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Crafted

Eden Day 5 Crafted For Community

April 22, 2022 by Sara Cissell 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 1:26-31
1 John 4:7-21
Romans 5:1-11
Matthew 22:37-40

Eden, Day 5

I think the Garden of Eden must have been paradise for those who are averse to crowds. Since Adam and Eve were the only humans on the planet, I cannot quite picture one of them mumbling, “I hate crowds.” Unless, by chance, a cacophony caused by all the animals Adam had recently named counted for crowd noise.

No large groups of people rushed to and fro on their way to the market or gathered close to hear someone speak as Adam and Even walked with the Lord in the cool of the day. (Genesis 3:8) But, in those evening times of sharing, five distinct persons were present, three of whom are found within the single triune Being of the three-in-one God.

Deuteronomy 6:4 clearly states there is only One God.
“The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

This truth is reiterated across Scripture, but we also discover this One God is revealed in three distinct persons as God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. All three persons dwell in unity as the Lord God; all three were present in Eden.

I can only imagine the community Adam and Eve shared with God in the Garden.
Abundant peace! Flooding Love! All shared so beautifully!
How glorious it surely was to interact with the Lord before sin marred everything!

There are four Greek words for love: eros, storge, philos, and agape.
Eros is sexual and romantic.
Storge is felt for family.
Philos is shared between friends.
Agape is Divine love poured out through self-sacrifice.

The Triune God is Lord of love, it is His DNA, and He created us to both give and receive it, mirroring how He shares self-sacrificial love even within His own Being.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)

“God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him [. . .] We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:16, 19)

Adam and Eve were the first humans to experience love and, to borrow the wording of Genesis, they saw that love was good.

Adam and Eve were the first husband and wife.
Eros

Scripture lists their children as Cain, Abel, Seth, and other sons and daughters.
Storge

The Lord walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden and talked with them directly.
Philos

Finally, Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden due to their sin. (Genesis 3)
They lost their direct access to the Lord.

However, out of His love, the Lord did not destroy them, even at the expense of His connection with them and the eventual sacrifice Jesus would make to restore our access.
Agape

Regardless of the type of love demonstrated, one common denominator is present: more than one person. This means that when the Lord decided to make man in His image, humanity was crafted for community.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.’” (Genesis 1:26, emphasis mine)
The Trinity is on display within the first chapter of Genesis!

God as Father, Son, and Spirit dwell in perfect community, and we are invited and challenged to foster healthy community as well with divine agape love as our foundation.

A common cultural mantra is “Love Wins.”
Yes, yes it does.
But not according to the world’s definition of “winning”.
It’s not the selfish love of one having her every whim satisfied, but a love reflecting Matthew 22: 37-40.

“He said to [the Pharisee], ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets depend on these two commands.’”

Every interaction we have with another person is a chance to grow in agape love as it undergirds every other type of love and reflects the beautiful, sacrificial love of the Triune God.

Before finding ourselves incredibly overwhelmed at trying to muster up this kind of love on our own strength, remember this love is a fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) We are to love with and through the help of the Holy Spirit.

In order to effectively love others in community,
we must first be in community with the Lord.

Lord, we need more of You. We need Your ability to love those around us.
Holy Spirit, please cultivate agape love in us. Empower us to love like You
when it hurts,
when it’s scary,
when we’re tired,
when we’ve been wounded,
and when differences threaten to divide us by prejudice.

**Please note we do not advocate remaining in unsafe, abusive relationships. Setting healthy boundaries is also a demonstration of love.

Lord, we will continually fail without Your help; we need Your help when we inevitably fall short. Help us to love enough to ask for forgiveness, pour out grace, listen to understand, extend forgiveness, and to seek Your face for wisdom in our relationships. 

You crafted us for community.
Helps us to experience this by drawing close to You and loving our neighbors as ourselves. 

For Your Glory.
Amen. 

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Eden Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Eden!

Posted in: Dwell, God, Good, Holy Spirit, Love, Scripture, Truth Tagged: Abundant Peace, adam, Agape, Community, Crafted, Eden, Eve, grow, Three-in-One God

The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched VII Week 2

March 21, 2020 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

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) Deborah found herself in a position of power, leadership, and extreme influence. She did not ask for, nor was she seeking this position. Like anyone in leadership can attest to, positions such as Deborah’s are heavy. The potential for influence, whether good or bad, is significant. As you think through where you are in life right now, look through the lens of influence the Lord has given you. Many times, we don’t recognize the platforms we have been given. We can easily discount the relationships around us as being unimportant or we feel our influence is insignificant because we measure it by numbers. Whether you are a mother, a neighbor, a business woman, a grandmother, or a wife, your influence matters! God has given you your platforms as a means of preaching His gospel! How will you leverage your position to further His kingdom?!

2) Nicodemus came to Jesus undercover in the middle of the night so as not be seen by his peers. He had real questions about what it meant to follow Jesus, and he needed answers. What are the questions you have about faith? About God? What are your fears about following Jesus wherever He might lead you? Make some space today to write these out, even if it’s just for 5 minutes tucked away in your closet. The Lord loves your honesty! Maybe you are in a solid place with your questions, and you’ve already wrestled through your heavy thoughts. What are you doing with the answers and hope you have found? Are you available and intentionally investing in others who have questions? Make a list of people the Lord has given you connection with, pray about how to take next steps in investing spiritually with them!

3)  Loretta, a real overseas missionary, who has dedicated her entire life to telling other people about Jesus, began her journey with just one small step of obedience. God didn’t show up one day and ask her to move to a hut in Africa and eat rice the rest of her days. He had crafted her heart to fill a specific mission, and when He had led her heart to just the right spot of surrender, He began revealing his plan one small step at a time. It’s easy to look at the end of a picture and decide right away we can’t do that. But, suppose, like Loretta, God is calling you, but the picture He has in mind, is not what you fear? Suppose He knows your heart because He intentionally crafted it to live on mission for Him? Journal out your own prayer to God I honest transparency as you think about where He is leading you next.

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 Romans 10:1-2 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved! For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

Prayer Journal
Father, my heart breaks when I consider those around me on all sides, everywhere I go, who do not know You. It’s easy for me to look at the outside, to see a good person, and make the assumption that they have a saving relationship with You. Even if I am only at home, my children, or neighbors are around me, who may not yet know the full glorious truth of the freedom and forgiveness You alone offer through the sacrifice of Your son on our behalf.  Help me to see with Your eyes. Teach my heart to be more sensitive to Your Spirit as You lead me to engage with others and speak intentionally of Your truth. Make me ready to speak and make my heart bold in Your love, not cowering in fear of people. Stir me to action for those who don’t know You, but who may feel they do because they are relying on their own good deeds to save them instead of Your complete righteousness. Open my eyes specifically to those You want me to invest in for eternity!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

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Posted in: Called, Faith, God, GT Weekend, Hope, Kingdom, Love, Sketched Tagged: Crafted, Deborah, His, Influence, intentional, leadership, Real Questions, surrender

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