Desperate

Shepherd Day 7 Lifelines In The Dark: Digging Deeper

2 Comments

Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s
Journey Study?
Check out Lifelines In The Dark!

Psalm 23:4 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

The Questions

1) Why do I not need to fear when I am in the dark valley?

2) What difference does God being “with me” make?

3) What do God’s “rod and staff” have to do with comfort?

The Findings for Intention

1) Why do I not need to fear when I am in the dark valley?
There is no doubt that David was familiar with dark valleys.  He could have penned this particular psalm during many times of his life – when Saul was seeking to kill him out of jealousy (1 Samuel 18:6-16) and David faced the fear of his own death; when he was grieving the death of his first child with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:15-23) and David faced the fear of painful loss; when he was confronted with the desolation between his children that included rape and murder (2 Samuel 13) and David faced the fear of the unraveling of his family; or when his own men turned against him (2 Samuel 15) and David faced the fear of betrayal and failure.  Yet David’s own words in this Psalm reflect that he wasn’t afraid.  What was his secret? Confidence in the God who was “with him” provided him with the strength to persevere through the darkest times.

2) What difference does God being “with me” make?
In another beautiful illustration, David pens in Psalm 3 the effect the with me God’s presence had on him during his difficult times.  When he was in the valley, facing the dark, David felt the protection of God, the glory of God, and the strength of God to face those difficult moments (3:3).  God was his sustainer (3:5).  And as a result, David knew peace and rest (3:5) because he understood that God was ultimately in control of the entire situation (3:8).

3) What do God’s “rod and staff” have to do with comfort?
David returns with these words of “rod and staff” tying them to the imagery of God as his Shepherd.  David understood the dependency of the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep, and all that it entailed.  The shepherd who tends to, protects, defends, and rescues his sheep was close to David’s heart and an important part of his early life.  David articulates the role of a shepherd when he speaks with King Saul, before he goes out to face Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:31-40.  In today’s Scripture reference, David puts  himself into the role of a sheep, finding comfort in the fact that the Shepherd would take care of him in the darkest and most difficult of days.

The Everyday Application

1) Why do I not need to fear when I am in the dark valley?
Dark times in the valley are an unavoidable reality of life in this broken world.  Thus, how do we navigate them with the confidence that David exemplifies for us?  First, we remember Who is in control of every valley.  At God’s spoken word, “…mountains rose and valleys sank — to the place [He] established for them,” (Psalm 104:8). Whether spiritual or physical, God knows our valleys, He has established their purpose, and He sets their boundaries in our lives (Psalm 104:9).  God has a purpose for the wilderness and valley times of our lives, and He will ultimately use them to bring us hope (Hosea 2:14-15).  Cling tightly to the truth that your God is with you and committed to bringing you through the valley and helping you to know His hope and peace.

2) What difference does God being “with me” make?
Do you live in a place where you are aware that you have a with me God?  Don’t give the quick, easy answer.  Take a minute.  Really reflect and think deeply.  Are you trying to just survive on your own?  Are you working to keep yourself afloat in the midst of a mess?  Do you feel abandoned and alone?  If any of these are true, they are indicators that you’ve forgotten this reality.  Take in the truth of Psalm 42:8 and let it penetrate deeply into your heart:  “The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night…”

3) What do God’s “rod and staff” have to do with comfort?
“He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows,” 2 Corinthians 4:5-6.  As our Shepherd, God extends to us the same comfort that David knew.  And God doesn’t offer this to us in “some” of our afflictions, but in ALL of them.  He never leaves us; He never ignores our pain.  He is our Good Shepherd and cares for every need we, His sheep, may face during every season and place in our lives. Not only that, He then asks us to extend that comfort to others around us.  If you are facing a valley or darkness right now, how do you need to allow God’s comfort to penetrate your heart?  If you are not in your own valley, who around you needs to know this comfort from you?

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join the friends at the GT Facebook Community!

I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

The Community!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into
Shepherd Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion. 
We’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? 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 :-))

The Why!

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.

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

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Shepherd!

