Always

Worship IX Day 1 The Great Experience

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 12:1-2
Isaiah 6:1-8
Amos 5:18-27
Hebrews 13:15-16
Psalm 51

Worship IX, Day 1

“Let us praise the Lord when we feel like it.”

“True worshipers will worship the Father with great emotion.”

Neither of these statements are Biblically accurate. As I review them, they sound ridiculous. Yet, they reflect how we often approach worship. To gain a better understanding of worship pleasing to God, let’s consider what Scripture says.

“Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)
Continually means we don’t stop when times are dark or our hearts are broken. In fact, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, “Rejoice always.”

“But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)
The only requirement for worship I see here is “in spirit and in truth.” How many of us know sometimes truth is hard, so worship born out of truth may not feel like “the great experience?”

According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Two simple things, right? But Scripture tells us praise is sacrificial. Echoing Hebrews 13:15, Romans 12:1 instructs, “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.” In other words, we should use our bodies to serve and honor God in an act of complete surrender. We should be set apart for Him, dedicated to Him. After all, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.” (Psalm 145:3, ESV)

In the Bible, we learn of Samson, a man dedicated to the Lord as a Nazarite from birth. Samson was one of God’s appointed judges for the Israelites. He could have demonstrated true worship. But Samson was self-absorbed, more into pleasing himself than committed to pleasing God.

He married a Philistine woman against his father’s better judgment because it “seemed right to Samson.” (Judges 14:1-7)
He didn’t tell his parents the honey he gave them came from the carcass of a lion he killed with his bare hands because, again, it seemed right to him to hide his broken vow. (Judges 14:5-9)
He killed thirty Philistines to fulfill a bet with the Philistine men, which was dishonest. (Judges 14:10-20)
He burned up the Philistine crops, vineyards, and olive groves because he thought revenge was the way to go. (Judges 15:1-5)

When Samson fell in love with Delilah, another Philistine woman, he revealed the secret to his great strength (his long uncut hair) because in the moment, stopping her nagging was more important than honoring his vow to God. (Judges 16:1-17)

She then shared that knowledge with her people and they shaved his hair, removing the last remnant of his Nazarite vow. And the Spirit of the Lord left him without him even realizing it. (Judges 16:18-20) Samson was so caught up in what felt right to him that he failed to remain set apart for the Lord. He failed to worship by using his body to serve and honor God, because his focus was not on God.

In the same way, if we get caught up in whether we like a song or not, whether the prayer or sermon “moves” us or not, we’re missing the point and aren’t offering true worship. Instead, we’re chasing our delights versus delighting ourselves in the Lord. Samson was called to devote his life to God. Would that he was more like the prophet Isaiah, who saw a vision of the Lord on His throne with the Seraphim singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth,” recognized his sinfulness, confessed before the Lord, and then spent the rest of his life in holy service to God.

Samson’s focus on his experience and desires over honoring his Nazarite vow to God reminds me of a passage in Amos chapter 5. Speaking through Amos, God rightfully accuses the Israelites of going through the motions. Yes, they assemble and offer the mandated sacrifices, but what of their hearts’ true intent and desire?
It was toward themselves, not God.

But God is faithful. God gave Samson another chance. While in captivity, “his hair began to grow back.” In chains, Philistines mocking him during their pagan worship service, he prayed for God to give him the strength to avenge his eyes, which they had gouged out. While Samson remained focused on self to the end, God still showed His faithfulness by giving Samson the strength to topple the building. (Judges 16:25-30)

Similarly, we are called to be sacrificial in our worship of the Lord. While Samson struggled to worship God above self for most of his life, in that one moment, he was willing to lay down his life. We might not be asked to die for the Lord, but we are asked to daily die to ourselves, our comfort.

“The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.
You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.” (Psalm 51:17)

Sisters, let us offer our Great God true worship,
a heart humbled before Him
and a life surrendered to 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 IX Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Worship IX!

