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The GT Weekend! ~ Eden Week 1

April 23, 2022 by Carol Graft Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend! ~ Eden Week 1

Carol Graft

April 23, 2022

Christ,Cross,God,Holiness,Sin,Truth

Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

This Week's Journeys

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Friday's DD

Pray His Words Back To Him!

1 John 4:10-11

God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.
Read More Of His Words

Prayer Journal Entry

Lord, I cannot imagine how much you love me! That you show me love in so many ways is a truth that’s difficult to hold onto. Your love story hems me in on all sides beginning with Your death for me, the ultimate sacrifice, where You bore my sins as weight on the cross to purchase my freedom today!

When I’m holding fast to the truth about Your love, I look forward to the Wedding Feast where I can spend all my eternity simply worshiping and delighting in You. Stir up this desire in me, Jesus!

When I dwell on Your agape love, I’m motivated to go and do likewise, loving others sacrificially and unconditionally. Thank you for fueling me with agape so I can love my family, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and especially those who don’t yet trust You as their Savior.

As much as I want to love like You all the time, I confess some days I choose selfishness. Give me the words to reach others for You, and the humility required to submit to Your great love. Let my actions draw others to You as You shine Your Light through my humanity!

 

Worship Through Song

Journal Prompts

 

JOURNAL ONE
Out of nothing. Impossible.
The act of creating involves parts and pieces. Yarn…thread… fabric… paint…canvas…words…paper. 
But God. 
God spoke and everything around us, invisible and visible, came into being. (Colossians 1:16) 
He also desired to create you. 

What thoughts or feelings do you notice as you reflect on this truth? Do you feel yourself pushing back, ducking your head shyly, or widely embracing these words? Our worth in God’s eye is immeasurable as we each bear His image. (Genesis 1:27)

Since this seems so hard to comprehend, we easily forget it. God created humankind to be in a relationship with Him. He intended Adam and Eve to fill the earth with more image-bearers so He could show His love to us all! (Genesis 1:28) He desired a relationship with His creation so deeply that, even after the Fall of sinful rebellion, He became flesh to live among His creation.

Our worth is so inestimable He took all our sins upon His shoulders at the cross, giving His life so we could live forever as His Bride. It’s the greatest love story of all! I stand in awe when I consider the intricacies or grandness of nature. I’m amazed when I remember how loved and esteemed I am by the Creator God! He chose to die for you and me; hold into that truth as you navigate this weekend!

 

 

JOURNAL TWO
Like Rebekah, I can be drawn in by a good love story. Talented authors allow us to experience lovers both cherishing one another and handling conflict; we find ourselves cheering as the hero and heroine overcome struggle.

In the most perfect love story between Adam, Eve, and Creator God, there was initially no conflict until their fall into sin. (Read Genesis 3 this weekend!) Though God, being perfectly holy, had every right to destroy them, leaving them hopeless in the separation brought on by their sin, He lovingly held out Hope instead. (Genesis 3:15)

Like a developing story line, God wove the theme of His sacrificial love and grace into every page of Scripture, even our own stories! We find His grace showing up in all His relationships with people. In Ephesians we see His clear design for marriage to be a picture of His sacred relationship with the Church. (Follow up your reading of Genesis 3 with Ephesians 5!)

We learn how truly good relationships should be as we look to Christ, the perfect Bridegroom and the greatest marriage of all between Himself and His Bride, the Church. One day, all who trust Christ as their Savior will celebrate with the marriage supper of the Lamb where each believer will have a seat at the table for eternity.

 

JOURNAL THREE
LOVE. Four letters composing a seemingly simple word. On Friday, Sara drew out the complexities of this “simple” word by taking us back to the original Greek, which has 4 words with 4 unique definitions: eros, storge, philos, and agape. Each dimension of love speaks beautifully of God’s design for human beings to be crafted for community with one another and Him.

If we only had eros love shared romantically by Adam and Eve and intended for spouses, we wouldn’t be complete, and we certainly wouldn’t experience agape, the sacrificial, divine love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have the capacity to fulfill and live out each of these dimensions of love as they reflect the Creator God; when we surrender ourselves to God’s Spirit, He empowers us to love like Him! We need His power to help us love our family, friends, a romantic partner, and especially those who are hard to love like difficult co-workers, ones who’ve wounded us, or the cranky clerk at the store. 

Praise God for demonstrating agape sacrificial love and placing that love inside of us when we follow Him. Spend time asking the Lord who He specifically wants you to engage with agape love. Pray for these people and ask the Lord for opportunities to love them sacrificially and unconditionally!

 

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cross,God,holy,Savior,sins,Truth
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Posted in: Christ, Cross, God, Holiness, Sin, Truth Tagged: cross, God, holy, Savior, sins, Truth

Eden Day 4 Altogether Lovely: Digging Deeper

April 21, 2022 by Dr. Leslie Umstattd Leave a Comment

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 Altogether Lovely!

The Questions

1) What analogy is Paul making in this passage?

2) What distinct commands does Paul give for the wife and husband in this passage? (verses 23-28)

3) How does the marriage relationship represent Christ and the church? (verses 29-32)

Ephesians 5:23-32

23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.”

Original Intent

1) What analogy is Paul making in this passage?
In this passage, Paul, the writer of Ephesians, uses the relationship between Christ and the Church to discuss God’s intended design for the marriage relationship. He compares Christ and His relationship with His Church to the husband and wife relationship. The husband taking the role of Christ in the marriage and the wife taking the role of the Church. Paul uses marriage as a blank canvas depicting how God intended relational holiness and sacrifice to be played out in real life marriage just as He intended from the beginning in Genesis 2:21-25.

