Gracefully Truthful

  • #HisWordsBeforeOurs
  • contact@gracefullytruthful.com
  • Register!
  • Today’s Journey
  • Previous Journeys
  • Faces of Grace
  • GT Bookstore
  • Our Mission
    • Our Mission
    • #HisWordsBeforeOurs
    • Our Beliefs
    • Translations Matter
    • #GTGoingGlobal
    • Our Team
#GTGoingGlobal

challenge

Sketched VII Day 11 My Shaping Moments

March 23, 2020 by Guest Writer Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Timothy 1:12-20
John 12:23-28
1 Corinthians 15:35-49

Sketched VII, Day 11

I can feel my coffee cooling as time passes between us. I fix my gaze on Billy, hunched across the table from me, head hanging low and shame creeping up his neck. He has every right to be upset: his home life is a mess and his girlfriend just broke up with him.

This. This moment is everything to me as a youth pastor. And yet, during my training, I never saw it coming.

In high school, I developed a deep, lasting friendship with my youth pastor. He called out the best in me, challenged me, and saw something in me I’d never seen in myself.

Following an abrupt change in pastoral leadership during my senior year, I volunteered to help lead a mission trip. Thus, I became the first unofficial youth ministry intern.

As I served under the discipleship of my youth pastor, my faith became real. I began to long for others to experience the magnitude of God, as I had. I am most alive when I see others take steps forward in their faith, steps from death to everlasting life. It is my life’s devotion.

I’m brought back to the present by Billy’s shaky sigh. He’s on the verge of speaking. I wait, allowing the silence to penetrate his soul. I’m in no rush. This moment in time is just for Billy. 

These moments, teetering on the cusp of breakthrough, are pivotal. My best days in student ministry have never been behind a desk, prepping for a catchy Wednesday night message. No, my best days have always been at a table shared with a kindred or hurting spirit.

It took me a while to learn this. I landed a job at Living Stones Community Church before my college graduation.  On my first day of work, I rolled up in my car with a backseat full of textbooks and the latest and greatest resources.

With my pride-puffed chest and irremovable smile, I approached the lead pastor as he watered flowers and we began chatting. “Adam,” he remarked a few minutes later, “you’re going to find out ministry is more than just sermon prep.”

My face remained attentive while I silently scoffed, “That’s what you think. People are going to be changed because of MY convicting sermons. Just you wait. Living Stones isn’t going to know what hit it.”

I began spending my days preparing my sermons. I would sit and dream, praying about what God wanted me to teach my students.

And yet, I was working completely alone. It was lonely, isolating, and depressing.

Then, a mentor told me, “If you want to shepherd but hate sheep, you need to go home.” 

BOOM.

It was the punch-in-the-gut conviction I needed.

I couldn’t just sit behind a desk preparing sermons,
or change the name of the youth group to make it sound catchier,
or buy the latest youth packages available,
and call my efforts discipleship or even pastoring.

I needed to love the students where they were, in hospitals, schools, at basketball games, and school performances. God began giving me a Gospel-ache to help other student pastors love their sheep well. 

Eventually, I began a Student Pastor Network in our area. Once a month, we pray for one another and share ideas.

I also began getting a little dirtier with my students.
I sat in their mess with them.
I stopped preaching at my sheep and began loving them.

I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the transformation He’s worked in my heart. If I’d remained unchanged, I wouldn’t be sitting with Billy, helping him navigate hard questions and confusing times.

“But, Adam?” Billy says. “All of this mess, all of the hard times and sad nights and even loneliness, it’s all worth it for one life, isn’t it? If I get to see my dad come to know Jesus because of everything I’ve been through, it’ll be worth it, right?”

I understand his question; we ask our youth group, “Who is the ONE LIFE you’re praying will come to know and trust Jesus? What is your role in the process?”

I wonder if Billy is also asking if he’s worth it to me. Billy joined our youth group in the midst of my chaotic personal life, and came to know Jesus when I shared the messy truth even pastors are faced with tremendous losses and life-altering, hard decisions.

“Billy,” I say, “it is completely worth it. You are the one life who’s made my struggles worth the pain. My trials aren’t easier, and my messes aren’t cleaner. But God used you to remind me I have hope and purpose.” Billy’s eyes soften as truth settles over him and soothes his heart.

As Billy and I wrap up our time together, I pray over him and ask if I’ll see him at FCA the next morning. I’ve learned connecting with teenagers doesn’t just look like chatting with them when they’re at church, or sharing memes during my sermons, or even trying to use their slang when interacting.

The truth is, I’m going to grow more “out of touch” as I grow older, and it’s ok! I don’t need to be one of them, I need to be with them. I work hard to become a student of my students.

