disobedience

Sacrifice Day 8 Singular Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 22:1-13
Deuteronomy 7:6-8
Isaiah 53:7-10
Matthew 22:34-38
Ephesians 5:1-2 

Sacrifice, Day 8

After a long wait, at the ripe old age of 100, Abraham was finally blessed with the arrival of Isaac, the son God promised him years earlier. (Genesis 21:1-5) One cannot imagine the celebration of the birth of this long-awaited son; Abraham’s joy must have known no bounds!

But it appears the joy was cut short; a few years later, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his precious, promised son to God. (Genesis 22:1-2) We imagine Abraham must have been confused; God’s promise of offspring more numerous than the stars in the sky was to be fulfilled through Isaac. Yet Abraham heeded the voice of God, though he could not understand God’s plan.

Nowhere do we learn Abraham consulted with his wife, Sarah, or procrastinated as he grappled with this heartbreaking command. Instead, “he got up early in the morning” (Genesis 22:3) and went with his son to Mount Moriah, the location God specified for the sacrifice. After arranging everything, he tied his son and laid him on the altar; as Abraham raised his knife to slaughter Isaac, God called out to him not to harm his son, and provided a lamb in place of Isaac for the sacrifice. (Genesis 22:9-14)

For God to ask Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, does not mean He delights in human sacrifice. In fact, He had no intention of allowing Isaac to die. He tested Abraham to know the measure of his love for Him. To His delight, Abraham’s love for God was in full measure; nothing shared a space in Abraham’s heart with God, even his only son Isaac. By that act of obedience on the part of Abraham, God confirmed Abraham’s love for Him.

Centuries later, Jesus (whose earthly father was descended from Abraham through Isaac) would succinctly encapsulate the devotion Abraham lived before God:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

Do we love God this way as “first” and “most”? We proclaim our love for God in prayers and songs, but does it sink deep into our hearts? It is one thing to nod assent, another to live in the place of willingness to sacrifice all else for this love of ONE.

How could God ask us to love Him so singularly?

Because He singularly set His own love upon us.

He loves, not because of anything we do, but because He chose to love us and be faithful to us.

Centuries later, Father God sacrificed His own Son on another hill outside of Jerusalem (visible from Mt. Moriah!). There was no voice to stop the slaying on that day; in fact, “the Lord was pleased to crush him severely.” (Isaiah 53:10)

Ephesians 5:2 describes Jesus’ sacrificial death.

“Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.”

Amazing! It pleased God the Father to crush His only Son, in whom He is well-pleased, because of the love He has for you and me. I can imagine a scenario where the Son was agonizing on the cross and the Father smiling, not because He enjoyed the scene, but celebrating our liberation and restoration into His family.
He chose to forsake His Son on the cross, and offered us a gracious welcome into His family. Oh, what love!

His act of love changed our status and our destiny.

“So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household[.]” (Ephesians 2:19)

So we see God deserves our singular love; the question is, how do we show Him we love Him first and best and most?

First, we demonstrate our love by obeying Him. Jesus said,

“The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me.” (John 14:21)

We can’t say we love God if we fail to obey His instructions, even when His instructions are hard to follow. This is the type of obedience Abraham lived out.

Another way we demonstrate we love God is by trusting Him. (Hebrews 11:6) Trusting God means believing His words, whether they make sense to us or not, because His ways are higher than our ways. (Isaiah 55:9) I imagine God’s command to sacrifice Isaac made little sense to Abraham, yet he trusted in “the One who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist.” (Romans 4:17)

God gave Abraham an opportunity to sort out which love would come first in his heart, either his love for Isaac, or his love for His God, from whom Isaac was a miraculous gift?

Sisters, He extends to us the same opportunity to sort which love will reign in our hearts. If God’s love for us compelled Him to crush His only begotten Son in order to restore us to Himself, is there anything too hard for us to do for Him?

We must each decide; will we love Him first and best and most?

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Worship IX Day 12 Spirit & Truth: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Spirit & Truth!

The Questions

1) What is meant by New Moons, festivals, and burnt offerings? (verses 11-14)

2) How does the righteous Lord respond to a disobedient people? (verse 15)

3) What antidote does God give for Israel’s rebellion? (verses 16-20)

Isaiah 1:11-20

“What are all your sacrifices to me?”
asks the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams
and the fat of well-fed cattle;
I have no desire for the blood of bulls,
lambs, or male goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who requires this from you—
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing useless offerings.
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons and Sabbaths,
and the calling of solemn assemblies—
I cannot stand iniquity with a festival.
14 I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals.
They have become a burden to me;
I am tired of putting up with them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will refuse to look at you;
even if you offer countless prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.


16 “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves.
Remove your evil deeds from my sight.
Stop doing evil.
17 Learn to do what is good.
Pursue justice.
Correct the oppressor.
Defend the rights of the fatherless.
Plead the widow’s cause.

18 “Come, let’s settle this,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are scarlet,
they will be as white as snow;
though they are crimson red,
they will be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land.
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Original Intent

1) What is meant by New Moons, festivals, and burnt offerings? (verses 11-14)
God had instituted these festivals, celebrations, and offerings as tangible reminders of God’s goodness and love towards His people, Israel. He commanded them to celebrate these festivals regularly; to ignore them would have been disobedient. However, Isaiah the prophet records the Lord telling Israel to cease all their rituals and ceremonies that He Himself has instituted because their hearts had missed the point, which was worshipping God. The intention of the festivals was to remind them of God’s goodness toward Israel, while the blood sacrifices were meant to remind them that every sin carried a cost. Even though “It’s impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4), the sacrifices were necessary to show the people that 1) blood payment must be made for sin and 2) God is gracious to accept their offerings while they waited for the Ultimate Sacrifice to come as the Messiah, Christ Jesus, whose blood would pay for all sin. (1 John 2:2) The sacrifices reminded Israel they were a guilty people in desperate need of a Redeemer. Sacrifices also kept Israel in relationship with the Lord by prodding them to confess their sin, repent (turn away), and be made right with God. Over time, the sacrifices became empty rituals and Israel’s heart was far from God. Ritual without heart-change, sacrifice without obedience, gifts without authenticity, these were what God despised. He declared these empty acts to be a “trampling of My courts.” (verse 12) The stinging criticism of worship in verses 11-14, is not an indictment of worship in general. Rather, it is an indictment of worship that serves as a COVER-UP for EMPTY HEARTS. External religion is an easy cloak to disguise sin.