The GT Weekend! ~ Questions 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) Prayer is mysterious, isn’t it? This speaking into air, or only in the quiet confines of our hearts, to a God we cannot see, yet Who sees every detail of us and listens to every thought, whisper, or shout. What is your perspective on prayer? Are there some prayers that work? Does God hear everything and choose not to answer some? Is God miserly, only choosing to answer those prayers He approves of as being good enough? Do you need to reach a certain level of holiness to pray? According to Scripture, God’s main purpose in inviting us to pray is we can know Him and enter into a deeper relationship with Him. If prayer is the doorway to knowing God better, do you want to walk through it? What could that intentional decision look like beginning this weekend?

2) Is God loving or angry? What is His perpetual disposition towards humanity? Towards you? Is He sometimes pleased with you and other times frustrated, annoyed, distant, or angry? Do you feel God is obligated to love you, but doesn’t really like you? Pull out your journal and set a timer for 5 minutes, giving yourself permission to freely write down every thought you have regarding these questions. Remember there is no one judging you for your honest questioning! The root question that, if answered, dramatically colors every other question we raise about God is, “what do you think of God?”. It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Try answering that question for yourself, especially in relation to how God views you. Then take your answers to Scripture and see what God says about Himself!

3) In the everyday running rhythm of our lives, we can feel important, as if life revolves around what we do or don’t do. Responsibilities are always present, decisions to be made, and consequences to live with as a result. In the grand scheme of the universe, however, our lives are so fleeting and temporal. Important people in society or in the world who enjoy popularity or power, likely don’t even know you personally exist unless you have a special connection. Your daily struggles are not known to them and neither do they care to know. Magnify their position to infinity, and you have a tiny glimpse of God. Yet, despite all logical thought, He is present with us and intimately aware of every single daily joy and struggle. How does this reality shape the landscape of your heart this weekend?

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 Psalm 34:4-7 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I sought the Lord, and He answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Prayer Journal
Amid all the questions we’ve studied in the past three weeks, and all the questions that still poke holes in the corners of my heart, how comforting and sweetly good it is to know this solid truth, “I sought the Lord and He answered me.” You are gracious and kind, generously leading me to know You deeper. You embrace me and my question and every single doubt as you steadfastly hold me, continuing to teach me about Your good heart. Help me to hold onto what You’ve taught me to be true, and keep my focus on those things as most important. Help me not to get so caught up in my wrestling on smaller things, that I miss the bigger things: Your love for me is boundless, Your sacrifice covers my sin, and You have designed me on purpose to live boldly for You in telling others about You!

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Questions 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) How does it make you feel to view yourself as a sinner? What about a sinner who has no chance of being acceptable to God? Take a few minutes to write down your gut-honest thoughts as you slow down and process this reality. What thoughts surface in your heart when you consider Christ’s words as Himself being the only way back to a relationship with God and eternity in Heaven? Write down your wrestling thoughts. If there were another way to God, what would you imagine it to be? Pray for wisdom as you write your reflections on Judas’ choice to reject the forgiveness being offered to him.

2) What are your thoughts on communicating with God and hearing from Him? Does it seem elusive and like a guessing game? What is appealing to you about following “signs” in attempt to hear from God? Why do you think God would choose not to communicate through seemingly random signs like a specific thing happening at a specific time, looking at weather, or waiting for a designated action to occur? What comfort does it give you in knowing that God’s ways are far beyond our understanding, yet He chooses to come near and reveal Himself within the context of relationship with those who follow Him. What steps do you want to take to foster deeper growth in that relationship? Tell a friend and ask her to keep you accountable to taking those actions!

3) Why does evil flourish? Take a few minutes to sit with that question and write down your thoughts. There’s no judgment between you, the page, and your pen. Just put down your honest heart thoughts. You can even tear it up later and throw it away if you want! What makes you angry when you see bad things happening and why? Do you feel God has a responsibility to make all things right? Do you believe He will? Why do you think He waits so long for making all things right when so much evil is causing destruction around us? Look up and pray through 2 Peter 3:8-13 and write down your thoughts.

