Relationship

Worship X Day 6 Just Be Still And Know Already

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 54
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 5:38-48
Psalm 50
Psalm 51

Worship X, Day 6

Alarm clock screaming bare feet hit the floor
It’s off to the races everybody out the door

Jonny Diaz’s song BREATHE filled my head as I began working on this Journey Study, part of a series on Worship. The prompt I was given begins, “The call to be still and know our God…”

Should we read all of Psalm 46, we would promptly be reminded, “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1, emphasis mine)

If there was ever anyone who desperately needed God as a refuge, it was David, the Hebrew shepherd-boy-anointed-king whose subsequent military victories incited the jealousy of the current king, Saul.

As David penned the words in Psalm 54, our passage for today’s study, he was hiding in an epic game of hide and seek from Saul, who sought to kill him. Hence, David cries out, “God, save me by Your name[!]” (Psalm 54:1)

And, true to Psalm 46:1, God answered David’s desperate plea. David’s life was spared and he declared, “God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my life.” (Psalm 54:4)

As we read this story, we might think David has the right to defend himself and KILL Saul. In 1 Samuel 24, David has the chance to do just that; instead, David spares Saul.

If we look closer at Psalm 54, we better understand David’s uncanny grace for the man who wanted him dead.
David writes, “He [God] will repay my adversaries for their evil.” (Psalm 54:5)

Maybe a song of Moses came to David’s mind as he hid.

In Deuteronomy 32, as the Israelites FINALLY prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses reviewed their journey in the form of a song, his lyrics deep and poignant.

“Vengeance belongs to Me [God]; I will repay.” (Deuteronomy 32:35)

So David leaves justice in God’s hands.

I’m more familiar with the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans in chapter 12, where Paul repeats Moses’s words. Paul also quotes from Proverbs 25:21-22, where Solomon advised, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink[.]”

Jesus Himself taught this “new” way of living.
“You have heard it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you[.]” (Matthew 5:43-44)

In our wait for fulfilled promises or our search for justice, we can easily get caught up in the chaos. We shout and FIGHT, demanding justice – as WE see fit – be served, right now.

Anyone else’s voice a little hoarse?
Anybody else’s thumbs a little overworked from typing out comments on social media?
Anyone else’s relationships been a little (or a lot) strained?

Maybe we should take a different approach.
Ya know, like Psalm 46 tells us.
“Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

What if we viewed justice the same way as David?
The God David served is the same God we serve today.
We are assured in Scripture that God does NOT change, EVER.

(Numbers 23:19, Psalm 90:1-2; Isaiah 40:8; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17)

He is forever gracious, compassionate, merciful, and JUST.

Always. (Hebrews 13:8)

If David could offer a sacrifice of praise in response to all God had done, so can we.
Indeed, Paul urges us to do so at the beginning of Romans 12.

In David’s time, God had outlined very specific sacrifices and offerings the Israelites were to make. Additionally, a person could make a FREEWILL OFFERING, voluntarily presenting a sacrifice that was above and beyond what was expected.

Thankfully, we no longer need to make sacrifices for our sins. Jesus died – in our place – for all sin, for all time. Then, He rose again, conquering death and declaring ultimate victory for everyone who believes in Him. He longs for people’s HEARTS, to be in close relationship with us.

We reflect our relationship with God, and HIS character, in the way we treat others . . . especially the ones who aren’t so easy to love.

We make a freewill offering when we don’t complain because the neighbor’s dog poops in our yard. Instead, we write a friendly note and put fresh cookies in their mailbox.

We offer ourselves as a living sacrifice when we don’t blast someone on social media because they voted differently than us. Rather, we invite them over to watch the Super Bowl – because everyone loves chips and salsa.

In the midst of our messy, busy, noisy lives may we quiet our hearts.
May we allow space for our souls to respond to the God who created us and constantly cares for
When injustice consumes the world around us, may we look to our God of justice.
In the stillness, may we see Him, hear Him, and KNOW Him.

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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 Worship X 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 Worship X!

The GT Weekend! ~ Eden Week 3

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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) As a parent, I am quite used to the blame game. “She did it. No, she did it!” Or the variations complete with excuses like, she made me mad, it was an accident, or I don’t know why, I just did it. On Monday, Lori walked us through all the excuses and blame-shifting used in the Garden of Eden, all without once admitting to their sin! This is not what I ever wanted as a parent and neither did God. What He wanted, and still wants, is for us to own our sin and confess it, like David did in Psalm 51. Why? Because this is the pathway to forgiveness and a restored relationship with God. Thankfully, Jesus has given us an opportunity, by His sacrifice, for a perfect relationship with God in heaven. Write out a prayer of confession modeled after Psalm 51. Read Eden’s Sacrifice and then write out a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for the redemption Jesus purchased.

2) Sometimes when we study the Bible, it’s just as important to consider what it doesn’t say. Being curious about what isn’t written can sharpen our understanding of what God does say in His Word! This is true about Adam and Eve, the Garden scene, and the two trees set before them by God. Both the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life were beautiful and luscious, but Adam and Eve were drawn to more knowledge instead of more life. Because of Satan’s temptation, they believed God was holding out on them; they believed He was stingy. While they could have sought life, they lusted after more of everything else when they already had rich abundance with the Lord. In similar fashion, the Lord told His people, Israel, “See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways…”. (Deuteronomy 30:15-16) We choose life by choosing a relationship with God, Adam and Eve already were literally walking with God in the Garden, but they were lured away, chose sin, then sin marred everything else from then on. Pray for the Lord to give you eyes to see where He is inviting you to walk with Him. Hint: it’s all the time! When we do, peace is abundant and delight is full!

