank You for Your great mercy in setting me free from my past. Help me to grow in my intimate knowledge of You and Your great love for me. As I grow in unity with You, help me also to grow in unity with Your Body, the Church.

Worship Through Community

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Pause IV Day 7 Unchanging Almighty

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Have you ever wished God would just drop a message down from the sky to tell you what to do next? Or maybe send a care package of “patience”, “healing”, and “strength” along with a checkbox list of what to do or where to go next?

I know I have!
I’ve often thought people in the Old Testament surely had it easier because God just spoke from the sky to them. Or set a bush on fire. Even better are the disciples who lived during Jesus’ time who could just ask Jesus a question face-to-face and get an immediate response.

But my perspective reveals a flawed perception of the Almighty God.

God wants to be known by us, and speak to us, that is abundantly clear in Scripture. My tendency, however, is to elevate the “answer” over the “relationship”.

I want the “next” instead of delighting in the walking with Him on the journey.
I’m looking to check off my boxes and make sure I’ve done all the right things.

But God is looking for my heart, to shepherd it, to teach me to trust, to develop my faith in Him as He leads me deeper into our relationship.

How much sweeter His ways are than mine!

In Habakkuk 2:2-3, the Lord assures Habakkuk the vision God had given to him would indeed come to pass. God reminds the prophet the timing is God’s alone for its coming.

Habakkuk would have the choice to trust God at His word or lean into his doubt instead.

God gave very clear directions to Habakkuk to write out the words of the vision detailing the coming judgement so everyone would be able to read and understand them.

The Lord’s Words would indeed be fulfilled.
Judgement would come.

In the same way Habakkuk and ancient Israel had access to God’s words through the prophet, so do we have direct access to God and His will for our lives by reading Scripture. As God assured Israel His words were unchanging and would be fulfilled, so can we have the same confidence when it comes to God. His word never changes, His character remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is trustworthy like nothing else in all of creation!

Listen to His word, heed His message of hope and salvation offered through Jesus, and trust Him with all you have! Grow your relationship with Him by studying His word and practicing listening to the Holy Spirit!

Today's Invitation

1) Pull out your Bible and read Habakkuk 2:2-3 fully through 3 times. Read it slowly, emphasizing different words each time. Let the words of Scripture hang over you as the Spirit speaks to your heart.

2) Each time you read, 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) Write out a prayer of thanks to God for being a God of clarity and wisdom instead of a God of secrets and deception. Ask Him for clear understanding where you need it most, and praise Him for how He will provide as you wait for Him.

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Habakkuk 2:2-3

The Lord answered me:

Write down this vision;
clearly inscribe it on tablets
so one may easily read it.
3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
it testifies about the end and will not lie.
Though it delays, wait for it,
since it will certainly come and not be late.

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 IV 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 Pause!

Ten Day 7 Family On Purpose: 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 Family On Purpose

The Questions

1) Why are there so many “do nots”?

2) How does this passage demonstrate honor?

3) Why did God continually say, “I am the LORD” throughout these commands?

Leviticus 19:9-37

9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the resident alien; I am the Lord your God.

11 “Do not steal. Do not act deceptively or lie to one another. 12 Do not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God; I am the Lord.

13 “Do not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages due a hired worker must not remain with you until morning. 14 Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you are to fear your God; I am the Lord.

15 “Do not act unjustly when deciding a case. Do not be partial to the poor or give preference to the rich; judge your neighbor fairly. 16 Do not go about spreading slander among your people; do not jeopardize your neighbor’s life; I am the Lord.

17 “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him. 18 Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

19 “You are to keep my statutes. Do not crossbreed two different kinds of your livestock, sow your fields with two kinds of seed, or put on a garment made of two kinds of material.

20 “If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman who is a slave designated for another man, but she has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be punishment. They are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 However, he must bring a ram as his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 22 The priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord with the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin he committed.

23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you are to consider the fruit forbidden. It will be forbidden to you for three years; it is not to be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit is to be consecrated as a praise offering to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way, its yield will increase for you; I am the Lord your God.

26 “You are not to eat anything with blood in it. You are not to practice divination or witchcraft. 27 You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard. 28 You are not to make gashes on your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves; I am the Lord.

29 “Do not debase your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity. 30 Keep my Sabbaths and revere my sanctuary; I am the Lord.