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 Matthew 7:7-11 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him ca stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Prayer Journal
Lord God, I praise You for being a God who wants to be sought after, found and discovered, and deeply delighted in by Your creation. Thank You for never being distant, regardless of how I feel. Thank You for remaining true to Your character, regardless of my perception. As AW Tozer says, “The most important thing about us is what we think of when we think of God”. Lord, teach me to think correctly about You! Show me where I hold onto beliefs and systems of thought that don’t accurately reflect You. Give me Yourself, God!

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

Questions Day 10 Why Does Evil Flourish?

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 37 
Proverbs 21:6-7
James 1:2-4
Psalm 92:6-7

Questions, Day 10

Friends, to be perfectly honest, as I began writing this study, I chose this question, “Why do evil people flourish?”, and held it in my hands, turning it this way and that, wondering why I was even writing this Journey.
My heart isn’t bent out of shape.
I haven’t lived my life frustrated because evil people seem to get ahead, while good people sometimes can’t catch a break. Really, I’ve never thought much about it…

And yet… 

When I began reading Psalm 37, the prickling in my eyes started almost instantly.

Maybe I do need to remember the truth found in Psalm 37.
Not maybe …
I do need this truth.

I’ve spent much of the past year asking God,
“Why me? Haven’t I kept Your commandments?
Haven’t I upheld Your name?
I thought I was making all of the right choices.
So … why me?
Why does it feel like my life is crumbling around me?”

I keep getting pummeled. Every time I turn around, another disaster hit me square in the face. I held up my hands, bracing to protect myself, but to no avail.

But when I look a little to my right …
“she” has it all together.
“She” has a healthy and whole family.
“She” manages to have a clean house, a perfect body, and a successful husband.
And when I look a little to my left …
“she” has a successful career, plenty of friends,
and all the money to live the lifestyle she desires.

Then, I look down at myself, my hands still shielding my face from yet another blow. I look at my body, which has gained some weight, responding entirely differently than it did to the first crisis I encountered.

I look at my worn jeans, my sister’s shoes on my feet, and my painted hands.
My jeans are worn because they’re the only pair I own.
I wear my sister’s shoes because she died eight months ago and I inherited some of her clothes. My hands are painted because I’m working on my daughters’ Christmas present, a castle I bought second-hand and am painting to make it feel new and special.

When I look in the mirror, I see lines that didn’t exist a year ago, seemingly permanent dark circles, and …

And I see joy.
There, in my eyes, is joy.

People who haven’t faced crisis and disaster are not evil, not at all! And truthfully, none of us travel this life unscathed, especially those who follow Jesus.
Yet, James exhorts us,
“Count it all joy . . . when you meet trials of various kinds,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
(James 1:2-4)

We can count it all joy because we get to experience more fully who God is, even, no, especially, in the darkest of places. Psalm 37 describes our active God.
He doesn’t sit back and watch us suffer and ache.
He is fighting for us.
The Lord upholds the righteous for He is a knowing God; He knows the days of the blameless. The Lord is our help, our deliverer, and our refuge. 

Psalm 37:25 makes my heart beat a little faster:

“I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.” 

Imagine standing at a coffee bar, filling your cup next to an elderly man. As you begin talking, you can almost see the wisdom dripping from him. He puts his wrinkled, weathered hand on top of yours, and you look into his eyes.

He pats your hand and says, “I’ve been your age, and now I’m just an old chap, but I’m telling ya’, I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for food. The Lord has always provided.” His eyes gleam with unshed tears, his little smile reveals his perfect dentures, and you just know he’s lived a lifetime filled with heartaches and yet here he is, testifying of the goodness of God.

Sounds like a scene from a Hallmark movie, doesn’t it? But it describes exactly what David is doing as he pours out his heart in the psalm to the Knowing, Listening, Present God. David has faced battles, he’s lost children, he’s suffered from the mistakes of his youth,
but he will still declare the goodness of God.

The enemy is crafty and tricky, and an incredibly good liar, and sometimes, it just seems like evil always wins! This world is fallen and broken because sin has destroyed, killed, and stolen life and delight as we were intended to enjoy when God first created. Because of this reality, we will always be hit with shrapnel from explosions happening around us.