2) What distinct commands does Paul give for the wife and husband in this passage? (verses 23-28)
Paul provided explicit instructions for husbands and wives in this passage. In verse 23, verse 25, and verse 28, Paul spoke directly to the husband, calling him to love and sacrifice for his wife. He pointed to Jesus’ own sacrifice on the cross as the role model for this command. (Matthew 27:27-52) In the same way, Paul spoke to wives in verse 24, calling them to submit within marriage to their husbands just as the Church is designed to submit to Christ’s headship. This is a deliberate, thoughtfully chosen, intentional submission out of respect and sacrificial love born out of shared relationship. **Please note that biblical teaching never condones abusive twisting of this passage for personal gain. Biblical submission is mutual between spouses and is always within the context of love and respect. Christ never condoned abuse of His design for personal gain. (Matthew 21:13)

3) How does the marriage relationship represent Christ and the church? (verses 29-32)
Speaking of marriage and oneness in verse 32, Paul so eloquently states, “the mystery is profound”, and we nod our heads in assent! Beautifully, Paul uses the familiarity of marriage merely as a springboard to help us more clearly understand Jesus’ role as head of the Church. In shifting our gaze to the cross and the Son’s submission to the will of the Father, we see His selfless love as He offers His own life for the Church. The Church, in kind, submits everything to His authority out of trusting obedience and respect. In the same way, a husband should love sacrificially and work diligently to encourage and uphold his wife while a wife lovingly chooses to submit to her husband. Within the relationship, whether discussing Christ and the Church, or husband and wife, there is profound membership, unity, fellowship, and oneness bound together by sacrificial love.

Everyday Application

1) What analogy is Paul making in this passage?
God’s intention for marriage from the beginning is beautifully told in the context of perfection in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:21-25) As Paul explains Christ’s relationship to His people as the ultimate “Husband”, we begin to see God’s model for how the marriage relationship was always intended to exist. Sacrificial love connects the two together. Paul helps the reader understand the fullness of the gospel by using this familiar human analogy. Christ so loved His Church that He died on a cross giving up His life for His people as described in John 3:16. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, another one of Paul’s letters, he explains it is out of love that Christ, although being spotless and blameless for sin, took all of humanity’s sin on Himself in order to present His Church in holy splendor. This is the kind of self-sacrificing love God intends marriage to emulate. Paul used this picture of offering and submission to reveal the framework for God’s design for marriage.

2) What distinct commands does Paul give for the wife and husband in this passage? (verses 23-28)
Within the context of this passage, we see how life and marriage were supposed to be before sin entered the world. (Genesis 3) Sin taints what God intended for good, and just two of the many consequences for sin are shame and fear, which played out in the unfolding scene following Adam and Eve’s rebellious sin. (Genesis 3:8-13) In the Garden of Eden prior to sin, the husband, as a loving leader, upholds his wife with sacrificial love without shame and the wife submits to him, also with sacrificial love; together they build a strong, unified marriage that glorifies God and reflects the divine relationship between Father and Son. With sacrificial love as the undergirding foundation, this give and take of sacrifice and submission form an unashamed relational oneness flourishing with deep joy. With sin came a brokenness that marred that human relationship with chaos and the desire to serve self, but God’s heart desire for the marital relationship never changed. Through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as we submit to Him, He equips us with the divine power and love necessary to sacrificially love and submit to our spouse. (2 Peter 1:3) It is in relationship with Him that we learn how to be in relationship with our spouse. In our commitment to Him, God empowers us to seek after His design and His glory. (Romans 8:1-13)

3) How does the marriage relationship represent Christ and the church? (verses 29-32)
God’s design for marriage started at the dawn of time when He created man and woman and they were unashamed and living in perfectly unified loving communion with one another and God. (Genesis 2:25) Out of this picture in the Garden of Eden, Paul writes about marriage and the relationship between Christ and His Church beautifully comparing the two. The relational roles each participant plays, and the characteristics of these relationships, were designed in likeness to one another. Despite the twisted, self-seeking shadow that sin casts upon every relationship, God gives us a secure hope for an eternal future where all will one day be set right. As we wait and long for that day, we can take heart in knowing God is working even now within our brokenness to bring Him glory. The perfect oneness of relationship between Christ and His Church and the altogether loveliness of human relationships with one another as they were intended will one day be restored when Christ welcomes His Bride Home. (Revelation 21:1-8)

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

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 Eden Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up
to receive every GT Journey Study!

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.

Posted in: Christ, church, Cross, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Love, Sacrifice, Salvation Tagged: Christ, church, cross, holy, love, sacrifice, Savior

Sketched IX Day 14 Costly Surrender: Digging Deeper

July 8, 2021 by Lisa Marcelina Leave a Comment

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 Costly Surrender!

The Questions

1) What does it mean to bear our own cross? (verse 27)

2) Why is it necessary to renounce your possessions to become a disciple of Jesus? (verse 33)

3) Why did Jesus use salt as an analogy? (verses 34-35)

Luke 14:25-35

25 Now great crowds were traveling with him. So he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

28 “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31 “Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.