3) I’m good at solving mysteries, but once in a while, I run across a book that is written so expertly, even my best guesses are dead wrong. Our final study in Journey Into Eden shows us how the Bible is one of those books where you would never guess the ending. Where the first story in Genesis, the Garden of Eden, ends with a curse, the last book, Revelation, ends by highlighting the cure for sin and victory over death and Satan. The blood of Jesus is the cure that saves us all.  So, what happens in Revelation? Jesus returns and we are restored to full fellowship with God. Glory! Journal ways you can live today with this glorious end in mind. The Demo Day Journey Study might help us. Choose some verses highlighted throughout Friday’s Journey and write them on note cards to use as reminders of the goodness of God and our final victory in Jesus!

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 Romans 5:19-21 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer Journal
Lord, You knew from the beginning we would mess up, that I would mess up, and sin against You. And You already had a plan in mind. Thank You for a love so great I cannot fathom it! The sacrifice Jesus made for my sins is unimaginable, but yet it is imaginable. It is real. It is done. It is finished. The sin debt of humanity, started back in Eden and increased by my sins, has been paid in full by the blood of Jesus. It brings me to tears. But, Lord, may my tears water ground that is fertile for Your kingdom. Let them mean something for those who need to know You, but don’t yet trust You. May they move me to tell the world who You are and why they need Your love, sacrifice, and redemption. Let it be so, Lord!

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

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Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Eden Day 12 The Blame Game: 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 The Blame Game!

The Questions

1) Why are Adam and Eve hiding? Do they actually believe they can hide from God? (verse 8)
2) What did God ask, “Where are you?” if He already knew the answer? (verse 9)
3) Once God “found” Adam and Eve, were there consequences for their sin and hiding?

Genesis 3:8-10

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”

Original Intent

1) Why are Adam and Eve hiding? Do they actually believe they can hide from God? (verse 8)
When God created Adam, He placed him in the Garden of Eden to “work it and watch over it.” (Genesis 2:15) God gave him the entire garden but told him, “You are free to eat of any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) The Lord knew Adam needed a “suitable partner” for himself, someone like him, so God created Eve. (Genesis 2:18) They were both designed to live in the perfect place God had created, but they needed to obey the one command God had given. However, Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent and disobeyed God’s command. (Genesis 3:1-6) Immediately, they had knowledge of good and evil and became aware they were naked; in flustered panic and shame, they covered themselves in fig leaves. (Genesis 3:7) Adam and Eve were fully aware of their guilt and disobedience and when they heard God and their natural response was to hide in their shame. They thought they could cover up with leaves and hide from the all-knowing God, but as we read further, we discover they couldn’t really hide.

2) What did God ask, “Where are you?” if He already knew the answer? (verse 9)
God knew exactly where Adam and Eve were in the Garden. His question isn’t about looking for them but rather the relationship between them. God’s intention was to have a relationship with those He had created in His image. (Genesis 1:26-27) This moment is the moment where mankind’s relationship with God was broken. God, in all His perfection, desired a relationship, but their choice damaged that perfect intimacy. God calls out to them, and in that moment, Adam and Eve must admit their sin and face the God who lovingly created them. After answering and coming out of hiding, God asks them to admit their wrong. (Genesis 3:11) This is the beginning of their consequences, but before those were enacted, they needed to admit to their sin.

3) Once God “found” Adam and Eve, were there consequences for their sin and hiding?
God did not seek Adam and Eve with the intention of letting them off the hook. God is a holy God and, because of His justice, was obligated to respond as such. In order for their relationship to have any chance of restoration, they must first admit their sin (Genesis 3:11-13) followed by facing the fall out of their rebellion. As the narrative of Genesis continues, God lays out the consequences of sin for each sinner. (Genesis 3:14-24) God began with the instigator, Satan, for his role in the deception of Adam and Eve. Then Adam and Eve are both given individual consequences. Ultimately, Adam and Eve were forced out of the Garden of Eden and access to the Tree of Life was revoked. This meant they would eventually face physical death, along with spiritual death, as consequences for their sin. God used the skin of an animal to clothe Adam and Eve, this was the first sacrifice of an animal and is a direct result of sin. Blood must be shed to cover sin. While this was the first instance of bloodshed, it wasn’t the last. The Old Testament provides several references to bloodshed to pay for sin like Genesis 8:20-21, Exodus 29:10-14, Leviticus 1, Leviticus 17:11, and Numbers 6:14 to name a few. All of these point forward in God’s redemption plan to the final bloodshed of Jesus, who paid the ultimate price for sin on the cross, where He would bear the punishment for us all. God promised this redemption would come, even as He gave the first consequence to Satan in Genesis 3:15. One (Jesus) would come who would crush Satan’s head, defeating death and sin forever. The rest of the story begins unfolding from this moment in the Garden to be fulfilled in Matthew 26-28 (also found in Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, and John 18-19).

Everyday Application

1) Why are Adam and Eve hiding? Do they actually believe they can hide from God? (verse 8)
Adam and Eve attempted to hide their sin and cover their shame from God when they heard Him coming. We read this and may think them foolish for even considering they could even try this tactic. We know God is all-knowing and, from our perspective, we also know they would never be successful in their clandestine escape. However, how often do you and I make the same attempt? God is still the same all-knowing God from the Garden of Eden, but when we make sinful choices and are ashamed of our thoughts or actions, we make the same attempt to hide our sin and our thoughts from God just like Adam and Eve. In reality, we will never be any more successful than they were. God still knows all, and we are incapable of hiding.

