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The GT Weekend! ~ Follow 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) Nehemiah was coasting along in life with a good job, popularity, and respect in the kingdom, but God’s call on his life changed everything. How did it begin? Lesley showed us on Monday that Nehemiah’s journey in following God began with his heartbreak over his people’s dire situation. Social justice is bubbling up all over the world lately with people on all sides of various issues. Racism, life in the womb, minority groups, politics, sex trafficking, and much more are each providing us opportunity for our hearts to break with the compassion of God. Have you considered how these social issues are offering much more than the chance for you to either voice your opinion or tuck quietly away? For Nehemiah, God used a social justice opportunity to take Nehemiah deeper in his walk with God and stretch him in leading God’s people. Ask God to open your eyes to the injustices happening around you, your neighborhood, your city, and your part of the world. Even seemingly small things like having honest conversations, listening well, or showing genuine compassion to those with different views than you can be the beginnings of following God into your next steps!

2) Surrender in following God rarely, if ever, happens in our timeframe. Rather, it’s over time, and small instances of simple surrender, that we learn the discipline of full life submission to the Savior. No one wakes up one morning and decides to be mature in their walk with God; steadfastness in following is built one step of faith at a time over a lifetime. True surrender is always accompanied with a heart of humility that bends to Jesus before ourselves, loving Him most. In what scenarios in your everyday life do you most easily find yourself elevating self over someone else? For me, I love control. Whether it’s the flow of my household, how I spend my time, my vision for our family, or even the way I fold my towels, I am quick to push my ideals over anyone else’s. Humility is hard fought on the battleground of my heart, and it always begins with a willingness to surrender. Write a gut honest prayer to the Lord about your own wrestling match with humility and surrender, then ask the Lord to remind you, moment by moment, that surrender is worth it.

3) Yesterday, Parker profoundly shared, “When we come to face our reflection, we do not often see ourselves as beloved daughters of the Most High God.” Each of us wake up in the morning for one more day ahead of us. Whatever fills our days or how it looks in our current season of life, it meets us again on repeat when we pull back the covers and step into the shower. Passing by the mirror on our way into the day, what is your common heart response? If you aren’t sure, make a mental note to linger tomorrow. Do you see a woman worthy of descriptors such as captivating, beloved, chosen, delighted, dignity, and strength? The Lord God does. Whether you have surrendered the whole of yourself to Him or are pushing the boundaries of real faith in Jesus, the Lord God views you as worth the price He paid with His life to offer you total freedom from sin and salvation for eternity. He sees beauty. As Paul crossed from death to life on the day when he finally met the Lord face to face, so the same Jesus waits to meet with us, face to face. Deliberately choose this weekend to reframe your reflection and see what the Lord God sees in your mirror!

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 1:1-2 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

Prayer Journal
Oh Father God, Your way is beautiful. Your precepts are pure and true. Your law brings delight and joy to my heart, my steps, and my relationships. In You is life and only in following You am I found free to dance in endless delight. Jesus, I praise You that True Abundant Life is discovered without end in You! To find You, and know You in deeper ways, always results in fullness. Oh Yahweh, joy of my desire, to dwell with You forever, to understand You, to gaze upon Your beauty, to walk in the ways You have carved, this is joy. Beckon my heart back to 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

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

Worship VII Day 14 One Day: 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 One Day!

The Questions

1) What is worship and how does Paul encourage believers to worship?

2) What are the causes of our worship?

3) How does worshipping God change us and impact our daily life?

Romans 5:6-11

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Original Intent

1) What is worship and how does Paul encourage believers to worship?
The original word for worship in Greek is proskyneō. It means submission to a higher authority, often accompanied with a bowing to the ground. The image given to demonstrate this kind of submission is a dog licking his master’s hand in a token of reverence and adoration. This is a picture of whole-hearted devotion and loyalty. Worship, at its heart, is humble submission, which is why Paul writes in Romans 12:1 that we, as Christ’s Body, are to offer ourselves together as a living sacrifice. Paul says, “This is our true worship”. Worship is a lifestyle characterized by a giving of self in whole-hearted surrender and whole-minded submission to the goodness and greatness of God. It isn’t only something felt or acknowledged, but something lived through attitudes of our heart and sacrifices of ourselves and our resources in everyday life. Paul’s words in Romans 5 speak specifically of God’s magnificent grace towards us in offering Himself as the ransom for our sin-wrecked souls. He concludes in verse 11 by stating, “we boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”. Paul exhorts his audience, and clearly models for them, that true worship is anchored in reverent humility to God for the vast love He has lavished upon us, sinners that we are!