34 “Now, salt is good, but if salt should lose its taste, how will it be made salty? 35 It isn’t fit for the soil or for the manure pile; they throw it out. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Original Intent

1) What does it mean to bear our own cross? (verse 27)
Crucifixion was an extremely horrific type of execution. It consisted of tying or nailing the victim to a cross until he died, usually hours or even days later. Before the actual crucifixion, the victim was flogged with a leather whip woven through with iron balls and sharp sheep bones. The scourging was meant to bring the victim to a state just short of death. (Robert Gidley) In this weakened state, the criminal carried the crossbar to the execution site upon his shoulders.  If he tripped or fell, he could not use his arms to break the fall and would most likely fall on his face to the ground, bringing further shame, humiliation, and pain upon himself. Jesus’ death by crucifixion shows the length and breadth of His rescue mission in order to save us from the punishment we each deserve for our sins, death. Christ’s death was the ultimate sacrifice because He, though completely innocent of all sin, chose to take on sin’s consequence out of deep love for us. To bear our cross, we must be willing to follow His example by dying (crucifying) to our sinful selves and living for Jesus in the new life He gives freely to all who surrender themselves to Him.

2) Why is it necessary to renounce our possessions to become a disciple of Jesus? (verse 33)
Before Jesus began His ministry, His cousin, John the Baptist, taught about money, possessions, and repentance. One day while baptizing by the Jordan, John told the crowd to share their clothes and food with those who didn’t have any. He instructed tax collectors to collect no more than required. He taught soldiers to not extort money and be content with their pay. (Luke 3:10-14) Jesus also told quite a few parables about the effects of accumulating wealth. For instance, the parable about the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21 teaches that focusing on storing up wealth for future use is senseless. The rich fool’s focus was not on God, but on himself and his accomplishments. So with all his plans, he died that very night, unable to enjoy the fruits of his labour, leaving everything he had for someone else. In Luke 18:18-25, a young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments, to which the rich ruler replied he kept from his youth. But Jesus told him he lacked one thing, which was to sell his possessions, distribute to the poor, and come follow Him. This saddened the ruler because he couldn’t bring himself to part with all his wealth. These examples demonstrate that accumulating wealth can easily deter us from serving God whole-heartedly. Jesus wanted total commitment from His disciples; commitment that would be impossible if they insisted on holding tightly to material things.

3) Why did Jesus use salt as an analogy? (verses 34-35)
In the biblical days, salt was not as pure as it is today. It was mixed with different forms of impurities causing it to lose its saltiness. Therefore, nothing much could be done with it. According to Zondervan, “such salt does not complete its purpose, and it lacks the resource, the saltiness, to do the job it was intended for.” (Zondervan KJV Commentary) Jesus used what was common, tasteless salt, to teach His disciples that if they chose to muddy their lives with other “lesser loves”, they are no longer suited for effective Kingdom purposes, just like flavourless salt. Every Christ follower must be willing to live for and worship God alone, continuously surrendering to His purpose for their lives.

Everyday Application

1) What does it mean to bear our own cross? (verse 27)
The Roman execution method of crucifixion was a slow and painful process. When Jesus used this metaphor He knew exactly what He was talking about, and so did His audience. This wasn’t intended to be an emotionally encouraging pep talk. He was telling His disciples that following Him would guarantee intense persecution, even death. While many today, at least in the western hemisphere, may not experience this level of persecution, being a Christian still guarantees a cost. To truly follow Jesus means whole-life commitment and sacrifice, and living for Him does not mean automatic happiness and an easy life. I was the victim of a crime committed by a close family member. I wasted no time in reporting the matter. Other family members begged me not to take action, but I could not turn a blind eye to wrongdoing and did what I knew was right. As a result, I lost favour with family members, and my relationship with the perpetrator has been severed for almost two years. It has been really hard, but I do not regret the choice I made. We must not condone sin, no matter who commits it. Our calling as Christ-followers is to live solely for Jesus and not focus on money, possessions, or relationships that are out of alignment with God’s calling to live holy. We will experience difficulty for following God and His plan; we must be prepared and willing to endure hardship because Jesus gave everything for us. If we try to save ourselves from pain and heartache, we will not grow into maturity, thus missing out on our intended purpose in following Christ.

2) Why is it necessary to renounce our possessions to become a disciple of Jesus? (verse 33)
True repentance means a radical change of lifestyle especially as it relates to money and possessions. As mentioned above, I was a victim of a crime. My entire life savings was stolen from me. While I had no choice to report the crime, the Lord told me to not attempt to retrieve the money. With His guidance, I rebuilt my finances and became financially stable once more. It took time, but during that time, the Lord provided and worked out His goodness in my heart as He taught me to trust Him instead of my finances. One passage of Scripture I have seen fulfilled in my life is Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you”. The whole incident of theft changed my life. I drew closer to God and He has demonstrated to me that He will take care of me once I give my life wholeheartedly to Him. By surrendering to Jesus, He proved a faithful Provider. If I had chosen to trust money instead, I would have missed out on the better thing, which will always be Jesus. Placing Jesus first in your life ahead of family, career, and wealth means building a relationship based on faith, trust, and commitment to God. Is it difficult? Yes. But this sacrifice means living a life of purpose and meaning far more valuable than money or human relationships could ever provide.

3) Why did Jesus use salt as an analogy? (verses 34-35)
Being a Christian means more than just saying, “I believe in Jesus Christ”. We are called to be doers (active followers) of the Word of God, not simply hearers only. (James 1:22)  Being a disciple means fulfilling the calling God has for you, whatever that may be. If you begin your journey of walking with Jesus, and then become distracted by other things along the way, you have lost your saltiness. There was a season when I spent a lot of time in Bible Study and sharing what I learned through writing. Distraction set in and “life” got in the way. My excuses were plentiful. I had children to raise and a career to develop, and I allowed “following God” to take a backseat. Just before the theft incident, I would have said my life was great. It was when my whole world turned upside down, God lovingly used that hardship to correct my course and bring me back to Him. I have returned to daily Bible Study and have begun writing and sharing about Jesus once again. I am fulfilling my purpose and the calling the Lord has given me. In the words of Zondervan, “Believers must determine never to be “useless Christians”, like salt that has lost its flavour. (Zondervan KJV Commentary)

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

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 Sketched IX Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up
to receive every GT Journey Study!