2) What did God ask, “Where are you?” if He already knew the answer? (verse 9)
God knows the sins we commit before we ever admit them. Much like He did with Adam and Eve, He invites us to come to Him (where are you?) and confess what we have done. Forgiveness cannot be received without admittance of the sin committed. Unless we face our God, we can never enjoy the sweetness of restoration. You and I are blessed to live on the other side of the cross, a process God began in the Garden of Eden as He intentionally set in motion His plan to redeem His creation and offer forgiveness and restoration to every sinner. If we live in hiding and denial we will never experience the freedom found only in Christ who gave His life to pay the price for our sin and bring us back to Himself.

3) Once God “found” Adam and Eve, were there consequences for their sin and hiding?
Adam and Eve chose sin and could not escape the consequences for their rejection of God, but we are also affected today as we continue reaping the fallout of their sin which infected us all. We are each born sinful and continue sinning, bringing separation between us and God. (Romans 3:23) Remembering that God is just, all sin carries a price tag of offense against a Holy God and the debt must be paid. (Romans 6:23) This price is death and the payment requires bloodshed. (Hebrews 9:22) Expositor’s Bible Commentary says, “To us life is cheap and death familiar, but Adam recognised death as the punishment of sin. Death was to early man a sign of God’s anger. And he had to learn that sin could be covered not by a bunch of leaves snatched from a bush as he passed by and that would grow again next year, but only by pain and blood. From the first sin to the last, the track of the sinner is marked with blood.” The good news is God began His plan of redemption for us from the deadly clutches of sin in the very beginning of Genesis and came to fulfillment in Jesus. Christ shed His perfect blood as payment for our sin and when we personally choose to accept His sacrifice, His blood covers us our own personal sin. When we accept Him in total surrender of ourselves, we receive forgiveness for every sin, past, present, and future, and our relationship with the Holy God is restored forever. This is such good news!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with The Blame Game!

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 Eden Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
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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!

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The GT Weekend! ~ Sacrifice 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) Have you ever felt unqualified or unworthy to do something? Monday’s Journey relays just such a time in Abraham’s life. Can you imagine entering a blood covenant with Almighty God? Abraham questioned his ability to hold up his end of the deal. But he had nothing to fear because God already knew he wouldn’t be able to. God alone walked the blood path, swearing by Himself, both parts of the covenant. How can we relate to this? Someone else also fulfilled a blood covenant on our behalf. His name? Jesus. He shed His blood on the cross at Calvary to pay our price of redemption once and for all. We can never repay either of these sacrifices, nor does God expect it of us. Read through some of the Hallel journeys. Pray about how these truths make you feel. Record your praises to the Lord for His sacrifice. Who can you tell about this sacrificial blood covenant that offers us eternity with the same God who walked the blood path of the Abrahamic Covenant? Go, share and celebrate our great God!

2) Single. For some reason this word has taken on negative connotations over the years. To be single is undesirable. To have a single job is not wise because we need a side hustle. To eat a single serving size of something is unnecessarily depriving ourselves. On and on the negativity goes, but Sarah showed us that being singly devoted in love to the Lord is desirable. To place Him first is wise and beneficial. Abraham demonstrated this kind of single devotion by his willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac, the promised child from whom nations would come. How could he do this? It flowed from the relationship he had developed with God over the years. In this relationship, God had taken first place in Abraham’s life, which made obedience a no-brainer. Journal some ways you can develop a deeper relationship with the Lord. Ask the Lord to direct you in relationship building with Him. For help training yourself in this area, check out the Training Journey Theme. Which of the areas in Training would most help you deepen your relationship with God?

3) Friday’s Journey took us to Mount Sinai where Moses first encountered I AM. Here, he received his calling to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, but Mount Sinai was also the place where, after being rescued from slavery, the Israelites rejected God and worshiped a golden calf in His place. How could they, right?! But don’t we do the same? Reflect on things you spend more time on than God. What about those things that have a more significant role in your life than God? List those idols. How can you remove those idols from your life? Reflect on how Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to free us from our slavery to sin. Pray for the Lord to help you live focused on HIs sacrifice and its significance to your life, both temporal and eternal. Visit the Journey Theme, Kneel for a deeper dive into the type of fervent prayer necessary to live fully for the Lord.

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 Hebrews 6:13-20 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself:  I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you.  And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because He has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Prayer Journal
Lord thank You for the way You love me. I frequently wonder why You love me so lavishly. I’m so unworthy of such a pure and complete love. Yet, despite my unworthiness, You still sent Jesus to make the greatest sacrifice in the name of love. This sacrifice guarantees I will spend eternity in heaven with You. Lord, I confess I don’t always live like I’m redeemed by the blood of Jesus, by Your love for me. I have idols, and I am ashamed I still choose to love them. Please empower me to tear down the high places in my heart, destroy my idols and devote myself to You and You alone. Lord, You are worthy of this! I trust You to help me remove everything that takes up space in my heart that belongs to You. I cannot wait to live solely for You Lord!

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

Sacrifice Day 1 Eden’s Sacrifice

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 2
Genesis 3
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 18:1-12

Sacrifice, Day 1

Sovereign.

The supreme or highest in power, superior to all others. 

Scripture often portrays God as the One who rules over all things. His most common proper name, Yahweh, is regularly translated Lord in English, and found thousands of times in the Bible. So, to discuss the sovereignty of God is to discuss His lordship.

When we consider the Biblical concept of divine sovereignty or lordship, the components of God’s control, authority, and presence stand out (John Frame, The Doctrine of God). God is absolutely sovereign. The Bible starts with God, “In the beginning, God [. . .]” (Genesis 1:1) There could be no glorious gospel of Jesus bearing our sins, without the glorious sovereignty of God.