The GT Weekend! Character Week 1

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) James 1:19-21 shows what our human anger brings to our lives. Read through this passage and reflect on its words. Mark the places that show the results of our anger. Look for what James’ solution to our mess looks like. See the reality of Scripture come alive as you see we are not destined to hopelessness and despair. The Lord has provided a means to reconciliation!

2) It is an amazing privilege and Biblical invitation, to worship together corporately with other believers. It’s equally amazing to choose to worship in the ordinary parts of our lives. Where could you be intentional with choosing to give back praise for God’s faithfulness? Set aside specific time in your calendar to sing/write/draw in praise to the Lord. Share with us your day-to-day means of praise on Instagram #GTpraise.

3) God knew His created people would walk away from Him and choose substitutes for His glory. He gave the Old Testament law to show His children the extent of their brokenness. He sent Jesus to fulfill the need of a blood sacrifice to speak to God directly. God orchestrated every piece so He could redeem you, dear sister, back to Himself. He’s calling you, drawing you; are you ready to answer? What’s holding you back?

Journaling your prayers is simply another way to talk to the Lord. Slow down, pull out pen and paper, read the following Scripture passage and prayer, then let your own words flow to the Almighty One who loves you so deeply!

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 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. 10 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. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us.
– 1 John 4:7-12

Lord when I get bogged down by the law and spending so much energy on not being ruled by it but following in obedience, my heart still misses the point. I still miss Your desire; relationship with me, for Your glory. Forgive me for the times I make it about me and what I can do for You.

As I fold the laundry, wash countless dishes, and interact with every crazy driver on the road, let me choose praise. Because of Jesus, I have the access to sing Your praise every moment of the day. And yet I so often grumble, or even ignore Your work in my life while I mindlessly scroll Facebook. Help me “take every thought captive to obey Christ” this week!

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Sketched III, Day 5 Barabbas

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 27:15-26
Mark 15:1-15
Luke 23:1-25

Sketched III, Day 5

After weeks of waiting in prison, the day has finally come.
I, Barabbas, have been convicted of treason against Rome.
My punishment is the worst imaginable – crucifixion at Golgotha.

I joined the insurrectionists because I believed in their mission – to rebel against the iron fist that was Roman rule and the elite upper class of Israel. Joining the zealots gave me a sense of purpose and belonging.

My name means “son of the father”, but I have no family.
This guerilla rebel group took me in and showed me that I could make a lasting impact on the world – for good or for bad.

During the riots, I felt full of fire and passion, like I would never get caught!
I robbed and I murdered.
I became notorious among the people as a revolutionary, gained popularity among other insurrectionists, and sympathy from the common people.
My life was going great, but in the back of my mind,
I wondered when my luck would run out.

Finally, it did.
I was arrested at our most recent uprising, and I’ve been in jail with other rebels ever since. I knew I was in trouble the moment the Roman soldier grabbed me.
The Romans don’t go easy on people like me.
They don’t care if I’ve stolen or if I’ve killed someone.
My sentence is for treason, the highest offense in Roman eyes.
When I was arrested, my first thought was of crucifixion.
I knew that would be my fate.

But I have one small hope, Paschal Pardon, the Jewish Passover custom of releasing to the crowd one prisoner of their choice.
So my fate lies in the hands of an angry mob.

I’ve been told that the governor, Pontius Pilate, is going to offer to the crowd me and one other man, Jesus of Nazareth. This man is also convicted on treason,
but He’s nothing like me.
I’ve heard He’s been creating quite the commotion around the city.
I’ve heard He performs miracles.
I’ve heard He heals the sick and dines with the poor.
Some say He is a good teacher.
Others say He is the Messiah.

Jesus landed himself in this position because the chief priests and scribes are angry at Him. He claims to be the Son of God – blasphemy in their eyes.
He said that the temple would be destroyed, but He would raise it up in 3 days (John 2:19). More blasphemy.

