comparison

The GT Weekend! ~ Treasure Week 1

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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) “It’s easy to believe in the existence of God’s love for others, but it’s far harder to believe His love is for us as much as for them.” Rebekah’s truly spoken words hit our hearts in tender places. We likely extend grace to others, while holding ourselves to impossible standards. Sure, God must love other people, but us? What specific places in life do you judge yourself far harder than the grace given to you through Christ? Where are you quick to condemn the girl in the mirror? Choose 1 or 2 specific ways you can begin seeing yourself through the lens of truth, as handcrafted by the Maker with love.

2) Comparison sneaks up on all of us in different ways at different times in life. As Marietta pointed out, sometimes we compare by putting ourselves down, while other times we compare by putting ourselves above someone else. Both are equally sinful; and I’ve been guilty of falling prey to both temptations. Which one are you most susceptible to recently? How kind the Lord is to offer the fullness we seek in a relationship with Him! When you’re tempted to hold onto lies about another her or yourself, choose to flee temptation and bring your struggle to the Father of your heart instead. Bring every part of your battle with all honesty, and praise Him for loving you with abundance!

3)  I most often live like I’m…… Go ahead, slow down enough, gather your thoughts, stop thinking of your next, and fill in the blank. Not enough? Struggling to keep up? Overwhelmed? Behind? Too much? Overpowering? What is your normal center point from which you operate through most of life? How often does your reality match up with the truth of Scripture? Pray over the challenge to live like you’re loved and begin this weekend in making intentional shifts. When we discover how deeply we are loved, we are free to love others well.

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 139:5-6 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

You have encircled me;
you have placed your hand on me.
This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.

Prayer Journal
“You have encircled me.” Lord, this is too wonderful for me to fully take in. I admit I live like it isn’t true far too often. It’s much easier, and more tempting, to live like I’m alone, like You don’t love me endlessly and perfectly, and that You aren’t kind enough to care about my everyday life. Lies attack me on all sides, Lord. Please teach my heart and my mind to flee these lies, to stop wrapping myself up in them, and instead guard my heart in truth. Remind me Your loving hand is holding me fast. Then, help me to love others, including myself, as You have loved me!

Worship Through Community

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Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

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Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Treasure Day 4 Mirror Of Her: 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 Mirror Of Her!

The Questions

1) What is the significance of calling out “one clay pot among many”? (verse 9)

2) What is the Lord’s “work of my (His) hands” He says to ask Him about? (verse 11)

3) What does this passage reveal about the authority of the Lord over His work?

Isaiah 45:9-13

“Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.
Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’
Or does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to the one who says to his father,
‘What are you fathering?’
or to his mother,
‘What are you giving birth to?’”
11 This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and its Maker, says:
“Ask me what is to happen to my sons,
and instruct me about the work of my hands.
12 I made the earth,
and created humans on it.
It was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded everything in them.
13 I have stirred him up in righteousness,
and will level all roads for him.
He will rebuild my city,
and set my exiles free,
not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord of Armies.

Original Intent

1) What is the significance of calling out “one clay pot among many”? (verse 9)
The clay pots here are intended to represent nations, just as they are in a similar visual given by the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 18:6-10). In Jeremiah’s case, the Lord was specifically referring to the nation of Israel, however in Isaiah’s passage there were two nations noted in Isaiah 45. In Isaiah’s time, there were numerous different nations, most of which were stronger and more powerful than Israel, this was particularly frustrating for Israel because she was held in captivity under Babylonian ruler, Cyrus the Great, and had been for decades. The “one pot among many” refers to Israel among many other nations, nations who had more power, nations of which Israel would be jealous of. This would easily cause Israel to question to God as they sat year after year in exile under foreign rule. Some of this angst is seen in the question, “Does clay say to the one forming it, ‘What are you making?’ Or does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?” (verse 9) Regardless of their exiling situation, the Lord still graciously called Israel “one clay pot among many.” He focused great attention care over that “one clay pot”.

2) What is the Lord’s “work of my (His) hands” He says to ask Him about? (verse 11)
The Lord’s question here in verse 11 is a hyperbole to emphasize the point that no one has the authority to question or instruct the Lord God in what He is making or doing in the nations, in history, or in the heart of a human soul. It is similar in style to Job’s many questions of the Lord following his significant losses of family, wealth, and health. Finally, after Job has ranted on and on and complained, the Lord answered Him with the same hyperbole, “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know!” (Job 38:3-5) The Lord has no obligation to answer questions of why and what purpose and how, we are only called to trust Him as the Almighty Wise Potter. (verse 12)What is different about Isaiah’s prophecy in comparison to Job’s is the Lord does declare what He will do for Israel, the one clay pot among many. His glory will be made known as He uses a foreign ruler, Cyrus the Great, to set His people Israel free to return to their land. Cyrus would “rebuild… and set exiles free.” (verse 13)