2) How does the righteous Lord respond to a disobedient people? (verse 15)
Verse 15 records the Lord responding to Israel’s sinful rebellion by refusing to look at or listen to them. He paid no attention to their outstretched hands or many prayers; their hearts didn’t desire true repentance or confession. Authentic worship was absent. Though He loved His people, their repetitive decisions to sin were detestable; God couldn’t look upon them because their hearts were not repentant. Without true repentance, sacrifice was meaningless. Isaiah and Amos, among others, warned of coming exile for Israel’s persistent sin. God would send fire to Judah and their cities would become desolate. (Isaiah 1:7, Amos 2:4-5) God’s response to sinful disobedience has consistently remained the exact same from the Garden of Eden, to ancient Israel, to the early church, and our own generation. Justice. (Isaiah 30:18) He is a just God, refusing to allow any sin to go unpunished. He can neither look upon sin nor ignore it. The price for sin must be paid, this is justice. Graciously, He is also infinitely good and loving, which led Him to give Himself for the payment of our sin. He paid the penalty we never could for every single sin when He died on the cross as a blood sacrifice. Only a perfect Being could pay the penalty of sin in full.  He proved He had all authority over sin and death by rising from the dead on the third day. Now, for all who choose to trust Him as Savior, God can look on us and listen to us, even if we still sin because He has taken our condemnation and given us righteousness instead! (Romans 8:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:21) No amount of sacrifices from Israel could change the posture of their hearts. Without a heart and life reformation, God could not accept their sacrifices, nor would He be manipulated by them!

3) What antidote does God give for Israel’s rebellion? (verses 16-20)
Isaiah was an evangelistic prophet, telling the coming good news of the Messiah. Even his name means “Salvation of Jehovah”. It is quite significant, therefore, that his first chapter contains the gospel invitation. Long before Jesus would come as a babe then die as the Savior, Isaiah wrote, ““Come, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool.” (verse 18) Sin was bluntly acknowledged, consequence was justly coming, yet the Lord offers this antidote, “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight.
Stop doing evil. Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice.” (verses 16-17) Cleansing from sin was available to Israel, even now in the heat of their rebellion. Their washing was totally separated from ANY human merit or effort. The goodness they were called to do directly followed the cleaning and did not precede it. Good works have never been able to cover sin, only true cleansing. This washing is found only in the mercy of God. It was His mercy that permitted the blood of animals to act as payment for sin, even though they couldn’t remove sin. The perfect display of mercy came as the Father sent the Son to shed His blood on the cross to perfectly pay for every sin. (1 John 2:2) What lavish mercy! Still, the prophet warns that unless willful cleansing occurs, war and destruction await, “But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” (verse 20)

Everyday Application

1) What is meant by New Moons, festivals, and burnt offerings? (verses 11-14)
As I researched this passage, I found myself focusing on the intricacies of festivals and burnt offerings which comprised the everyday rhythms of ancient Israel. I studied what each offering meant and the detailed directions on which offering to give if you committed this sin or that, knowingly or unknowingly, whether the animal was clean or unclean, and which rituals to follow when. I became entangled in intense detail. It was like a fall corn maze; which route is the right path to obedience and pleasing God? I became anxious and felt trapped. Which way, Lord? Stopping to pray as I studied was essential to understanding this simple truth from the Lord: offer sacrifices of worship. (Hebrews 13:15) Old Testament festivals and sacrifices are no longer required by believers today because Jesus paid the full blood price for our sins on the cross. However, the sacrifice of thanksgiving is evidenced in both Old and New Testaments just in differing forms. (Leviticus 7:12, Ephesians 5:20) Today, we don’t offer grain for thanksgiving, we use the whole of our lives as “living sacrifices”. (Romans 12:1, Matthew 22:37) Daily life can be a maze, and we can feel lost and confused, forgetting to bring the simple offering of ourselves with a childlike faith and repentant hearts before the King. It’s easy to weave a tangled web with daily chores and “to do” lists which pull us away from offering heart worship. If we aren’t intentional, we can end up only offering lip service in prayer and neglecting true worship. Even if this describes you sometimes, as it does me, there is hope! Instead of New Moons, festivals and burnt offerings, rituals in our personal lives and churches, let’s lean into worship in Spirit and truth. Our devoted hearts, genuine love, and faithfulness are exactly what GOD wants.

2) How does the righteous Lord respond to a disobedient people? (verse 15)
God is holy and righteous; He cannot be in the presence of sin. (1 John 5:18) Once we trust that Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin, and accept His righteousness in place of our rebellion, we are declared righteous. Even if we sin after we have trusted Christ, we are still covered by His blood sacrifice. (1 John 1:9) Without the covering of Christ, however, we stand condemned; we have rejected Christ. (John 3:18) When we choose to sin, we are walking away from a close relationship with God, even our prayers are hindered. (Psalm 66:18) Our hands are bloody with our sin, and though we offer countless prayers, if our hearts are not contrite before Him, He will reject us. Without faith and repentance, it’s impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6, Mark 1:15) While under our sin-nature, our natural bent is to rebel and disobey God, but when we surrender to Christ, He gives us a new nature. (Romans 5:5) God the Spirit lives inside us, teaching us to obey God (John 14:26), equipping us to follow Him (Hebrews 13:21), and giving us the desire to do His work (Philippians 2:13). Following God in obedience is the practical acceptance of the authority of God in our everyday lives. Our surrendered hearts to Christ allow His Spirit to rule in our lives, giving us the ability to step away from sinful rebellion and into obedience. We can halt our disobedient trajectory by reading God’s Word and asking the Spirit to open our eyes to our sinful patterns. Every Christian should evaluate all of life against Scripture through prayer. Marriage, career, relationships, our words, thoughts, actions, and even our body language should all reflect a heart of surrendered worship! Once the Spirit convicts us of sin, we are to confess it for the Lord promises pardon. (1 John 1:9)

3) What antidote does God give for Israel’s rebellion? (verses 16-20)
Isaiah’s prophecy depicts a severely fractured relationship between God and the people of Israel because of their sin. However, verses 16-20 make a way for restoration through the mercies of God. Israel’s “sins were as scarlet”, but so are ours. Israel rebelled against God by serving and loving themselves. Their greatest sin was rejection of the One True God. They were called upon to follow Him, but they spurned Him. So we turn the mirror on ourselves and inspect our lives for sin. Have we ever refused the ways of the Lord? Have our lips ever rejected His truth by telling a lie? Have our hands ever taken what was not ours, even just a pen or an extra item from the store at check out? Every single act of rebellion against the Lord will carry a just punishment. You and I are just as sinful as Israel, but God’s mercies are just as lavish. No matter how detestable Israel’s sin, God was willing to forgive and cleanse, and so He is with us. Will we choose to be clean? Will we live by faith and allow Christ to sever our ties to sin? The choice is ours just as it was for Israel. Will we come to Christ the Forgiver and confess our sins against Him? Or will we remain in sin with God’s wrath upon us? God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and You shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 7:23) If we will heed God’s call to come and be washed, apart from any self-proclaimed “good deeds”, we have His guarantee that we will be His. Through the blood of Christ, God will make us white as snow; His presence will comfort and delight for eternity. Take the antidote for rebellion and be cleansed by the Judge who longs to make you righteous!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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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 :-))