Getting the chief priests and scribes angry may play to my advantage, though.
They have influence and they will be in the crowd today. They want Jesus out of their way and they will do whatever it takes to make it happen!
If they argue for Jesus’s crucifixion, surely the crowd will as well.
—

I’ve gotten word that the crowd seems to be favoring my release over Jesus! I may have a second chance at life! I feel so full of relief, vigor, excitement, deliverance, and…

Guilt.
This man has done nothing to deserve death!
When He came into Jerusalem at the beginning of Passover, He came riding in on a donkey and people praised Him shouting, “Hosanna!” (Matthew 21:1-11).
He has brought hope and healing, not death and destruction like me.
Who could this man be?
Is he a good teacher?
Is he a prophet?
Or is he really the Messiah?

How could this innocent man die in my place?
Me, a sinful and guilty man!
If this Jesus really does die for me, I must find out the truth.
Why He is here and why He died.
——

Barabbas was the forerunner of all people to be saved by Jesus’ death. Barabbas was guilty for his sins. He deserved death. Instead of receiving what he deserved, he was shown mercy. Jesus took his place on the cross so that Barabbas would not that have to die that day.
Today, we are all Barabbas.
We deserve death for the sins we have committed, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and died the death we deserve. Imagine the relief Barabbas must have felt when he learned that he would not be crucified. May we also experience that kind of appreciation and thankfulness for our salvation through Jesus Christ!

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

Sketched III Day 1 Leah The Unlovely

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 69:1-3
Psalm 103:8-14
Philippians 4:6-9     

Sketched III, Day 1

Rachel was beautiful, with dancing dark eyes, a beguiling smile and willowy figure. She would bring a handsome bride-price. I lived in her shadow—forgettable, homely.
Papa joked that he’d have to pay someone to take me!

One afternoon, Rachel burst in breathlessly chattering to Papa about a traveler from Gilead. He was waiting at the well. A distant relative; his name was Jacob. Jacob’s fascination with Rachel was obvious from the beginning. His eyes softly glowed when he looked at her; a boyish smile played at his mouth. She was aflutter, blushing under his admiring gaze. Jacob asked to marry her and Papa gave his consent.

It was common knowledge that older daughters married first, but it wasn’t mentioned. Rules are often altered for favored beauties. Besides, who would want me? Jacob’s intoxication with Rachel fanned a hopeful spark within me. Perhaps someone would gaze upon me with softly glowing eyes and disarming smile. My contributions would be valued; I would be valued. Seven years passed as Jacob worked hard for Rachel; yet, no one came for me.

The party started early the day of the wedding. Abundant food, liquor, and dancing girls fueled the loud laughter that grew increasingly raucous and vulgar. In late afternoon, Papa came to see me. He was drunk, standing uncomfortably close as he unfolded his plan. I would don the bridal costume; the veils would hide my ugly face. Jacob would marry me tonight; he could marry Rachel later. Customs would be honored, he would be rid of his ugly daughter and Jacob would be none the wiser until it was too late. Papa laughed loudly at his own cleverness, his breath heavy with liquor. He turned to leave, landing a sound smack on my backside, laughing as I bristled. Hot tears sprang to my eyes; there was no time to cry. Servant girls appeared with armloads of bridal garb. The air was heavy with silence; they helped me bathe and brushed my hair.  Dousing me in perfume, they bundled me into the bridal costume and carefully pinned the thick veils in place.  I sat waiting.

Treachery, trickery; it has always been Papa’s way, but this was low.
Humiliated, trapped—I was a pawn in Papa’s game.

As I sat waiting in bridal attire, between the perfume and the heavy garb, I grew nauseous and sweaty. Papa’s degrading words rang in my head; I stifled the sobs that threatened and waited.
An hour later Papa came for me and the ceremony was performed.
At its end, I was Jacob’s wife and he would be rightly furious.
However, he didn’t know I wasn’t Rachel.
So, for tonight, I was his beloved, beautiful bride.
If only for tonight, I would feel what it was like to be loved.

In the gray light of pre-dawn, I awoke. Jacob’s arm slid over me, pulling me to him. Sinking into his embrace, I drank deeply of the remaining moments of this delicious delusion that I was loved. He stirred, nuzzling the soft curve of my neck. Brushing my hair from my face, he gasped and bolted upright! Clutching the bedclothes, questions sputtered.
Where was Rachel? Did we?
My tears and apologies flowed. Cursing Papa, he dressed and was gone.
Thoroughly humiliated, I buried myself in the bedclothes and wept. Would I always be unloved?