2) What are the causes of our worship?
In the Romans 5 passage we discover how worship is rooted in awareness of what we have been given and how we have been loved. 1 John 4:19 says we love because He first loved us. In like fashion, we worship because we have experienced God’s goodness. In Psalm 150 we are reminded to praise Him for His deeds (what He has done), the greatest of these being our salvation and restoration to relationship with Him (Romans 5:10). The “hymn book of the Jews” (Psalms) is replete with specific reasons to worship the God in whom alone is found salvation. (Romans 5:11) Psalm 115:1 instructs our hearts to praise God for His steadfast love and faithfulness while Psalm 103 recounts “His benefits” including forgiveness, rescue, and redemption. Psalm 100:1-5 says we praise Him for making us and Ephesians 1:3 says we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing because of Christ, and therefore we bless God. Worship wasn’t something that began after Jesus died to rescue our souls, neither is it something Jewish people did in the Old Testament when circumstances were wonderful. Regardless of feelings or situation, there are always reasons to worship because we need not look any farther than God and His character to discover a reason to worship Him!

3) How does worshipping God change us and impact our daily life?
We are talking about worship being a lifestyle of humility and honor toward God. In 1 Samuel 15:22, God says (through Samuel) “to obey is better than sacrifice.” To worship God is a sacrifice, but it is best carried out through obedience. God’s Word is filled with examples of His people choosing to worship in faith and obedience, which then resulted in God showing favor and victory. (2 Chronicles 20:22) Worship brought physical victory in battle to Israel. Their decision to worship out of obedience removed themselves as an idol in their hearts and gave room for God to move in the way He had willed. Scripture teaches us to give thanks to the LORD with all our heart. (Psalm 9:1) When we are truly thankful, our hearts are engaged. Worshipping God brings us to a place of full engagement with Him. God invites us to lift our eyes over the things of this earth and focus on the place where He sits at the right hand of God; here, our real life is hidden. (Colossians 3:2) Because Paul’s life modeled consistent, humble worship, the Lord worked through His life in incredible ways. Paul recognized his life was nothing compared to knowing and experiencing God. (Philippians 3:8-9)

Everyday Application

1) What is worship and how does Paul encourage believers to worship?
God created us to live out worship in everyday lives, but we often are tempted to worship anything but the Only One Worthy of worship. As we come to understand worship as humble surrender and loyal submission to the Lord, amazingly, we see a connection of humility to God Himself, the sole worthy object of our worship. Though God had every right to never lower Himself, He did exactly this by coming to earth in human form to become our Reconciler and Salvation. (Romans 5:8-11, Philippians 2:6-8) Our great God is a humble God! When He calls Himself the Helper of Israel (the word “ezer” in Hebrew refers to Helper and the name of God JEHOVAH ‘EZER emphasizes it). These terms reflect the heart of God as He calls Himself one who concerns Himself to stoop down. (Psalm 113:4-6) As we worship, we stoop in response to how the Savior God has already bent for us. Worship, at its heart, is grateful submission. It’s a bowing and acknowledgement that someone is greater and worthier than ourselves. Yet, we serve and love a God who stoops to bless us; Who came to a cruel cross to die for us; Who takes on a lowly life for us. God is lofty, yet He tells us His way of greatness is not one that holds Lordship high over others’ heads (Matthew 20:25-28), but instead stoops to bless us. (John 13:3-5) Worship is both a response and a fully engaged bending as we answer the One who bent for us and continues to bend humbly for us out of love.

2) What are the causes of our worship?
Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, “I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19) As we practice living our everyday lives rooted and grounded in love, we become motivated to love God responsively. This creates a heart of true worship. As we fix our minds on what is good, true, noble, and praiseworthy, our minds are lifted to remember the goodness of God and genuine worship overflows. (Philippians 4:8) As we consider His character and His names (which reflect His character) we are drawn to recall the truth of who He is. This creates a mind of worship. As we humble ourselves in the sight of God, surrendering self to the Savior, we receive the will to worship. Here in this sacred space, we truly begin loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Matthew 22:37) This is the picture of lifestyle worship, wholly engaged with our Creator, Redeemer, and Lover of Our Soul.

3) How does worshipping God change us and impact our daily life?
We know God wants us to take on a heart of obedient worship that consistently permeates our everyday lives. What does this look like? In Micah 6:8 He says, “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.” This is a picture of lived-out worship. Even though we will have trials in life, He will use them to shape us. Along the way, He calls us to worship Him through the storms, as this anchors our hearts in truth despite changing circumstance and feelings. This is how He develops our dependence and strengthens our endurance in faith as He reinforces our hope. In Romans 5:3-4 Paul writes, “…we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Worship gives us perspective in every circumstance, the capacity to be joyful in the face of affliction, and the means to be filled with strength when we are at our weakest. Like a faithful dog leans on his master, giving his life in devotion, we can give our lives to God. He takes that sacrifice and multiplies it for our good. We cannot out-give God. Our life of sacrificial worship always fills us more than any other thing we seek on earth. When we offer true worship, we lift our eyes and gain perspective.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with One Day!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Worship VII Week Three!
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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!