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Alive Day 8 The Groaning

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:18-23
Romans 8:15-17
2 Corinthians 5:16-19
Genesis 3

Alive, Day 8

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly awaits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility–not willingly, but because of him who subjected it–in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we who have the Spirit as the firstfruits–we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:18-23)

As we have been journeying together through Romans 8, we recently read “Adopted” covering verses 15-17, which told us of our adoption as children of God and our inheritance as co-heirs with Christ, both in suffering and glory. In turning our focus to verses 18-23, we unpack what is meant by “sufferings.”

Today’s passage speaks to our innermost groanings experienced on a daily basis as we journey through life in a fallen world. Not only do we groan, but the whole of creation groans right along with us, not one aspect of creation remains unaffected by the fall. All of creation groans for a better life and a more eternal inheritance, because our world was never meant to be broken this way.

This world, according to verse 20, has been “subjected to futility.” The Greek word for futility is “mataiotēs,” and literally means “what is devoid of truth and appropriateness, perverseness, depravity, frailty, want of vigour.” Reverend Matthew Henry, a great author of Bible commentaries, further explained, “There is a present vanity to which the creature, by reason of the sin of man, is made subject. When man sinned, the ground was cursed for man’s sake, and with it all the creatures (especially of this lower world, where our acquaintance lies) became subject to that curse, became mutable and mortal, under the bondage of corruption.”

Never before has the reality of this groaning seemed as clear and tangible for me personally. As I write, I am a mere three weeks into my husband’s first deployment, a separation I know is a direct result of the fall. Were it not for sin, disease, and trial in this life, military deployments would be unnecessary and my kids and I would not be separated from our favorite person for the next several months. We are only three weeks in, but we’ve already experienced our own fair share of groaning.

Because of the fall and our disobedience, we experience a brokenness all around us in this life, a suffering which often feels too much to bear. In those moments, it’s vital to understand such misery is not doled out at the whim of a cruel God, but is the direct result of our sin.
Our sin is a slap in the face of God’s righteousness and His loving care towards us, His creation.
Our sin is not a mere mistake, accident, or “no big deal” we can just explain away.
Rather, it is something we must own, for it keeps us impossibly far from God – were it not for Christ.

The good news in the midst of this hard, sad reality is that Christ has secured for us a sonship, an adoption into the family of God which provides us with a rich inheritance. Just as we have been made alive in the Spirit, so, too, do our bodies anticipate the coming inheritance of life on a new earth.

The most blessed and encouraging part of this inheritance?
It is so rich and grand that it renders the sufferings of the here-and-now
as nothing in comparison!
(Romans 8:23)

Which is saying a lot, considering just how painful our sufferings can be! Yet truly, our suffering is a mere blip on the backdrop of the whole of eternity, a painful blip, yes, but nothing compared to the unimaginable joy that will be ours! (Romans 8:18)

As long as these days of deployment feel, they are nothing compared to the unending years of eternity.

As challenging as solo parenting is for me in this season, it is nothing compared to the unending joy and peace I will enjoy for eternity.

As alone as I sometimes feel right now, it is nothing compared to the unending fellowship I will have with the God of the universe and all His people for eternity.

It is true that life in this fallen world is hard.
But it is also true that hardship doesn’t get the last word.
In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul reveals how God sets about making all things new in our hearts when we come to Him in salvation. And this restorative aspect of God’s character? It will see its final and ultimate manifestation on that glorious day when the world-breaking curse is itself broken. (Revelation 21:1-5)

So, take heart, dear friend, in the midst of whatever hardship these words find you.
We’ll be home – for all eternity! – before we know it if we lay claim to the gift of Life that Jesus holds out to each of us right now!

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Fruitful Day 11 Cultivating Fruitfulness

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Numbers 14:1-10
Joshua 14:6-15
Joshua 21:43-45
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
2 Timothy 2:11-13

Fruitful, Day 11

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit requiring time to grow.
Therefore, in a fast-paced world seeking instant gratification, it is sometimes underrated.
Faithfulness may not be glamorous, exciting, or fashionable, but it’s a fruit with richness and depth making it well worth the effort of cultivating.

Like every fruit of the Spirit, faithfulness begins with God. It is a key attribute of His character, woven through every page of Scripture; His faithfulness is unchangeable. Paul writes, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

This is a relief! Firstly, because in a rapidly-changing world, it is comforting to know God is constant, but secondly because we don’t need to look far in Scripture (or the world around us) to see the unfaithfulness of humanity. The whole of the Old Testament is a story of God’s faithfulness despite His people’s failure and disobedience.

We see this on multiple occasions as the Israelites journey to the Promised Land. Despite God’s repeated promise they would receive the land, and although He’d already demonstrated His power and love by rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness is marked with their faithlessness. The result was complaining, lack of trust, disobedience, and even idol worship.

Consider how the Israelites waited at the edge of the Promised Land for 12 spies to bring back a survey report. (Numbers 13) Overwhelmed by the ferocity of the land’s residents, the Israelites doubt their ability to conquer it. Their focus on challenges, instead of God’s power and faithfulness caused fear to infect the majority of Israelites resulting in a refusal to enter the land.

Amazingly, God doesn’t give up on His people. There are consequences for their faithlessness, and they wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, but the Lord continues to go with them and guide them, showing His faithful commitment to them even in small details, “I led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes and the sandals on your feet did not wear out[.]”(Deuteronomy 29:5)

When they finally arrived in the land, the challenges continued, but through the ups and downs of their circumstances, God’s faithfulness remained constant.

“None of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed.
Everything was fulfilled.” (Joshua 21:45)

Amid the Israelites’ unfaithfulness, two men stand out as shining examples of faithfulness. Caleb & Joshua

They were two of the twelve spies who explored the land, but, unlike the others, Joshua and Caleb remained confident of God’s presence and power to enable them to conquer the land.  s willing to stand against the crowd.