In Psalm 37, and many other places throughout Scripture, we are reminded God will not forsake His saints (anyone who’s given their life to Him!).

The best part?
We have the promise of eternity with Him, where evil will no longer run rampant.

Yes, evil flourishes here on earth…
but ultimately, we already KNOW the battle has been won.
We know God has won the battle.
God wins.

So maybe it feels like evil people will always flourish.

Maybe it feels like we, devoted followers of Jesus who entrust our lives to Him, just can’t catch a break. But the Lord is ever faithful.
Lean in and hold fast because He will never forsake you,
He will never leave you,
and one day,
our success will be our testimony to, and declaration of,
the incredible goodness of God.

Evil flourishes here, but it does NOT have the final victory!
Only Our God holds that!

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Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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 Questions Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Questions!

Captivating Day 7 Truth, Grace, And Winsomeness: 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 Truth, Grace, And Winsomeness!

The Questions

1) Are we literally to rejoice ALWAYS in ALL THINGS?

2) How do we reach that state of continuous rejoicing?

3) How does dwelling on truth bring about peace?

Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. 9 Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Original Intent

1) Are we literally to rejoice ALWAYS in ALL THINGS? 
In verses 4 and 5, Paul the apostle addresses the Philippian church with a stirring call to rejoice in the Lord. He doesn’t give this command lightly as he himself pens the letter while imprisoned, knowing his own death was coming. Paul also realized the church he was sending this command to “rejoice always” was facing severe persecution for their faith.
Yet Paul, through the power of the Holy Spirit, set before the church of Philippi two qualities of the Christian life.
First, joy. “Rejoice, and again I say, REJOICE.” As Christ’s followers, we know there are dangers, toils, and snares, but when we walk in the counsel of Christ and in the oneness we share with Him through His Spirit, we can most emphatically REJOICE in the ONE who saves us. Theologian, William Barclay states, “Christian joy is independent of all things on earth because it has its source in the continual presence of Christ.” As Christians, we can NEVER lose our JOY because we can NEVER lose Christ. There will always be tears, sorrow, and troubles, but deep joy can be our constant because of Who God is!
Second, graciousness. In the context of verse 5, graciousness is “the spirit of willingness to yield under a trial”. (Barclay) L.H. Marshall adds that graciousness is “having an attitude of being charitable towards men’s faults and merciful in judgement.” This may have seemed impossible to the Philippians suffering persecution, but the previous verse is a reminder that graciousness is the “outshining of joy in the Lord”. (Michaelis)
Trials themselves provide the believer the opportunity for the Lord to shine brilliantly through us as we choose to rejoice in Who our God is, regardless of our circumstances. He will always be the indwelling, forever with us, abundantly loving God!

2) How do we reach that state of continuous rejoicing?
Prayer. This is the answer, or the “go to” if you will, providing the conduit for rejoicing to be unleashed in the heart and life of the believer. Through prayer, every Christian across the timeline of history has access to guidance, encouragement, and intimacy with the God of the universe. Verse 6 brings great hope and comfort in treacherous times, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” “Do not worry” is an imperative drawing us away from believing the lie that God cannot be trusted to care for us. The same verbiage is used in Matthew 6:25-34 and Luke 12:22 where we are commanded not to worry about any aspect of our lives, even necessities like food and clothing. “With thanksgiving” is a vitally important aspect of prayer. As we shift our focus off ourselves, our circumstances, and our need, instead recounting verbally to the Lord of His goodness, daily mercies, and abundant kindnesses, our hearts are re-shaped. Here, in the beautiful position of prayer, sitting in communion and declaring thanksgiving to the Holy One, where we present our worn and weary souls, our tears, our trials and anxieties. Here, in prayer, the healing balm of the Lord’s presence brings pleasure as we enjoy God’s peace that passes all understanding.  Here, in prayer, our hearts are adjusted to a heavenly position, and we can rejoice always.