31 “Do not turn to mediums or consult spiritists, or you will be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God.

32 “You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old. Fear your God; I am the Lord.

33 “When an alien resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 34 You will regard the alien who resides with you as the native-born among you. You are to love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.

35 “Do not be unfair in measurements of length, weight, or volume. 36 You are to have honest balances, honest weights, an honest dry measure, and an honest liquid measure; I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Keep all my statutes and all my ordinances and do them; I am the Lord.”

Original Intent

1) Why are there so many “do nots”?
It is important to remember that God creates order and purpose. His purposes always flow from a heart of deep love because He is love. (1 John 4:16) He does not operate from the stance of “controlling dictator”, so we must drop this supposition when we study His words. His purposes for Israel were for them to multiply and live a long life of honor and worship towards Him so other nations would see that Yahweh was the true God. The rules He laid down here in Leviticus were God’s Code of Conduct. In reading Leviticus 19:9-37 it seems as if God thought of everything imaginable His people could, or would, ever consider doing. He created humans, He created the world, He knew the human heart and just what we are capable of. He established His law as a standard to clearly remind Israel to turn aside from the things of the world and “be holy as I (God) am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2) God’s Law drew a clear line of distinction between the practices of surrounding pagan cultures and how Israel was to live. Sin had ruled them, keeping them in slavery since the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden and their choice to sin against God. (Genesis 3) The standard of God’s holy law reinforced their need for redemption and forgiveness from a kind God who could, and would, make all things good and ‘clean’ again. When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, they witnessed a culture that reflected the pagan gods Egyptians worshiped. When the Israelites wandered in the Wilderness, they were witness to many people groups whose cultures also reflected pagan worship. God established His Law so the Israelites would show themselves as set apart while they reflected they were indeed God’s chosen people.

2) How does this passage demonstrate honor?
Living our lives after the pattern of God’s wisdom and loving boundaries is the very best way to live life! Because God is the author of life and is Himself love, we can trust His ways to be the wisest above our own. This Levitical law of honoring is still something to heed today. Although the word “honor” is technically only tied to the command “Honor your mother and father” (Leviticus 19:3), the idea of honoring God and others is woven throughout every command listed in this passage. Honoring neighbors. (Leviticus 19:15-18) Honoring elderly. (Leviticus 19:32) Honoring our children. (Leviticus 18:21, 19:29) Honoring our bodies. (Leviticus 19:27-28) Honoring foreigners. (Leviticus 19:34) All of these actions honor God! Honoring your children means you won’t give them up, by selling them into a lifestyle that will harm them. Honoring your neighbor, and your community, means you will seek their good, and give generously as you care for the poor and the needy. Honor the elders who have come before you. Respect and care for them. As we honor others, we will bring honor to the Lord God as we reflect His heart of love.

3) Why did God continually say, “I am the LORD” throughout these commands?
When you see “Lord” in all capital letters, it signifies the personal name God, Yahweh. It was deeply intimate, and regarded as so holy that Hebrews would not even write all the letters, instead abbreviating it as “YHWH”. Using the phrase “I am the LORD” throughout this passage in Leviticus is God’s way of grounding the Israelites and continuously reminding them of God’s personal love and His mighty character. As they lived out this lifestyle of love and honor, they were representing the very name and character of the God who passionately loved them, Yahweh. He alone brought them out of slavery in Egypt. It was Yahweh who sustained, provided, and led them as they wandered in the wilderness. God did not create these laws to be a dictator and make life difficult, He created them as a pattern for the best way to reflect His heart of love. God wanted His people to always be aware of Him.