Their courage to stand against the crowd nearly resulted in death by stoning as their fellow Israelites were unwilling to listen or follow in faith. (Numbers 14:10) Caleb and Joshua were left with no choice but to join the rest of their nation as they turned around and began their journey away from the Promised Land.

It must have been incredibly frustrating, but when we meet Caleb and Joshua again, 45 years later, we see they have remained faithful to God. The two men are just as sure of God’s faithfulness as they were all those years earlier.

“Here I (Caleb) am today, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then. Now give me this hill country the Lord promised me on that day[…] Perhaps the Lord will be with me and I will drive them out as the Lord promised.” (Joshua 14:10-12)

Their passion and determination are undiminished, and their faith in God is as strong as ever.

When I think of examples of faithfulness today, I think of Ian. In his mid-80s, much like Caleb, Ian is still actively involved in his church and community, and has a passion to share God’s Word with younger generations.

Until last year, he ran a club in a local school helping pupils explore the Bible, and each year he organised funding for them to go on a weekend away, then accompanied them on the trip. One year, when we were short on space, he even offered to sleep in a tent if necessary!

Ian will never be well-known, and he doesn’t seek any reward, but his life is one of quiet faithfulness to God. A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending a prayer meeting Ian participated in. This group had been meeting together once a month to pray . . . for over fifty years!

It is one of the most inspiring prayer meetings I have ever attended. There is something wonderful about hearing the prayers of people who have followed Jesus for decades, who have known His faithfulness through the ups and downs of life, and who in turn have faithfully committed themselves to Him.

So how do we cultivate a life of faithfulness?

One step at a time, one day at a time, as we seek God, hold to His faithfulness, and allow His Spirit to work within us.

There is no quick, easy way to grow this fruit,
but people like Joshua, Caleb, and Ian encourage me it’s worth it.
Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 remind us it’s possible
because of God’s faithful commitment to us.

“Now may the God of peace sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.”

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

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Sola Day 4 The Ordinary Man: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Ordinary Man!

The Questions

1) Who is Paul addressing in this passage and how do they relate to the “disobedient” ones being described? (verses 1-2)

2) What does it mean to be “under God’s wrath”? Isn’t God love? (verse 3)

3) What are the benefits of being saved by grace? (verses 7-10)

Ephesians 2:1-10

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us,5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Original Intent

1) Who is Paul addressing in this passage and how do they relate to the “disobedient” ones being described? (verses 1-2)
Paul is writing his letter to the house churches in the city of Ephesus. Paul had visited Ephesus several times on his missionary journeys throughout Asia, and had worked hard to plant and develop the churches in that area. Paul had left a husband and wife team, Priscilla and Aquila, in charge of shepherding and leading the Ephesian believers. (Acts 18:18-21) This letter would have been circulated to all the homes where churches were gathered and would have been read aloud many times. Ephesus was an epicenter for worship of Greek gods and goddesses, even businesses thrived on the worship of these false deities. (Acts 19:21-41) Paul countered false worship by pointing people to Christ, the only One worthy of worship, as he preached the gospel to the Ephesians. As he writes this letter, Paul is reminding the now-believing Christians in Ephesus to remember their own story of coming to Christ. Once, before hearing of Jesus and surrendering to Him as Lord and Savior, they were dead in their sin. Pau writes how they once lived “according the ways of this world” (verse 2), which would have quickly reminded them of the empty belief system they had once held onto as they followed the popular culture crowd of worshipping statues. Paul reminds them of their personal history in order to refresh their eyesight in how they viewed the people the living around them in Ephesus. Worship of Greek gods and goddesses was still the popular norm for their neighbors and friends (the disobedient ones). Instead of looking at them with condemnation, Paul urges them to remember they were all enslaved to Sin before Christ.

2) What does it mean to be “under God’s wrath”? Isn’t God love? (verse 3)
Yes! God is love. Verse 4 describes God has having rich mercy and great love. It is His essence, His core. In fact, Scripture defines God as love. (1 John 4:19) The writer of 1 John goes on to describe how, for those who have trusted Christ, they now are given the magnificent grace of continuously abiding (think: living every moment) within that wonderful, rich love of God. (1 John 4:16) They never need to fear being removed from that sweet, all-encompassing love of God, because every believer is embraced in God’s love precisely because God is love. We aren’t wrapped in love because of any good deed or perfect strategies we have devised. Yet, to be loving necessitates wrath. At first, you’re curious, as it seems counterintuitive. However, consider the relationship between parent and child. Anyone who threatens the life and happiness of a child, is at great risk of experiencing the passionate wrath of that parent. The child molester, the murderer, the kidnapper. Each of these titles make our insides angry, as they should. To love perfectly, requires wrath to be present to keep out evildoers. John writes in his letter that it’s because of this great love of God wrapping endlessly around His rescued ones that they can have supreme confidence on the day of judgement. (1 John 4:17) Those who have trusted Christ, know they are safe in the love of God. Those who haven’t, are the objects of God’s wrath. (verse 3) His wrath is purposely necessitated because He so radically loves. There must be a distinct line drawn. For God to create a haven where no sin would mar it, and no evil would invade it, and no pride would arise, there must be magnificent love to create this safety, but there also must be significant wrath vehemently raging against all evil to keep it out. This is the love, and the wrath, of God.

3) What are the benefits of being saved by grace? (verses 7-10)
The benefit of being saved, rescued from the wrath of God because it was poured out on Jesus Christ instead of us, is obvious. Everyone who calls on the Name of Jesus (Romans 10:13), now has the opportunity to be made alive in Christ and saved for eternity, forever enjoying the sweetness of relationship with God as He originally intended. Death for eternity is now banished for the these who trust Christ fully. The wrath of God has forever been removed, and in its place, Christ’s righteousness now covers us where ugly sin once stained us. The sweetest part, however, of being “saved by grace through faith” is that while we couldn’t manufacture our own righteousness in order for God to extend His grace to us, neither are we expected to maintain a certain level of righteousness for God’s grace to remain upon us. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, and there is nothing we can do to keep it. Salvation begins and ends with the triune God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit without a single performing act on our part. As Paul writes, “no one can boast”. (verse 9) We are saved from death, we are raised to life, and we our eternity is secured because in the grand timeline of God Almighty, we are already seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Nothing can steal away our inheritance, not even ourselves! (verses 5-6) This! This is just the beginning! More grace, boundless and free, will define our new reality as we live out eternity with Christ, as He forever displays His loving kindness towards us! (verse 7)