3) What does this passage reveal about the authority of the Lord over His work?The Lord who created the earth and filled it (verse 12), and holds authority over every aspect of creation (verse 12, Colossians 1:17), did not need to bribe or coerce even a foreign ruler to free Israel from exile. (verse 13) He simply said it would be, and so it was. His sovereign authority knows no limit. All the Lord does is good and results in blessing and His glory being made known, so more people may be drawn near to Him by experiencing Him. Earlier in Isaiah 29, the Lord declares that regardless of dire circumstances for Israel, one day they would understand, “For when he sees his children, the work of My hands within his nation, they will honor My name, they will honor the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who are confused will gain understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction.” One day, it would be made clear how God used Israel’s exile for His glory. One day Israel would see how God brought about redemption for all of mankind through His chosen people. One day.

Everyday Application

1) What is the significance of calling out “one clay pot among many”? (verse 9)
From the beginning of creation, God intended His glory to be made known and enjoyed in deep intimacy between the people He had created and Himself. This theme became ever more prominent the farther forward into the timeline of history we move. Abraham was called away from his homeland and worship of false gods, Isaac was the promised seed through whom would come the Great Deliverer, and Jacob was called into God’s plan before he was even born to continue building God’s nation. And on it goes from Jacob’s descendants, the Hebrews, being called out of slavery in Egypt, then made into the nation Israel, then given a land, and called God’s own people and possession to declare Him to the nations around them. One clay pot among many. Only the author gets to decide how He will use the clay pot to declare His goodness to the world, not the other way around with the pot dictating instruction to the Potter. In the New Testament, the one clay pot among many takes on a new, fuller form as the chosen ones become the Church, the Bride of Christ. We are still called to make God and His glory known to all people and all nations, but it is by His Spirit, His direction, not ours. In our own lives, we submit to His hands and His teaching and His leading as He guides us and makes our hearts new. He is the Potter, we are the clay pot!

2) What is the Lord’s “work of my (His) hands” He says to ask Him about? (verse 11)
While God certainly doesn’t need our help to rule, and He doesn’t need to consult us before acting, He is gracious in revealing His work to us and His purposes. We may still wrestle with why and we may grieve and feel anger towards Him when circumstances don’t fall into place as we would have planned, and hear this, that is okay to wrestle with! The Lord was exceptionally patient with Job as he walked through his grievous pain of deep loss. The Lord never once abandoned Job or mocked him for his honest wrestling. How the Lord did respond is important for each of us to note and take comfort in. He responded by reminding Job, and Israel through Isaiah’s prophecy, that He alone was God, and all authority was held by Him. There is nothing God “missed” or “overlooked” or “made a mistake” in His actions. The psalmist reminds us the Lord “never abandons the work of His hands.” (Psalm 138:8) Whether it’s on the national level, the coming return of Christ, His glory worked out through the tension of your relationship, or His comfort being made known to you as you walk through your own loss, He will never abandon the work of His hands! After the Lord responded to Job for 3 long chapters, Job, in humility answers with genuine understanding and peace, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2) Trust His hand, Sister!

3) What does this passage reveal about the authority of the Lord over His work?
God is not afraid of our questions and wrestling, He allows it, more so, welcomes us when we come to Him with why. What He wants us to be absolutely certain of though, as we wrestle and weep and grievously ache, is that He is to be trusted. His authority and power are not working against us. If that were so, Christ would not have humbled Himself to die for us, in our place, though He Himself deserved no death, no punishment, and no painful separation from God the Father. He is working for our good and His glory, all the time, but because we are finite, we simply do not always understand. But we do always have a choice of trusting His heart. The more we study Scripture, and seek His face, the more we realize how good He is, how much He is for us, and how deeply He loves us. Just as there was a prophesied One Day for Israel, so there is for us as well. One day, every tear will be wiped away. One day, we will finally understand the deep goodness of our God. (Revelation 21:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) One day, redemption will cover every loss, every wound, and every sadness no matter how deep. One Day.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Mirror Of Her!

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!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Treasure Week One!
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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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The GT Weekend – Freedom 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!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) It’s easy to affirm the idea that only Jesus can offer us salvation. However, when we try to add ‘earning our daily salvation’ to the Gospel, we’ve missed what Jesus can do in us. Think through what lies the devil tells you. Comparison? Worth? Value? Name those lies and take them back through Jesus’ victory in you!

2) What is most difficult for you in thinking of the free gift of salvation? What makes it easy to pick back up in thinking you need to do something to earn it?