In His sovereignty, God foresaw Adam and Eve’s sin.
He created them anyway, in His own image, to bring glory to Himself.
Just as humankind’s choice to pursue self over God was foreknown by God, Jesus’ crucifixion, and resulting atonement for our sin, was foreordained by God as well.
The crucifixion of Christ is the greatest sacrifice of the greatest love in the history of the world. (John 15:13)

God’s glory is displayed in the way He chose to create humanity, including allowing for our sinful nature. God weaves the allowable reality of sin with His perfect plan and uses it all for good.

Hundreds of years before Jesus would walk the the earth, the prophet Isaiah revealed how He would endure the cross for the joy of restored relationship with His creation.

“When you make [Jesus] a guilt offering,
[. . . ]the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished.
After His anguish, He will see light and be satisfied.” (Isaiah 53:10-11)

The ultimate exhibition of God’s glory was at the cross, where His justice and mercy met.
As I ponder the weight of sin, I am looking at my own life. Just in the past forty-eight hours, I chose to put my wants over submission to my spouse; I usurped his God-given place as head of our family. In another situation, I am struggling with harboring unforgiveness in my heart against a sister in Christ. I know this is not pleasing to God.

I am not alone in these battles against sin.
Scripture reveals how the pattern of sin established in Eden pervades every single life.

“In this way, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
Yet in His sovereignty, God decided the story wouldn’t end in a world lost to sin.
Instead, He wrote sacrifice into the story of His creation.
In Eden, as Adam and Eve stood awash in shame before their Creator God,
He made the very first sacrifice.

“The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and He clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21)

One of His own wonderful creatures was sacrificed to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness.
And so sacrifice became a major theme of the salvation story, showing up throughout the Bible’s narrative, both in the Old Testament (Leviticus 1, for example) and New Testament.

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

We understand Christ’s death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice, and as recipients of such lavish love, we are compelled to emulate Him in our everyday lives. God desires us to be living sacrifices.

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.” (Romans 12:1)

A biblical sacrifice pleases God.
It is sacrifice of self, with a heart of surrender to God’s ways, that prioritizes the advancement of God’s kingdom, welcoming God’s purpose over our own wants or plans.
It is life, lived in conjunction with God’s will.

Today, we have taken a brief look at sacrifice from its origin in Eden, to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, to our own living sacrifices of true worship to our sovereign, glorious, loving God. My hope is we come away with a deeper gratitude for, and devotion to our God, who overcame the power of sin and death by sacrificing Himself for His beloved!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Sacrifice Week One! 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 Sacrifice!

The GT Weekend! ~ Wilderness 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) We began our Journey Into Wilderness with an easily forgotten Old Testament wanderer, Cain. Perhaps you’ve never read his story, or maybe you only think of him as the murderer who jealously killed his own brother. Maybe, like me, you’ve never considered how your wilderness may have reflections of Cain’s wanderings. Remembering that every story in the whole of Scripture is meant to point toward the grander narrative of the Lord Jesus’ rescue for sinners and His magnificent love for them, how can you see God’s gracious love toward both Cain and Abel? (read their full story in Genesis 4) We may want to excuse ourselves from the wrecking shame and damage of sin, by claiming we’ve never done “that”, where “that” is our “unthinkable deed”. In doing this, however, we easily gloss over our other sins. None of us can be excused from the deadly price tag of sin. All sin breaks relationship, no matter how large or small. As you reflect on Cain’s story this weekend, ask the Lord to convict you of sin. Then take the next step and bravely confess that sin to another fellow believer and ask them to hold you accountable in not choosing that sin.

2) On Wednesday, Paula provided us with comparison between our lives and embroidery work. The backside is a seeming disarray of crisscrossed, zig-zagging threads jumbled, cut, and tied in a ridiculous maze. Only when flipping over the final product can we make out the lovely scene produced by the apparent tangling of threads. What scenes of your life feel, or have felt, chaotic, mismatched, and meaningless? As you reflect on these, what emotions are the strongest? Put names to them and think about the pains involved in those scenarios. Considering Job’s losses in the areas of health, friendships, wealth, respect, and family, which ones most closely connect with your story? Job’s pain ran deeper than he ever anticipated, as evidenced by his desire for death and his wish to have never been born. Still, he refused to curse God, and insisted the Lord was sovereign and good. What truths will you adamantly cling to as you re-frame your wilderness season? Are these truths reliable? How do you know? Spend time in this weekend reading Job 38-42 and glean stabilizing truths!

3) “If I become a Christian, my life should be easy, successful, and enjoyable.” This is an easy misconception to fall into, but we only need to briefly read Scripture to understand that belief system isn’t supported by biblical teaching. If Christ Jesus, as God the Son, entered the Wilderness, was persecuted, threatened, disowned, mocked, ridiculed, and torturously killed, why would His followers expect to be treated royally with a life of ease? Why would anyone decide to commit their lives to following this kind of Savior? Have you asked yourself this question? Amazingly, our reasons for why we follow are layered into Jesus’ wilderness experience. He holds all authority. Though He took on human flesh, and chose humanity, He still retained His deity. At any point during His wilderness Jesus could have ended Satan’s attacks and sent him packing. But He didn’t. He chose suffering again and again, so He could be our personal Savior. The God who holds all authority also loves with empathetic compassion having lived humanity like us, but was without sin, unlike us. In incredible love, He did what we could not accomplish on our own, and He holds out this gift freely for all. Yes, following this Savior is worth everything.

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 Job 23:10-12 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold. My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept to His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commands from His lips; I have treasured the words from His mouth more than my daily food.