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.

Posted in: Digging Deeper, Discipleship, Jesus, Rescue, Sacrifice, Sketched, Worship Tagged: Bear, commitment, Costly, cross, Freely, Humiliation, new life, Salt, Shame, surrender

The GT Weekend! ~ Follow Week 3

January 23, 2021 by Erin O'Neal 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) Children seem to be born to ask questions. Day in and day out, they are curious about the world and how it works, so they ask! But as children grow older, sometimes their questions can move from curiosity to challenging and disrespecting others. As we seek to learn more about the Lord,our questions can reveal our heart posture toward Him. Take a moment to think about the questions you have been asking God lately. Are you asking Him for guidance? Maybe you are questioning why certain things have happened in your life or the lives of loved ones. Have you been questioning His character or motivations? Write down some of the questions you find yourself asking lately or the questions that keep coming up in your life. Consider what these questions reveal about your heart. Are you seeking to know God, or justify yourself?Are you asking questions to get at the heart of God’s will or to protect your own will? How do you respond to the answers God gives (or chooses not to give)? Are you content with His ways, even when they are not your ways? Take some time to reflect on your questions and your heart attitude. Confess where you have fallen short, and ask God to continue to reveal His character to you.

2) Have you ever feared surrendering fully to God because you worried it would mean packing up and moving across the world? Or maybe you anxiously wondered if surrender would be equated with sudden poverty. Go ahead and take a minute to think about your pre-conceived ideas surrounding fully relinquishing all parts of your heart and life to Christ. Which areas is the Spirit bringing quickly to mind? You know, the ones you push away firmly and discount! (I know, because I’m doing the same thing!) Be willing to hold these close for a moment. Why do you fear surrender? Do you truly have control in this moment anyway? Do you truly believe the Lord is kind and good toward you at all times? Even in surrender? Consider the man living in the graveyard from Wednesday’s Journey Study. Ravaged by demons who sought to destroy him, this man was as good as dead to everyone who knew him. In what way do you see that your sin renders you to the graveyard like this man? Jesus brought healing, instant forgiveness, and sanity to a hopeless situation and the man’s response was a pleading for Jesus to take him away with Him. The man was seemingly willing to surrender everything about his home and family to follow Christ, but Jesus sent him home. Sometimes, well, often times, surrender doesn’t look like we expect, but Jesus knows precisely the best path to accomplish our obedient following. Are we willing to go?

3) Friday’s Journey Study closes with the question, “Where might God be calling us to use what He’s already given us for His glory?” As we looked at the character of Lydia, we saw a woman who was intentionally putting herself in a place to be exposed to the Word of God, even when it was potentially uncomfortable. Then, after hearing His Word, she responded in obedience. What steps do you need to take to be like Lydia? Are you making space in your life to hear the Word? This will look different in different seasons of life. Maybe you don’t have time to sit and read chapters at a time, but can you make time to listen to a chapter or two of Scripture while you make your lunch? Or maybe you do have time to read. Are you stewarding that time well? When you hear His word, are you responding in obedience, taking what you have learned and applying it to your life? Make time this week to truly evaluate your habits. Write down a plan for how you will make time to sit under God’s Word, and then how you remember to apply what He teaches you. Trust that He will bless the time you show up to learn from Him.

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 Mark 8:34-35 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

And calling the crowd to Him with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Prayer Journal
Gracious God and Savior, You are so good to us. I will never cease to be amazed by Your patience and kindness toward me. Even in my doubts and questions, You are steady. Even when I demand my own way, You are forgiving. Even when I drift from You, You bring me back and welcome me with open arms. I know I fall short of Your standards. Thank You for making a way for me to be made right with You. Thank You for being able to withstand my questions. Thank You for being trustworthy as I submit my will to Yours. Thank You for being a God who draws near. Help me, oh Father, to be steadfast. Help me to learn from my questions, to humble my heart, and to draw near to You. Help me to not grow weary in doing good, but to seek You out in every area of my life. Let my life bring glory to You in every way.

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Posted in: Fear, Follow, Fullness, God, GT Weekend, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus, Joy, Obedience Tagged: Ahead, cross, forgiveness, Fully Surrender, healing

Sola Day 11 Soli Deo Gloria

May 25, 2020 by Sara Cissell Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 115:1-3
1 Corinthians 10:31-32
Ephesians 3:1-21
1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Sola, Day 11

I can only imagine the atmosphere in the room as George Frideric Handel finished his masterpiece, “Messiah.” Did the last note resonate in the room, slowly reverberating into silence? Was there a hushed reverence filling the space?

Whatever the moment was like, something caused Handel to pick up his writing utensil and inscribe S.D.G. on the page in front of him.

Soli Deo Gloria.

These three Latin words translated into English mean “to God alone the glory.” Handel wrote the music for “Messiah” in 1741. Literal centuries later, people still flock to venues to hear his work played in person.

Not only has his work endured through the years, but it was also written with remarkable speed. Handel wrote the music in 24 days. My last month has been quite busy, but I don’t anticipate any of my activities will be recognized by the masses hundreds of years later.