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

Blessed Day 11 Blessed Are The Peacemakers

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 5:3-10
Galatians 5:22-23
Romans 5:1-21
Philippians 4:4-9

Blessed, Day 11

Have you noticed an entrustment from the Lord typically comes with a weight, making it a gift challenging us to grow and change? Almost like the process through which a diamond is made, through heat and pressure.

Diamonds sparkle with a beauty captivating to the eye and paint rainbows on walls when captured by the light. The outcome of intense heat and pressure is admired and valued, but rarely is the formation process considered. Rather, our attention focuses on the finished product before us.

So what weighty entrustment am I referring to with such a comparison?

Peace.

Yup, peace. And before we get too far away from the diamond analogy, think back to the last time you were in the midst of a chaotic scenario and a peaceful person was present. Did she “sparkle”? Could you sense her peace and see its effect on those around her?

I’ve watched a person of peace step into a room and bring harmony into discord.

The peace came with an authority,
a confidence in Christ Who is our Peace,
a patience,
and an ultimately effective perseverance.

In Matthew 5, we are challenged to be peacemakers. The Greek word used is Eirēnopoiós, which carries the idea of “one who restores peace, favors good understanding, settles quarrels and stops conflicts.” Have you ever found yourself being a peacemaker?

At times, I’ve prayed for the Lord to exude His peace through me. I can guarantee those prayers and heart posture are the exact reason peace rolled off me onto the surrounding situations. I recall a time when a woman thanked me for being in a scenario, because I brought calm with me. To God be the glory!

God alone is the source of our peace. Though I became a Christian when I was a young child, I was already aware of my sin, standing insurmountable, between me and my Heavenly Father. When I entered into a relationship with Him, I also experienced my first encounter with His peace.

In my moment of humble belief, Christ removed my sin and brought peace to our friendship. His profound sacrifice in taking on my sin at the cross met my deep repentance and humility, and He became my peacemaker.

Since then, our walk together has been much like that diamond forming, a repetition of the above process so many times I have gratefully lost count and He has graciously not kept one. As I have grown in my journey with the Lord, He has grown my ability to be a peacemaker to better reflect His other-worldly peace.

Eirēnopoiós
A peace that restores what once was lost. 

So how can each one of us become peacemakers in a world crying out for true peace? I believe we must look to the Holy Spirit for direction and as our sole source of ever greater peace.

In fact, in Galatians, we learn peace is a fruit of the Spirit; peace is not a quality we naturally find within ourselves. It is, however, a foundational characteristic of our God, one He shares with us through an outpouring of His Spirit.

Remember the second half of this Beatitude?
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
(Matthew 5:9, emphasis mine)

When we radiate and restore peace,
when we seek good and deep understanding of those who are different from us,
when we stop conflicts and settle quarrels,
we are Christ’s peacemakers.

And when we are peacemakers in a time and space when politics have deteriorated to a bitter, blame-shifting disaster, when the economy is in shattered fragments, when people are suffering and dying by the hundreds of thousands, and when fierce battles of social injustice continue to rage in our communities and MURDER HORNETS ARE A THING . . .

 . . . then we will be called the daughters of God, for who but God could bring peace in such pain-filled, dark chaos? The Holy Spirit working peacemaking through us becomes a testimony of our Father’s heart and a beacon of hope to the lost and hurting.

In order to have peace to pour out, we must be cultivating our relationships with the Triune Lord. We must also surrender our understanding of life to Him and seek His face. Philippians 4:6-7 explains how:

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Yes, this is much easier said than done! But be assured, the Lord is faithful to answer our prayers, and our worship, with His all-surpassing peace!

Sometimes, His peace points us towards engaging in tough conversations to bring resolution to a conflict.
Sometimes, His peace cautions us to quietly wait for the Lord to work behind the scenes.
Always, we need the discernment of the Spirit to guide us.
Always, the Lord and His peace are at the center of our peacemaking efforts.

And as we grow in our walks with Him and peace increases within us (praise God for the fruit He bears), we may just begin to sparkle in new ways.

Shine on, sister, shine on.

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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 Blessed 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 Blessed!

Sketched VII Day 1 Being His

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Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 5:1-15
Exodus 3:1-15
Isaiah 43:1-7

Sketched VII, Day 1

It was January of 2016.
My heart was learning to love Jesus more each day, but the road was full of potholes with a constant up and down scaling of mountainous terrain. My marriage of 14 years was equally as roller-coaster-like. We still hadn’t found a rhythm of love and communication since walking down the aisle, giving birth to 6 children, and holding the ashes of our baby.

I loved writing with a passion so great it hurt my heart not to write, but again, I couldn’t find the rhythm to do what I dreamed. Kids, babies, laundry, dishes, homeschooling, church, marriage, tension, h a r d.

Raw footage from my journal in December of 2015…
So now, I’m curling into bed in the room where we’ve spent the last 52+ hours fighting.
Lost.
Alone.
Unknown.
Feeling as if I’ve aged 10 years in 2 days.