Prayer Journal
Lord Jesus, I am a mess. My heart loves myself. My circumstances are a swirling mess of puzzle pieces. I get lost in alternating waves of doubt and trust for You. My faith is weak. This pressing on all sides wears me thin. Still, in all of this, Your Word says I am known. My ways are known by You. My brokenness, my weariness, my doubts, fears, and desperate places as I wander this wilderness are all known by You. Lord, my God, my only Hope in life or death, You promise to bring me forth through all of this as pure gold. Lord, what a breathtaking wonder! What an astounding, attentive, loving Sovereign! My Jesus, remind me of this truth when I’m tempted to only fix my attention on my surroundings. You are worthy of my constant praise! May my heart learn to worship and trust You alone in this process of refinement!

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Build Day 12 Building Renewal: 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 Building Renewal!

The Questions

1) How does Daniel’s prayer relate with Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:4-11?

2) Daniel uses various titles and descriptions of God in his prayer; how is this significant?

3) How is this prayer of gut-wrenching confession still anchored in hope?

Daniel 9:3-10

3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands— 5 we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land.

7 Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel—those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you. 8 Lord, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. 9 Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the Lord our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets.

Original Intent

1) How does Daniel’s prayer relate with Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:4-11?
If you think of a series of progressive, story-telling books, you’ll have a good idea of what’s happening with Daniel and Nehemiah. In brief, Israel was a budding nation birthed through Abraham’s son Isaac, the child of promise, by which God had covenanted with Abraham that He would turn a childless, aged man into the “father of many nations”. (Genesis 12:1-3) Isaac’s sons were twins, Jacob and Esau. Jacob had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel (God changed Jacob’s name to Israel). These 12 families became slaves in Egypt as they had become so numerous that Pharaoh felt threatened. God called Moses, an Israelite, to lead the people out of slavery and into the Promised Land (also part of God’s covenant with Abraham). Twelve plagues later and 40 years of desert wanderings, Israel stepped into Canaan. Eventually, Israel grew tired of God’s rule over them and demanded a human king. Saul, Israel’s choice, was her first king, but he was self-focused and lacked real love for God or Israel. God chose David as the next king, and this shepherd-boy turned king, loved and cared for Israel well. David died and his son, Solomon, took over, but after Solomon’s death, the kingdom of Israel split. The Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) continued rebelling against God, loathing Him, committing idolatry, and rejecting God’s covenantal love for them on repeat for centuries. During this time, God raised up prophets to warn Israel and Judah to repent of their sin, but they adamantly refused. Per the original covenant forged when Moses led Israel from slavery, God would punish His people by sending them into exile for their rebellion. Exile occurred at the hand of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and would last 70 years. Youthful Daniel was taken captive from his homeland of Jerusalem and died in exile. The first exiles returned to Jerusalem around the year 537 BC, Nehemiah’s story began around 445 BC, nearly 100 years since Daniel’s death.

2) Daniel uses various titles and descriptions of God in his prayer; how is this significant?
Verse 3 begins with an interesting phrase usually translated in English, “I turned my attention”. The original Hebrew reads less eloquently, “I gave my face”. This wasn’t simply looking with the eyes, but the willful determination of Daniel’s entire being given in steadfast surrender. It was as if he were saying, “The whole of my face is set firmly upon You as I pray, and more so, as I await Your answer; I will not be moved, for so important is the cause for which I plead.” Also interesting are the titles for God Daniel chooses to use as he prays. In your Bible, verse 4 probably capitalizes all 4 letters of the title LORD, signifying God’s personal name for Himself, YHWH, (Yahweh). By calling out, “I prayed to the LORD (YHWH)…”, Daniel reminds himself and God of the deeply personal nature of God’s relationship with Israel. He chose them, He crafted them, and He birthed them as a nation. Daniel continued his petition, “…my God.” (verse 4, emphasis mine) While other Israelites had proven they cared for Yahweh in name only, while quite willing to worship false gods as it benefited them, Daniel verbalized his personal choice to respond to God’s invitation by reciprocation. Daniel chose YHWH as his own God. These insights, gained by studying the original language for a few words, is about to deepen as we read Daniel’s next two words, “Ah Lord…” (verse 4) No longer capitalized, the lowercase for “Lord” references the Hebrew word “adonai”, meaning lord, ruler, or sovereign. First, Daniel addressed God personally, and then followed on with the two-fold understanding that YHWH was also Adonai, King and Sovereign over all. Nothing was beyond His lordship and reign, and Daniel was His servant.

3) How is this prayer of gut-wrenching confession still anchored in hope?
“We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. We have not listened…” (verses 5-6) “…public shame belongs to us.” (verse 7) “…public shame belongs to us (…) because we have sinned against You.” (verse 8) The litany of Israel’s sins against the Lord were long, deep, and wide. They had offended His holiness and broken relationship with YHWH, their personal God, and the cut was deep against Him. They had violated the terms of their covenant with their sovereign Lord, Adonai, and they deserved death per the legal binding agreement of their covenant vow. According to the stipulations laid out, they had literally “missed the mark” (Hebrew hata for “sinned” in verses 5 and 8) of righteous living as was spelled out in their covenant. Legally, Israel’s situation was absolutely hopeless. Restitution with the Almighty was impossible. Their sins were too great and their ability to cleanse themselves of shame and offensive reproach was equally impossible. Yet, stunningly, Daniel did not plead without hope. He clearly knew Israel’s situation, it was his own words that laid it naked before the Lord God, but Daniel had one hope, and he clung to it with remarkable tenacity as he gave his face to God in prayer. “Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord…” and dare he say it? Yes, he spoke it, “our God.” Daniel went beyond saying YHWH was “my” God, to boldly re-claiming the Sovereign Lord as Israel’s God. Why? How could he make such a claim in the face of their reprehensible pile of sin? One reason alone, because He knew God’s character to be rich in compassion and forgiveness.

