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Sketched VIII Day 14 Tamar And Absalom: 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 Tamar And Absalom!

The Questions

1) What does it mean to “dwell in the shadow of the Almighty”? (verse 1)

2) How exactly can we live under His protection? (verse 1)

3) What does God promise to do for those who dwell in His shadow? (verses 14-16)

Psalm 91

1 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust: 3 He himself will rescue you from the bird trap, from the destructive plague. 4 He will cover you with his feathers; you will take refuge under his wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day, 6 the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you. 8 You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord — my refuge, the Most High — your dwelling place, 10 no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. 11 For he will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. 12 They will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent.14 Because he has his heart set on me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name. 15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. 16 I will satisfy him with a long life and show him my salvation.

Original Intent

1) What does it mean to “dwell in the shadow of the Almighty”? (verse 1)
First, we’ll need to look at what the definition is for “to dwell”. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the verb dwell as “to live in a place or in a particular way”. The word ‘shadow’ has many meanings, and our first impression may be of a dark place. However, being in someone’s shadow also means you are actively following this person very closely (Cambridge Dictionary). In Psalm 5:4 we read that evil cannot dwell in God. These words tell us that living in the shadow of our God is good because there is no evil that can be near Him. We are safe whenever we continually abide close to our Almighty Father.

2) How exactly can we live under His protection? (verse 1)
In the Old Testament, we can see how God promises protection for those who obey and honor Him. This applied specifically to His chosen people, the Hebrews. A great example of this protection is found in the story of Moses recorded in the book of Exodus. God performed many wonderful miracles to protect His people and lead them out of slavery in Egypt. When the final plague came over the Egyptians, God commanded His people to kill a lamb and cover their doorposts with its blood. The angel of death would then know which houses to pass over when the plague of the firstborn’s death came over the land. Not one of God’s families suffered death from this final plague because He kept them safe as they put themselves under His protection. (Read the full story! Exodus 11:1-12:36!). Two other great examples of God’s loving protection over His people are found in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Three Hebrew friends refused to bow down to a statue (false god), instead choosing to honor the One True God, and keep themselves under His care. This should have meant their death by fire according to the King! (Daniel 3) The faithful God, however, kept them safe in the midst of the fiery furnace! Later, Daniel, the prophet, was protected from the gnashing teeth of the lions after he was punished for praying to God. (Daniel 6) Though the death penalty awaited him, God provided protection supernaturally. When God’s people stay obedient to Him, keeping themselves under His care, He keeps them safe. It’s not always physical safety, as the Bible is full of persecution and suffering for following Jesus, but the Lord’s presence will never abandon us, and He will indeed faithfully preserve us into eternity as we place our faith in Him.

3) What does God promise to do for those who dwell in His shadow? (verses 14-16)
We don’t need to look far for the answer to this question, even just in this passage, let alone the rest of Scripture! God gives beautiful promises to those who seek His company as our hiding place. (Psalm 32:7) He promises no harm will come to us (Psalm 91:9) because He commands His angels to protect us. (Psalm 91:11) When we call out, He promises to answer; He will remain with us in trouble, rescue us, and show us His salvation. (Psalm 91:15-16) In Psalm 138:7, we find confirmation of these words as God extends His hand, saving us from danger. The name of our Lord is a strong tower, and when we run to it, we’re protected and safe. (Proverbs 18:10)

Everyday Application

1) What does it mean to “dwell in the shadow of the Almighty”? (verse 1)
When we dwell in the shadow of the Almighty, we find ourselves in a very close relationship with our Creator. Dwelling with Him means following Him wherever He goes and keeping our eyes fixed on Him, so we can actively remain in His shadow. The best part is, if we dwell in His shadow, He will also dwell with us. What the psalmist referred to as “dwelling”, Jesus referred to in the New Testament as “abiding”. (John 15:4-5) He is always present, never far from us, but it’s our decision to remain in Him and invest in a relationship with Him. Dwelling in His shadow requires an intentional, consistent decision on our part to remain with Him. God tells us so beautifully of His heart for relationship when He says, “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16) Through faith, Christ dwells in our hearts. (Ephesians 3:17) It really is a loving, mutual relationship between us and Him when we stay close beside Him!