Tomorrow will come. I just don’t know how to face it.
how to look in their eyes.
how to look at the mess
in the kitchen
in our marriage
how to fix any of it…

Backing up farther to November of 2014, my marriage thick with perpetual conflict, God whispered, calling me to know Him better. Deeper. Every Single Day.
I had emphasized to others about regular, daily quiet time with God for years, but I was terribly inconsistent myself. A couple days here followed by weeks without reading my Bible. I blamed it on everyone and everything else except me. God called me out of my aimlessness, asking if I truly wanted to follow.

Did I?
Did I really want to follow Jesus?

His Spirit moved my heart to YES, so with blank journal pages before me and Bible open, I tentatively stepped forward in surrender.
Every Day. No more room for apathy.

It was horribly awkward at first, but inexplicably, as days turned to weeks and months, the Lord became everything to me. I was alive, despite the brokenness around me. It thrilled me! A few weeks in, the Lord’s voice came again, “Pray for your husband and write it down, every day.” I remember the moment clearly, and my heart seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for God to recant. Of course, He didn’t, He only waited for my response.

Would I follow?
Did I even want to say yes?

Before I could begin telling God why I couldn’t, the Spirit within me moved me to YES. I opened a new journal, hesitant at first, writing casual and surface-level prayers, until the Spirit groaned within me, urging my heart into full transparency as I interceded on behalf of my husband, and asking God to change my heart.

I tell you these backstories because it would be easy to begin sharing stories of how God has used Gracefully Truthful to reach women, to encourage them, and to bring about depth and intimacy in their relationship with God.

In the telling, it could look like I had made this happen.
But, I did not.
I know the truth.
I know this journey, this ministry, is not, nor has it ever been, about me.
Because I am utterly broken without my Savior.

Even my Yes to follow has always been an act of God from inside me.

January 2016.
Disarray everywhere.
With the one exception of that solid ground space in my heart where
Jesus had become more necessary than breathing,
Here, Lord asked if I would follow again.

It came in a rush of ideas and dreams.
It was well after midnight and I was still jotting down ideas of what this next step could be as I huddled under blankets in my bed. My heart beat wildly as the Spirit leapt within me, opening my eyes to next steps. Journey Studies, women studying the Bible for themselves, truth being discovered and lived out, the Spirit calling women to life from the grave, equipping women, holding out the life of Scripture with gut-honest transparency, redemption stories, living in biblical community, and the thoughts kept spinning.

The next day, I pulled in three of my closest friends and asked if they would be in for this crazy ride, wherever it led and whatever it meant. They prayed with me, they gave wise counsel, we held hands, and when God asked if we would follow, He had already prepared our YES.

Saying yes isn’t glamorous.
And it really, truly isn’t about us.
It’s about obedient surrender.

Saying yes to following Jesus will always, always come with a price.
This particular yes has cost my countless nights of sleep, evenings lazily watching TV, precious time with my children, and space for hundreds of other activities. This follow has brought me to tears and frustration, tension in my marriage, and so many moments of wanting to walk away.

It has also cost me my apathy.
While following Jesus will always require sacrifice, it will also burn up the impurities in your life you never even recognized.
This is perhaps, God’s greatest goal in asking for our yes, because it means we will become more like Jesus in the process, bringing Him more glory.

With the apostle Paul, let it be said of me,
Since I know what it is to fear the Lord, I am trying to persuade you to follow Him as well. What I am on the inside is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to you.
I am nothing without Christ.
I am not commending myself to you, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of God’s work in me. For if I am out of my mind, it is for God. It is Christ’s love that is compelling me to follow Him because I know this above all else: Because Jesus died for all, all those who are alive should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised to give them life. (2 Corinthians 5:11-15, my paraphrase)

Let my story urge you forward, Daughter of the Most High.
Not into doing great things for God, but for being a delighted over daughter as you enjoy His presence. In that precious place, His own Spirit will teach you to follow,
and to rest while you trust Him in your obedience.

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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 One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

Relentless Day 2 Relentless Pursuit: 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 Relentless Pursuit!

The Questions

1) Who is this angel of the Lord and why would he bring such bad news to Israel, God’s chosen people? (verses 1-5)

2) If Israel was such a faithful nation during Joshua’s lifetime (verse 7) and then got stuck in a cycle of sin, what was the key changing factor for them as a nation? (verses 9-11)

3) How does the Lord’s “burning anger” reflect relentless love?

Judges 2:1-23

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your fathers. I also said: I will never break my covenant with you. 2 You are not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You are to tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed me. What is this you have done? 3 Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a trap for you.” 4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. 5 So they named that place Bochim and offered sacrifices there to the Lord.

6 Previously, when Joshua had sent the people away, the Israelites had gone to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. 7 The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had seen all the Lord’s great works he had done for Israel.

8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. 9 They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel.

11 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. They worshiped the Baals 12 and abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods from the surrounding peoples and bowed down to them. They angered the Lord, 13 for they abandoned him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.