Everyday Application

1) Why are there so many “do nots”?
Sinfulness was not an ancient Israel problem, but runs just as rampant in our own hearts and cultures today. Jesus knew we could never attain to the perfect standard of righteousness set out by the Old Testament Law. Our nature is to sin. Our DNA is to choose self over a Savior. One only needs to begin comparing ourselves to even a handful of commandments to see our sinful bent. Have we ever lied? Have we ever lusted (Jesus’ equivalent to committing adultery in Matthew 5:27-28)? Have we ever been angry (Jesus’ equivalent to murder in Matthew 5:21-22) One slight step away from the commands, is our own condemnation, resulting in eternal separation from the Holy God because we are not blameless before Him. When you read of God’s “do nots” let them remind you of His holiness, our own nature to sin, and our desperate need for a Savior, which God graciously and lovingly provides in Jesus Christ. The Lord’s list of “do nots” are also meant to safeguard our lives by creating wise boundaries. Our welfare, our physical health, our mental and emotional state require adherence to most of these “do nots” even today. God’s wise pattern for living is intended to show those around us that we are set apart (1 Peter 2:9-11) as followers of Christ just as Israel was set apart as God’s chosen people. Though we still have this Code of Conduct for righteous living, our only hope in attaining righteousness is found in Jesus Christ who came and perfectly fulfilled every requirement of the Law for us! He became our righteousness!

2) How does this passage demonstrate honor?
Honoring God and others isn’t solely an Old Testament concept; even Jesus talked about esteeming others above yourselves and giving to the poor. He elevated the idea of honoring others when He said loving your neighbor as yourself was the 2nd greatest commandment, second only to loving the Lord Himself. (Mark 12:31) We often think of Leviticus as different than the Ten Commandments, and wonder how those laws all relate to Jesus Christ and His life, or the times we are living in now. All the laws can feel overwhelming or obsolete. In Jesus’ day, Jews observed all regulations of the Old Testament, but Jesus brought the focus on two laws that encompassed every other one. Keeping God first and loving your neighbor as yourself. To love and honor are similar concepts. If you love someone (even yourself), you will honor and respect them. Paul reiterated the Levitical command when he wrote in Ephesians that by honoring parents, a long life was given. (Ephesians 6:2-3) To some of us, honoring our parents feels difficult and complicated as relationships often are. Perhaps we were mistreated or conflict constantly raises its voice in the relationship dynamics. However, if we are born again and have come to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, His Spirit will give us the power to forgive and supernaturally love those who have mistreated us or are difficult to communicate with. When we seek to love the Lord first, He will empower us to love others.

3) Why did God continually say, “I am the LORD” throughout these commands?
While God’s name carried more heavy significance in the Old Testament culture, we can begin cultivating the same awe and respect for His name. Read through today’s passage and speak out loud the four words, “I am the LORD.” Or maybe say, “I am Yahweh”, and remember this name that carried such significant intimacy for ancient Israelites is the exact same for us! All who come to Christ and trust His work on the cross for our salvation are still God’s chosen people just like Israel! In similar fashion, we become set apart to reflect His name, His character, and His love to the world around us. Peter applied the Old Testament command to New Testament believers like us, “Be holy as I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) We can only be made holy and new in deeper ways by coming to Him in repentance and seeking Him daily.  He deserves to be honored and prioritized first in whatever we do whether it’s in our long-term goals and dreams or our day to day moments. The more we submit to His Holy Spirit to reshape our hearts, the easier it becomes to live in such a way that we more clearly reflect the depth and intimacy of our relationship with Yahweh!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Family On Purpose!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Ten Week Two!
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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 :-))

Memorize It!

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

Sola Day 12 Soli Deo Gloria: 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 Soli Deo Gloria!

The Questions

1) How does verse 31 relate to the phrase “Soli Deo Gloria”?

2) Based on the context, what will be a by-product of doing “everything for the glory of God”?

3) What will be the end result of living a life that glorifies God and seeks the benefit of others?

1 Corinthians 10:31-32

“31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, 33 just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.”

Original Intent

1) How does verse 31 relate to the phrase “Soli Deo Gloria”?
A movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe gave rise to what is now called the “Protestant Reformation”. The phrase Soli Deo Gloria was one of the important doctrines emphasized among the Reformers, along with the other four solas. The “Five Solas” are five Latin phrases (or mottos) that arose during this time to summarize the Reformers’ convictions about the fundamentals and essential priorities of Christianity. Through these statements, they emphasized the subtle, but not so subtle, discrepancies between themselves and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church at the time. Breaking down this one specific phrase, we relate it to what Paul was saying here in 1 Corinthians. 1) The Latin word soli is translated into the English word “alone” or “only”, (it is the root of our English word solitary); 2) the phrase Deo Gloria means “the glory of God.” Putting this phrase together into English translates as: “to the glory of God alone.” In the Greek, the end of the verse (τι ποιεῖτε, πάντα εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ ποιεῖτε.) translates into “all things to the glory of God do.” Within the context of this passage, Paul was telling the Corinthian church the purpose of their lives was not to satisfy or glorify themselves, but to be satisfied in and to glorify God. 