2) How exactly can we live under His protection? (verse 1)
The same still stands for us today as it did in the days of Moses and Daniel. When we submit ourselves to God through faith in Jesus, we will be saved for eternity! (Revelation 14:12) When we confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, He saves us from eternal condemnation and separation from Him. (Romans 10:9) Notice though, that these verses speak about the promise of being redeemed one day. This is the hope every believer holds onto. Jesus warns us that Christians will have tribulation in this world. (John 16:33) When we read the book of Acts, we see how some disciples were persecuted, like James (Acts 12:2), and others were frequently rescued, also in the midst of persecution, like Paul. (Acts 28:1-6) Regardless of what struggles look like in our lives, God will always use trials to bring us closer to Him, giving us new opportunities to experience Him and His ever-present grace. No matter what life brings us, there is comfort in the words of Jesus, “I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) He promises our eternity is secure with Him, and that our trials now are worth persevering through!

3) What does God promise to do for those who dwell in His shadow? (verses 14-16)
As we saw before, when we stay close to God, He will keep us safe and protected from danger. Jesus has promised He will never leave us, continuing to be with us even until the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20) Paul reminds us that, because of God’s faithful promises, “we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”. (Hebrews 13:6) Our God will rescue us from evil work and will bring us safely to the heavenly kingdom. (2 Timothy 4:18) These promises don’t mean we will never have trials or hard times. In fact, Jesus warned us there will be difficulties on our way because we live in a fallen world. (John 16:33) But, we will never walk alone! We’re hemmed in safety on all sides when we dwell closely with Him than when we wander far from His shadow. Stay where His hand guards and protects your life and your heart as you walk through trial of all kinds! There is peace and safety with the Almighty God!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Tamar And Absalom!

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 Sketched VIII Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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.

Hallel Day 4 In His Presence: 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 In His Presence!

The Questions

1) Why does the Hallel song set focus so much on Israel coming out of Egypt?

2) The psalmist sings twice of the sea, of Jordan, and of mountains. What significance do these three carry?

3) What role does the presence of the Lord play in the anthem of this psalm? (verse 7)

Psalm 114

When Israel came out of Egypt—
the house of Jacob from a people
who spoke a foreign language—
2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel, his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled;
the Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills, like lambs.
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?
6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
Hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool,
the flint into a spring.

Original Intent

1) Why does the Hallel song set focus so much on Israel coming out of Egypt?
From the time they were set free, Israel was commanded to retell the story of their exodus from slavery for future generations, which they did through song, written record, and oral tradition. Being set free from their 400-year slavery became one of the biggest mile-markers of their journey into becoming a nation shaped by God. What made their escape from enslavement so memorable and remarkable, was that it had absolutely nothing to do with their ability as a people. They weren’t even a nation yet! They had no government structure, no military presence, no power, and no land; the thousands of people who left Israel had absolutely no proof that pointed to themselves as being the reason they had been set free. Only an act of the Lord God could rescue such an utterly helpless people.

2) The psalmist sings twice of the sea, of Jordan, and of mountains. What significance do these three carry?
Like the marker of the great exodus from Egypt, so do these three words call to mind for the original audience three additional highly significant events in the history of Israel as it was being formed. The sea refers to the Red Sea, which all of the former slaves of Egypt crossed. Not such a big deal, right? Well, add in the fact that the multitude of thousands trudged across the Red Sea on dry ground, that they were being hotly pursued by the Egyptian army and Pharaoh himself, but God was holding the enemy back with a cloud of glory, and that God released the waters of the sea to effectively drown every Egyptian, including Pharaoh, right before their eyes, and you have an incredibly formative historic event! (Exodus 15:4) “Jordan” refers to the river Jordan, where Joshua lead the newly minted nation of Israel across as they stepped foot onto the long-awaited Promised Land. (Joshua 3:13-17) Israel was to take possession of this land; it was the fulfillment of the promise God had made to Abraham and his coming descendants hundreds and hundreds of years prior. Another pivotal moment in Israel’s history. The mountains “skipping” references God giving Israel the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, an event sandwiched between crossing the Red Sea and the Jordan River. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and an earthquake occurred at the time of this momentous event when God gave Israel the rules of the covenant. (Exodus 19:16-20) He had already chosen them as His people and rescued them from slavery before they even knew about His law, let alone fulfilled a single aspect of it, but this was the giving of the Law by which Israel was to follow the Lord God.

