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Enough Day 11 Humble King

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 3
Zechariah 9:9-17
Philippians 2:5-11
Revelation 21

Enough, Day 11

There is a God-shaped hole in our hearts.

Our family loves Kincaid paintings. Of course, we were never able to purchase a painting, so we did the next best thing; we bought, assembled, and framed puzzles. What an accomplishment to finish the gorgeous pictures by placing the last piece!

However, my husband enjoyed hiding away a puzzle piece so he could place it into the last open spot. It became a fun routine at our house and the kids went straight to Daddy to find the last piece.

One Christmas, however, he didn’t take a piece and yet, one was missing. Initially, the kids didn’t believe him, but eventually, the truth sank in; oh, what a disappointment to have a hole in the middle of the picture, leaving it incomplete! We framed the picture anyway, taking a piece from the unseen edges to try to fill the empty space, but our eyes were immediately drawn to the patched-up place every time we looked at the picture.

Just like the unfinished puzzle, there is a hole in our hearts in the shape of God. The piece was removed way back in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned against God, separating us all from His Presence.

Oh, the ache we feel over lost fellowship with God! We know something is missing, but often, we are not sure what (or really, Who). So we might try to fill the emptiness with other pieces like family, love, success, drugs, alcohol. But nothing really fits.

God’s heart also aches to be in fellowship with us. So, He gave us a promise that one day, He would fill the lonely space in our hearts.

“Look, your King is coming to you;
he is righteous and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey[.]
(Zechariah 9:9-10)

God’s people knew the promise of a King who would bring peace and hope. They watched and waited for over 400 years. But they looked for a powerful and mighty conqueror, someone to fight their enemies and restore political peace to Israel.

They heard Zechariah’s words, “your King comes to you, righteous and victorious”,
but they missed the next part, “lowly and riding on a donkey.”

They brushed past Isaiah’s prophecy, “He didn’t have impressive form, or majesty that we should look at Him, no appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turn away from; He was despised, and we didn’t value Him.” (Isaiah 53:3)

Rather than arriving in a palace among princes and kings, God’s Son was born to peasants, in a dirty stable. He was announced, not to royalty, but to shepherds. In fact, royalty missed the whole event until wise men from abroad pointed it out. (Lessons from the Words of Life)

Yes, one day, He will come as the “righteous and victorious” conqueror Zecharaiah described. (Revelation 19) In the meantime, the apostle Paul reminds us to live with the “same attitude as that of Christ,” who “emptied Himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity.  And when He had come as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death– even to death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)

He came humbly, not just to teach us how to live, but to live as an example before us. He came so the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, could live within us and bring us true peace despite the unrest around us. This was another step to reuniting us in complete fellowship with our God. His Holy Spirit can perfectly fill that hole in our souls.

There is nothing like having the right puzzle piece. The following Christmas, as we brought out the decorations, we found the missing puzzle piece! It had somehow fallen off the table into one of the boxes and was stored away. How appropriate to have found the missing piece at Christmas! Just like our family, if we keep searching for God (our hearts’ missing piece), we will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13)

All who accept Christ as their personal Savior have the Holy Spirit living within them, guiding and directing their lives. Indeed, God is with us now, but one day Christ will return to earth, righteous and victorious. He will set up His Kingdom, removing all evil.

We will hear a voice from heaven saying,
“Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away [… ] Look, I am making everything new.” (Revelation 21:3-5)

Are you ready for that day? Will you remove all else with which you have tried to fill that God-shaped hole, even good things? Have you humbled your heart to God and allowed His Holy Spirit to come in? I invite you to embrace God alone as your own humble king, so you can experience how perfectly the Holy Spirit fills the emptiness within.

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

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Worship VII Day 12 Held Fast: 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 Held Fast!

The Questions

1) What is the treasure in jars of clay? (verse 7)

2) If there is hope and life in Jesus why does Paul include verses 8-9 about suffering?

3) What does it mean to focus on what is unseen? (verse 18)

2 Corinthians 4:7-8

7 Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak. 14 For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. 15 Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Original Intent

1) What is the treasure in jars of clay? (verse 7)
Jars of clay or earthly, temporary jars are what Paul is referring to by “jars of clay”. However, the treasure in them surpasses the temporariness of the jar. The jars are fragile and weak, but what they hold is far from fragile, weak, or temporary! Paul is writing to believers of a treasure that will surpass all of time. He is writing of God Himself dwelling in believers as they live in relationship with Him. Paul is reminding the Corinthian believers they know the good news of Christ and salvation. These verses remind us the treasure of Jesus comes from God alone; they cannot attain it without Him. However, verse 15 also reminds them this grace and good news is not to stop with them. They are to extend it to others by sharing the good news of Christ and offering others the same relationship with the Heavenly Father they enjoy.