Teenagers are charting new waters, ones many of us have never faced. They are learning to navigate the world not only in person, but digitally. These days, students are bolder with their thumbs than with their mouths, and they need help ensuring what pours from their mouths and their devices reflects what’s inside their hearts. That’s just one of my jobs as their pastor.

I strive to unite all of the roles I fill behind my ultimate calling to preserve the bride of Christ. The Church is certainly not perfect, but she is beautiful, and I want to live and pastor as He leads.

I pull into the church parking lot and give our lead pastor a little wave as I head back inside; he’s watering the flowers again.

It’s been eight years since I began working at this church, and I’m a different man. Our pastor knows I’m heading inside to prep my message. But he also knows I came from meeting with Billy.

It turns out, he was right. There is so much more to ministry than sermon prep.

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

A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

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 Sketched VII Week Three! 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 Sketched VII!

Posted in: Deep, Dream, Faith, God, Holy Spirit, Hope, Prayer, Purpose, Shame, Shepherd, Sketched Tagged: Breakthrough, challenge, friendship, Moments, Shaping, Worth, Youth Pastor

Sketched VII Day 10 A Step In The Journey

March 20, 2020 by Guest Writer Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Sketched VII, Day 10

It’s been said a lot: “The first step is the hardest.” But, let’s consider step 20,000 or 100,000 or even 56,239,168. Each step can have joy, victory, challenge, disappointment, pain, or even failure. Pour your favorite cup, and I’ll share some of my missionary steps with you.

Step #5479
It’s hard to pick exactly when the Lord started leading my heart to love missions. I always enjoyed hearing about people in far away places sharing Jesus with people, but it was always in a jungle or in a hut. I am definitely not that person! Slowly, I started learning how to share my faith with others and what a difference it made in my life to have the hope of salvation. When I sang songs in church about the nations, my heart remembered all those people in far away places that had never heard his name. I thought, maybe, this was something the Lord wanted me to do.

Step #60381
But, I had this picture in my head of what it was to be a missionary, and I did not fit that picture. I was not one of those single women who could go live in a hut or the jungle or brave it all alone away from my family. I prayed and prayed for a husband that would love missions, but he never appeared. As I felt the despair creeping into my life, I found myself one night on my knees crying out to the Lord, “My life is in your hands. Please, Lord, I want to know You more.” It was a turning point in my life as I began to realize that maybe, just maybe, the Lord had a different plan than I thought.

Step #98743
“I’ve been praying about who to ask to go on this mission trip, and I would like to invite you to go.” I was shocked. I had been receiving a prayer newsletter from one of the young women in my Bible study class who had moved overseas. I had been praying for her, responding to her emails, and at times, I wondered what her life was like. I wish I had hours to explain all the reasons why saying yes to this trip was such a leap of faith, but it was my first trip to one of those far away places where no one knew Jesus. I could not speak the language, everything seemed so strange, and yet, everyone was so human. My heart broke. I wanted them to know the same Hope I knew. “How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of who they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14)

Step #102765
I knew what the Lord wanted me to do, and I took that huge faith step of obedience. Looking back, it makes me smile. He knew what He was doing, although I wasn’t sure at all! I got on that plane not knowing how hard it would be, if I would like the food, if I could learn the language, if I would make new friends or if I would miss my family back in the US too much.  “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) He did not ask me to live in a hut or to be some kind of missionary that I could not be. My most enjoyable days were spent talking to people about life, culture, and Jesus – it felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Step #457987
Even many years later, at times when I step on a plane to go back overseas from the US, I ask myself questions like:

Will I get over this feeling of loneliness?

Will I be able to make new friends who want to learn more about Jesus?

Will the Lord go with me?

Is this where I’m supposed to be?

And, the Lord faithfully leads one step at a time.

The hardest step is always the next one you have to take in faith. As we start this next year, what step is the Lord asking you to take? What will be your response?

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him.” Psalm 37:23

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

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

A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

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 Sketched VII 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 Sketched VII

Posted in: Called, Fear, Journey, Joy, Pain, Praise, Sketched Tagged: challenge, heart, Lord, Love Missions, plan, Step, victory

Treasure Day 5 Live Like You’re Loved

January 10, 2020 by Sara Cissell 1 Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Jeremiah 17:7-8
Isaiah 43:1-3
I John 4:7-19

Treasure, Day 5

Have you ever been driving down the road listening to the radio and suddenly the song not only fills your car but also your heart? This reality captured me recently as I drove to work. The early morning sun greeted me and the commuter traffic kept me moving along at a steady, slow pace. I was a captive audience, and in that moment the Lord presented me with both an invitation and challenge through the beautiful lyrics of a Hawk Nelson song, “Live Like You’re Loved.”