What astounds and humbles me about Handel and the details of writing the “Messiah” masterpiece is that Handel intentionally chose to give the Lord the glory. While odds were incredibly high Handel had no idea how his artistry would impact the world, in the completion of his work, he focused his eyes upward rather than inward.

To God alone the glory. Soli Deo Gloria.

I may never accomplish anything even remotely rivaling the work of Handel, but I would be amiss in thinking my own renown is ever the purpose for my actions. My glory, or the perceived impact of my actions, is not to be my focus.

Martin Luther also sought to challenge the mindset of striving for personal glory by arguing the cross of Christ is of the utmost importance.

1 Corinthians 2:2 sums up the mindset we are called to in Christ.
“For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.” (Amplified Bible)

Luther argued embracing the cross of Christ, rather than attempting to appropriate some of Christ’s glory for ourselves, is key to living a life truly pointing to Jesus. When we lose sight of the cross and the crucifixion of Christ, we lose sight of the reality of our Christian walk.

Christ crucified is the forgiveness of our sins,
the demonstration of His sacrificial love,
the invitation to surrender to His Lordship,
and the challenge to become more like Him.

To Him be all the glory.

If I live with the mindset of riding on the coattails of His glory in my life, I miss out on truly knowing Him, and we, as a church, lose that which makes us salt and light in today’s world.

So what does this look like in our day-to-day life?

I encourage you to consider how your own endeavors, be they monumental or mundane, can communicate the forgiveness, the sacrificial love, and the surrender and transformation made possible through the cross of Christ.

How can your own endeavors, be they monumental or mundane, be carried out to the glory of God alone?

And what does it look like in my life?

As I sit here with my laptop nestled on my lap, my coffee cup sitting on the table nearby, and raindrops tapping on the window behind me, I think it looks like thanking Him for His goodness and faithfulness in allowing me the opportunity to write.

It is praying before my fingers touch the keyboard, asking for His wisdom and direction in crafting the message. It is in writing the words and releasing them to Him for His use, however He desires.

It looks like delighting in the little ways the Lord has shown His presence in my day-to-day life: a hot cup of coffee and a refreshing spring rain. It is serving my family with a sacrificial love and modeling a life of looking to Him. It is finding my value and identity in who the Lord says I am and being obedient to His leading in my life.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly what Handel felt as those last notes filled the air. An awareness He was made for such a time as this, and regardless of who would hear his music in the future, the One for whom it was truly written had already heard the melody dance through the vaults of heaven.

To God alone the glory. 

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Posted in: Christ, God, Jealous, Love, Sacrifice, Sola, Song Tagged: cross, forgiveness, glory, God Alone, Lord, Messiah, surrender

Hallel Day 15 From Death To Life

April 17, 2020 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 118:17-29
Psalm 24:1-10
Matthew 26:36-56
Luke 20:9-18

Hallel, Day 15

I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.
The Lord disciplined me severely,
but did not give me over to death.

The words came flooding like so much mockery as the events of the previous hours replayed again and again, unbidden, in my mind. These were words my lips had sung hours before in swirls of confusion beneath the dark sky of Gethsemane. It was the same garden, the same piles of rocks, the same swath of olive branches where I had sat with these brothers of mine for countless hours over the last three years.

Here, I’d heard Jesus teaching the masses.
Here, I’d heard been confronted with truth.
Here, we had learned to pray.
And mere hours go, here is where my brothers and I had fallen asleep while…….
the sobs gathered with overwhelming force in my throat, choking me, as I called to mind my failings.

I ran aimlessly through the now empty garden.
I could not hold back the screams of agony.
Falling to the ground, my fists pummeled the soft earth, and I wished for death.

Here, just hours ago, I had watched Jesus heal a soldier’s ear from Peter’s reckless sword.
Here, I had been jolted awake from Jesus’ emotion-filled plea to please, please pray with Him. But I didn’t. I just couldn’t stay awake.

My hands reached up and grabbed at nearby olive branches in self-loathing and anger, plucking new leaves into my balled-up fists.

Softly, the words came again.
I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.

Proclaim?!
I scoffed!
Proclaim what??
That Yahweh had parted the Red Sea?
So what…
That He brought us out of exile?
That was centuries ago….
None of it was relevant now.
Our Messiah is… dead.

Anger overtook me again as my fingers dug into the dirt.

Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the Lord’s gate;
the righteous will enter through it.

The melody came like whispers.
As if Jesus Himself were singing the words, and my mind easily recalled the lusty sound of His voice, fraught with emotion, as He had sung those words while leading us here last night.

This is the Lord’s gate;
the righteous will enter through it.

What did any of this mean anymore in light of all the new happenings.
In light of death….
The only understanding hitting me hard on repeat was the knowing that I was not righteous. I was not righteous. I was not righteous. Too many sins, like the dirt pressed beneath my fingernails, my sin colored everything.
I knew the truth, I was not righteous.

Not like Jesus. Certainly not like Jesus. He was innocent. Holy. Pure.
And again, the tears flowed with the blatant injustice of it all.
Holiness murdered. Messiah dead. Hope gone…..

I will give thanks to you
because you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This came from the Lord;
it is wondrous in our sight.

My lungs held their air as the words seemed to wrap around me, insisting I gaze at them longer. My body trembled, but something about those words I hadn’t recognized before. I turned my head as if to hear the words sung again in Jesus’ voice. Was there a deeper message in these age-old lyrics?

You…have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This came from the Lord;

They were jagged pieces of a puzzle, but like a hazy fog gathering around me, realization was slowly creeping over me.
Salvation.
The stone the builders rejected….
This came from the Lord.