Everyday Application

1) Who is Paul addressing in this passage and how do they relate to the “disobedient” ones being described? (verses 1-2)
Martin Luther’s prevalent culture, while religious, was deeply anchored in Catholic traditions that were entirely unbiblical. He made bold statements and acted bravely to advance the full truth of the gospel of Jesus as declared through Scripture alone without the additions of manmade traditions. However, critically important to his success, was for Luther to remember the same truths Paul reminded the Ephesians. Those in power and working against Luther, where held captive by the ruler of this world (verse 2). The arch-enemy, Satan, was working to actively shut down the advancement of truth coming from Luther. The people were not Luther’s real enemies, Satan was. Luther was once just like the religious zealots of the Catholic church, chained to sin and stuck in disobedience apart from the freedom of Christ. This mindset is exceptionally important to us as well as we each seek to share the hope and freedom of Jesus to our own neighbors in our current cultural setting. Ask the Lord to remind you often as you speak with those who are not believers, that you were once all trapped by sin’s deadly power. This should increase our compassion for our friends, neighbors, and strangers who haven’t surrendered to Jesus yet!

2) What does it mean to be “under God’s wrath”? Isn’t God love? (verse 3)
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is meant to remind them they were all stuck in sin, right along with their neighbors who mocked the One True God, and who, in turn, mocked them for worshipping Him. But Paul goes farther in his writing to reveal a deeper identity for those who are separated from God. Paul defines their reality as being “under God’s wrath”. (verse 3) Further, this is a natural state of existence where Paul states, “we were by nature under wrath as the others were also.”  We are born with a sin nature. Just as sure as an infant will cry when he is hungry, he will inevitably sin. Want further proof? Find a single person who has never once told a lie, or never once lusted in their heart after another person, or never once stolen just one item. Each of these make us less than righteous, which defines us as sinful, which means we are under the wrath of God. The only way to have a restored relationship with Him is the for the sin nature to be removed. Impossible? How can someone be born again with a new nature? A fellow named Nicodemus asked the same question to Jesus (John 3:4), and Christ’s loving response was this, “unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” (John 3:5) When we surrender our everything to Christ, acknowledging there’s no way we can possibly attain our own righteousness, He kills our old sin nature because of His death on the cross and His resurrection three days later. He then makes us alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:5) and places the Spirit of God within us to awaken our hearts to the life available in Christ alone. He literally moves us from death to life when we surrender to Him! Only by this method, through the death and resurrection of Christ on our behalf, and our willing acceptance of this truth by faith, can we enter the Kingdom of Heaven and be wrapped eternally by God’s love, never again to fear His wrath coming upon us.

3) What are the benefits of being saved by grace? (verses 7-10)
When we compare the glorious richness and unfathomable freedom of being made alive in Christ to the immoveable chains of Sin and its consequence of eternal death and separation from God, who is Love, the benefits aren’t even worth calculating! Are you able to celebrate with confidence knowing you have been eternally freed from sin and your debt to God because of your sin has been forever paid in full?! Every sin. Across all time. There is nothing you have already done, and nothing you could ever do to remove you, believing and trusting Christ-follower, from the extravagant love of God. The Christian can whole-heartedly celebrate with the apostle Paul, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) You are saved, raised, and seated with Christ! Nothing can defeat you! (Romans 8:37) Though every believer still faces trials and difficulty, loss, and pain in this life, we know with full assurance that this world is passing away. One day, it will be replaced with a new heaven and new earth that will never fade or be tainted by sin. In Christ, victory is ours!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Sola Week One!
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!

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Relentless Day 13 Relentless Chase

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Judges 13-16
1 John 1:5-10
Jeremiah 1:4-10 (ESV)

Relentless, Day 13

When I think of God’s relentless pursuit of His people there are so many stories that come to mind. The story of Samson wasn’t one of them until recently.

About a year ago in Bible study, we were talking about Samson’s story. We noted how his life was unique in the sense that he was so very clearly called by God yet he chose to live in ways that were directly opposing to that call. We even said wow, we never want to be like Samson! But by the end of the conversation someone said, “aren’t we all like Samson?”. Truthfully, none of us could say no.

We blatantly disobey God’s word.
We make His call on our lives about us.
We flirt with the enemy.
We allow the enemy to capture and blind us.

Every single person has acted, will act, or does act just like Samson.
The good part about Samson’s story, and ours, is how God’s love brilliantly colors the mess of lives.

From the womb, God’s love was on full display in Samson’s life.
“Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.'” Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.”

 In Judges 13:6-8, God had set Samson apart before he was even in his mother’s womb.
Likewise, in Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV) it says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” 

God also sent His power upon Samson, even in the midst of his disobedience regarding God’s laws. (Judges 14:19, Judges 15:14)

 Samson disobedience and disrespect for God permeated his life….
He touched a corpse, slept with a prostitute, pursued a woman that wasn’t a Nazarite, and told her the secret source of his strength.
Samson’s sins were many, but his biggest mistakes that eventually lead to his downfall, were in his heart.

Samson took for granted his gift of strength while also taking his life into his own hands; he felt his own ways and wisdom were better than God’s.
He knew what God said,
he knew God had an intentioned, set apart purpose for his life,
but he wanted creative control on how those plans came about.
He dethroned God and enthroned himself.

Here’s the reality, we all do that.
We ask God to follow us, instead of us following Him.
We invert the gospel, asking God bless our plans, desires, and will.
In reality, the gospel is us our full surrender to the Lordship of God.

What would it take for us to realize our lives are not our own and the
best and safest place to be is under the lordship of the triune God?
For Samson, it took the destruction of his life….
He was captured by the enemy, beaten, and abused. Samson hit rock bottom before he finally looked up and surrendered total control, giving God lordship over his life.

For the first time in his life, Samson asks God to fill him with the strength God gave to him so long ago, after it had been taken from him. (Judges 16:28)
He finally recognized it was not his strength but God’s strength through him.

Samson’s humble surrender, opened the door for God to do what He always does.
He showed off His character of tender love and grace.
He is faithful and just to forgive our sins,
no matter how bad they may seem.
(1 John 1:9)

Samson’s life reminds me so much of my own.
No matter how far I take my life into my own hands, He is faithful to work on my behalf, faithfully continuing to relentlessly chase my heart.
He shows up even when I’m trying to act out of my own strength,
but at the end of the day His heart is for me to turn and make the humble ask for Him to work through me.

His heart for people is that we would dethroned ourselves and enthrone Him in every aspect of our everyday lives. Our call is total surrender to His lordship as we trust His plans, desires, and will for our lives over our own.