The song’s catchy tune quickly seeped into my mind but the words pierced my heart.

“So go ahead and live like you’re loved
It’s okay to act like you’ve been set free
His love has made you more than enough
So go ahead and be who He made you to be…and live like you know you’re valuable
Like you know the One that holds your soul
‘Cause mercy has called you by your name
Don’t be afraid to live in that grace.”

Live like you’re loved. 

Live. Like. You. Are. Loved.   

Do you find a challenge or an invitation in this lyric? Or is it some strange combination of the two, interweaving to create an enticing yet overwhelming experience?

I can succeed at the living part. In order to stay this side of heaven, living is required. However, living like I’m loved sometimes proves to be a challenge.

Why?

There are days I truly don’t know why. Other days, I can quickly point to frustrating circumstances, doubts and unbelief filtering through my mind, or actions I take which scream uncertainty on my part.

So as I crept along with the morning commute that day, Jesus began to sing over me through the words of that song, a Zephaniah 3:17 experience. I sensed Him reminding me that I am loved by Him, regardless of any other love I have encountered in this lifetime.

Some of us may not have a positive relationship with our families and lack a solid understanding of a love dynamic.
Maybe previous friendships have ended with a proverbial knife through the heart.
Maybe we’ve never experienced the healthy love of a spouse.
Maybe we feel unworthy of love, shamed by the weight of our sins.
In a fallen world, among hurting people and broken relationships, living like we are loved is hard.

However,  God is love. 

In the midst of my car encounter with Him, this truth resonated the loudest.

God is love and I am loved by Him.

He has called me by name. (Isaiah 43:1-3)

He gives me strength and power. (Psalm 68:35)

Much like Gideon, He speaks to me about who I am and deals with my doubts. (Judges 6:1-40)

He has good works prepared for me. (Ephesians 2:10)

He is intimately acquainted with the details of my life. (Psalm 139:1-24)

He sees past the blackness of my sins, through the bloodied beams of a wooden cross, to the heart of His beloved child. (Romans 5:8)

He will never leave me nor forsake me. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

The Bible is filled with promises the Lord has made to us. In essence, the Bible is a long love letter to each of us, declaring His love, power, faithfulness, and goodness. Over and over, the Israelites walked away from the Lord, forsaking their first love. Yet His Word is filled with example after example of the Lord’s compassion being poured out upon His people.

I am who the Lord says I am.

You are who the Lord says you are.
And armed with that knowledge, He is inviting us to live like we are loved.

There will be days when we may not feel His love, but we must believe He loves us still. Like the tree in Jeremiah, may we pull the truth of the Lord’s love from His Word. We must choose to live like we are loved, regardless of how we may feel.

Remember, my friend, you are loved. Live to the fullest of this truth.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

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 Treasure Week One! 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 Treasure!

Posted in: Called, God, Jesus, Love, Sing, Treasure, Truth Tagged: challenge, fills your heart, God is, invitation, Live like

Open Day 5 Hospitality That Loves

August 2, 2019 by Parker Overby Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Hebrews 13:1-2
Genesis 18
Matthew 10:40-42
Matthew 25:31-46

Open, Day 5

“Let brotherly love continue.
Don’t neglect to show hospitality,
for by doing this some have welcomed
angels as guests without knowing it.”

Hebrews 13:1-2, reminds us of an event that took place many centuries prior in the life of Abraham. The central truth being that generosity, more specifically hospitality,
is an expression of radical, sacrificial love.

In Genesis 18, the Lord appeared to Abraham. (check out some of his story here)
Abraham looked up and three men were in his presence.
Maybe Abraham had the intuition to know they were angels, but we know he “bowed himself to the ground” as was fitting for his eastern culture. (verse 2) Abraham, a man of influence, great wealth, and many servants, tells the visitors to wait while he prepares a place for them. Then Abraham “hurries” off to find his wife, Sarah, to make dinner for their guests. As they gathered under the spreading branches of oak trees, the Lord once again speaks to Abraham. This time, he explains how Sarah will have a son within a year.
No ordinary son, not a typical newlywed surprise. No. Abraham and Sarah had waited long for the gift of offspring, but now Sarah’s was simply too old to carry children. The blessing of a son, finally, was both outrageous and gleeful. (read Sarah’s story here!)

It’s easy to hurry through the story and focus on the miracle of the baby boy to come, but what we casually gloss over is the invitation.
Abraham and Sarah were blessed by what these men shared, but it was an encounter they would have missed if they had passed up simply being open with their food and tent.

I am 18 years old.
Hospitality looks a little different for me than Abraham and Sarah. I grew up in a home that was quickly turned into a home for others. On any given night, we have extra guests for dinner to this day. This example has affected me and taught me much over the years about living with invitational openness.