14 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold them to the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies. 15 Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord was against them and brought disaster on them, just as he had promised and sworn to them. So they suffered greatly.

16 The Lord raised up judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, 17 but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. They did not do as their fathers did. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The Lord was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them. 19 Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly than their fathers, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate ways.

20 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he declared, “Because this nation has violated my covenant that I made with their fathers and disobeyed me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I did this to test Israel and to see whether or not they would keep the Lord’s way by walking in it, as their fathers had.” 23 The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.

Original Intent

1) Who is this angel of the Lord and why would he bring such bad news to Israel, God’s chosen people? (verses 1-5)
The phrase “angel of the Lord” is used to refer not to a created angel, but rather God Himself, appearing in the likeness of an angel. Students of Scripture call these magnificent appearances “theophanies” meaning literally, “an appearing of Deity to humankind”. Because Jesus Christ has always existed for eternity as God the Son within the triune godhead of Father, Son, and Spirit, it would only make sense for Jesus, who would one day walk the earth in human flesh, to appear also to the Old Testament people as the same exact representation of God (Colossians 1:15) that He would later make in the New Testament. The Angel of the Lord appeared at crucial, pivotal points in Israel’s history; moments when the nation had an important decision to make whether they would follow the ways of the Lord God or not. The Lord’s message to the nation of Israel was first a reminder of His own faithfulness. “I said I will never break my covenant with you.” (verse 1) Regardless of what Israel chose, God would not be unfaithful. He would ensure to keep covenant with them by making them His chosen ones, crafting through them a great nation through whom would come salvation for all. The Lord also gave a serious declaration, “I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a trap for you.” (verse 3) The Lord did not look down and suddenly decide to bring grief to Israel. They had chosen to abandon the covenant, they had decided to leave the Lord God and worship other false deities instead. They turned away from their Rescuing God, choosing to worship idols human hands had created instead of the Creator God Himself. (Isaiah 44:9-20, Romans 1:22-23)

2) If Israel was such a faithful nation during Joshua’s lifetime (verse 7) and then got stuck in a cycle of sin, what was the key changing factor for them as a nation? (verses 9-11)
Tragic words are recorded in verses 10-11, “After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel. The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.” God knew that if a generation failed to speak of His Holy Name, if they failed to teach their children who the Lord God was and of His glory, they would stop honoring Him. This is why He commanded parents to “teach them (His Word) diligently to your children”. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) Without this diligent training, Israel would follow their sinful, human desires and set up for themselves other gods to worship. Within the span of a single generation, this is exactly what happened. Israel forgot who God was to them and what He had done for them, and gradually, over time, like taking one small step off course after another, an entire generation had drifted so far from the Lord, they didn’t even know Him. Moses was an incredible leader who followed God’s heart and spoke with the Lord as a friend. After him, Joshua walked closely with God, leaning on Him alone for courage and wisdom as He led Israel into the Promised Land. After Joshua’s death, however, they had no leader who followed God as Moses and Joshua had done, and little by little, they let go of what had once been so important and, almost imperceptibly, Israel slipped into apathy.

3) How does the Lord’s “burning anger” reflect relentless love?
Three times in this passage we read of the Lord’s anger (verse 12, 14, 20). Twice His anger is described as “burning”. Some people imagine God to be high above, waiting for us to mess up so He can smite us with His anger. But this is not the God of the Bible, either in the New Testament or even in the Old. His tender mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) and His love endures forever (Psalm 136). So how can both of these extremes be true of God? Because the Lord God is a righteously jealous God. On the heels of His second commandment (make no graven images), God states, “for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:4-5) He even says one of His names is “Jealous God”. (Exodus 34:14) He is jealous for our hearts and our sole devotion.

Everyday Application

1) Who is this angel of the Lord and why would he bring such bad news to Israel, God’s chosen people? (verses 1-5)
Can you imagine being visited by Christ Himself as you gathered with fellow worshippers at your local church one Sunday? What message might He declare over your congregation?! We don’t have to wonder because the Lord God did indeed appear in the flesh on earth! When Jesus came from Heaven as an infant who grew up to preach of the coming Kingdom of Heaven, He spoke a very similar message to the one He spoke to ancient Israel in Judges 2. Jesus was the embodiment of the Promise from Old Testament times. As the Lord spoke “I will never break covenant with you”, Jesus came to prove that saying true. The life He lived perfectly in our human flesh was proof that He would never, and had never, broken covenant. In fact, He came to fulfill that Old Covenant and usher in a New Covenant, one that is still to come for us! The New Covenant says that all who believe in the Lord Jesus will be saved for eternity (Romans 10:9), which brings up part two of the Lord’s message. The Lord’s appearance to His Beloved Israel was for their benefit and their reproof. He clearly told Israel how they had broken His covenant, how they had worshipped other gods over Him. They had sinned irreparably. This is the same message for every one of us living today: we have sinned and are beyond repair. But God, who is perfectly faithful, has not and will not, break covenant. If we simply trust in His sacrifice on our behalf, believing that He is exactly who He says He is and that His righteousness was given in exchange for our wretched sinfulness, then “He who is faithful and just will cleanse us from all unrighteousness” and give us eternal life. (1 John 1:9)