Stop chasing yourself, Sister, and let His chase catch you!

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Relentless Day 2 Relentless Pursuit: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Relentless Pursuit!

The Questions

1) Who is this angel of the Lord and why would he bring such bad news to Israel, God’s chosen people? (verses 1-5)

2) If Israel was such a faithful nation during Joshua’s lifetime (verse 7) and then got stuck in a cycle of sin, what was the key changing factor for them as a nation? (verses 9-11)

3) How does the Lord’s “burning anger” reflect relentless love?

Judges 2:1-23

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your fathers. I also said: I will never break my covenant with you. 2 You are not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You are to tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed me. What is this you have done? 3 Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a trap for you.” 4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. 5 So they named that place Bochim and offered sacrifices there to the Lord.

6 Previously, when Joshua had sent the people away, the Israelites had gone to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. 7 The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had seen all the Lord’s great works he had done for Israel.

8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. 9 They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel.

11 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. They worshiped the Baals 12 and abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods from the surrounding peoples and bowed down to them. They angered the Lord, 13 for they abandoned him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.

14 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold them to the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies. 15 Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord was against them and brought disaster on them, just as he had promised and sworn to them. So they suffered greatly.

16 The Lord raised up judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, 17 but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. They did not do as their fathers did. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The Lord was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them. 19 Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly than their fathers, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate ways.

20 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he declared, “Because this nation has violated my covenant that I made with their fathers and disobeyed me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I did this to test Israel and to see whether or not they would keep the Lord’s way by walking in it, as their fathers had.” 23 The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.

Original Intent

1) Who is this angel of the Lord and why would he bring such bad news to Israel, God’s chosen people? (verses 1-5)
The phrase “angel of the Lord” is used to refer not to a created angel, but rather God Himself, appearing in the likeness of an angel. Students of Scripture call these magnificent appearances “theophanies” meaning literally, “an appearing of Deity to humankind”. Because Jesus Christ has always existed for eternity as God the Son within the triune godhead of Father, Son, and Spirit, it would only make sense for Jesus, who would one day walk the earth in human flesh, to appear also to the Old Testament people as the same exact representation of God (Colossians 1:15) that He would later make in the New Testament. The Angel of the Lord appeared at crucial, pivotal points in Israel’s history; moments when the nation had an important decision to make whether they would follow the ways of the Lord God or not. The Lord’s message to the nation of Israel was first a reminder of His own faithfulness. “I said I will never break my covenant with you.” (verse 1) Regardless of what Israel chose, God would not be unfaithful. He would ensure to keep covenant with them by making them His chosen ones, crafting through them a great nation through whom would come salvation for all. The Lord also gave a serious declaration, “I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a trap for you.” (verse 3) The Lord did not look down and suddenly decide to bring grief to Israel. They had chosen to abandon the covenant, they had decided to leave the Lord God and worship other false deities instead. They turned away from their Rescuing God, choosing to worship idols human hands had created instead of the Creator God Himself. (Isaiah 44:9-20, Romans 1:22-23)

2) If Israel was such a faithful nation during Joshua’s lifetime (verse 7) and then got stuck in a cycle of sin, what was the key changing factor for them as a nation? (verses 9-11)
Tragic words are recorded in verses 10-11, “After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel. The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.” God knew that if a generation failed to speak of His Holy Name, if they failed to teach their children who the Lord God was and of His glory, they would stop honoring Him. This is why He commanded parents to “teach them (His Word) diligently to your children”. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) Without this diligent training, Israel would follow their sinful, human desires and set up for themselves other gods to worship. Within the span of a single generation, this is exactly what happened. Israel forgot who God was to them and what He had done for them, and gradually, over time, like taking one small step off course after another, an entire generation had drifted so far from the Lord, they didn’t even know Him. Moses was an incredible leader who followed God’s heart and spoke with the Lord as a friend. After him, Joshua walked closely with God, leaning on Him alone for courage and wisdom as He led Israel into the Promised Land. After Joshua’s death, however, they had no leader who followed God as Moses and Joshua had done, and little by little, they let go of what had once been so important and, almost imperceptibly, Israel slipped into apathy.

3) How does the Lord’s “burning anger” reflect relentless love?
Three times in this passage we read of the Lord’s anger (verse 12, 14, 20). Twice His anger is described as “burning”. Some people imagine God to be high above, waiting for us to mess up so He can smite us with His anger. But this is not the God of the Bible, either in the New Testament or even in the Old. His tender mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) and His love endures forever (Psalm 136). So how can both of these extremes be true of God? Because the Lord God is a righteously jealous God. On the heels of His second commandment (make no graven images), God states, “for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:4-5) He even says one of His names is “Jealous God”. (Exodus 34:14) He is jealous for our hearts and our sole devotion.

Everyday Application

1) Who is this angel of the Lord and why would he bring such bad news to Israel, God’s chosen people? (verses 1-5)
Can you imagine being visited by Christ Himself as you gathered with fellow worshippers at your local church one Sunday? What message might He declare over your congregation?! We don’t have to wonder because the Lord God did indeed appear in the flesh on earth! When Jesus came from Heaven as an infant who grew up to preach of the coming Kingdom of Heaven, He spoke a very similar message to the one He spoke to ancient Israel in Judges 2. Jesus was the embodiment of the Promise from Old Testament times. As the Lord spoke “I will never break covenant with you”, Jesus came to prove that saying true. The life He lived perfectly in our human flesh was proof that He would never, and had never, broken covenant. In fact, He came to fulfill that Old Covenant and usher in a New Covenant, one that is still to come for us! The New Covenant says that all who believe in the Lord Jesus will be saved for eternity (Romans 10:9), which brings up part two of the Lord’s message. The Lord’s appearance to His Beloved Israel was for their benefit and their reproof. He clearly told Israel how they had broken His covenant, how they had worshipped other gods over Him. They had sinned irreparably. This is the same message for every one of us living today: we have sinned and are beyond repair. But God, who is perfectly faithful, has not and will not, break covenant. If we simply trust in His sacrifice on our behalf, believing that He is exactly who He says He is and that His righteousness was given in exchange for our wretched sinfulness, then “He who is faithful and just will cleanse us from all unrighteousness” and give us eternal life. (1 John 1:9)

2) If Israel was such a faithful nation during Joshua’s lifetime (verse 7) and then got stuck in a cycle of sin, what was the key changing factor for them as a nation? (verses 9-11)
No one directionally decides they are going to head towards apathy. It is a slow fade, one small change after another. Laying aside something we once did and exchanging it for another, easier thing. Becoming apathetic is not difficult, following the Lord diligently takes intentional practice and daily discipline. Because don’t we all want a “god” we can manipulate and craft and fit into a box of our choosing? A “god” who doesn’t demand anything of us, only giving us whatever we want like a genie in a bottle?! This is our heart serving ourselves; this is pride, the root of all sin. It was not by random chance that God’s very first commandment is “Have No Other gods Before Me”. (Exodus 20:3) These few words in the opening of Judges call us to seriously examine our daily life and our loves. Where are we falling off course when it comes to following Jesus fully? Where are we substituting “gods” of our making for the real God who insists we give Him total surrender? Take note, pray, and ask the Lord who loves to love us, to return our hearts and our ways back towards Him!