3) “Laws” or rules make following something much more cut and dry. It’s a quantifier to measure your success consistently. The reality of the Gospel stomps on those rules and allows us to sit before our Savior and follow the Holy Spirit’s leadings. Reflect on the emotions that truth stirs in you.

Worship In Song

Music Video: “Death Was Arrested” by North Point

Pour Out Your Heart

Lord Jesus, thank You for the freedom You offer every single day. Complacency makes it comfortable for me to think of salvation as just a one-time experience. Drawing deeper in Scripture and closer to Your heart, I can see the refinement experience that comes along with a daily need for saving, most often saving from myself. Forgive me for putting my self-righteousness as a higher priority than Your Truth.

This week, Father, show me places where the devil has whispered lies in my ear. Let me claim those back in the power of Jesus’ name. Fill those lies with truth from Your Word to keep my heart focused on You. It’s when I turn that focus back to myself that I stumble. Give me eyes only for You!

Pray With Us!

In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
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We are committed to praying over and walking with you!

Journey With Us

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Beauty Day 1
Battling for Beauty

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 1:26-31
Genesis 3
Ephesians 4

typorama (10)My daughter held up her phone at arm’s length and snapped the picture of us then turned it around to inspect her work. She commented on our hair and smiles and how happy we looked, but all I could see were extra baby pounds, wide arms, and my round face next to her sweet countenance. I cringed inside.

I sat on the pool steps splashing with my 1 year old and encouraging my 4 year old to go all the way under the water when I saw her. Basketball-baby-belly with skinny arms and fluid legs, sporting a cute two-piece that showed off her glowing baby look while she played with her young daughter. Adorable.

A random Wednesday found me quickly running into the grocery to grab something, anything, for a family dinner. With children in tow, my hair in a sloppy ponytail, and no makeup, I could only imagine how I looked when I ran into one of my sweet friends. We swapped dinner ideas and bantered about kids’ activities, but I walked away feeling one thing: pressure. My friend has a busy life too, kids in all directions,
but she looked cute.

I tell my daughters as they get older and walk into their pre-teen years that there are
three prowling enemies to their beauty both outward and inward.

First, our peers and the pressure that comes from comparison.
Second, our culture that demands flawlessness.
Finally, ourselves and own insatiable need to be enough.
We’ll look at all three this week together, but first we must see the fight for what it is, deadly lies vs. solid truth.

Like an enormous chasm draped in darkness, we fall headlong into the trap of comparison. We surrender the true perspective of our beauty while holding ourselves up to someone else in the process.
Comparison snares us with tempting thoughts like,
“Why her? Why not me?” and then plunges the deadly dagger into our Beauty by making us believe that somehow we are less than she.
We become so deceived into thinking that by comparing our weakest moments to another’s strongest points, we have become accurate judges of reality. We forget that the person we are comparing our self to is also a real person with a real past, a real present, and struggles all along the way just like us.

Comparison doesn’t always attack our hearts with the same strategy, of course. Sometimes it’s clothing, sometimes it’s body shape, or career, or children, or friendships, spouses, skills, or influence. Regardless of the battleground or our stage in life, the outcome will always be the same if we do not fight against it, leaving our hearts shipwrecked with emptiness, barren longing, and a gnawing dissatisfaction.
Because the Enemy of our hearts comes only to steal, kill, and destroy!

When sin first entered the wholesome beauty of creation, the result was death. Death to beauty, death to relationship, death to unity, death to perfect, and ever since that moment when Eve asked herself that tantalizing question, “Why not me?”, we’ve been drug into a war we weren’t intended to fight.

But, girl, we do not fight alone!
In that instant when death pervaded the perfect, the Creator set in motion His plan to win back our hearts and restore our beauty.

We let Christ fight for us when we grip the truth of who He says we are instead of grasping at lies and expecting them to satisfy us. We fight for our beauty when we look, as my daughter did, for similarities instead of differences; when we connect instead of compare.

Next time we wage war against comparison, my sisters, let’s hold unswervingly to the Father’s truth and dance confidently in the victory we hold through Christ!

I have adorned you with my image. (Genesis 1:27)
I clothe you with dignity and strength. (Proverbs 31:25)
I have bedecked you as a Bride with my salvation and righteousness. (Isaiah 61:10)
I have given you the gift of God inside you. (2 timothy 1:6)
I have given you a spirit of power, of love, and self-control. (2 timothy 1:7)
I have made you a new garment, fitted with purity and truth. (Ephesians 4:24)
I dress you with gladness and praise, planting you firmly in my strength. (Isaiah 61:3)
You are my bride, adorned in fine linen. (Revelation 19:7-8)
I Love You. (Isaiah 43:4)

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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 Beauty 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 Beauty!