An ugly showdown transpired between Jacob and Papa that day; Jacob married Rachel within a week.
I was nonexistent, insignificant, and unwanted.

Soon I had a wonderful secret. Rachel held his heart, but I carried his baby. The look on Rachel’s face was priceless! Thus, began the rivalry that marked our lives as sisters, vying for Jacob’s attention.

I delivered a strapping boy; I was immediately in love. I couldn’t stop kissing his head and his scrunched little face. To my surprise, Jacob came. Wonder sprang to his eyes as I handed him our son. Holding our baby awkwardly, a boyish smile played at his lips. Raising his eyes to mine, he smiled at me. It is a moment etched forever in my memory. Hope flickered. Could I dare hope for Jacob’s affection?
I named our son Rueben: “God has seen my affliction!” Surely, things would be different now; as mother of his firstborn, I would be honored.

The years that followed found me pregnant or nursing most of the time. With each pregnancy, Rachel grew increasingly pouty. I loved it! I adored my boys with their grubby faces and boisterous laughter. They were my only joy. Though I’d borne three sons, I remained invisible and forever pitted against Rachel in a game rigged against me.

Jacob’s God was Yahweh, He seemed to honor castoffs, so I turned my hope toward Him.
He had already favored me with three sons.
Though Jacob ignored me, Yahweh held me with tender affection, He became my solace.
Jacob’s love for Rachel became nearly irrelevant.
I was at peace, and when pregnant again, I named our son Judah meaning, “This time I will praise the Lord!”.

The jealousy that formerly ruled me, rose to master me again.
Not be outdone by Rachel, I thrust Zilpah into Jacob’s arms.
The weighty pressure of performance-driven attempts to receive love clouded the peace I’d only begun to learn from Yahweh.
Would I always be unloved?
—
Leah was mistreated, humiliated, disregarded and ignored.
Life is often brutal: we too know the sting of others’ contempt or cutting words. Scripture teaches that all life is valuable, overflowing with God’s tender compassion for the weak, oppressed and castoffs.
Note of God’s heart toward the unseen and unloved in these passages:
Psalm 9:9-10   Matthew 10:29-31   Isaiah 43:1-4   Matthew 25: 34-40   Psalm 103:8-14

Encountering hurt is inevitable, how we respond makes all the difference! Note what the writer does with his emotions in these verses as he models how we can handle our own feelings:
Lamentations 3:22-26   Philippians 4:6-9    Psalm 18:6-26   1 Peter 5:6-7   Psalm 69:1-3

For all of Leah’s story, see Genesis 27-30

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched III Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

Woven Day 12 Shepherd King: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s
Journey Study?
Check out Shepherd King!

Ezekiel 34:11-16 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

11 “‘For this is what the Lord God says: See, I myself will search for my flock and look for them. 12 As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and total darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own soil. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will tend them in good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel’s lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will tend my flock and let them lie down. This is the declaration of the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.”

The Questions

1) Why is God searching for His flock?

2) How does God plan to tend His flock?

3) What is the significance of the promise God makes in verse 16?

The Findings for Intention

1) Why is God searching for His flock?
God’s people have been taken into captivity in Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.  They are scattered and no longer living as His nation.  This particular chapter of Ezekiel is both a rebuke of God’s people (leaders and followers), and a promise of restoration.  But despite their failures, God states that HE will seek them out in the places where they have been scattered.  God doesn’t promise to send others on His behalf to find them, but keeps Himself personally involved in their being found again.  God loves His people enough to look for them Himself, to find them in their dark places, no matter how far they have been taken away, and to bring them back.  And He will bring them back so that He can be their perfect, loving shepherd.

2) How does God plan to tend His flock?
What else would a good God promise to give to His people but good things?  Matthew 7:11 says,  “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.”  God exemplifies this part of His character with His scattered, lost nation.  He promises to bring them home, back to their land, their soil.  He lets them know that they will once again be on their mountains.  They will have a home.  And even more, God says He will feed them in those places.  They will no longer be in need.