2) If Israel was such a faithful nation during Joshua’s lifetime (verse 7) and then got stuck in a cycle of sin, what was the key changing factor for them as a nation? (verses 9-11)
No one directionally decides they are going to head towards apathy. It is a slow fade, one small change after another. Laying aside something we once did and exchanging it for another, easier thing. Becoming apathetic is not difficult, following the Lord diligently takes intentional practice and daily discipline. Because don’t we all want a “god” we can manipulate and craft and fit into a box of our choosing? A “god” who doesn’t demand anything of us, only giving us whatever we want like a genie in a bottle?! This is our heart serving ourselves; this is pride, the root of all sin. It was not by random chance that God’s very first commandment is “Have No Other gods Before Me”. (Exodus 20:3) These few words in the opening of Judges call us to seriously examine our daily life and our loves. Where are we falling off course when it comes to following Jesus fully? Where are we substituting “gods” of our making for the real God who insists we give Him total surrender? Take note, pray, and ask the Lord who loves to love us, to return our hearts and our ways back towards Him!

3) How does the Lord’s “burning anger” reflect relentless love?
Why would God call Himself Jealous? Does He need our adoration like a narcissistic being intent on loving Himself? Does He simply want more conceited glory for Himself? Not in the slightest! This would be a gross description of the God of the Bible! Before God ever created “creation”, humanity included, He was fully delighted within Himself, enjoying the fullness of giving and receiving holy love as a community within the triune godhead as Father, Son, and Spirit. He did not need us to love Him to make Him feel whole. He was, and is, love. (1 John 4:8) No, He is a jealous God because He loves us. He knows when we chase lesser loves, we end up broken, scarred, and wounded. He knows no one will bring satisfaction like a relationship with Him will do. He knows that only when we are knit to our Creator do we find our purpose (Acts 17:28). We were made for relationship with Him! We were designed to be worshippers. It’s just that, because of sin, we wreck that beautiful design and, instead of worshipping our Creator, we worship the created. (Romans 1:25) We worship ourselves and our own sinful desires. We break God’s design, and this breaks God’s heart. And so, He chooses to pursue us. A pursuit that cost His life and His unity within the godhead for the sake of bringing us back into a relationship with Him. He died to bring us back. This is why He is a jealous God. This is why He relentlessly pursues: because He loves us. (Isaiah 43:3-4)

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Chase Day 6 Chasing Anger

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Jonah 3:10
Jonah 4:1-3
Ephesians 4:26-31
James 1:19-20

Anger.

The word alone carries all kinds of negative connotations.
None of us want to admit that we struggle with the feeling, but I’m willing to bet most of us wrestle with it far more than we’d like to admit.
I know I do.
It’s funny, because until tasked with writing this piece, I didn’t fully realize that I was even dealing with anger. When asked to take on the topic of Jonah’s anger, I quickly agreed.
“Sure, I can write about anger,” I thought to myself.
“I don’t really relate to it, but I can write about it.”
I can almost hear God chuckling to Himself as I recount my thoughts to you now. Not in a spiteful way, but more of an “Oh, Child. You have so much growth ahead of you. Take My hand, I’ll walk you through it,” kind of way.

Allow me to set the stage for you. Jonah had run from God in an attempt to escape obedience. After a tumultuous boat ride, a swift kick overboard, and three days and nights in the belly of the giant fish, he was puked out onto dry land and finally chose to obey God. He traveled a great distance (by foot) to Nineveh, where he warned the people that their sin had angered God and destruction was nigh.

Let’s pause here.

I wonder what our old pal Jonah expected at that point. I wonder if he mostly expected them to jeer and ridicule him for his message. Was he expecting tomatoes and stones to be thrown in his direction? I wonder if that’s why he ran – because he didn’t want to deal with their rejection in the face of his message. Was he afraid? (I mean, none of us have ever felt that way…Right?)

I wonder if he thought they’d keep on partying and sinning away until God flattened their town. But the people of Nineveh were distraught at the delivery of his message.
They were convicted and turned from their sin. Instead of hurling shouts and insults at Jonah, they began to fast and pray. Then, their king found out…and joined them.

The New Living Translation puts it like this (Jonah 3:10 and 4:1):
When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, He changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction He had threatened. This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.

Ya’ll? Can we be real for a minute?
We don’t like it when our plans get changed.
Yes, we know that God is in control.
Yes, we profess that we want our plans to mirror His…but let’s be honest.
Don’t we also hold fast to a (perceived) secret contingency that we want our plans to mirror His…so long as His plans mirror ours?

The Word tells us that “This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.