3) What role does the presence of the Lord play in the anthem of this psalm? (verse 7)
Verse 2 can be easily overlooked, but it’s actually acting as the first bookend, which is completed by the declaration of the Lord’s Presence in verse 7. Both verses hinge on the powerful presence of the Lord. Verse 2 says Judah (Israel) became His (God’s) sanctuary where He ruled with all dominion, power, and sovereignty. God’s desire was always to dwell with His people, even from the Garden of Eden at the beginning of Creation, we see God walking with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening to enjoy the depths of relationship with them. (Genesis 3:8) After God had given the 10 Commandments and many other laws at Mt. Sinai, he gave instructions to Moses and the people to build a tabernacle, a sanctuary, so God might dwell in their midst. (Exodus 25:8-9) He didn’t want to simply possess a people group for His own clout or sense of power, He wanted to be with them, to express His vast love to them, to invite them to truly know Him deeply and intimately. His heart was to shepherd them and show Himself faithful to them that, as they followed Him, they would reflect His magnificent love and faithfulness to the world around them so that all would know Him! (Ezekiel 24:15-16, Isaiah 42:6-7) By dwelling with His people, the same Presence of the Lord that made the Red Sea part, the Jordan River divide, the mountains shake, and solid rocks pour forth water (Psalm 114:8, Numbers 20:11), would be constantly abiding with His People! As Israel submitted to living God’s design for their lives, His Spirit would move among them and declare Himself to all nations!

Everyday Application

1) Why does the Hallel song set focus so much on Israel coming out of Egypt?
Thousands of years and hundreds of generations removed from the Hebrews’ liberation from enslavement at the hand of the Egyptians and their story is still being told, read, sung, and studied. What’s more incredible, their Old Testament story beautifully depicts the New Testament gospel. There are only 2 kinds of people, those who have trusted Christ for salvation and are now “slaves” to freedom because they have been made righteous in Jesus, or those who are slaves to sin because they are still dead in their sin nature. (Romans 6:16) Every person is a slave to sin without having trusted Christ for redemption; we have absolutely zero ability to free ourselves from the enslavement of sin, earning the punishment of eternal death and separation from God. Israel was not a nation, so are unbelievers not God’s people. They are owned by Satan, the ruler of Sin and Death. But God offers freedom from this slavery! He calls those who aren’t “a people” to be His people. (1 Peter 2:10, Romans 9:25-26) Only by His gift of grace towards us, and our willing reception of that gift through faith, can we be free and declared righteous in His sight, having victory over death and sin through Jesus Christ! (Romans 6:14, Romans 6:20-23) Do you have a freedom from sin story? Keep telling it! Declare it to yourself and others as a reminder of what God has done in setting you free from sin and death and alive to walk in the new life of righteousness!

2) The psalmist sings twice of the sea, of Jordan, and of mountains. What significance do these three carry?
These three events, while deeply significant in Israel’s formation as a nation, are mentioned in this Jewish song for a singular purpose revealed in verse 7, “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.” Why did the Red Sea part? Why would the Jordan River split in two? Why would the mountains skip and shudder like animals? Only because of the presence of the Lord God. The God who called Israel to be His, a people for His own possession, precious in His sight honored, and loved. (Deuteronomy 4:20, Isaiah 43:1-4) Jesus said in Matthew 9:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.” He said this in response to the disciples’ question of who could possibly be saved for eternity because the requirements for salvation are so, well, impossible (because it requires absolute holy perfection). What is utterly inconceivable for flawed human beings (living a perfect life without even one fault), is entirely possible for God (as exemplified in God the Son, Jesus Christ, as He lived the human life without a single sin). The same magnitude sung about in this sacred Hallel hymn is amplified in the life of the believer who has trusted Christ to do what he or she could never do, be declared righteous in the sight of God. Take some time to consider your own incredibly pivotal moments in your faith journey. Where has God left His indelible mark on your life because of His presence? Where are the events of your story radically different than they would be without the presence of the God who does impossible things?!