3) What is the significance of the promise God makes in verse 16?
God closes out this part of His declaration with a beautiful promise.  He lets His people know that He understands their needs go far beyond the physical.  He knows the depth of their emotional and spiritual pain as well.  And he will send them a Messiah who will heal, restore, strengthen and defend.  Many of the phrases are reminiscent of Isaiah 61:1-4 about the promised Messiah.  For the people of Israel, the Messiah represented hope and glory for their future.  He would be their salvation.  God also promised to bring His justice to bear on those (kings, teachers of the law, priests, etc.) by whose sin helped pave the way for Judah to be in exile in the first place.

The Everyday Application

1) Why is God searching for His flock?
God’s description of His pursuit of His scattered nation in Ezekiel is an exact representation of what He does for each of us.  We find ourselves lost in darkness, scattered and taken away.  In God’s complete love for us, He seeks each of us out and looks for us, no matter how far we may have allowed ourselves to stray.  He loves us enough to come after us.  And once we are found, He becomes our personal, loving, caring, and perfect Savior.  This is the gospel.  God loves us.  We find ourselves separated from Him.  He comes after us.  If we are willing, He brings us back.  He takes care of us as our Shepherd King.  Forever.  Where are you in that story?  Still straying in the darkness, feeling lost?  Or have you begun to realize God is in pursuit of you?  Maybe He’s asking you if you’re willing to follow?  Or have you already allowed Him to become your shepherd and king?  No matter where you are, ask God to show you what He wants from you next as one of His sheep.

2) How does God plan to tend His flock?
The Shepherd who made those promises to Israel is also our Shepherd, who does the exact same for us.  Our needs are great.  We all have physical needs in this life.  And He promises to provide for all that we need.  In fact, Jesus taught that we are taken care of so well that we have no cause to worry about our physical needs (Matthew 6:25-34).  Do you trust God to provide for your physical needs?  Or do you continually deal with the anxiety that comes with feeling like you’re on your own?  Or are you guilty of expecting God to not only provide for your needs, but demandingly asking for all of your wants to be fulfilled as well?

3) What is the significance of the promise God makes in verse 16?
Sadly, many of the Jewish community missed the fulfillment of this promise that God made to them.  Our Shepherd, sent to take care of our every spiritual need, was fulfilled in the very person of Jesus Christ.  One of the most powerful moments in the gospels comes as Jesus is in the temple and He is given the responsibility to read from one of the scrolls (Luke 4:16-21).  He reads the words from Isaiah 61, declaring in that moment His personal fulfillment of God’s promise to His people.  Friend, DON’T MISS the promise of Jesus’ healing on your life.  Invite him in to heal, to restore, to strengthen, to defend, to offer hope, and to save.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join the friends at the GT Facebook Community!

I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

The Community!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into
Woven Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion. 
We’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? 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 :-))

The Why!

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.

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

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Woven!

The GT Weekend! Woven Week 2

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!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) Loneliness; think on this word, think back to the last time you felt lonely. It’s easy to sit and wallow in that place. We can shift our eyes down to the ground, away from the Father. Reflect on the idea of being pursued by the Father, especially the next time loneliness comes creeping in. Consciously choose to lift your eyes back upwards to Him who will sustain you.

2) What emotion comes to mind when you hear the word “rules”? God gave us rules so we could see our need for a Savior, Jesus. If can’t recognize our death in our sin, we have no way of accepting the free gift of salvation. God gave rules to bring a path to eternal life! Pray today for the Holy Spirit to shift your view of “rules”.

3) Living life alone, outside of relationship with God or others in Biblical community has never been the design of God. We have been created to have those relationships in our lives. They offer encouragement, love and rebuke when needed. Dig in today to the community God has put in place around you. If you’re feeling unsure where to start, join our  GT Community Page on Facebook for some regular investment!

Worship In Song

Music Video: Rend Collective’s “Good News”

Pour Out Your Heart

Lord Jesus, forgive me the times when I choose to focus on myself instead of keeping my eyes glued on you. I start to take back control of my situation when I feel it spiraling out of control. Help me leave it with You, the keeper of all things. Whisper into my heart the truths of Your love I know from Your Holy Word.