2) Based on the context, what will be a by-product of doing “everything for the glory of God”?
In verse 32, Paul says in doing everything we do as unto God and for His glory (instead of ourselves), we will be aware of what is offensive to our brothers and sisters in Christ. He is not talking about offending the legalism in others. Meaning, we are intended to use our freedom in Christ to lovingly serve each other, not puff ourselves up. We know this because of what he says is other passages (Galatians 5:11-15 ). If our motive and goal is the glory of God in our lives, we will walk in the way Jesus did. Everything He said and did was for God’s glory. (John 12:27-28, John 17:1-5 ) Nothing Jesus said or did was with a hidden agenda or motive. As the Son, Christ’s oneness with God the Father was evident in His sincere devotion to bring the Father the glory He deserved. In Philippians 2 Paul tells us Jesus always brought glory to the Father and for us to have this same attitude! “Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus …” This is a by-product of living a life to the glory of God.

3) What will be the end result of living a life that glorifies God and seeks the benefit of others?
If we took the first part of verse 33 out of context, we might tend to accuse Paul of being a “man pleaser”. That is why it is so important for us to dig into the scriptures – verses within chapters within books. An overall look at Paul’s writing tells us he lived and preached with a single-minded passion and devotion to Christ alone. And that passion drove his mission. He tried to put into practice what he taught about Christ’s sacrificial life and death by putting the wellbeing of others first. Paul did not want any of his own attitudes or actions, even those which would be considered morally indifferent, to create barriers between himself and those he desired to see receive the gracious message of the gospel. Paul wanted the Corinthian Christians to be delivered from anything that kept them from walking fully in their salvation or from growing spiritually. (Colossians 1:24-27) In the following chapter, Paul went on to say that as long as he imitated Christ, they could use his life as an example of how to live. (11:1) Their spiritual salvation and growth was of utmost importance. That is why Paul lived fully and solely for God’s glory. (Romans 1:5)

Everyday Application

1) How does verse 31 relate to the phrase “Soli Deo Gloria”?
Pastor David Platt said, “God should be God-centered. Who else should He center around? There is nothing greater than Him, nothing more delightful than Him, nothing more glorious than Him, nothing more worthy of exaltation than Him. He is God! If He were to exalt anything or anyone else above Himself, He would not be the God worthy of all exaltation.” Soli Deo Gloria is the single reason for every one of the other solas. (Five Solas – TGC Course ) Only by the grace of God do we put our in faith in the Christ who is revealed in the Scriptures and Who is our only hope of eternal salvation. So, whatever we say or think or do, in all of life, we filter it through the glory of God. As our words and thoughts and actions are set in light of His glory, we are able to proceed in freedom. Then we give Him even more glory for the grace we have received to desire to live that way. (Titus 2:11-14 )

2) Based on the context, what will be a by-product of doing “everything for the glory of God”?
Using himself as an example, Paul refers to the characteristics and teachings that were known to the Corinthians. They knew of Paul’s life and the gospel he preached. (Acts 18:8) His lifelong pursuit was to glorify Christ in all things. Paul was not afraid to proclaim the exclusivity of Christ by which we must be saved, and for that he suffered greatly. (Acts 26:19-23) But here, he was cautious not to alarm the prejudices of the Corinthians who were hearing his message. With the sole purpose of bringing glory to God, Paul saw no reason to needlessly provoke those who might oppose his message. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23) We should all practice such living, to the glory and fame of God.  As followers of Jesus, we appeal to those around us, without pretense or self-promotion, by our own example of faithful living. By living consistently for the glory of God, we long for others to be moved toward the gospel because of our lives of self-denial and holiness, by the way we walk and talk, and by our genuine love for them.