3) What role does the presence of the Lord play in the anthem of this psalm? (verse 7)
No body of water has ever split in two leaving a dry pathway to cross since the day God’s presence specifically called for that event for the purpose of declaring His glory to His people. In similar fashion, hearts trusting Jesus for salvation can live and move and act and speak and love others in radical ways because of God’s presence living within them through the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, God gave explicit instructions on how to build the Tabernacle so He could dwell with His people. This was incredible to have the Spirit of God with Israel! His presence was to be signified with the “Ark of the Covenant”, which was a large, ornate box covered in gold. Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies space within the Tabernacle where the Ark was placed, and even then, only once a year. Here, Israel could meet with God through the high priest. BUT NOW! Now, because of Jesus coming to earth, living righteousness out in everyday life for us, He became the high priest for each of us. He not only gives us access to God through His sacrificial death on our behalf, God Himself lives inside every believing heart! Not simply with, but inside! Fueled with this powerful presence of the Lord, every Christ-follower carries around a sanctuary (verse 2) for the Most High God. When we submit to the rule and reign of God’s Spirit, giving Him total dominion over our lives, His presence is made evident for all to see and know Him!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with In His Presence!

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 Hallel Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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.

Treasure Day 8 The Gift Of Laboring

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 127:1-2
John 15:4-8
Colossians 1:16-18
Matthew 11:28-30

Treasure, Day 8

As treasures of God, created by and for Him,
we have been given the gift of work. 

Whether leading a corporation or a family, God has given each of us unique talents and opportunities to glorify Him and draw others to Himself. He has also provided guidelines to protect us and to help us learn to trust Him. As our Creator, God invites us into a working partnership, one in which He is both guide and co-laborer.

Psalm 127:1 explains,
“Unless the Lord builds the house,
the workers labor in vain who build the house;
Unless the Lord watches the city,
the watchmen watch in vain.”  

Our work should begin with God in mind.
Colossians 3:23 reminds us to do everything for the Lord. We are to seek Him first, allowing Him to guide our decisions and processes. When we do this, our priorities line up with His and we make decisions based on the principles He’s given His followers. Then, He can bless the work of our hands and we can step back and celebrate His work through us!

However, our identities can get tangled up in the work we do, instead of who God says we are.  When this happens, we become greedy, prideful, critical, and absent from those we love.

When we don’t view our work as God’s purposes through us, we begin micromanaging and hovering over every project instead of trusting those assigned to the work. Rather than working as a team, allowing all members to learn and thrive, decisions are made to feed the ego of the leader.

As we continue to find identity in our work,
we are consumed with busy-ness,
eventually neglecting regular meetings with our Father,
and further becoming enslaved to the success of the job to prove our worth.

We were made for work, but not for constant work.
Our bodies were made for a balance of work and rest. How kind of our Creator to model this for us! He spent six days creating, then spent the seventh day resting.

As God, He doesn’t need rest, but He showed us the importance of stepping back, seeing all we’ve done, and resting. As we practice regular Sabbath, lovingly given for our good, we demonstrate the trustworthiness of our God, who designs our work and holds all things together.

In addition, as Jesus modeled, we need to take time away daily to connect with the Lord, He who loves us best and in Whom we find our true identity. When we allow ourselves to be filled with Him first, the work we do is fueled with His purpose and energy.

As we consistently abide in Him, our work bears fruit as God intended, glorifying Him. He also reminds us how deeply He loves those we lead, and we learn how to lead them well.

Perhaps the greatest obstacle to getting time away from work is our devices. Our phones are no longer connected to the wall, but accompany us wherever we go, making us constantly, immediately accessible. With the ease of remote work comes the double-edged sword of always being “on” and consumed by work.

In addition, our devices make it all too easy to trade quietness and reflection in favor of unceasing preoccupation with social media or even games. Peeking at the screen “just this once” becomes an entire vacation lost, or a day with the family plunged into electronic isolation.

Be assured, sister, if you identify with any of this, you are not alone.

I am currently working to build limits for my own cell phone use and lack of true rest. Though I don’t work outside the home, I can get lost in the search for dinner ideas, recipes, or ways to more effectively manage my home.

The too-high cost is precious time with my family. I end up feeling more frustrated about my lack of productivity, lack of time to pursue creative outlets, or inability to rest and connect with Jesus. If you find yourself there as well, take heart and be reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30,

“Come to me all you who are weak and weary,
and I will give you rest.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Our Savior knows we need rest.
The Holy Spirit gently reminds us true rest, like our true identity, is found in Him.
When we seek Him first, trusting Him with the details of the job, He is faithful to provide restoration to our weary souls as He blesses the work of our hands.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
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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 Treasure 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 Treasure!