Everyday Application

1) How does Daniel’s prayer relate with Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:4-11?
The similarities between Daniel’s prayer and Nehemiah’s are uncanny, given their prayers were recorded nearly a century apart from each other. This fact alone should give us pause to consider the weightiness of their model and reflect how our prayer lives would benefit by following their examples. Both men had set their lives unswervingly upon honoring the Lord God, and they both had become keenly aware of their nation’s sinful rebellion after reading Scripture. (Daniel 9:3-10 and Nehemiah 1:5-11) Daniel pleaded for God’s mercy in remembering Israel in their exile, while Nehemiah, also living in Babylon, pleaded with the Lord for mercy as well, even though the specifics of their requests were quite different. Both men called upon the very same covenant of love as evidential reason for God to grant them mercy and favor. The two prayers evidence nearly exact addresses for God and model the same flow of adoring God (Daniel 9:4 and Nehemiah 1:5), confessing sin (Daniel 9:5-6 and Nehemiah 1:6-7), interceding for the nation (Daniel 9:7-8 and Nehemiah 1:6-7), and requesting favor (Daniel 9:17 and Nehemiah 1:11). Go see for yourself, it’s quite amazing! As you read Daniel 9:3-10 and Nehemiah 1:5-11, take note of the portions that make you curious and stick out to you as if bolded, this is the Spirit of the Lord inviting you to commune with Him over His Word! Prayerfully reflect on these things as you read the two passages side-by-side again. What is the Lord teaching you and convicting you of as you read His Words?! Take the challenge set forth by these two men who never met on earth and begin intentionally modeling your own prayers after their example. Go ahead and start right now in prayer!

2) Daniel uses various titles and descriptions of God in his prayer; how is this significant?
Daniel and Nehemiah both leaned on God’s covenant as grounds for their request, but we must remember who began the covenant relationship, God. God told Abraham He would make him into a great nation. God allowed Jacob (Israel) to have 12 sons, who would become the 12 nations. When it was time to ratify the covenant in writing (ie: Ten Commandments), God came down from Heaven in a cloud instead of insisting His people rise to Him in His grandeur. (Exodus 19:16-19) Here is the humble YHWH! Fast forward a few centuries and this same God fulfills His covenant to Abraham by sending Jesus, God in the flesh. True to His character, He began the relationship, He set His love upon humanity. (1 John 4:19, John 15:16) What was humanity doing while Adonai humbly sacrificed Himself for us? We hated Him. Still, He came. (Romans 5:8) This is YHWH, the sacrificing, covenant-keeping God. I came to a place where I faced the reality that, for all my self-proclaimed “goodness”, I too was a God-hater. My sins brought the punishment of death upon Christ, by His choice. While I hated Him, He loved me. Like Daniel, there was a point when I reciprocated His invitation to make me His own, and I claimed Him as my God. I turned from my perverted sins and became His, welcomed into a covenant relationship I had done absolutely nothing to earn. Like Daniel, the more I grew in my faith, the more I realized I could also call Yahweh my Adonai. Christ was my precious friend, but also my sovereign Lord. I was both friend and His joyful servant. How might seeing God as Yahweh and Adonai shift your relationship with Him?

3) How is this prayer of gut-wrenching confession still anchored in hope?
Oh Sisters, I cannot stop the tears streaking my cheeks as I write of God’s beautiful compassion and forgiveness! Israel’s sins were grievous and perpetual, indeed they were. Yahweh had every right to be forever angry with them, toss them aside, and forget them for eternity, but as the psalmist wrote, “He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:10) Breathe. That. In. What was true for Israel on the day Daniel pleaded with God for release from exile, and the people were welcomed Home, is true for you and me. It was true for Nehemiah when the people wore sackcloth, ashes, and wept violently over their sin, knowing it was only God’s compassionate forgiveness that could rescue them from the consequence of their rebellion. His response to Israel’s weeping with Nehemiah is precious and life-giving, “Do not weep…do not grieve, because the joy of YHWH is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:9-10) As if the Lord’s response to both of these prayers is not stunning enough, look at the disciple John’s words to all people who look to Christ for their sole rescue from the consequence of our own sin, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) If you’ve ever wondered if it could possibly be true that God would forgive your awful sin, whatever it is, read the stories of these two men, read the words of John who walked beside Jesus in real life, and know beyond all assurances that YES, Christ will forgive your sin completely, welcome you Home to Him (John 14:23), and will free you (John 8:36) to walk in delight with Him all your days (Psalm 23:6).

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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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Build Day 11 Building Renewal

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 9:5-37
Nehemiah 10:30-39
Daniel 9:3-10 
Psalm 51
1 John 1:8-10

Build, Day 11

Sin is something we usually want to hide. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve tried to hide their knowledge of their nakedness. (Genesis 3:7) In the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas called Jesus friend as he betrayed Him to the religious leaders with a kiss. (Matthew 26:47-49)

For hundreds of years, the Israelites were stuck in a cycle of sin, crying out, repentance, forgiveness, restoration, and then sin again. They knew their history, but here, under the leadership of Nehemiah, was a fresh chance to get it right.

Envision this scene.
Your church is assembled in a public space with heads full of dust, wearing sackcloth, with stomachs rumbling from fasting for days. And then, out loud, everyone confesses their sins and the sins of their ancestors. You read through the Bible, spend time worshiping the Lord, crying out to Him and confessing some more.
Corporate repentance. 