This past year as I have been away from home, I’ve discovered this bond and love with other families as well. I’ve been deeply marked and richly blessed because of other’s open invitation to participate in their home life. It’s something I desire so deeply to recreate in the way I treat others and invite them into my “home.”

Sometimes, I think that I get a “pass” for a couple more years on being open like this. That I don’t need to be concerned about hospitality until I’m married with a house and family of my own. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Our homes are certainly a great place to show hospitality,
but it’s not a requirement.

Flash forward, and we see how Jesus fully embodies living with openness.
I think of my Savior bending down to wash the filthy feet of His disciples or stopping mid-stride to engage a hurting woman, calling her daughter.

Jesus shows us that hospitality has more to do with authentic love than a tidy house. Showing people you have time for them, inviting them to feel welcomed, accepted and heard when they are around you. And we can do that anywhere.

Jesus’ example challenges us to look beyond the traditional thought of extending hospitality within the walls of a home. As a traveling preacher with nowhere to lay His head (Luke 9:58), He modeled hospitality along the way as He moved from town to town, and even in the homes of others.

About those physical spaces and living in the mindset of open….
As a single woman and almost college student, there’s something deeply spiritual for me about being invited in by a family.
It’s a sort of safe haven.

A place to soak up as much wisdom as possible.
Space to share a meal and stories of life.
Room to talk about things that matter or even play an intense game of UNO.
An invitation that sweetly declares, “I value spending time with you. I have prepared a place for you.”

Jesus gives us this convicting statement about extending hospitality to those who are vulnerable in Matthew 25:45,
“I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.”

It can be so difficult to offer generous love to people we see as ‘least’ in any given situation. But we are called into it because it’s there where we love sacrificially like Jesus loves.

Something I’ve found really helpful when relating with people who are specifically challenging to love is asking this question to the Lord,
“Jesus, show me what you love about them.”

I use this question of the Lord to help shift my heart towards open when I engage with family, friends, or strangers when I sense my compassion lacking.
Every time, God shows me something in them that honors Him.
Then we can use those words to encourage their hearts, inviting them into an open space of love from the Savior.

Abraham and Sarah’s invitation unknowingly welcomed angels into their midst, not realizing what the conversation would reveal or how deeply they would be blessed.
We create spaces like this whether it’s a dorm room, community space, our home, or even in the words we choose to use with those we struggle to love.
We’re creating a place where people can gather, share real life, and experience Jesus’ love.

When we love through open hospitality,
we love like Christ!

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

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 Open Week One! 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 Open!

Posted in: Christ, Jesus, Love, Open, Sacrifice, Welcome Tagged: blessed, challenge, encourage, hospitality, invited, Savior, value

Roads Day 11 The Weight of Hopelessness

September 24, 2018 by Michelle Promise Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 86:5-10
Matthew 27:45-28:10
Mark 10:17-31
Luke 8:26-39

Roads, Day 11

On one trip to the mountainside in South Korea,
we met up with my husband’s extended family for lunch at their family restaurant.
We were welcomed by the sour-est faced elderly grandma sitting in the back corner,
sulking for no apparent reason.
As lunch was served, I discovered she was my auntie-in-law and we were sitting at the entrance to one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the country.
She was a firm follower of Buddhism and wore her sufferings plainly for all to see.
Her faith permeated every facet of her life, yet she looked so hopeless.

The daily goal of Buddhism is to find an end to suffering through a constant recycling of life by re-incarnation. That is, after death, a soul is “reincarnated” or “comes back to life” as a different life form.
Good works are cornerstone in having any hope of coming back as anything better. The ultimate goal, however, is enlightenment (also known as nirvana); an experience saved only for monks and nuns.
Publically demonstrating sufferings followed by an outward display of good actions becomes an easy way to convince yourself there’s a good chance of returning as a monk/nun in the next life.
There is no thought that any choice you make in this life has the power to improve, change or even alter your current life, only the one to come.
Many Buddhist friends believe the bad things that happen to them are the result of karma. They presume they must’ve done something bad in their previous life and, in hopes of improving their next life, must simply buckle down, grin, and bear it without grumbling.

My auntie passed away last year thinking she had done a sufficient job of enduring the difficulties of her life. She passionately believed that she would come back to life as something better than a female human.
The very sad reality is that she died without knowing the hope found in a relationship with Jesus.

Hope.
We all cling to something as truth, praying it will stand up under fire.

Matthew 27:45-28:10 vividly records the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
We see Jesus holding ultimate power over death with the ability to break the chains of sin and bondage.
This is an important truth of Christianity for your Buddhist friend!
There IS something we can do to change not only our current life,
but also our eternal one!