3) How does dwelling on truth bring about peace?  
In verses 8 and 9, Paul calls the Philippians to think about or dwell on these virtues, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy…” There is no doubt the Philippians were surrounded on all sides with fiery trials, even death, but Paul urged them to discipline their thought-life. He taught them to train themselves to fill their hearts and minds with TRUTH. When their attention was directed away from lies, deception, fear, and circumstance and onto that which reflected God and His good character, peace would be the natural outcome. Notice that Paul did not give them parameters for only looking for Scriptural examples, but encouraged them to focus on whatever and anything that fit the qualifications listed. Each of these qualities are a reflection of God and His character and can be found in creation, Scripture, and within relationships, the instruction was simply to intentionally and mindfully dwell on these things.

Everyday Application

1) Are we literally to Rejoice ALWAYS in ALL THINGS?
We have all felt the anguish of pain (physical or mental), sorrow, fear and doubt. We are living in the midst of a hostile world full of sin and corruption. Everyday there seems to be something small or large giving us reason to not rejoice or forget how God is in control. In the midst of suffering, it becomes easy to drift into emotional tailspins or believe lies about ourselves, our circumstance, or even about God. We can drown in our own tears or our fears. How do we rejoice here?
Notice that Paul repeated his exhortation to rejoice, probably because it seems so unreasonable to rejoice under all circumstances. Can we truly rejoice when past sins haunt us, when loved ones are suffering, or when we are persecuted or facing death?
Let us be reminded that, like the suffering Philippians and imprisoned apostle, circumstances DO NOT determine heart condition. A Christian can rejoice even when all seems dark and dreary; we do not need to fall prey to lies, emotions, and fear. We are not celebrating because of difficulty, we rejoice because of our ever-present God! Where are you struggling with rejoicing? I wonder if perhaps, your eyes may be focusing on circumstances rather than the Savior? Hold tightly to the truth of Who God is, trusting Him to be faithful to His good character. “The Lord is NEAR!” (verse 5)

2) How do we reach that state of continuous rejoicing?
If we want to build a house, or plant a garden, or accomplish anything, it cannot be done by careful planning alone, actions must take place for the goal to be accomplished. For the goal of worry to be eradicated and rejoicing to dominate, prayer is the action plan. Prayer is not merely words thrown together, or a recitation of thoughts someone else penned, rather it is a fully engaged actionable step that begins with, ironically enough, sitting still. When we discipline ourselves enough to be still in the presence of the Lord, quieting our minds, and insisting on simply being with Him, we are moving into the action of prayer. The biblical antidote for anxiety is the outpouring of our hearts to God and prayer is the means to that end. As we sit with the Lord, the entry point to deeper intimacy is thanksgiving, not our requests and list of “must dos”.  We are invited to “cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) This truth alone can be a starting point for thanksgiving! Thank you for being an accessible God who cares for me. Thank you for never abandoning me. Thank you for giving me Your Word to know You and Your Spirit to teach me. And on goes our praise. When we begin with stillness and thankfulness, rejoicing naturally grows and overflows. Try it for yourself this week!

3) How does dwelling on truth bring about peace?
Truth will always be the antidote to worry and the conduit for peace to cover our lives. Truth is found in God’s Word as Jesus said, “sanctify them by the truth, Your Word is truth.” (John 17:17) Anchoring ourselves in truth in order to welcome the precious peace of Christ that passes all human comprehension begins with training our minds to hone in on the lovely things that imitate Christ and His glorious character. What are the things in your everyday life that speak to the loveliness of Jesus? Write them down, say them out loud, share them with a friend, dwell on these! Where truth is our anchor, joy bursts out. Where truth is the focus, peace overflows. As joy and peace become evident in our lives, Christ shines out to those we come in contact with in our everyday wanderings. As we engage in constant prayer with the Lord, peace floods us. (verse 7)
There is no peace like the Lord’s peace! It fills our souls as a precious gift of love from the Father God to us as His children. (John 14:27) This peace will keep “guard over our hearts and thoughts.“ (verse 7)
Theologian, Hendricksen, reminds, “True Believers hear and meditate until they understand, then they act upon it putting it into constant practice, thereby showing their house was built upon the rock.” Don’t just walk away from this life-giving truth and process for rejoicing and living in peace, begin practicing it!
Friends, do not despair of life, there is ALWAYS hope in JESUS CHRIST. He is waiting for you. Come in prayer, He will take your anguish and give you peace like no other can give.
“Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer that calls me from a world of care and bids me at my Father’s throne, make all my wants and wishes known!” (Sweet Hour of Prayer)

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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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Our Current Study Theme!