The GT Weekend! ~ Focus 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) Control. We all love it. We all seek after it in varying degrees, with varying motives, and with varying degrees of success, yet we all crave it. So where are you today? Where are you lusting after control? What do you wish you could, or maybe are glad you do, have control over? Kendra reminds us that there is only One who holds the corner on all wisdom, all sovereignty, and all power. While He cannot be manipulated by us, He will allow us to have our way and fight to hold that power in our hands at the expense of His wisdom flowing through our lives. So, as you take stock, pray for His wisdom to overtake your own. Pray for your hands to loosen their grip and your heart to hunger for His ways instead of yours.

2)  Surrendering our perceived “right” to judge another with condemnation places us in a position to love instead of pass judgement with arrogance and pride. I’m challenging all of us, myself included, to make a short list of the last 5-7 people or instances where we flippantly passed judgement from a place of “we know better”. Now, stop everything, and pray for those people, those circumstances, and finally, pray for your own heart. Pray for a tender awareness to stop condemning and start loving instead. Pray for the Spirit to teach us to abide with Jesus first and then lovingly engage people for the sake of the gospel, not what we think they should or should not be doing. Turn that “short-list” into a prayer list, and see what the Lord will do!

3) Think through the process you went through as you made a decision recently. Maybe it was an important, weighty one, or maybe it was something simple; regardless, the manner in which you approached the decision reflects quite a bit about your faith, what you believe about God, and the posture of your heart. Read through Sara’s Journey yesterday and consider the steps she laid out for processing a decision. How have you experienced good from the Lord because you were wise in your decision process?

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Isaiah 26:4 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Trust in the Lord forever, because in the Lord, the Lord himself, is an everlasting rock!

Prayer Journal
Creation speaks of you. Every leaf, every blade of grass, every puff of wind, all declaring You moment by moment. The tilt of the earth on its axis, the roll of the tide in tandem to the pull of the moon, the blood pulsing through our veins, all of it points to You as Creator and author from beginning to end. Yet, I still find myself again and again choosing my ways and my ‘wisdom’ over Yours. You, who know all, see all, understand all, and is sovereign over all, have delighted to share Yourself with me. Unimaginable! Lord, redirect my thoughts and plans. I long to be wise, to follow Your wisdom. Teach me to abandon myself over to You again and again.

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

Focus Day 14 Me Or You?: 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 Me Or You?!

The Questions

1) Who is speaking in this passage and to whom are they speaking?

2) What is the purpose of this message?

3) What is the main theme of this passage?

John 15:9-17

 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Original Intent

1) Who is speaking in this passage and to whom are they speaking?
Jesus is speaking to the disciples in this passage. They have eaten the Passover meal and Jesus is preparing them for what is about to happen, His crucifixion on the cross. He has broken bread with them, washed their feet, and He is giving them His last words of encouragement and instruction before delivering Himself over to the Romans guards.

2) What is the purpose of this message?
Jesus is preparing the disciples to be in this world without Him. For three years, they have traveled with Him and listened to His teachings, but now it is time for them to become the ambassadors and spread His message without Him physically by their side. He does tell them He is not leaving them alone, but rather is providing them “a Helper”, the Holy Spirit. (John 14:15-20)

3) What is the main theme of this passage?
There are two words that stand out in this passage “abide” and “love”. Jesus is taking time in His last moments with His disciples to remind them of what they already know and have been taught over the last three years, but He is preparing them for what is to come. They must both abide in Him and love one another.

Everyday Application

1) Who is speaking in this passage and to whom are they speaking?
The disciples were Jesus’ closest followers. They left their homes, their families, and their lives to follow Him in His teaching. In these last moments, He is giving them one final message of hope with His last instructions being abide in me and love one another. As believers today, we are called to be Christ followers; we are His disciples in our time in history. We are to take His instruction to abide in Him and love others as the standard for the how to live out everyday lives. The Son of God knew His time on Earth had come to an end, and He left behind Holy Spirit empowered disciples to proclaim His truths until His return. We are these empowered and equipped disciples! Are we abiding? Are we loving well? Not sure what abiding looks like in real life? Check out our 3-week Journey Theme: Dwell!