Accepting, believing and confessing Jesus as Lord brings instant hope into one’s life, forever changing the trajectory of our lives.

Most Buddhists do not recognize Jesus as God’s son, co-equal with God the Father in deity. Before they will understand the truth of God’s Word, we must PRAY.

Pray, pray, and then pray again.

Prayer is the most important work to be done in cross-cultural sharing of the Gospel.
We need to rely heavily on the Holy Spirit to lead us as we share truth.
We need Him to guide us to engage with those who are ready to listen, those who have an open heart, and who will respond in faith to the hope we share from Scripture.

Because Buddhist people do not believe there is a God, or that God has any power to influence their life, studying Scripture about the character of God is useful.
Psalm 86:5-10 highlights several aspects of God’s character. Dig into these truths and be prepared to share about the character of our great God!

Forgiving. Good. Abounding in love. Ready to answer. Almighty. Doer of mighty deeds. Father.

In the muck of life when all seems lost, these are truths we, as followers of Jesus, claim and cling to. Truth of God’s character build hope within our hearts, providing solid assurance and calming our fears in the middle of real suffering.

We have hope, Sisters!

Hope that our Buddhist friends have yet to experience.

When your friend watches you navigate the messiness of your life circumstances, seeing you cling to the truth of Jesus and Scripture, they will begin to wonder, “how is it possible to actually find joy in this difficulty” rather than just endure the situation.
Faithfulness to Scriptural truth and actually living it out daily, coupled with intentionally inviting your Buddhist friends into everyday life with you, will influence your friends in a mighty way for eternity!

Buddhist, Zen, or New Age people are our neighbors, our baristas, our librarians, sports’ coaches, teachers, and friends.
Find the ones in your community
!
Pray for them to be open to the solid hope the Gospel offers.
Tell them of the power, authority, and victorious freedom of the cross of Jesus.
Explain the character of God and allow them to see firsthand in your life who He is and how He can impact their daily life.
Hold tightly to the truth of Scripture while sharing His love letter with them, remembering He is a God of grace and truth and He expects us to share His forever hope with gracious love and respect!

In doing so, you can help others be
forever free from this heavy weight of hopelessness!

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Roads Week Three! 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 Roads!

Posted in: Believe, Broken, Character, Desperate, Dignity, Emptiness, Forgiven, Freedom, Gospel, Heaven, Hope, Inheritance, Kingdom, Lonely, Prayer, Purpose, Roads, Scripture, Significance, Truth Tagged: Buddhism, challenge, friendship, gospel, grace, grow, hope eternity, reincarnation, roads, Truth

Roads Day 5 Jesus & Charcoal Masks

September 14, 2018 by Sara Cissell 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 1:1-5
Colossians 1:9-23
Habakkuk 3:16-19
Psalm 19

Roads, Day 5

I have never tried one of those charcoal peel masks. Have you? I have watched several of the videos of people wearing them and somewhat comically and painfully peeling them off. The process is challenging, yet oh so beneficial. As I look in the mirror at the end of the day, I discover the pores that could benefit from being introduced to one of the masks. Imperfections stand out and I recognize my complexion would improve from a bit of external help. One of these days I will invest in one of those masks (now taking recommendations 😉 ).  

Now that I have you thinking about face care, let me explain why that is even remotely on my mind since atheism is the topic of today’s journey study. In order to gain more insight into the thought process behind atheism, I visited the American Atheists website. Here the definition of atheism began to take on clarity. Atheism is the belief that gods do not exist rather than not believing in a god of any kind. While this may not seem like too much of a difference, the analogy provided on the website is quite helpful. “While there are some religions that are atheistic (certain sects of Buddhism, for example), that does not mean that atheism is a religion. To put it in a more humorous way: If atheism is a religion, then not collecting stamps is a hobby.”  

As I read this, the picture of the charcoal mask came to mind. Atheism exists in a vacuum of sorts in its belief that no gods exist. This is the face without the use of a charcoal mask. Technically a face can survive a lifetime without ever encountering a charcoal mask or believing that one even exists. Thus far in my life my face is one such example. However, believing no masks exist means I would never benefit from experiencing one.  

This paralleled with believing Jesus is real took my breath away as I tried to put myself into the mindset of an atheist. I started my relationship with Jesus at a very young age, young enough that I have very few memories from before I was a Christian. Jesus has become my best friend, and I truly cannot imagine my life without Him. But that is exactly what I tried to do in picturing life from an atheist’s perspective. How I ached as I detached myself from the Lord in my memories.  