I inhaled sharply, suddenly remembering I had forgotten to breath, and my mind raced to the day Jesus had spoken those very words.
We were all gathered around Him in Jerusalem, walking around the breathtaking edifice of Herod’s Temple. He had told a strange parable, as most of them were, about the owner of a vineyard who, while out of the country, had sent a servant to gather fruit. But the tenants of the vineyard, whom the owner had left in charge, beat up the servant and sent him back empty handed. Three times the owner sent a servant, and three times the tenants abused the servants. Finally, the owner sent His own beloved Son, saying surely, the tenants will respect my son. But they didn’t. Instead they killed him. Then Jesus had quoted this portion of the Hallel, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”.

Soft rain began mixing with my tears as I lifted my face to the heavens.
Christ was the cornerstone.
Christ was the rejected son, killed by the ones intended to care for the Father’s people.
Salvation.
This came from the Lord.

“There must be more to the story, Jesus”, I felt my lips move, and peace began easing my clenched muscles.
I didn’t have the answers, but, here, as before, in this Garden, I was being confronted with truth.

The Lord is God and has given us light.

Yes, Lord, You are the giver of Light.
Jesus, He is Your light of the world.
But, God, they crucified Him!
My questions still hung in the air
His answer came with power as the words to the end of the Hallel opened my heart, “Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar…”

Jesus.
The bound sacrifice.
The cross was the altar.
Death traded for life!

I still had questions to be sure, but as I rose, dropping the olive branches to the dirt by my sandaled feet, I felt washed. I felt peace.
No, I didn’t know the answers. Christ was still in the grave, but there was more to the story, I knew it would be so because God has always, always been faithful, and always would be.

Yes, He parted the Red Sea.
Yes, it still mattered.
Yes, He set us free from slavery.
Because He has always brought Life out of Death.

You are my God, and I will give you thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
His faithful love endures forever!

—–
As is the case with each of our first-person narratives at Gracefully Truthful, these stories of Hallel have been imaginative creativity based in the truth of Scripture. We don’t know what the disciples’ exact actions or personal internal wrestlings were after the final Passover meal, the betrayal, the denial, the flogging, and finally the crucifixion of their Lord, Jesus Christ. But, here in the Garden, we hope you find small pieces of your own journey with Jesus, and you, like the disciples, discover He is indeed faithful and true, as He always brings Life out of Death!

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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 Hallel Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Here’s a link to all past studies in Hallel!

Posted in: Discipline, Hallel, Hope, Jesus, Prayer, Salvation, Truth, Worship Tagged: Alter, cross, death, Easter, Here, Passover, plea, proclaim, To Life

Esther Day 12 Honor And Justice: Digging Deeper

November 19, 2019 by Melodye Reeves Leave a Comment

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 Honor And Justice!

The Questions

1) What did Jesus mean in verse 23 when He said, “the hour has come”?

2) What do verses 27-28 indicate about why Jesus’ soul was troubled?

3) The word “now” is used three times in verses 27-31. What is its significance in the context of the passage?

John 12:23-32

23 Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. 25 The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 27 “Now my soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus responded, “This voice came, not for me, but for you. 31 Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate what kind of death he was about to die.

Original Intent

1) What did Jesus mean in verse 23 when He said, “the hour has come”?
All of the synoptic Gospels (which include Matthew, Mark & Luke) quote Jesus speaking about “the hour.” Previously in John, we read the time had “not yet come”. (John 7:6, John 7:30, John 8:20). Jesus was continually communicating the profound significance of “the hour”. By the time of his writing, John has recognized the importance of “the hour” by dedicating almost half of his Gospel to Christ’s last week. Jesus knew that everything would happen when it should, and not before (John 2:4). He was obedient to God in everything He said and did, and God was glorified as a result. (John 12:28, John 17:4) Jesus had come into the world for “this hour.” (Galatians 4:4-5). In verse 23, Jesus begins to unveil how the hour is now approaching that He has spoken of to His disciples and others (John 4:23-25). In the days following, the words Jesus spoke and the events that occurred would reveal what “hour has come” and why it was necessary. Jesus had come to reveal and glorify the Father, and to reconcile to Him those who would believe (John 13:1-7, John 16:25-33, John 17:1-5) Commentator, Leon Morris, said about these verses, “the hour has come and is staying with us. There is no going back on it.”

2) What do verses 27-28 indicate about why Jesus’ soul was troubled?
Jesus knew the time had come for Him to complete the mission to which He had been called by dying the humble death of a servant. (John 12:24-26, Philippians 2:5-8) He had told the disciples that “the hour” had come, though He had not made it clear what He meant. Though Jesus mentioned that Mary’s kind gesture earlier (of anointing Him) was in preparation of His burial, those around Him were still very unaware of the implications of His death. Commentators remind us that the Gospels are not primarily focused on a timeline of events, but are intently focused on telling us Who Jesus is and what His purpose was for coming. (bible.org) Every person eventually dies, but Jesus is the only one who was born TO die. Dressed bodily in “genuine humanity” and surrounded by those He loved, Jesus was feeling the sorrow anyone would feel. Though we should be careful not to describe Jesus’ humanity and divinity as a mixed blend forming some kind of divine and human composition. His attributes of being fully God while also fully man are united in His one Being. (The Moody Handbook of Theology) Jesus knew the Father’s will was to crush and wound Him for our healing (Isaiah 53:5-10). He loved mankind, and though His very purpose was to bring the Father glory, His humanity dreaded the painful sorrow He faced. He would demonstrate the depths of His agony later at Gethsemane. (Matthew 26:38-39)