Father, if I’m honest, doing life with people isn’t easy. It’s messy, my schedule is often changed, and my budget is thrown for a loop. Remind me of my need for these people in my life. I’m so blessed by their encouragement, the food they drop off when my babies are sick and the coffees we share in my messy house. We need each other as we seek Your face together!

Pray With Us!

In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
Click here to comment and pray with the GT Community!
Want to connect with a GT Partner?
Send your prayer request to prayer@gracefullytruthful.com
We are committed to praying over and walking with you!

Journey With Us

Sign up to have GT Journey Studies sent to you!
What were your thoughts from the GT Weekend?
How were you drawn near to the Father and encouraged in your faith?
Share with the community and encourage other women!

Woven Day 3 Meant To Be

16 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 1:26-31
Genesis 3:1-24
Romans 5:12-21
Revelation 21:1-5

Have you ever had one of those days where everything just seems to be going wrong?

You know the kind of days I mean?  It’s not necessarily anything major, just day-to-day frustrations mounting up: traffic delays, work overload, uncooperative people, failed plans, underlying worries- the kind of day when despite your best efforts nothing seems to work and you wonder why everything has to be so hard.

Of course, sometimes it is the major things.  As we look at the world, at those around us, or even at our own lives, there is plenty of brokenness to see:
war, cancer, divorce, abuse, racism, poverty… the list goes on.
No matter what we do to try and make life work, it just feels like something is broken.

Surely this is not how it is meant to be.

Often the only way we can make any sense of our individual stories is by seeing them in the context of God’s big story, and as we look at the opening chapters of the Bible, we can see that our instinct is right.
This is not how it is meant to be.

God created Adam and Eve in His image:
to be in relationship with Him and with one another,
to enjoy the good things He had given them,
to be fruitful and multiply,
to reign and rule over His creation.
He looked around and He was satisfied.  It was very good.

That is how it is meant to be.  If only it could have ended there…
But there was an enemy, and Eve was deceived. 

First, he caused her to question God’s instructions:
“Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1
Then he caused her to question God’s goodness, to think that, rather than having her best interests at heart, God was holding back something good.

Despite the fact that she was already made in God’s image, Eve was persuaded that eating the fruit would make her like God, so she succumbed.  She ate, then offered the fruit to Adam, and the perfection of God’s creation was shattered.

Trust and intimacy were replaced by shame and fear;
openness was exchanged for hiding;
their relationships with God, with one another, with the world,
and even with themselves
were broken.

The fallout was catastrophic as that first sin led to a domino effect of sin through the ages!  The disease infects us all, and none of us are immune.

This is the world we are born into:

  • A world that is beautiful, but broken.
  • A world which bears the mark of the Creator, but is also tarnished with sin.
  • A world where people, made in God’s image, continue to destroy the world, and one another.
  • A world that is not as it is meant to be.

The story could have ended there.
It would have been perfectly understandable for God to have left us in our mess,
or even to have destroyed us,
but fortunately He had another plan and He chose a different way…
a way of restoration.

Because of His unfailing love,
He chose to pursue us and to bring us back,
which means there is hope,
even in our broken stories.

Right from the moment Adam and Eve sinned there are glimpses of it.
There is the promise of One who will come, the offspring of the woman, who will bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15).
There are garments of skin God makes to cover Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21), which meant a sacrifice: death of the innocent to cover the guilty.

While Adam and Eve couldn’t possibly have understood at the time what this meant, looking back, we can see.

God sent Jesus, born of a woman, to defeat evil and “to destroy the devil’s works” (1 John 3:8), and it is through His ultimate sacrifice on the cross,
the innocent dying for the guilty,
that we can be forgiven and restored to right relationship with God.

While Adam and Eve’s sin had far-reaching consequences,
Jesus’ sacrifice was even more momentous:
“For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.”  (Romans 5:17 NLT)

We may not see exactly where God is at work in our broken situations,
and sometimes our hearts ache for restoration,
but we can hold onto hope,
knowing that His love never fails,
and that no matter how great the sin and the brokenness we see around us,
Jesus’ power is greater.

And while we may not understand all that happens in the middle of our stories,
we have the reassurance of knowing how the story ends.
Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, one day we will live in a reality
free from pain, suffering, and death,
restored to a perfect relationship with God forever,
and to a life that is, finally, how it is meant to be.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Woven 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 Woven!