Now envision yourself, burdened for your community. You start your day connecting to the Lord “by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” (Daniel 9:3-10)
Personal repentance.

We should be excited about this model of personal (Daniel 9:3-10) and corporate repentance (Nehemiah 9:1-4). Personally, I was ready to run at “heads full of dust”! This isn’t about pride or appearance. It’s about seeking spiritual renewal from God.

Throughout the Bible, we see renewal stemming from repentance.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Acts 3:19-20 tells us, “ Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord[.]” 

Personal repentance brings renewal by giving us
the right perspective on sin (Psalm 51:3-5),
restored relationship with God through His forgiveness (Psalm 51:2, 7-9),
and willing hearts to stay turned from our sin and toward God. (Psalm 51:12-13)

We also see corporate repentance throughout the Bible.
In 2 Kings 23:1-3, King Josiah read the Word before the people. They made a covenant “to follow the Lord and to keep His commands, His decrees, and His statutes[.]” (2 Kings 23:3)

In Ezra 10:1-4, the prophet Ezra “[…]prayed and confessed, weeping and falling facedown” while the people also wept, confessed their unfaithfulness to God, and made a covenant with God to “send away all the foreign wives and their children[.]”

Corporate repentance draws us closer to God individually and as a community because we lament our ancestors’ sins along with our own and collectively vow to turn back to God. It also brings us in line with our duties from 1 Peter 2:9 as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

From Nehemiah 9:5 to 37, Nehemiah proclaimed God’s praise, and gave an account of how God provided for and protected Israel. As he recounted each event, Nehemiah pointed to the people’s sins and unfaithfulness contrasted against God’s steadfast faithfulness. It was a stunning reminder that “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10)

It’s also a reminder of God’s character and power. When we feel weak, we can draw strength from the Creator of the world. When we are being persecuted, we can know God is able to handle our enemies as He did Pharoah. When we are in need, we’re reminded that if God could provide manna and quail from heaven, He can surely help us. And we are refreshed by knowing, even when we sin, and we will, God is a “forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love[.]” (Nehemiah 9:17)

How can we practice these things today?

For personal and corporate repentance and renewal, we should come before Him with humility. We do this by verbalizing our wonder at His character and holiness. Then we should move into a time of confessing sin. Personally and corporately, we should be doing this on a regular basis. Just like we are eager to restore a relationship with a loved one by apologizing for an offense and changing our future behavior, we should take this even more seriously with the Lord.

One additional step we can take is modeled in Nehemiah 10:30-39, where they wrote out the changes they promised to make. Similarly, what if we wrote out, following some examples from our text, our commitments to the Lord? Here are a few examples:

“On Sunday, I will not take an extra shift at work. I trust the Lord to provide those extra funds.” (Nehemiah 10:31)

“Our family will agree on an additional gift to give to the church yearly.” (Nehemiah 10:32)

“I will cut unnecessary purchases and give it to my church or a ministry,” or “I will reserve time on my calendar to serve at church or with a ministry each month.”  (Nehemiah 10:35-37)

If we record and review our promises, we can trust our faithful God will bless us to do even more! We will be able, because He is able. Imagine the testimony our lives will be to His honor and glory!

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Build Day 9 Building Perseverance: 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 Building Perseverance!

The Questions

1) How does being justified by faith give us peace with God? (verse 1)

2) How does affliction produce endurance? (verse 3)

3) Why would Paul say proven character produces hope that will not disappoint? (verses 4-5)

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who was given to us.

Original Intent

1) How does being justified by faith give us peace with God? (verse 1)
Romans 5:1 says, “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We become justified by faith when we trust in Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23), which means we are no longer separated from God because of our sin. Author John Piper explains, “God laid on [Jesus] the iniquities that we performed, and God laid on us the righteousness that He performed. He takes our sin, though He didn’t perform it. And we take His righteousness, though we didn’t perform it.” Though we are guilty of sin, we are justified through the blood of Jesus, and that reconciliation through Christ gives us peace. We have peace because we are no longer enemies with God. (James 4:4) R.C. Sproul asserts, “We cannot understand the full ramifications of this peace unless we are fully convinced of what our relationship to our Creator was truly like before we knew Jesus. Scripture describes this relationship as an all-out war.” In Romans 8:7, Paul describes the mindset of the flesh as hostile to God. Sin creates enmity (bitter fighting) between every human being and God. (Genesis 3:15) Being justified by faith in Jesus erases that hostility caused by sin and brings us into communion with God, giving us peace. We are no longer at war with God because we are one with God who is our peace. (John 14:20, Ephesians 2:14) May we all fully embrace the lasting peace that only comes from knowing God today!

2) How does affliction produce endurance? (verse 3)
When we experience afflictions, we have two choices: give up or keep going. Romans 5:3 encourages perseverance when we face trials because “we know that our affliction produces endurance.” Paul admonishes that, when we experience difficulty and keep moving forward, we become stronger for God uses all things for His glory and our good, even the times we feel most weak or incapable. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10, Romans 8:28) When we believe God can be trusted in every situation (Proverbs 29:25), we are willing to persist in faith even when the situation becomes difficult. The hardships we face with God’s help strengthen us. (1 Peter 5:10) Kathryn Butler suggests, “With our eyes set on Him, our suffering refines us, as iron in the forge. The cross infuses even our most harrowing tribulations with purpose.” Going through trials with God sustaining us, and coming out on the other side victorious, builds our faith and teaches us we can endure anything because God is with us. (Romans 8:31) As He proves Himself faithful, our faith increases. Priscilla Shirer asserts that pain “is the gift that keeps us from further discomfort. When we feel it, it becomes a teacher pointing us to the only correct Answer. . . . [God]. [He] desires for us the blessing of pain because, mysteriously, it keeps us, comforts us, humbles us, teaches us and drives us back to safety.” God uses our pain and problems to teach us to rely solely on Him and, in the process, we realize we can endure all things in Christ alone.