Truth?
This may as well have been written about me. And maybe you, too?
Think about the last time plans were changed on you. Were you graceful and did you roll with it? I wasn’t, and I didn’t.
The change of plans greatly upset me, and I became very angry.

Jonah was downright frustrated. I get it.
The dude didn’t want to go to Nineveh to begin with.
He tried to run, but God chased him.
He spent three days and nights in the belly of a disgusting fish.
Then, he was vomited out…Ick.

Jonah finally obeyed, only to find himself hoofing it the long distance to Nineveh…where he finally delivered the message of impending destruction…only to find that God had decided to show mercy instead! After all of that!

Can you claim you wouldn’t have wrestled anger, or at the very least, frustration in that instance? I’m not sure I can.

What I love about this so much is that in the face of Jonah’s unrighteous anger, God doesn’t smite him down or “put him in his place.” Instead, He responds with a quiet question:
Is it right for you to be angry about this?

Isn’t that just His gentle way?
Of course, it was wrong of Jonah to be angry.
But rather than ridicule him or call him out for being petty, our loving Father encourages introspection. He leads Jonah to Truth, but doesn’t force it on him.
And He does the same for us.

We have a choice to make when our day doesn’t go our way,
when our health isn’t what we envisioned,
when our spouse doesn’t respond the way we wanted,
when our children make choices we hoped they wouldn’t,
when our life doesn’t look as we imagined.
We can choose to respond in anger,
or we can pause and give thanks for God’s sovereignty in our life.

We all feel anger sometimes.
God created the capacity for anger within us, and it would be foolish to pretend like we don’t experience that feeling. But He also placed His Spirit within us when we accepted Christ, and as a new creation in Him, we are held to a higher standard.

As we move forward, let’s recognize the moments when our anger begins to flare and imagine that God were asking us the same question He asked Jonah:
Is it right for you to be angry about this?

Let’s choose to chase Him rather than anger!

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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!

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Pause Day 11 Busy With My House

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You have sown much, 
and harvested little.
You eat,
but you never have enough;
you drink,
but you never have your fill.
You clothe yourselves,
but no one is warm.
And he who earns wages does so
to put them into a bag with holes.

Words penned centuries ago, but oh don’t they echo a piece of your life like they do mine sometimes? So much doing, hoping, living, working hard, and it just…doesn’t….cut it. All this striving seems like we are investing our “everything” into a “bag with holes.”

Come away this week.
Pause and take inventory of where you are in your faith journey.
Where are you busy paneling your house?
While others’ needs are unmet?
Where are you feeling unsatisfied and wishing for something more?
Something that Christ alone can provide.

Let’s jump in to our last week of Pause, Sisters, there are treasures awaiting us!

(some of the above was an excerpt from a previous Journey Study: Embracing Fullness)

 

Today's Invitation

1) Read Haggai 1 & 2 and answer these 3 questions in your journal:
a) What do these 2 chapters tell me about God and His character?
b) What do these 2 chapters tell me about others and the world around me?
c) What do these 2 chapters tell me about me and my heart?

2) Close your time by praying for these truths to take root in your heart and for the Holy Spirit to remind you and teach you more about these things today.

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Haggai 1

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” 3 Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. 9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”

12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord‘s message, “I am with you, declares the Lord.” 14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

Haggai 2

In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lordcame by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. 6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, 11 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: 12 ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” 14 Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. 15 Now then, consider from this day onward.Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, 16 how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. 17 I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord. 18 Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord‘s temple was laid, consider: 19 Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.”

20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, 21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, 22 and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. 23 On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”

How Does “Pause” Work?
1. Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

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 Pause 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 Pause!

Battle Day 5 Armed With Peace

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Philippians 4:4-9
Matthew 6:25-34
Psalm 27

Couples often choose a passage in the Bible about love or marriage to be read during their wedding ceremony. 1 Corinthians 13, Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 3… all have great things to remember and reflect on as you begin your marriage journey.

During our engagement, we chose a passage to think of as our family verse. While we desired our marriage to be rooted in all of the Gospel and the Truth of the Word, we picked a few verses that summed up what we desired for our future as Christ followers entering into a marriage covenant. We had these words read during our wedding ceremony.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:4-7

These were easy words to smile along to on that happy day, but I’ve found myself running back to this passage when life hasn’t been so easy. When fear of the future and worry for the present felt overwhelming, I read these words.

When my joy is gone,
rejoice in the Lord always.
When I’m selfish and unkind,
let your graciousness be known to everyone. When I feel alone and left out,
the Lord is near.
When my future is unstable,
don’t worry about anything.
When I feel hopeless and powerless,
present your requests to God.
When tragedy happens,
the peace of God… will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Paul goes on to counsel the Philippians:
Finally brother and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8

Dwell. When I read this passage, the word “dwell” weighs heaviest on my heart. To dwell on something is to let it consume us completely. We can’t dwell on multiple things at once.