2) If there is hope and life in Jesus why does Paul include verses 8-9 about suffering?
Paul knew the truth of these verses better than most. His life was anything but easy. He was persecuted, shipwrecked, and imprisoned for the Gospel, yet he never gave up. He kept walking the path God laid before him. “Instead of finding in this disparity reason to doubt his vocation, he saw in it an illustration of a great law of God. It served to protect the truth that salvation is of the Lord.” (Expositors Commentary) Paul is reminding the Corinthians life following Jesus wasn’t guaranteed to be easy. However, Paul doesn’t leave them in their hopelessness. He follows these verses with the reminder Christ walked through suffering and conquered death. Their journey is not hopeless because God will never leave them and because God purchased their hope and security with His own blood. They share in the victory of Jesus even in the trials and sufferings this world offers. (Romans 8:17, 1 Peter 4:13)

3) What does it mean to focus on what is unseen? (verse 18)
Paul didn’t know Jesus personally when He walked on earth, and neither did Paul’s audience. Paul has shared the message of the Gospel with them and is now writing to them. They have never seen the hope they cling to, but instead it is faith in the unseen they are living out in everyday life. What they see around them is temporary, but they are to focus on what is unseen and what is eternal.  Paul is reminding them this world is not the end, there is a promise for more. A promise of a day when Christ will return. A day the believers in Corinth thought was closer than it was, but a day that will indeed one day happen. Paul is reminding them, someday all will be made right; there is hope and life and the promise of an eternity spent with God. The struggle now will be worth it!

Everyday Application

1) What is the treasure in jars of clay? (verse 7)
We are the jars of clay. Our bodies may be temporary, weak, and fragile, but we hold the greatest treasure when we live in relationship with our Heavenly Father. I don’t know about you sisters, but the season we are living in during Covid-19 has been exhausting and hard. I have felt my humanity maybe more now than at any other point in my life. I am weak and fragile, but the good news is, I was never asked to walk this life alone! God extends this amazing treasure of relationship with Him to each of us when we choose to accept His offer of complete forgiveness for sin. He promises to live in us and we never face any aspect of life apart from His strength. As I cling to the treasure deposited inside me (2 Corinthians 5:5), the good news is that only Christ offers this unexplainable hope and joy. However, just like the Corinthian believers, I am not supposed to keep this treasure a secret. I am to share and extend the good news beyond me to a hurting world. I am to share with others the life only Jesus can offer as we walk in relationship with Him. I challenge you today to ask yourself, “Am I living a life where others see Christ living through me or am I keeping Him a secret?”

2) If there is hope and life in Jesus why does Paul include verses 8-9 about suffering?
We may understand these verses better today than we ever have before in light of a global pandemic, racial unrest, and many other worldwide struggles. If we are honest, the world around us brings affliction and persecution like never before. We look around and feel perplexed and at times struck down. Jesus never promised His followers a life of ease. Instead, in Matthew 16:24 we are told to pick up our cross and follow Him. In John 16:33 Jesus tells there will be suffering. Jesus Himself suffered worse than any of us could ever imagine, yet He did not lose hope. His suffering and sacrifice is the source of our life! Paul includes these verses to remind us following Jesus won’t always be easy. There will be tough days, weeks, and years, however, He will never abandon us! (Psalm 138:8) Instead, as we cling to Him during the hard seasons of life, it is an “opportunity for Christ to demonstrate His power and presence in and through us (NLT Study Bible).” When we walk through suffering and hard times, the work of Christ in our life is evident to the world around us. We simply have to choose to lean in and cling to Him by faith.

3) What does it mean to focus on what is unseen? (verse 18)
Like Paul, we don’t have the privilege the first disciples had. We don’t get to walk with Jesus and learn from Him as He lives and teaches. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “we walk by faith not sight.” I am reminded of what Jesus said in John 20:29, “Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet believe.” When we choose to put our faith in the promises we cannot see, we are blessed! We look around and see a temporary world filled with sin and suffering, but there is a promise of more. There is the promise of the eternal. When Jesus left earth, He promised to return. (Acts 1:11) This is the promise we cling to as believers. Our life now isn’t forever! We know the unseen includes life forever with God that will be without pain and suffering. It is a place where He will wipe away the tears and there will be no more mourning or pain. All of what we know will pass away (Revelation 21:4). I don’t know about you sisters, but I long for that day. We have hope in this unseen promise. I challenge you to live in light of the end of the story clinging to the promise of the perfection that lies ahead of us.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
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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!

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Pause IV Day 15 Joy

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Today’s reading is the crown jewel of the book of Habakkuk because it describes the pinnacle of God’s work in His prophet’s heart. Remember where Habakkuk started, and then read these verses. Only the Lord could bring Habakkuk’s wrestling, angry, fearful, indignant heart to a place of complete and utter worship and dependence on God alone.

This is where God longs for each of our hearts to journey towards!

Trust.
Reliance.
Adoration.

Not for circumstances, but in spite of them.

Notice Habakkuk’s determined statement of faith, “I will rejoice in the Lord, Yahweh. I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”

Habakkuk resolutely chose joy in the face of exile, because He intimately knew the goodness of his God!