Chase Day 15 The Rest Of The Story

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 12:38-42
Matthew 3:1-12
Acts 3:17-21
Jonah 4

You know, after studying the ins and outs of Jonah for this Journey… I feel for the guy. We know so little about him or his life, and what few snippets we do know are completely colored by his disobedience and anger. I can’t imagine that his whole life’s story is truly summed up by those four short chapters we’ve been digging through, but the Bible is completely silent about Jonah’s life, both leading up to and after the events outlined there.

Everybody has a rough week (or two…or three…yep, I’m raising my hand, too) now and then. Let’s try to put ourselves in his shoes for a moment.

Let’s imagine ourselves in a pretty awful spot, faith-wise. Let’s say…our relationship with our spouse is pretty stilted and we just haven’t been communicating very well. Maybe our children have really been testing their boundaries and our job is incredibly stressful on top of everything else. Then, maybe God tells us to give our life’s savings (everything we have worked so hard for!) to the homeless guy on the corner. And…we don’t do it. Instead, we book our family for a weekend getaway, because hello! Things are stressful and we need to reconnect! But then…everything goes haywire. The hotel is hit by a tornado and we find ourselves bunking in the basement with a bunch of other irritated guests. When we finally get out, we have a change of heart and decide to give what is left in our savings account to the homeless guy, but it is too little, too late. He’s gone.

This may be a stretch, but now imagine that a film crew was secretly documenting all of this to broadcast on television. Can you imagine the shame? The embarrassment?

Now imagine that no matter what else happened in your life leading up to that experience, no one would ever know about it. And afterward? You very well may have won a Nobel Peace Prize, but no one would ever know about that, either. You will always and forever only be recognized for that particular incident.

The Bible doesn’t tell us how Jonah lived out the rest of his life. He may very well have repented of his anger and chosen to live a life of humility and grace. He may have been so convicted by God’s mercy toward the Ninevites that he lived out the rest of his days showing great mercy to everyone he met, giving glory to God.

Or he may have chosen to walk in anger for the rest of his life.
We may never know.

Loves, is his story so very different from our own? Looking back at my week, there are three separate instances that make me ashamed to even remember them. I lost my temper. Raised my voice. Chose anger rather than peace. If those few scenarios were the defining moments of my whole life…let’s just say our friend Jonah would look pretty spiffy by comparison.

Maybe it’s the same for you. Maybe you have been making some choices and acting in ways that you know are wrong. Maybe you’d rather forget the way things have been going, but you feel stuck. Sister, we don’t have to be stuck! Even after all of Jonah’s disobedience and unrighteous anger, Jesus still used his story to point toward salvation. He can use us at our worst, but my heart longs for Him to use me at my best.

Doesn’t yours?

Jesus, we love you. We declare you the King of our hearts, minds, and lips. Show us how to love others and You better. We want to be available to tell Your story and to stop getting caught up in our own. Forgive us for our selfish attitudes and sinful choices. Grow mercy in our hearts and minds, and increase our capacity to love others as You do. We want to reflect You in everything we say and do. Bring Your Kingdom here in our hearts. Amen.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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 Chase Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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

Justice Day 5 Used and Consumed

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 4:1-8
Song of Solomon 2:1-4
Ephesians 5:1-20 

“As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women.”

I began my freshman year of college as a broken and hurting seventeen year old. I was bruised and felt like damaged goods… “trash” echoed in my mind when I shut my eyes at night. About a week before school started, my parents and I were traveling from Southern Utah to Birmingham, Alabama, and took a pit stop in Kansas City to visit some friends. At church, we stood in the pews, looking like a normal family attending a Sunday service. But, if you could peel back the layers, you would see so much hurt.

And there we were. Swaying and singing along. Until a man came up to us.
“I have something to share with you,” he said.
“I looked at your family and the Lord gave me a picture.”
He turned to my parents and proceeded, “You have a beautiful flower you have watered and fertilized and watched grow. But now, that flower is withered. It is wilted and almost doesn’t look like there is much life left to it. But you need to know, that flower is not dead! That flower is very much alive! And it will blossom and bloom and become even more beautiful than it has ever been before.”
My parents and I held each other and wept.