I remembered a time in junior high when a group of girls intentionally left me out of an event. The pain of the rejection had pierced my heart. In real life I had taken my wounded spirit and tears to Jesus for comfort. However, in envisioning that memory from an atheist reality, my options for comfort resided only in the other people around me. I am very grateful for the support system that I have both now and then, but even that is built with broken individuals. All of us humans have challenges, issues, and shortcomings; no one is perfect. Therefore, no support system is either.  

I pictured my time in college when all the voices of authority were telling me I was a failure. How that rocked my identity to the core. Once again my view of that memory from an atheistic perspective resonated with hopelessness without Jesus’ presence. No higher authority existed to speak to my identity. No Bible verses challenged me to press on and endure because good could still come from the experience. The Holy Spirit did not strengthen me to make progress in my life.  

So many different snapshots from my life came to mind throughout the process of seeking to comprehend what life might be like as an atheist. I could see how those experiences would have shaped me differently without the hand of the Lord, how the scars would not have healed as well, how my life would have far less peace and joy.  

How do I know these things to be true? Because I have lived the reality of a life with Jesus. I have felt the balm of His presence on deep wounds. I have experienced the hope of being told I am wanted, loved, and called a child of God. Jesus is to my life what the charcoal mask is to my face.  

May we live our lives in such a way to display the beauty and hope of the Lord because we do not live in a vacuum.  May we allow the Lord to address our imperfections in order for us to shine His glory just like a charcoal mask does for a face.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

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 Roads Week One! 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 Roads!

Posted in: Believe, Character, Comfort, Emptiness, God, Gospel, Grace, Help, Hope, Jesus, Life, Lonely, Love, Meaning, Overwhelmed, Purpose, Relationship, Scripture, Transformation, Wisdom Tagged: atheism, benefit, challenge, imperfections, insight, invest, masks, process

Screenshot Day 11 Hidden Talent

September 3, 2018 by Sara Cissell Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 25:14-30
Romans 12:3-8
Ephesians 2:10 

Screenshot, Day 11

Growing up, I would read this parable (you know you’re supposed to read His words before mine! Get back up there and read ‘em!) and my stress level rose.
I was never one of those kids who wanted to have a lemonade stand, and I equated this parable with that concept. I always felt bad for the third person in the parable. They didn’t lose any money yet they were found wanting. (Though I agreed that a bank accruing interest was the wiser choice there!)

As I grew older, my understanding expanded beyond thinking this story was only for entrepreneurs in the Church Body. I saw how the parable incorporated literal funds and money management concepts reflecting one’s heart and priorities.
Where has money been spent? Where has money been invested?
What story does your money tell?
The parable challenged me to take what the Lord has given me and use it for His glory. This was far more about stewardship of my life than simply my finances.

But the real grit was yet to come…

This parable sprang to life in a deeper way for me when I revisited a memory from a missions trip several years ago. At the time, I found myself on the other side of the world where my cell phone wasn’t buzzing, my job wasn’t beckoning, and my ears to hear God’s voice were open. I remember the team sitting front and center at church, which was not my favorite place to be. I told the Lord I would much prefer sitting in the back where I was more comfortable.
Little did I know my complaint to Him would became the very conduit through which He conveyed a very real truth to me.
“You are hiding.”  

I didn’t hear it audibly, but my heart resonated with the statement. As I sat there pondering those three small words, a wave of humility and awareness washed over me. The Lord continued the conversation, emphasizing that He had made me for more than the back row. He did not force the issue or tell me a timeline, but He made it abundantly clear that the time would come when
I would need to choose between Him and hiding.  

As I read through the parable of the talents, this memory played vividly in my mind. I still remember the feel of the chair beneath me and the color of the stage backdrop. The emotions of that moment bubbled up inside all over again as I reflected.
The fear of realizing hiding was my comfort zone coupled with the thrill of having a purpose, and the hope of living a life that was more than my current existence, was beautifully overwhelming. 

As I remembered, the parable of the talents unfolded for me in an entirely new dimension.  

Gone were the days of the lemonade-stand-understanding.  

Gone were the thoughts about limiting its merit to finances, resources, and outcomes.  

Tears filled my eyes as my heart and mind comprehended the reality of where I was so many years ago.  

I was the buried talent.
And I was the one who had done the burying.

It has taken me some time to acknowledge the gifts the Lord has given me
and be willing to step out in them. 
I still struggle with fear, doubt, and indecision more than I care to admit.
Who am I to live this life?  

Yet, He reminds me, sometimes with the firmness of a coach and other times with the tenderness of a parent, who I am.
I am a “talent”, intended for use.
Intended for building His kingdom here and now! 

He has poured out gifts to each of us.
He has called us by name.
He has plans and purposes He desires to see us live out for His glory.
My time on this earth is not to survive and arrive at the finish line unscathed.
That would be the life of a buried talent.  