When my heart is dwelling on lies from the enemy,
I can’t dwell on whatever is true.
When my heart is dwelling on worry of the future,
I can’t dwell on whatever is noble.
When my heart is dwelling on the unknown,
I can’t dwell on whatever is honorable.
When my heart is dwelling on what isn’t going my way,
I can’t dwell on whatever is just.
When my heart is dwelling on what is dark,
I can’t dwell on whatever is pure. When my heart is dwelling on my imperfections and insecurities,
I can’t dwell on whatever is lovely.
When my heart is dwelling on shame,
I can’t dwell on whatever is commendable.

When my heart is dwelling on the worry, stress, anxiety, and fear, I can’t dwell on what is praiseworthy.

Paul closes this thought by saying, “the peace of God will be with you.” (v. 9)
God desires for His peace to rule in our hearts. Isn’t that what we desire, too?

Dwelling in the peace of God and standing firm in our victory through Christ isn’t easy in the midst of difficult circumstances. Trusting in God’s sovereignty and plan for our lives can be hard when the world tells us that stress is the appropriate response to every situation. Trusting God is a battle we face everyday.
The enemy is battling to replace our peace with fear and our joy with worry.

When we fear the future,
we discount what God has done for us in the past,
stealing our peace for the present.

When we worry about our circumstances,
we aren’t trusting that God is in control of every situation,
and we lose our joy in Christ.

My favorite part of this passage in Philippians is verse 7. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

This peace that God so graciously gives us through Jesus Christ surpasses all understanding. We cannot understand it. It doesn’t make sense.
Of all the good gifts that God gives, how sweet is it that He gives us His peace to battle our fears?

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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!

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Remade Day 13
The Law of Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 22:36-40
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Romans 12:1-2
Psalm 51:1-13  

Five years ago I heard a statement for the first time that completely revolutionized the way I thought of my faith.

“God told us to do two things. Love Him and love others.
If we are doing those two things, then we are living in His will.”

Sometimes I hear something that just sticks with me. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get that phrase out of my head, which leaves me pondering and wondering for days, sometimes weeks, what it actually means. Everything in me wanted to find something completely wrong with the statement I had heard. But like dominoes, the revelation of the truth behind those words kept falling.

If we love God with everything in us, then we will want to spend time reading His love story to us.

If we love God with all that we have, then we will want to spend time in prayer, talking with Him and listening to Him, because people spend time with those they love.

If we love God passionately and boldly, then we will fall more in love with who He is, and the more we love Him, the more we won’t be able to hold that love inside.

If we love God, then we will want to serve Him and we will want to do that by doing what His word tells us to do… loving others.

If we love God, then we will begin to look more and more like Him, because we always begin to resemble the people we spend the most time with.

I mean, clearly I could go on all day.

If we really are living out and doing exactly what Jesus tells us are the two most important commandments, then everything else He tells us to do will fall into place… because, by living out these commandments, we are allowing transformation.
When our minds are transformed, then our actions will follow suit.

We are told to “Love God and love your neighbor”, or “Love God and love others”.
But what exactly is Love?

Love is patient. It is kind. It doesn’t envy or boast. It isn’t arrogant and it isn’t rude or self seeking and it isn’t irritable or resentful.

Ladies. I suck at love.
I mean, it is embarrassing (or perhaps humbling), to sit here and type out this description of love moments after getting onto my husband for being too loud and not shutting the front door all the way.

I wasn’t necessarily patient or kind, and I most certainly was irritable.
(Brief pause while I go apologize to him.)

Back to those two commandments…

If we are called to love God and others, that means
practicing what love is every single day.

But that won’t happen just by actions. I’m not going to wake up one day and all of a sudden never have an impatient bone in my body again. I’m human! You’re human. We are probably going to forget to show love in the next ten seconds.
But, the more we spend time with God in prayer and His word, the more we will become like Him.

Love, by definition, changes us.
It’s simply the nature of love.
By spending intentional time with Love Himself,
everything about us will be remade,
starting with our hearts and minds,
which overflows into our actions.

So maybe in ten seconds I’ll forget to show some love, but in ten days, I’ll do a little bit better. I won’t snap so quickly.  And in ten years, I pray my mind has transformed even more, where maybe some days, I don’t snap at all.
I’m confident that Love will continue to remake me, not because of my effort,
but because I’m submitting to the law of Love Himself.
Love God, Love others, and Jesus will remake me in the process!

My dad always says, “If you are what you were, then you’re not.” Meaning, if we are today, who we were when we first chose to give our lives to Christ, then maybe, just maybe, we aren’t actually living for Him.
Maybe we don’t actually love Him with everything we have.
Maybe we aren’t allowing Him to renew our minds and make us more like Him!

For some reason, the entire time I typed this, the old song, “Sanctuary” played in my head. A sanctuary is a place of refuge and safety, which is what I believe we become when we are people who passionately love God and love others. Let’s keep falling more and more in love with the King, and as a result, I know we will continue to be remade as He shapes us to look more like His own love.

Oh Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for You

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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 Remade 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 Remade!