As we close out Pause 4 and our study of the ancient prophet, Habakkuk, know that his God is your God. We pray your heart has been encouraged because you have come to know Him better, which will result in deep joy!

Today's Invitation

1) Read through Habakkuk 3:17-19 out loud today twice. Slowly. Explore deeper by studying some cross-references or write out your own version of these verses using your circumstances. Give them over to the Lord as you pray!

2) Here is our last hand-crafted Spotify playlist for Pause 4! Remember, you are prayed over and delighted in! Put this playlist on repeat this weekend and be reminded of the rich truths God has shown you this week in Pause 4! Remember Habakkuk set this last passage to a song as an offering to the Lord from his heart. Let your worship be an act of joy before your God!

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Habakkuk 3:17-19

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
He makes my feet like the deer’s;
He makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

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 IV 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 IV!

Blessed Day 3 Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalms 51:6-13
Psalms 139:23-24
Matthew 5:4
2 Corinthians 7:9-11 
Revelation 21:3-5

Blessed, Day 3

All of us have experienced mourning.
We know grief and sorrow as we suffer loss of family members, friends, jobs, hopes, or dreams.

There have been times in my life when the mourning was so deep all I could do was cry until there were no more tears. Weeping, by no means removes our grief, but at least for me, it allows a necessary purging of bottled up emotion so I can move on and function. While I HATE to cry, I have learned to allow the tears instead of holding back.

As Christ followers, there is another type of grief with which we must grapple. This grief is born of the realization and understanding of the depth of our sin and depravity.

In Matthew 5:4, Jesus declares, “Blessed are those who mourn.”

The Greek word used for mourn is “pentheo,” which means to “wail or passionately lament, a grief so all-encompassing it cannot be hidden.” The same word is used in Mark 16:10 to describe the emotions of Jesus’ followers after His crucifixion, a soul-deep sorrow.

2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us “godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation.” Thus, it is a necessary mourning, required for us to reach a place of complete repentance before God. 

Have you invited God to search your heart for hidden sin, and then experienced “godly grief” over what He’s brought to light?

A few days prior to receiving this assignment, God grabbed hold of my heart and took me through a time of deep mourning over my sin. Little did I know He would use that experience so quickly! Isn’t it amazing how God works?!

I wasn’t expecting this deep mourning when I sat down with my Bible and journal that day. However, given the extra time we all had in April due to Covid-19, I was making unhurried quiet times a priority. So on this day, I had finally come to a place of quietness and stillness that enabled a humbling before our Father. I asked Him openly and honestly to expose my sin to His light.

It began with this quote from Paul David Tripp: “Whatever commands the love of your heart also shapes the direction of your life.” These words triggered something deep within, and God faithfully answered my prayer to expose my sin

He clearly revealed how many other things and people were commanding the “love of my heart” in His place. My priorities and focus were all wrong. Jesus wants and needs to be first in our hearts, our first love. 

The more I journaled and confessed, the more He exposed, until I sat there, completely open, all those hidden sins and desires laid bare before my King. And I cried . . . A LOT!

But as I sat there completely broken, something amazing happened.
I began to hear and see God much more clearly.
I began, once again, to feel the closeness we’d been missing.
I began to experience His forgiveness and love washing my entire soul.
God hates sin, and once it is removed, He can and will fully invade our entire being.

We desperately want to avoid pain. It’s natural. However, as Jesus-followers, we are called to live differently and do things the world doesn’t understand, like asking God to expose ALL our sin. When we begin to see our sin as Jesus does and realize the pain we have caused Him, it does hurt.

But the pain is followed by the blessing of His comfort, one so deep and unexplainable we know it comes from God alone.

The Greek word for blessed in Matthew 5:4 is “makarios,” which means: “supremely blest, fortunate, well off. The highest good.”  The same word is used in Revelation 19:9, which proclaims, “Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb.”

Do you see the connection? The blessing accompanying mourning is the same type of blessing we will experience in eternity with Jesus!

Next, He promises comfort in our mourning. The Greek word for comfort is “parakaleo,” meaning “call to one’s side.” Consider how special the comfort of a true friend is in times of sorrow. They know us well, and therefore discern exactly what to say and do. The comfort in this passage is better, deeper, and sweeter, because Jesus is the One calling us to His side!

And finally, on the other side of mourning are abundant blessings. Revelation 21:4 reminds us, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more.”

Our vision is clouded by the sin we allow to persist by not fully addressing it, or trying to excuse it. But if we are faithful to humble ourselves (I mean true, honest to goodness, on-our-knees-humbling ourselves) before God, then He is faithful to wipe away our tears and forgive our sin (1 John 1:9).

He will bless and comfort us
by filling us with more of Himself.

He will set our feet back on the path of righteousness,
giving us open eyes and hearts
to pursue new and fresh insight, understanding, and growth.

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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 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 Blessed