3) How does the Lord’s “burning anger” reflect relentless love?
Why would God call Himself Jealous? Does He need our adoration like a narcissistic being intent on loving Himself? Does He simply want more conceited glory for Himself? Not in the slightest! This would be a gross description of the God of the Bible! Before God ever created “creation”, humanity included, He was fully delighted within Himself, enjoying the fullness of giving and receiving holy love as a community within the triune godhead as Father, Son, and Spirit. He did not need us to love Him to make Him feel whole. He was, and is, love. (1 John 4:8) No, He is a jealous God because He loves us. He knows when we chase lesser loves, we end up broken, scarred, and wounded. He knows no one will bring satisfaction like a relationship with Him will do. He knows that only when we are knit to our Creator do we find our purpose (Acts 17:28). We were made for relationship with Him! We were designed to be worshippers. It’s just that, because of sin, we wreck that beautiful design and, instead of worshipping our Creator, we worship the created. (Romans 1:25) We worship ourselves and our own sinful desires. We break God’s design, and this breaks God’s heart. And so, He chooses to pursue us. A pursuit that cost His life and His unity within the godhead for the sake of bringing us back into a relationship with Him. He died to bring us back. This is why He is a jealous God. This is why He relentlessly pursues: because He loves us. (Isaiah 43:3-4)

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

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 Relentless 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!

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Focus Day 12 Giving Space And Losing Control: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Giving Space And Losing Control!

The Questions

1) Does verse 13 prohibit or discourage believers from making plans?

2) Does the warning to the rich (5:1) connect to the previous verses in chapter 4?

3) The Bible plainly teaches that overt disobedience to God is sin, sometimes called a ‘sin of commission’; but how serious is it to simply neglect to do what is good, sometimes called a ‘sin of omission’? (verse 17)

James 4:13-5:6

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. 15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.
Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. 4 Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who does not resist you.

Original Intent

1) Does verse 13 prohibit or discourage believers from making plans?
We can know that James is not discouraging planning because of what he says in verse 15. He isn’t dealing with man’s plans as much as he is encouraging the reader to consider God’s sovereign rule in everything, just as the writer of Proverbs does: “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail” (Proverbs 19:21) and “Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” (Proverbs 27:1) Both Bible authors are expressing what God intends our posture to be towards Him, and what our attitude should be as we make plans. Under the influence of the Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21), James was recalling and emphasizing these Old Testament principles. Neither the writer of Proverbs nor James prohibit planning. In fact, there are many Proverbs that encourage it! (Proverbs 15:22; Proverbs 16:3, Proverbs 24:27, and Proverbs 6:6-8) The focus is our need for humility and dependence on God as we plan, recognizing that He is in control of our present and future.

 

 

2) Does the warning to the rich (5:1) connect to the previous verses in chapter 4?
Bible scholars disagree about who James is directly addressing in James 4:13-5:6 (studylight.org). Whether he was speaking to those inside or outside the church, it’s clear that his appeal was urgent and serious and meant to be heard by all. James makes the same connection in chapters 4 and 5 that we find in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus told a story about a man who made plans for himself regarding his money. (Luke 12:16-21) This man proved his arrogance in the way he misused what was in his possession. James’ mention of the cause for their fights and quarrels (4:1-2) gives us insight into the attitude that had crept in to the hearts of his hearers.  Self-sufficiency was evidently taking the place of dependence on God. There were those in the church who had been influenced by an egotistical perspective which puts man in control rather than God. (James 4:6-10 ) James’ serious words in 4:13 and 5:1 take a similar tone to the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah. (Isaiah 10:1-2) The first words in both verses, “come now”, were meant to get the audience’s attention and reveal their self-reliance regarding their plans and possessions. The Expositor’s Greek Testament explains that “this expression of disapproval occurs only in 4:13 and in James 5:1 in the New Testament” and has a similar meaning to the phrase “woe is you.”

3) The Bible plainly teaches that overt disobedience to God is sin, sometimes called a ‘sin of commission’; but how serious is it to simply neglect to do what is good, sometimes called a ‘sin of omission’? (verse 17)
We don’t find the phrases “sin of omission” and/or “sin of commission” mentioned specifically in the Scriptures. But the Bible contains many verses which mention sin as a result of not doing something God’s Word commands us to do, as well as those sins a person deliberately commits. In the New Testament, Jesus uses a parable to compare a righteous Samaritan to an unrighteous priest and a Levite. The latter, knowing what was good, failed to do it. The former demonstrated his compassion by stopping to assist a man in need (Luke 10:30-37).  In His story, Jesus was making it clear that not doing the good thing was sinful. In Matthew 25:42-46 , those who are separated from Christ are the ones who saw others’ needs but did not provide for them. There was not intentional harm done, but there was an absence of intentional good. The subtlety of this kind of sin, sin of omission, is what makes this passage so serious. Just as neglecting the needy is unrighteous, so is the kind of pride that causes a lack of acknowledgment of God’s sovereign rule in our lives. “The Lord does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depth.” Psalm 135:6

Everyday Application

1) Does verse 13 prohibit or discourage believers from making plans?
Paul told Timothy that all Scripture was to be used in our learning. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) As we examine the many Bible passages that speak to some of our questions, we discover what the writers are teaching us through the wider lens. We know James is not instructing the Christian to stop making plans because of what the whole Bible teaches. Solomon repeatedly referred to the wisdom of planning. He even connected it to our possessions and how planning affects our future. Jesus also taught that planning was beneficial. (Luke 14:28-32) The slippery slope for us is failing to acknowledge how God is ultimately in control of every plan we make. We don’t have to verbally say “if the Lord wills” every time we plan something, but we certainly should have that thought in our heart and it should change our outlook and attitude about all our plans and encounters throughout the every day.