3) The word “now” is used three times in verses 27-31. What is its significance in the context of the passage?
Jesus said, “Now my soul is troubled …” and “Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” Often, in the Scriptures we see the word “now”. Here the same Greek word is used all three times. That’s important because it’s an adverb in these verses (Greek, adverb νῦν), unlike other times when its used as a conjunction, as in Hebrews 11:1 in which it is a connecting word and not denoting time. Jesus is not simply bridging thoughts. He is declaring that soon His work on earth will be complete and that the enemy is going to be defeated through that work. Although redemption is the most significant completion of His task, Christ finished other things at the cross. (John 19:28-10) His sufferings, endured on earth as a human, were now over. The perfect obedience of the Son to the Father resulted in the completed task of defeating sin and death. (John 6:35-38, Colossians 2:14-15)

Everyday Application

1) What did Jesus mean in verse 23 when He said, “the hour has come”?
A resurrected Lazarus had given the skeptics and the critics fits! There was quite a stir about the event, and some began to follow Jesus as a result. Several times in the Gospels, Jesus was “interrupted” by someone with a need. He was always so merciful to respond, sometimes to the frustration of His disciples. Now, Jesus must look straight ahead to His task of sacrifice on the cross. And how thankful I am! Because this time, I am the recipient of His mercy. Jesus’ obedience to go all the way to cross meant my salvation. His submission to the Father led to glory for God and honor for us who partake of His mercy. What a remarkable thought! As a Christ-follower, we receive honor from the Father, which is the result of our new identity in Christ now. Because of Christ, we receive glory. And His example of giving up His life shows us that we must do the same. “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

2) What do verses 27-28 indicate about why Jesus’ soul was troubled?
Jesus was fully human. The prospect of a coming death which included certain suffering caused a blunt revulsion within His humanity. John’s purpose for writing his book was so everyone who read it “may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing may have life in His name.” (John 20:29) John also wanted his reader to grasp the humanity of the One who died for us. Jesus’ humanity is seen throughout so much of the apostle’s writings. Jesus got hungry and thirsty, He cried, and He felt compassion for those who were far from God. At some point in our lives, we all probably wonder why deep pain comes into our lives. Pain and suffering prompt valid questions. The problem with us is we often demand an answer instead of submitting to God’s sovereign plan. Christ was troubled deep within His soul, but when it came to His darkest hour of decision, He said “not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

3) The word “now” is used three times in verses 27-31. What is its significance in the context of the passage?
It IS finished! The significance of the word “now” means everything to those of us who have trusted in Christ’s work. Jesus said His life was not taken from Him. He willingly offered up His life at just the right time. (Romans 5:6) His attitude is now the standard for all believers in every area of life: family conflicts, ethics, responding to our enemies, interpreting suffering. The lyrics to a Big Daddy Weave song say it perfectly. I am able to confidently share the amazing news that is my story, and it’s the story of all the redeemed.
If I told you my story, you would hear victory over the enemy.
And if I told you my story, you would hear freedom that was won for me.
And if I told you my story, you would hear how life overcome the grave!
If I should speak then let it be of the grace that is greater than all my sin;
of when justice was served and where mercy wins;
of the kindness of Jesus that draws me in.
Oh, to tell you my story is to tell of Him!
THIS is my story; this is my song! Praising my Savior all the day long!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Honor And Justice!

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 Esther Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
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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.

Posted in: Digging Deeper, Esther, God, Gospel, Humility, Jesus, Mercy, Obedience, Scripture, Significance Tagged: cross, Genuine Humanity, honor, justice, Now, sacrifice, sovereign plan

Gospel Day 14 Will Not Perish: Digging Deeper

March 28, 2019 by Dr. Leslie Umstattd Leave a Comment

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 Will Not Perish!

The Questions

1) Who is “all” in verse 23?

2) How are we justified?

3) What did Jesus’ death on the cross show?

Romans 3:23-26

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Original Intent

1) Who is “all” in verse 23?
In the original language, the word all is defined as “each, every, all, the whole, all things, some of all types.” (www.studylight.org- Thayers Dictionary) When Paul used this word, he was intending for no exceptions. No human being is exempt regardless of social status, age, background, race, merit, or nationality.

2) How are we justified?
As verse 24 states, we are justified, or made right, by His grace through the redemption found in Christ Jesus. That grace only comes because Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross taking the penalty for all sin when He shed his blood, surrendered His life, and resurrected on the third day. This action made all humanity right before God, but in faith we must accept that justification and grace.

3) What did Jesus’ death on the Cross show?
In verse 25, Paul explains how Jesus’ death displayed God’s righteousness because He had to make right the sin of the world. God is a perfect and holy God and His Son, Jesus, was a perfect and holy sacrifice. God was the justifier.

Everyday Application

1) Who is “all” in verse 23?
The gospel is for everyone because everyone bears the weight of sin in their life. When Eve took a bite of the fruit and sin entered the world, the entirety of creation was subjected to death and humanity was covered in sin. All have sinned and fallen short of what God desires, but the good news is God provided for ALL to come back to Him. He is a righteous God who because of His great love for His creation, provided the way back. Not all believe in Him, but the gift of eternal life is offered to all. If Jesus offers His gift to all, how can we hold back?

2) How are we justified?
God provided a way for all to come to Him, but we must choose to walk that path. When we make the decision to follow Him and commit our way to Him, we are covered “just as if” our sin did not stand between us as sinners and the holy God. We are justified before Him, our debt is paid in full, and there is nothing that can separate us from His love. (Romans 8:38-39) The judge, God, dismisses the case because the evidence against us was vanquished when Christ, the perfect sacrifice, was crucified 2000 years ago in our place and resurrected three days later, forever conquering Death for all who believe. He conquered sin once and for all.  Living in this reality daily transforms our lives as we seek to live in the truth of our new identity in Christ—no longer a slave to sin, but set free in His grace and love!