2) What is the purpose of this message?
Have you ever been so wrapped up in a book or movie, you didn’t want it to end? Maybe the story was just that good or the characters were relatable, and you found yourself entrenched in their lives. Purely conjecture on my part, but I wonder if the disciples felt that way. They didn’t want their time with Jesus to end. They were scared (terrified really) and could see that things with Jesus were different; things were coming to an end. The things He spoke about seemed final and His once-coded messages about leaving began to unfold right before them. In all of that, Jesus wanted to offer hope, direction, and assurance. He wanted to put their mind at ease about coming events and, most importantly, wanted to give them instructions about things to come. He wanted to assure them this was God’s plan all along and in Him they were capable of carrying on. So Are We! You and I didn’t walk with Jesus while He was in the flesh, but when the ends of our lives are unraveling, the same assurance is for us. He sees, He knows, He is still the “with us” God!

3) What is the main theme of this passage?
Jesus’ instructions to the disciples were clear: abide in me and love one another. As followers of Him, that is our evaluation standard before I post on social media, before I speak to a friend who has hurt me, before I speak to my disobedient child, before I confront a co-worker about their choices, before—- you can fill in the blank. My focused questions should be am I abiding in Him? And am I loving that other person? John, the writer of this book, says “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) The love we have for our neighbor that comes from our knowing Christ deeply through studying His word and growing in biblical community is the most powerful testimony to a world who does not know Him.

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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!

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 :-))

Memorize It!

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Safe Day 12
A Love Without Fear: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper posts are intended to help us go farther into God’s word than a simple surface reading
and are designed to help us discover new tools in the process.
Curious as to why we Dig Deeper? Here’s Why! 

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out A Love Without Fear

1 John 4:13-19 English Standard Version (ESV)

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

My Questions

1) There are a couple of key words in this passage. What exactly does “abide” mean? “Love” is also a key word, and it can have many meanings. What kind of love is being talked about in this passage?

2) How is love perfected in us?

3) How do we abide in God? In love?

The Tools

A trip to www.studylight.org is in order here.
We will get super cozy with this site as we study Scripture together!
Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom!
It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage?
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 :-))

The Findings for Original Intent

1) In every case in this passage, the word translated “abide” is the Greek word ménō, which means to remain, or stay. Each instance of the word “love” in this passage is the Greek word agape. This type of love is not a romantic or sexual love, nor is it a brotherly love. It is the word that describes God’s love for us, and is characterized by good will and benevolence.

2) Pay special attention to the linking words and phrases in this passage–words like “by,” “because,” “for,” and “so.” These linking words explain how the different truths fit together. Verse 17 begins with “By this is love perfected with us.” What does “by this” refer to? God abiding in us. And we see from the first verses in the passage that God abides in us when we confess Christ as our Savior. So love is perfected in us when we truly trust that Christ came to die for our sins—when we “come to know and believe the love that God has for us” (verse 16).

3) What does it mean to abide in God, or abide in love? Verse 16 tells us that God is love. God’s nature, his character, is love. So abiding in God and abiding in love are the same thing. There is a sense in which God always abides in us once we become believers—we are sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). But there’s another sense of abide, which means to remain or stay in a certain state. We remain in love when we keep God’s love for us at the front of our minds, when we are confident that He has saved us and He will keep us, and when we operate our daily lives in that confidence.

Some Applications for Our Everyday Lives

1) It’s important to understand the truth of God’s agape love. It isn’t like the imperfect love we humans have—it is constant, unchanging and doesn’t depend on circumstances or behavior. We can trust that we are perfectly loved by God, all the time!

2) If our love has been perfected, that is, if we have trusted in Christ for salvation, then we have no need to fear judgment. Christ took our punishment for us on the cross, and no condemnation awaits us. We do not need to fear what will happen to us after we die!

3) What are the clues in my life that I am forgetting to abide in God? (Do I find myself getting selfish, irritable, entitled, etc.?) How can I keep God’s deep love for me at the front of my mind and in every interaction I have with my spouse, my kids, my co-workers, etc.?

We’d love to hear how God challenged you through today’s Journey Study! Share your thoughts, comments, and questions with the GT Community!
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Want To Try It For Yourself?!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

Share Your Thoughts with the GT Community!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Safe Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? See all past studies in Safe!