2) Does the warning to the rich (5:1) connect to the previous verses in chapter 4?
Most Christians would probably admit that much of their anxiety stems from something related to their finances or possessions. It is difficult to hold material things so loosely that if we lose them, we remain content. What we have can became a source of false security for us. When we let worry infest our living, we can unintentionally become hoarders instead of helpers. We can become keepers, not givers. Failure to daily see God as our sole Life giver and Lifesaver allows too much space in our hearts for the things of the world to move in and reside.
It’s important to maintain humility as we go through our lives, knowing it’s God who has given us everything we have, and He is also the One working in and through every plan to produce something good in and for us. (1 Corinthians 4:7, Romans 8:27-28) Once we learn to focus on His goodness and generosity, we can free ourselves to help others, rather than take advantage of them or oppress them for our own gain.

3) The Bible plainly teaches that overt disobedience to God is sin, sometimes called a ‘sin of commission’; but how serious is it to simply neglect to do what is good, sometimes called a ‘sin of omission’? (verse 17)
Sometimes it’s harder to see our sins of omission. We can become proud of our obedience in the way we avoid overt sins and can miss the grief we bring to the heart of God by our lack of “doing good” when given the opportunity. Though it takes time and intentional practice, it is vital that those of us who desire to please God recognize our dependence on Him. As we begin our day looking at our calendars, we can direct our attention toward Him. Do you see the “watermark” of God’s will on every page of your life’s journal? We should. It’s there in the background of our lives. The jobs we have, the money we make, the kids we raise, the friends we meet … what we commit to and what we omit should all be viewed in light of God’s will. When we take that first step of the day, let’s not neglect acknowledging His presence, His purpose, and His power in our every moment. To fail to do so is sin, and we don’t desire to grieve Him.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Giving Space And Losing Control!

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

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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 :-))

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Focus Day 11 Giving Space And Losing Control

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Read His Words Before Ours!

James 4:13-5:6
Proverbs 8:22-36
Jonah 1

Focus, Day 11

I sat at her kitchen island, just as I’ve done dozens of times, while we chatted about everything from her husband eating her famous sugar cookies even though they were stale, to how we both need accountability to get stuff done.
We laughed, we cried, and we talked about the Lord.
Then, as always, she said something profound. Had it been a morsel of food, it would’ve made my jaw sore from the chewing I’ve done over it.

“Don’t we all try to play God at times?
When we make decisions on our own outside of Him, even minor ones, we are taking control into our own hands and trying to play God. It is a sin every time.” 

Mic drop. 

How many times have I tried to play God?
How many times have I greatly impacted my life and my future because I forgot God is the sovereign One?
Lots; lots and lots of times.

I have thrown wisdom and God’s sovereignty to the wayside in pursuit of what my flesh and human heart felt best. I have placed my treasure in worldly values like human love, home decor, clothing, and my own vain pursuits. I’ve spent time in Scripture, studying the exact verses we just read, (up at the top, seriously, read His Words before mine!) and yet, I stubbornly refused to seek His wisdom or surrender to His sovereignty.

I am guilty of trying to play God. 

About nine months ago, my world came crashing in.
Literally nothing in my life looks the same today.
Different house.
Different car.
Different family make-up.
and the list goes on….

As the walls caved in, I told the Lord:
“I’ve tried to do it without You. I’ve done things my way because I didn’t trust You, and I’m through. I’m done with that. From this moment on, You must have all control because I’ve made a mess by myself.” 

Has this change come easily? Nope. In fact, I struggle every single day to surrender to Him.

I struggled to surrender when He told me to let go of a relationship I was clinging to with all of my might.

I struggled to surrender when He told me to give my Aldi gift card to a family while they were grocery shopping.

I struggled to surrender when I thought I felt I should pursue a job He told me not to pursue.

I struggled to surrender when He didn’t heal my sister on this side of Heaven.

Even still, I’m telling ya’ sister, my life is infinitely richer when I surrender control and pursue His wisdom over mine.

On Sunday, our pastor talked a bit about Jonah, the prophet who ran in the literal opposite direction of where God was calling Him. As I thought about Jonah and his infamous journey, which God still used (because He’s sovereign) to redeem an entire city,
I was reminded of my own “opposite-direction-journeys”.

Many times, God has given me clear direction in His word or by His Spirit, and I’ve literally turned the opposite way, running as fast as possible.  Sometimes, I’ve tripped over my own feet so quickly, it wasn’t long before I humbly returned to give God back my surrendered heart.

However, there have been times where I took off running with a nice pace going before realizing I’d been running away and was now quickly drowning as a result of my prideful insistence on my own ways. Here, God has come to my rescue, pulling me from the waves just as Jesus did with Peter so many years ago.
I don’t want to be Jonah. 

While I’m so thankful God can still redeem our disobedience when we try to “Play God”, it would be great if I never had to trip or drown to begin with.

Our lives are fleeting. We are just vapors in the wind of time.
How foolish of me to spend my life running from the One who loves me most!
How foolish of me to trust my life to my own futile hands!
Doesn’t it only make sense to trust the Almighty Father who sees and knows everything for He alone is the giver of Wisdom?!

I complained to my therapist recently about how busy I’d been.
I hadn’t accomplished anything I had wanted to because other things kept popping up.

“Are you praying about if God actually wants you to do the things that keep ‘popping up’?”, he asked.
“Um… no”, I said with an embarrassed giggle.
Because DUH! Why wouldn’t I ask Him?
Following God, surrendering our lives to His control and infinite wisdom is sometimes simpler than we make it out to be.
It’s praying about who to spend our time on.
It’s praying about where to emotionally or monetarily invest.
It’s praying about when to say no to a ministry and when to say yes.
Because living out His wisdom begins with the realization that He is sovereign, we are not, and His ways are better than my foolish, prideful attempts at control.

I get it! It’s easy to get caught up in trying to do what looks or feels right, that we leave God out. But “playing God” never ends well.

When we surrender to the loving Father,
we are giving space for His wisdom to press into us and overflow onto others.

Sisters, I feel like we’ve just finished eating a Thanksgiving meal in ten minutes… we’ve shoved so much into our mouths we are having a hard time chewing. So, pause, maybe re-read this Journey or the verses at the beginning (because you did that, right?!), and ask the Lord to illuminate His Wisdom just for you.

Take time tomorrow to dig deeper by doing the “Digging Deeper” that follows this Journey. (and if you aren’t waking up to that in your inbox, start now!)
Together, let’s choose God’s wisdom as we daily, moment-by-moment surrender to His sovereign, loving control.

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

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