3) What did Jesus’ death on the Cross show?
The beauty of the gospel is it reveals so many aspects of God’s character. One characteristic being God’s righteousness. There is a need for a debt to be paid and He is the collector of that debt, but the beauty part is how He provided the payment. It is our debt, yet God, in giving His Son, provided the payment in full. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ showed God’s willingness, another characteristic, to sacrifice His own son so His creation could be reconciled to Him. In viewing the cross and Christ’s sacrifice, we see God’s pursuit and love for reconciliation between Himself and His creation: and it is beautiful!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Will Not Perish!

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 Gospel Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up
to receive every GT Journey Study!

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.

Posted in: Digging Deeper, God, Gospel, Grace, Jesus, Life, Restored, Salvation Tagged: All, cross, death, God's righteousness, John 3:16, Justified

Incorruptible Day 1 Temporary Residents

November 5, 2018 by Rebecca Chartier Leave a Comment

Incorruptible Day 1 Temporary Residents

Rebecca Chartier

November 5, 2018

Adoring,Believe,church,Daughter,Design,Enemies,God,Good,Gospel,Grace,Jesus,Life,Love,Meaning,persecution,Pursue,Relationship,Sacrifice,Scripture,Significance,Truth

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Peter 1:1-2
John 10:7-15
John 15:18-19

Exiles
We have heard the term, but what does it mean?
For the Christians in the first-century church in Jerusalem, it meant they were hated and persecuted to the point of being driven from their homes and communities into the wild areas of modern-day Turkey.
This persecution took our Lord Jesus to the cross, where He willingly laid down His life for us. The same religious leaders who led the charge against Jesus then focused on His followers (Acts 8:1-4).
It is to these exiles Peter wrote.
He began his letter by reminding them that they were….

Chosen
To those chosen, living as exiles, dispersed abroad….
Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,
to be obedient,
and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
1 Peter 1:1-2

Let that sink in, sisters.

The same God who created the stars and made the earth conducive to sustaining human life chose you to be in relationship with Him.

What blessed grace!
What an honor!

When you’re in a relationship with God, you become more like Him.
Not because He forces you.
Not because He guilts you.
It’s because you come to realize that His ways are better for life…for the abundant life that Christ affords us.

As you become more like Jesus, you become less like the world. Maybe you’ll feel your friends distancing themselves from you. Maybe you’ll experience more conflict.Then maybe the enemy whispers to you (like he does to me) that you don’t deserve to be a Christian – or that you aren’t really a Christian – because of…blah, blah, blah.

Of course, we don’t deserve it!
That’s why it’s called grace.
Left to ourselves, Jesus says, “you did not choose me!”
Sweet friend, if you find yourself listening to those whispers, focus on grace.

By His grace, we are set free.  (Colossians 1:14)
By His grace, He will never let us go. (1 John 4:13)
By His grace, He has chosen us and not rejected us. (1 Peter 2:4)

Obedient

To those chosen, living as exiles, dispersed abroad….
Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,
to be obedient,
and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
1 Peter 1:1-2

Why were we chosen?
Chosen for what?

Peter says we were chosen for obedience. (1 Peter 1:1)
Paul says we were chosen to be conformed to the image of the Son. (Romans 8:29)
These are summed up when Jesus says we were chosen to produce fruit. (John 15:16)

We, as children of God, are chosen, called, and set-apart to be obedient to Him as we are conformed through the work of the Holy Spirit, into becoming like Jesus, producing His fruit in our everyday lives. (Galatians 5:21-22)

Fruit that loves. (Luke 10:27)
Fruit that shares the hope of Jesus precisely because we are exiles. (Matthew 28:18-20)
Fruit that accepts and values one another as equals. (Romans 15:7)
Fruit that serves. (Galatians 5:13)
Fruit that is patient (Ephesians 4:2) and kind (Ephesians 4:32).

Exiles.

We are to be in this world, but not of it. (Romans 12:1-2)
Just like our brothers and sisters in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, we are exiles in our countries, cultures, cities, and neighborhoods.
Our citizenship is in heaven. (Philippians 1:27a)

We are exiles.

Chosen for relationship with the Almighty through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.
Called out for obedience through the sanctifying work of the Spirit.
Yes, we are exiles, sisters.
This world is not our home.

Hallelujah!

May His grace and peace be multiplied to you as you live here as exiles, changing the world around you for the Kingdom of God!

Lord, help entrench ourselves in Your grace as we live in this foreign land as temporary residents, just passing through on our way to Forever with our Wonderful Father!

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This world is not our home, but rather a temporary place of residence until Christ returns. Peter called upon the “exiles” to abstain from the “passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:10-12) for the sole purpose of pointing those around them to Christ. We are the exiles of this age, pointing people to Him, the one true God and Redeemer. He has given us a promise in the Holy Spirit until He returns to sustain us, to enable us, and to live as exiles until we go to our eternal home.
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Posted in: Adoring, Believe, church, Daughter, Design, Enemies, God, Good, Gospel, Grace, Jesus, Life, Love, Meaning, persecution, Pursue, Relationship, Sacrifice, Scripture, Significance, Truth Tagged: chosen, Christian, church, cross, enemy, exile, grace, Jesus, life, love, meaning, obedience, peace, persecution, relationship
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