No, my purpose is to make Him known, and in the process, continually learn who I am in Him.
This adventure requires being seen and known by Him.
It requires courage and grace.
It requires more Jesus and less me.
It requires living this life with expectancy and intentionality of the next. 
What I do here impacts there.

What are the talents the Lord has given you? How are you stewarding them?
What would it look like today to invest those talents for His glory: sending an encouraging note to a friend, picking up the piece of trash on the ground, starting that blog, setting that boundary you’ve been avoiding, believing the Lord and what He says about you?

Regardless of what that looks like for you today, know it is not wasted time to serve Him and invest where He is investing. We may not see the rewards until heaven, but oh, my friend, what a glorious return they will have! 

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Screenshot Week Three! 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 Screenshot!

Posted in: church, God, Gospel, Grace, Jesus, Purpose, Scripture, Service, Significance, Struggle, Truth, Wisdom Tagged: challenge, church, glory, Jesus, kingdom, life, money, parable, purpose, struggle, talents

Prayer Day 10 The Challenge Of Forgiveness

July 20, 2018 by Lesley Crawford 26 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 103:8-14
Matthew 6:14-15
Matthew 18:21-35
Colossians 3:12-14
I John 1:9 

Prayer, Day 10

I don’t know about you but, while I like the idea of forgiveness,
I find it challenging at times.

“Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors,” is one of those prayers where the words are easy to say, but it’s much more difficult when we stop and think through what it actually means. 

A while ago I realised I was struggling with un-forgiveness towards someone.  It surprised me because I’m not usually one to hold a grudge and it wasn’t a massive offence but, in this instance, I was angry.  It annoyed me that the person didn’t even seem to have noticed the issue until I pointed it out. Then, their apology, when it finally came, seemed half-hearted. They didn’t seem to grasp the seriousness of what they had done or how it had hurt me.
Just saying sorry didn’t make it all okay. 

I was complaining to God about how unfair it all was when I had a second moment of realisation: isn’t that exactly what I often do to Him? 

How many times do I do things that hurt Him, but don’t even notice? 
How often are my apologies to Him half-hearted, taking His forgiveness for granted?
Do I really grasp the seriousness of sin and its consequences? 

In those moments I’m grateful that God doesn’t forgive me the way I sometimes forgive others. His forgiveness is complete.
He doesn’t bear a grudge against us.
He takes our sin and removes it “as far as the east is from the west.”  (Psalm 103:12) 

I’m grateful that His forgiveness isn’t limited,
instead He continues to forgive over and over again.
Jesus says in response to Peter’s question,
“not as many as seven times… but seventy times seven.”  (Matthew 18:22) 

Incidentally, I don’t think Jesus is suggesting a literal limit of forgiving 490 times.
By that point, we would probably have lost count!
I think His point is we should keep on forgiving. 

Just as God forgives us.
I’m glad He doesn’t set a limit on me,
so why should I set a limit on others? 

This doesn’t mean it’s easy! 
Especially where the consequences of the sin have been more serious.
When we’ve been wounded deeply.
Where we have lasting scars. 

In Matthew 18, Jesus shares a parable. A servant is in debt to his master, and it is a massive debt, one that he will never be able to pay.  To the servant’s amazement, the master shows mercy and cancels his debt!  You would expect the servant to be grateful, but instead he goes out and finds another servant who owes him a small amount of money and, ignoring the man’s pleas for mercy, throws him into prison until the debt is paid. 

The servant’s behaviour seems crazy!
How can he continue to pursue such a small debt when he has been forgiven so much? 

I admit though that I used to struggle with that story. 

The problem was I felt the sins I was being asked to forgive
were bigger than any sins I had committed.
I felt that I was being forgiven a small amount,
but being asked to forgive a much bigger debt,
and it seemed unfair. 

Finally God opened my eyes to the truth:
My debt was a massive one.
Not because the things I had done were terrible by human standards,
but because they were against Him, the holy and righteous God.
It was a debt I could not pay.

No amount of good deeds or hard work would balance the books in my favor.
There was nothing I could do to make it right.
My situation was just as hopeless as the servant’s in the story, and I needed God’s mercy. 

Fortunately, that is exactly what He offers!
John writes, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9) 

If I really understood this mercy, 
and took hold of it, 
I had to offer the same mercy to others. 

I realised that forgiveness is not denying the hurt, or saying that it didn’t matter,
rather it’s handing it over to God and letting Him be the judge.
Forgiveness is trusting Him to deal with the sin against me instead of trying to make it right by myself.  

I found that forgiveness was a process.
It wasn’t something that happened all at once,
but over a period of time I was able to let go and truly forgive. 

