Anchoring

Fruitful Day 1 Anchoring Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 3:16-17
Romans 5:8-15
2 Peter 1:2-4
1 John 4:16-19
Galatians 5:22-25

Fruitful, Day 1

I’ve often heard the popular saying, “It is not the gift that matters, but the spirit behind it.”

While the giver’s intent is important, the gift itself often speaks volumes of the giver’s heart. Would we gift junk to someone dear to us?
No, love motivates us to give a precious gift to another.

Yet, our kind of love is imperfect. How we relate to and treat one another, how we love, is mostly dependent on their treatment of us.

But God’s love is not like ours; His love does not depend on our attitude.
He loves us irrespective of who we are, because He is love.

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Jesus demonstrated His great love when He submitted Himself to the will of His Father without reservation, by offering His life as a sacrifice for our sins. What a great love! Now, we who believe in Him are the product of that love.

Before Jesus returned to the Father, He said,

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth [. . .] I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.” (John 14:16-18)

The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, just as Jesus promised, on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:1-4) We have also received the Holy Spirit when we put our faith in Christ!
The Holy Spirit is the gift of God’s presence in us, demonstrating His love for us.
Through His Spirit, He motivates and equips us to love one another, He comforts us in times of adversity, and fills us with joy even when we don’t have any physical reason to rejoice. He helps us  love even our enemies, and enables us to persevere in trials.

I can testify to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in me. When I encountered Jesus in my life, I began to learn of the depth of His love.

This hymn always reminds of His love; whenever I sing it, tears of joy roll down my cheeks.

“I am so glad that our Father in heaven
Tells of His love in the Book He has given,
Wonderful things in the Bible I see.
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.

I am so glad that Jesus loves,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me,
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.”

This song reminds me of my character before my encounter with Jesus’ love. I can’t imagine why Jesus should love a person like me: a selfish, self-centered, self-righteous, unforgiving, and Mrs. Know-All person.

Yet He died for me and paid the full price for my sins.
When I was boasting in my emptiness, bragging of my good works,
He knew they wouldn’t save me.

He revealed Himself to me as the only way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) Only then did I begin to truly experience His love that goes far beyond our comprehension. Just as it is impossible to measure the quantity of water in the ocean, so is God’s love for us.

Wrapped in the embrace of His love, there was nothing left for me but to surrender my life to Him. I could not resist His compelling, motivating, magnetic love.
His love gave me peace I had never experienced before.
His love began cultivating the fruitfulness of His own character in me.
My life was transformed from one of self-indulgence and frustration to a life bubbling with joy.
Hallelujah! 

I am certainly not perfect, but I am not who I was before I encountered Christ’s love.
By the grace of God, my story is different.
Glory be to God!

I do not count on my selfish love to see me through weighty grievances or serious offences, but rather on God’s own love which He poured in my heart through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5) I am absolutely certain of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish what human ability cannot.

Considering this great, incomprehensible love of God, I conclude with the words of Apostle Paul,

“Who can separate us from the love of Christ? [. . .] For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 8:35a, 38-39)

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Ignite Day 12 Lives Ablaze: 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 Lives Ablaze!

The Questions

1) How is this hymn divided up and how can its structure influence my own declaration of praise?

2) What is the source of this outpouring of praise?

3) What are the main goals of this hymn?

Isaiah 12:1-6

On that day you will say:
“I will give thanks to you, Lord,
although you were angry with me.
Your anger has turned away,
and you have comforted me.
2 Indeed, God is my salvation;
I will trust him and not be afraid,
for the Lord, the Lord himself,
is my strength and my song.
He has become my salvation.”
3 You will joyfully draw water
from the springs of salvation,
4 and on that day you will say:
“Give thanks to the Lord; proclaim his name!
Make his works known among the peoples.
Declare that his name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things.
Let this be known throughout the earth.
6 Cry out and sing, citizen of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel is among you
in his greatness.”

Original Intent

1) How is this hymn divided up and how can its structure influence my own declaration of praise?
It is quite common for hymns, prophesies, and other passages of Scripture to have an intentional rhythmic structure. Knowing what marks to look for help us slow down and take apart Scripture piece by piece in order to better understand it. Particularly, repeated phrases or calls to action are big flags to take note of and study in parallel. Here, on the heals of a prophesy declaring destruction as a consequence for sin followed by the promise of healing, redemption, and restoration, Isaiah calls the nation to a coming day (verse 1) when they will sing praise to the Lord. Each section of the praise hymn begins with the phrase, “On that day you will say”. This is a clear call to action that Isaiah repeats for emphasis, and between the 2 “verses” of the song, a pivotal chorus stands out as both anchor and hinge-point. Go ahead and look at the passage for yourself and see if you can find the “verses” and “chorus” of the song!