3) Why would Paul say proven character produces hope that will not disappoint? (verses 4-5) Paul teaches in Romans 5 that going through hard things produces proven character, which produces hope. (verse 4) When we come through adversity stronger than we entered it, character is built. (James 1:4) We have to come to know and trust God’s character more deeply by relying on Him and His promises; He has built His faithfulness inside of us. Persevering through struggles builds our character and gives us hope because we know that what God says is true and the love and help He promises is real. R.C. Sproul suggests, “perseverance refines our character, creating stability and integrity, and such stability strengthens our hope. When we see God’s faithfulness to us through our periods of suffering, we are encouraged to grasp the hope of glory.” Romans 5:5 declares, “This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Learning to abide and trust God in harrowing times, allows the opportunity for God to make us more like Christ. (Galatians 2:20) Through perseverance, we know our hope is genuine and we can rely on God’s love and His Spirit’s power to cause us to endure. No circumstance can take us off course because we have a hope we’ve come to know is trustworthy and true. Kathryn Butler asserts, “Those who know Christ have a hope which no calamity or disaster can wrench from us. It points our eyes away from this sin-sick world, toward Christ, who makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).” With disappointment looming large in many areas of our world, our culture, and our everyday lives, what a blessing to have a sure and certain hope in Jesus that will not disappoint!

Everyday Application

1) How does being justified by faith give us peace with God? (verse 1)
There is no magic number of good deeds we can do, or amount of money we can donate to a worthy cause to make us “right” before the Righteous Lord. (Titus 3:5) We like to think God accepts us if we are “good” people, but truthfully, without Christ’s redemption, there isn’t one person who is righteous. (Romans 3:10) However, if we believe in Jesus and accept His redeeming love, we are justified by faith in Him. Jesus took our sins upon Himself, so God sees us as righteous because Jesus is righteous. David Guzik explains, “because of what Jesus did, the righteousness of God is given to all who believe. The guilty sentence is transformed into a sentence of justified, and justified by faith.” There is deep peace in knowing we don’t need to do anything to earn God’s love or His forgiveness. There is no pressure to keep all the rules without making a mistake, because God has already perfectly done the work that saves us. We can add nothing to it, for even our “good deeds” are considered “filthy rags” according to God’s standard of righteousness. (Isaiah 64:6) God knows we will mess up, even after we have surrendered to following Him in faith (1 John 1:8-9), but His grace sets us free, forgives us completely, and equips us to follow Him. Titus 2:11-12 states, “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age.” We can enjoy God’s declaration of righteous over our lives because of Jesus and we can delight in the peace of living life inside the very life of God.

2) How does affliction produce endurance? (verse 3)
When I look up endurance in the dictionary, I expect to find a picture of my friend, Timothy. He grew up in an abusive home and relied on the Lord to sustain him. (Psalm 55:22) He became a missionary in a war-torn country and lost a loved one while there. Again, he allowed the strength of the Lord to carry him. (Isaiah 46:4) He lost his first child and spent months in the hospital with another baby, praying alongside hundreds of believers and watching that child grow and heal against all odds. He was replaced in a ministry position he loved, but he allowed the Lord to use that loss to birth a new ministry which blessed and served others and eventually led him into pastoring. He lost his church building due to denominational red tape, which led him to an under-served area of town where he now has a thriving congregation. He is a brilliant example of Paul’s teaching, “And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance.” (Romans 5:3) The first time Pastor Timothy trusted God to get him through a situation, his faith was strengthened, and he learned he could endure because of God’s grace. This growing faith helped him face each subsequent situation with the belief that God would come through. He faced these afflictions and others, including betrayal, rejection, and life-threatening illness, by persevering in faith, enduring with the Lord, and coming out stronger because of his reliance on God. I think of my friend when the going gets rough for me, because his example reminds me that God can handle anything, which means I can handle it because I have access to God and His strength! (Philippians 4:13)

3) Why would Paul say proven character produces hope that will not disappoint? (verses 4-5)
One of my favorite poems is Emily Dickinson’s “Hope Is The Thing With Feathers.” “Hope” is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul/and sings the tune without the words-/And never stops – at all.” This stanza reminds me that hope goes against expectation and outlasts when it seems like it shouldn’t. These lines come to mind as I read Romans 5:4-5, “…endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Hope in God will never disappoint, even when that hope seems to go against everything the world and the culture tell us. Our hope in God is an “anchor for the soul, firm and secure.“ (Hebrews 6:19) When we know God will constantly be with us in everything (Joshua 1:9), seeing us through anything (Psalm 121:8), our faith is built stronger. Having a proven character that trusts the Lord completely (Proverbs 3:5) makes us hopeful for all God will continue to do according to His promises. When we have hope, we believe God is in control no matter what the prognosis or the projected outlook. (Psalm 22:28) We don’t feel lost or shaken when unsettling news comes our way because our hope is anchored in the steadfast love of a God who faithfully sustains us. We understand that “The reality of God’s love in a believer’s heart gives the assurance, even the guarantee, that the believer’s hope in God and His promise of glory is not misplaced and will not fail.” (preceptaustin.org) This hope we have in God sings in our hearts as we realize His unfailing love will never disappoint us!

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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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