3) What will be the end result of living a life that glorifies God and seeks the benefit of others?
Soli Deo Gloria has everything to do with our salvation in Christ. When the Reformers boldly proclaimed that our salvation was “to the glory of God alone,” they highlighted the grace of God. When we share the gospel of grace, that our salvation is not based on our works (Ephesians 2:4-9), we are declaring the glory of the Lord “so that no one can boast”.  Living a life that glorifies God preaches the gospel with actions as we confess it with words. When we point to God alone as worthy of worship, we will denounce all human pride and boasting and will live our lives for the sake of others’ salvation.
“God has saved us for His glory among the nations, so let us live for God’s glory among the nations. The spread of God’s global glory is not just for missionaries, and it’s not just another program in the church. Global mission is the purpose of your life. Everything you have been given in your life – your breath, your salvation, your family, your gifts, your resources, your position – everything you have, you’ve been given for this reason: the spread of God’s global glory.” (Pastor David Platt)

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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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Neighbor Day 10 El Roi – Representing The God Who Sees

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 16:13-14
Genesis 21:14-21
Luke 8:43-48
Luke 10:36-37

Neighbor, Day 10

Imagine you are Hagar and have just been excommunicated from your community.
You and your only son.

You have fulfilled your duty to bear a son for your master, but in so doing, you opened the door for strife with your master and his wife, leading to your banishment from the community.

You are alone, and terrified for your son.
How will you care for him? If you can’t find food, will you be forced to watch him die?

And then the Lord comes to you and promises He will care for the boy and make him a nation. You are overwhelmed with relief.

El Roi.
The God who sees.
The God who sees me.

The God who sees my pain and heartbreak, and promises to care for me. He gives me hope.

Now, imagine you are the woman in Luke 8:43-48. You’ve suffered from a bleeding disorder and been deemed an unclean outcast for as long as you can remember. Your family has exhausted all resources, to no avail.

Then one day, Jesus comes to town and changes everything! You take a risk, touching the hem of His robe, and you are healed! But that’s not the best part . . .

Jesus finds you, looks in your eyes, and SEES you, calling you daughter!

Imagine, after years of avoiding public places and bearing the title UNCLEAN, you are free! How good it feels to be seen! And given hope!

Now, let’s consider our own stories. Who do we encounter every day? Who, within our spheres of influence, desperately needs to be seen? Who needs to hear the hope we have within us?

Think about the student who always sits alone at lunch. The one who appears confident, trying to look like isolation is a choice. The one who eats quickly and retreats to the library.

What if you said hello? And the next day, said it again?
What if you simply acknowledge you see her? 

Then one day, you ask if you can sit with her. Ask her about herself, her interests or hobbies. Is she in band? Into art? Sports? What does she like to do for fun? What are her hopes and dreams?

Think about the mom in Target who always looks put together, yet exhausted as she struggles to keep her children in the cart. Can you see the stress in her face if you look closely enough?

Maybe smile and say hello. And the next time you see her, thankful for a little respite from your own crazy life, smile and greet her again, looking into her eyes to show her she is seen.

A friend shared a story of a seasoned mom who, while shopping, would frequently approach frazzled moms of young children. Instead of showing disapproval, she’d offer a hug and say “Is there anything I can help you with today?”

Imagine how refreshing it would feel to be offered support, instead of judgment! Instead of a censuring glance and a shake of the head, you experienced grace!

You feel seen.
And accepted.
And hopeful.

Picture the couple in the stands at the football game who are cheering for their child, but barely speak to each other. Their tension is obvious.

What if you just begin with a smile, sharing observations about the game, and eventually build a relationship in which you share the hope you have in Jesus?

I often fly through my time in public with a single purpose: to accomplish what needs to be done as quickly as possible so I can get to the next thing on my list. I try to stay on task with efficiency, which is great . . . unless I miss the people God’s placed in my path along the way. People who need encouragement, who need me to see them as He sees me.

One practical opportunity I’ve found to share His love is going to a cashier instead of the self-checkout lane. Honestly, as an introvert, I prefer to get through as quickly as possible, without chatting and losing my focus on the task. Yet, I have found it more satisfying to slow down and see the one who is providing me a service.

He invites me to share in His primary purpose, drawing others into relationship with Him.  Jesus is the only One who can save, yet He sends me to love others, introducing them to the hope I have in Him.

What if we made a conscious effort to notice our neighbors, praying before we leave the house for God to show us who He wants to bless through us? Who would He have us greet, in order to build a possible friendship that may eventually lead to sharing the hope of the Gospel?

I still have much room to grow, but I am hopeful God will choose to use me in His grand adventure! I hope you will join me!


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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Neighbor Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Here’s a link to all past studies in Neighbor!