Three and a half years ago, my husband and I got engaged. We were madly in love, full of anticipation of the future and, ironically, attending the same church my parents and I had previously visited. Shortly after our engagement began, Matt attended a prayer meeting with several men from that church. Matt announced our engagement, and they took time to lay hands on him and pray. One man said, “Matt, the Lord gave me a picture just now. You are protecting a beautiful flower. He gave you this flower and has charged you with taking care of it. Water it, treasure it, protect it.”

The man who shared the word with my parents, and the man who shared the word with Matt… was the same man, who didn’t know me.

And Sisters, as cliché as this is going to sound,
we are all beautiful flowers.

We are beautiful flowers who are loved, adored, and admired by our King Jesus. We’ve discussed before, how marriage is the physical representation of a spiritual relationship with Jesus.  Anything outside of that biblical design for relationships, is not what Jesus desires for us.

Song of Solomon paints a stunning picture of what a relationship between a man and a woman is crafted to be. A man and his bride. Two people who are madly in love with each other. He adores everything about her. And basically, if you read just a little bit of Song of Solomon, you get the picture that they’re pretty excited to make love. It is beautiful. It is romantic.

God designed sexual relationships to be between one man, and his bride. Just as He designed our relationship with Him, to be between one Man and His bride.

But sin.
That nasty, gross, infecting, and destroying thing called sin.
Sin says sex outside of marriage is ok.
Sin says sex with multiple people is ok.
Sin says joking about our bodies and sexuality is ok.
Sin says watching other people perform sexual acts is ok.
Sin says using our bodies to sexually attract other people is ok.
Sin says watching TV shows that joke about pornography and promiscuity is ok.
Sin says listening to sexually explicit music and objectifying women is ok.
Sin take the amazing gift of sexuality and turns it into something He never intended.

Now let’s pause and chat about that “P word” for a minute.
Pornography…
It can be a bit of a taboo subject among Christians. Many of our brothers struggle with the temptation of porn, and many are exposed to it at an incredibly young age. Many of our sisters struggle with the temptation of porn, but aren’t sure how to address this struggle because many people don’t recognize it as something women can struggle with. Many of our brothers and sisters have been hurt by the powerfully negative effects of porn. They aren’t able to maintain a healthy relationship with their spouses, they have low self esteem, or they struggle with depression.

Pornography is a great injustice because it robs men and women.
It takes away the chance that men have to passionately love their wives, because they struggle with an unrealistic image of what that “love” is supposed to look like. It robs couples of the gift of pleasuring solely each other.

Pornography is a great injustice because it robs God of His glory.
People cannot fully enjoy His gift to us when we try to seek that pleasure outside of the good boundaries God gave us.

Pornography is a great injustice because it takes away from God’s creativity.
God’s design for sex is incredible! So much detail has gone into this act that binds a man and woman together. When we try to recreate that gift by adding our own human spin on it, it is comparable to ripping up the Mona Lisa and trying to piece it back together with tape.

Pornography is a great injustice because it objectifies God’s children. Humans are created in God’s image. We are beautifully made and the Lord has a purpose for every life. When people are viewed as objects, only existing to bring about pleasure, then we are using, and abusing, the masterpieces God has created.

Pornography is a great injustice because it destroys relationships. Viewing porn is typically done alone and in secret. Alone. We were never meant to be alone. And when someone believes that they can be just as satisfied without their spouse, their relationship will crumble.
We were made for community.

Flying in the face of this injustice, grace beckons and delights.
Grace is offered when the world whispers “trash”.
Grace is held out when we live in the prison of comparison.
Grace reminds us we are treasured flowers.
You, flower, are delighted over!
—
Ready to fight injustice of pornography?
Fight the New Drug helps shed light on the effects porn has on the brain, relationships, and everyday life.
Pure Intimacy is a Focus on the Family site that offers resources to helping families with spouses and children who struggle with all forms of sexual brokenness.
Covenant Eyes is an Internet accountability and tracking software to help hold families accountable to what comes across their computer screen.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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 Justice Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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