2) What is the source of this outpouring of praise?
The anchor of the hymn is found sandwiched between the 2 stanzas of the praise song in verse 3 with the intention of drawing attention to the reason the people are singing. Their reason? The joyful salvation of the Rescuing Savior! He allowed them to see how their sin separated them from the Lord, and then provided the healing by saving them Himself. If you go back into chapter 11 before this passage, you’ll read of the “root of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1) on whom the Holy Spirit rests (Isaiah 11:2-3), by whom justice is delivered (Isaiah 11:4), whose character is both righteous and faithful (Isaiah 11:5), and by whom such peace will prevail that the lion will lay down with the lamb (Isaiah 11:6). This prophecy speaks of only One with such greatness, the Lord Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man, to come one day as a Mighty Rescuer for mankind by laying down His life for sinners like you and I. The salvation that would one day be provided by Jesus, the coming “root of Jesse” through King David, is the anchoring source of the hymn of praise in Isaiah 12.

3) What are the main goals of this hymn?
The overarching thrust of the hymn is to bring praise to the Lord. Praise for His mercy in showing Israel her sin that she might repent. Praise for His gracious forgiveness as He drew her near and forgave. Praise for His salvation that eternally provides deep-seated joy, peace, and comfort that surpass all understanding. Praise for His comfort and constant supply of strength through His presence. The Lord alone deserves such praise and the goal of the hymn is to declare exactly this! As we pay particular attention to verses 4-6, we find the singers declaring this praise not only to the Lord, but to the nations. This song glorifies God, but it does it through the telling of their own salvation to all around them. “Make His work known among the peoples!” (verse 4) “Let this be known throughout the earth!” (verse 5) “Cry out and sing, Zion!”. (verse 6) The song that brings the most glory to God is the story of transformative salvation!

Everyday Application

1) How is this hymn divided up and how can its structure influence my own declaration of praise?
The first section of the song, in verses 1-2, focuses on the personal nature of their story. The Lord had brought punishment because of their sin, He had opened their eyes to see how they had walked away from Him, but He did not leave them there. The people praise the Lord because His discipline brought repentance and now He has drawn near, bringing comfort, strength, and peace without fear.
The second section, found in verses 4-6, focuses on telling that story of redemption and restoration to the ends of the earth. They praise God for His character, His mighty rescue, and the dwelling of the Lord with them.
The anchoring chorus in verse 3 sings of the pure joy found in the salvation of the Lord, which feeds the praise in both the beginning and end sections of the song.
When we praise the Lord and declare His goodness by sharing our faith stories with others, we can use this same model. Our goal should be to first and foremost, bring the Lord praise for Who He is and what He has done, but our secondary goal should be to draw others in that they too can see how good the Lord is!

2) What is the source of this outpouring of praise?
The “one day” Isaiah prophesied about where all would come and praise the Lord for His rescuing salvation did indeed finally come on the day Jesus laid down His life as an atoning sacrifice on our behalf. We, separated from a right relationship with the Lord because of our sin, were drawn near through the loving redemption of the cross where Christ took our punishment of death upon Himself, giving us His life as He once and for all swallowed up Death with His Life! This is the anchor of every believer’s story and song; it is the hinge-point of our faith, and the source of our joy because we who once were lost have now been found. Once we were dead in our sin, hopeless and alone, (Ephesians 2:1) but now we are alive and made free (Ephesians 2:5) as we are hidden in the eternal life of Christ! (Colossians 3:3) This prophesy from Isaiah gives us reason to sing today because of our Rescuer’s death and resurrection hundreds of years ago, but it also points even farther ahead to another “one day”. One day, Jesus will return and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. (Philippians 2:10-11) One day His return will signal the perfect union between the Lord God and His Bride, the Church, which includes every believer. For the Christ follower, regardless of circumstances, these two anchors of past salvation and coming redemption, will always give us reason to sing!

3) What are the main goals of this hymn?
Sister across the screen from me, I don’t know your day-to-day. I can’t count your losses, see your tears, or feel the aching heaviness you carry, but I do know I can relate. Days of delight or days of weariness or days of pain so intense it consumes us…I haven’t walked in every shoe, but I’ve walked these days in mine. Regardless of the scene playing out around me, I have always found one constant…. the saving redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ. Always. Never changing. The Lord who never leaves, who never casts me off, who never mocks or shames, and who has rescued me from an eternity stuck and separated from Him because of my sin is worthy of all my praise. So sing, I will. Through tears, through heartache, through loss, or in joy, I will declare the goodness of my Lord. Because singing this song is anchored in a truth that will never change. He Is Worthy! Sing it out, girl, sing it out!

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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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