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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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Kaleidoscope Day 6 Strength Of Humility

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 13:4
Nehemiah 9:16-19
Philippians 2:5-8

Kaleidoscope, Day 6

“I’m not staying in this tiny town!”, I declared, my voice full of hurt and anger.

“And I’m not leaving,” my husband responded with just as much conviction.

We stared at each other, feeling every inch of the emotional chasm separating us. We had only been married eight months, yet we had already hit a wall strong enough to break us up.

I had grown up in a big city and always imagined raising my children near my parents. But, I married a boy from East Texas, with roots as deep as pine trees are tall. His family owned land and cattle in a small town and one week after we were married, we moved there, five hours away from my family.

While I could see the cracks forming in our young marriage with every stance I took, my pride kept me from letting up. I wanted to move to my hometown and live near my parents, and if my husband wouldn’t agree to that, then maybe we weren’t meant to be after all.

.   .   .   .   .

It pains me to look back at that time in my life. I couldn’t see how tightly the vine of pride had wrapped around me, squeezing the life out of my marriage.
Pride has no place in love.
This is what 1 Corinthians 13 teaches us.
To be proud is to be self-reliant, self-preserving, and self-focused.

Pride leaves no room for an “other”.
If your world is consumed with making sure
your needs are met,
your rights are not trampled,
or your kingdom is being built,
then you have no time to meet the needs of others, to speak out in their defense, or to build them up. Blinded by pride, one can never experience true love, nor can you extend it.

The antidote to pride is humility. C.S. Lewis once said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” By this definition, to be humble, is to be focused on others. As a Christian, it means to be focused on God. And in humility, we have no better example than Love incarnate: Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:5-8 beautifully depicts the humility of Christ:
“…who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be explained. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death- even to death on a cross.”

The love of Christ is unlike any other precisely because it is humble.
He did not seek His own best interests, or His own desires, or His own will.
He did not “puff himself up” or think himself too good to die for us.
He laid every right aside for the good of the world, in obedience to His father.

We see God’s selfless love throughout Scripture, not only on the cross, but also in the desert. As a “stiff necked” people, the Israelites rejected Him time and again, but God remained faithful.
He always sought them out.
He always won them back.
He never stopped loving them, no matter the cost.

And that’s the heart of it, isn’t it?
True love always costs us something.

In fact, true love costs us everything; it costs us our selves.
We see this everywhere from motherhood and marriage to friendships. We see it in our relationship with God. To truly love God is to lay down our will and humbly submit to His.

In the world, selfless love is a dangerous proposition.
In Christ, there is no safer bet.

The world warns that no one will care for you if you don’t care for yourself. But Christ’s perfect love drives out that fear. Wholly taken care of by His perfect love, we are free to love others without thought for ourselves.

.   .   .   .   .

After some time had passed, my husband broke our silence. This time, the anger in his voice was gone, leaving only sadness and desperation.

“I’m doing everything I can to make you happy here, don’t you see that? Why won’t you just give it a chance?”

As tears filled his eyes, my heart began to break. I loved this man. What was I doing? He was doing his best to make me happy in our new home. My pride was the only thing standing in our way to a strong marriage and a new life together.

In that moment, I chose to let go of my plans and trust God. It was a decision I had to make every day for the next year, as God faithfully worked in my heart to help me choose our future over my past.

Pride threatened to destroy my marriage, but humility saved it; taking my eyes off of my pain and setting them on God’s plan.  Though it was a difficult time in our marriage, we experienced the truth of 1 Corinthians 13 first-hand.
Love is not proud, it is humble and fully rests on His love for us.

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Kaleidoscope!