The good news is that we don’t need to do it by ourselves.
God gives us His Spirit to help us.
As we grow in Him, “as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved,” (Colossians 3:12)
we understand His forgiveness more deeply,
through which He equips us to follow His example and extend that same forgiveness to others.

Let’s choose together to forgive as we have been forgiven!

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

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 Prayer 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 Prayer!

Posted in: Forgiven, God, Gospel, Jesus, Love, Mercy, Need, Prayer, Relationship, Scripture, Selfishness, Service, Sin, Struggle Tagged: challenge, complaining, continues, debt, forgiveness, God, grow, grudge, limitless, mercy, need, prayer

Flourishing Day 15
Speak Life

May 26, 2017 by Merry Ohler Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Proverbs 18:21
Philippians 2:14
Colossians 4:6
Ephesians 4:25-32
2 Timothy 4  

Preach the gospel. Be ready, whether you are uncomfortable or at ease. Be patient in guiding, correcting and encouraging your people with sound truth from the Word.

I paraphrase, but Paul’s words to Timothy are clear. As we finish the book of II Timothy, a few points stand out to us. We know that Paul was writing to Timothy, a young leader in the church. While each of us may be involved in serving our own churches in various ways or functions, it is doubtful that every one of us would consider ourselves to be “church leaders.” However, if we have accepted Christ, did He not issue the Great Commission to us, too? “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” To quote a certain youth pastor I know, no matter my occupation, “I am a full-time minister of the gospel!” And if you have given your life to Jesus, so are you. Paul’s instruction to Timothy is with regard to how he should approach discipling those entrusted to his leadership, but his words ring true for us as well.

Preach the gospel. The reason this charge causes many of us to squirm is because our experience in seeing others “preach the gospel” outside the church building resembles the man on the corner with a sandwich board sign held high for all to see. Or the “holier-than-thou” acquaintance posting religion-charged political posts into the void that is Facebook. If we, who already love and know Jesus, are turned off by this, how much more alienated are our pre-believing friends and family? The gospel is first and foremost about inviting others into relationship, just as God invited us into relationship with Him through Jesus’ sacrifice.

As we examine our own lives, can we say that we are walking that out? Are we living a life of invitation to others? I’m not talking about other believers here. Are we finding ways to intentionally connect with and build relationship with those in the world around us who don’t yet know Christ so we might live out the gospel by being Christ to them? And once we find those ways…are we putting them into action?

Be ready, whether you are uncomfortable or at ease. Ya’ll, we will be uncomfortable. Jesus guaranteed it. Loving is not self-serving. It requires time, effort, intention, selflessness…all things that require us to drop the mindset of our culture, get out of our comfort zone and focus on putting the needs of others first.

Be patient in guiding, correcting and encouraging your people with sound truth from the Word. In this age of constant connectivity, instant gratification and endless knowledge only a Google search away, patience is quickly becoming a rarity. Aside from all that, every parent or teacher will agree that repeating the same thing over and over again can be exhausting. Frustration threatens to rush in when we repeat the same instruction or admonishment, only to find that those we thought were listening…weren’t really listening at all. Paul’s instruction shows us that we are not only to be patient with those we disciple, but we are also to encourage them with the solid Truth of the Word. Rather than grumbling or complaining, we are to speak the Word of life into those around us.

Did you catch that? Mouse over that link again.

Do everything without grumbling or complaining.

Dishes, laundry, cleaning the bathroom
Homework, chores, mowing the yard
Change dirty diapers,
answering endless toddler questions,
tripping over the 1000th Lego block,
responding to last minute inconveniences,
receiving unexpected guests,
or listening to our spouse’s long-winded story

E v e r y t h i n g.

Love inconveniences us because it isn’t about us. As we learn to flourish in love and how to speak life into those around us, we must also examine whether or not we are serving others without grumbling or complaining even in our own minds. Can we say that we willingly approach everything we do without grumbling or complaining? Does our inner dialogue reflect a servant’s heart…or a selfish one?

As we approach discipling with a new awareness of our heart posture, let’s take time this week to note the times when we begin to grumble or complain to ourselves. Rather than allow that to continue, let’s make a point to begin thanking God in place of those complaints. As we begin to choose an attitude of praise in the face of our discomfort, His heart for others will begin to flourish inside us.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

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 Flourishing Week Three! 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 Flourishing!

Posted in: Bold, Brave, church, Courage, Dignity, Excuses, Faith, Fear, Gospel, Hope, Jesus, Legacy, Life, Ordinary, persecution, Power, Praise, Truth Tagged: bold, challenge, courage, evangelism, gospel, life, share, Truth

Gracefully Truthful Ministries

© 2022 Gracefully Truthful Ministries, All Rights Reserved, 501(c)3 certified

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14