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Drawn

Sketched IX Day 5 Almost, But Not Yet

June 25, 2021 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 21:1-14
Acts 1:4-14
Acts 2
1 Corinthians 15:50-58

Sketched IX, Day 5

The walls felt like they were closing in with every passing day.

It was Day 9 of sheltering-in-place for us 11 remaining disciples, after Judas’ reckless decision to solve a temporary problem with a horribly permanent solution. My insides still quaked at the memory of his face, strangled by a noose made with his own hands. I shook my head to clear it, focusing on the troupe of ants dotting the limestone walls where I sat. They were purposeful. Intentional. Clearly headed to a goal, working together as a family.

“Consider the ant, you slacker…”

The familiar Old Testament proverb (Proverbs 6:6) came unbidden to mind in the warm, firm voice of my father as he raised his eyebrows at my 10-year-old self, who had only partially finished chopping wood. I repeated the words, letting them linger with my father’s voice wrapping around me.

“If only it was as easy as picking up that ax, Abba,” I muttered, rising to pace. Again. Leaving the ant family behind, I realized with fresh angst that I was here.
*sigh* Again.
Here, in this place of “almost, but not yet.”

It had been 9 days for us Eleven, less for the 120 other faces I scanned. They’d come sporadically in the last week, as if drawn by an unseen force of comfort and hope through community. Word spread, and soon, this Upper Room was bursting at the seams.

We were all here, waiting.
Waiting for next.
Sheltering, not sure exactly what next would be or how we would recognize it.
It seemed like a lifetime ago when Jesus and the 12 had sat in this very room the night before He was betrayed, then brutally killed.

“You will receive power,” Jesus’ voice filled my senses again with rich love and unshakeable authority. He said we would receive His power and comfort.

Oh, the tender comfort of Jesus! Despite the stench of 120 unwashed bodies sprawled around the Upper Room, I saw Jesus in every pair of eyes. The woman from the well in Samaria. She was here with several friends whom she’d told about Jesus. Once outcast, but now, waiting like the rest of us.

Mary, Jesus’ mother, was here, of course, and her sister, Salome. The man healed from leprosy at a word from Jesus was praying in a corner with James. Grinning, I waved at the 5 men who took turns challenging each other to arm wrestling. Not long ago, the robust man in the middle had lain paralyzed on a mat carried by the other four friends. Now they were whole and healthy because of Jesus.

The woman Jesus called Daughter, healed from bleeding, was handing out fruit and blessing each recipient. Hey, there’s the centurion whose daughter was brought back to life, and his little girl, too! Gentiles; my stomach churned only a little. These were welcomed by my Savior and my God; surely, they could be present here, too.
Waiting.
Waiting for the Comforter.
The same comfort each person gathered here had experienced in Jesus’ physical presence before He had ascended into the clouds nine days ago.

Nine.

Nine days of sharing community in the bond of knowing and experiencing Jesus. This was enough to keep us here until His Promised power and comfort finally came…however long it took. Our nights were spent singing hymns and our days were filled with the intangible joy of shared laughter and the sweetness of prayer. The outside world carried on with their hurry, but here, we delighted again in the depth of community with one another and God.

Here, in “almost but not yet,” we wait. We wonder. What good thing might the Lord be giving us through His Spirit that is better than His physical body?

—

The very next day would end Peter’s wait. One moment would begin as mundane, only to exhale as magnificent glory. The Spirit of the Living God would descend on each believer, regardless of Jew or Gentile, wealth or poverty, single or married, male or female. What they had once experienced with Jesus in the flesh would now be ignited in the heart of every person who ever trusted Christ. In the blink of an eye, holy divinity instantly and permanently bound every believer together. Comfort became infinitely available. His Presence was a guarantee, never to leave, ensuring the soul would pass from this fleeting life into one that would never end.

In the span of a single moment, the sacred space that had felt so empty for Peter was plunged into an infinite invitation to come, to know God better, deeper than ever before, for He Lived Within!

Power and boldness became the rightful possession for every soul gathered in the Upper Room that Day of Pentecost. Divine purpose was theirs in abundance. Comfort bound them up, together with each other, and jointly as the Bride of Christ.

As incredible as that moment was,
even it was an Almost, But Not Yet.
For here, in this same space, you and I wait, too.

We have His Spirit if we have called Jesus our own Savior.
Every gift those disciples experienced is also ours for the taking.
Yet, here we wait.
Paused with inexplicable hope, waiting for that Day of Going Home forever.

In the meantime, we are the Church, moving among one another, blessing each other, sustaining and carrying each other’s burdens, praying fervently, worshipping, and, as wonderfully led by the Spirit of God, preaching Christ crucified, risen, and coming again to a world hurrying around us.

Almost, But Not Yet.
We are here now.
Let’s live together as His Bride on purpose, and filled with His Spirit!


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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 IX 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 Sketched IX

Posted in: Comfort, God, Hope, Jesus, Love, Power, Waiting Tagged: Abba, Again, Almost, Authority, Drawn, next, Not Yet, presence, receive, tender, Unseen

Fervent Day 2 Grace And Peace: Digging Deeper

February 16, 2021 by Shannon Vicker Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Grace And Peace!

The Questions

1) Who is Paul addressing in verse 1 and why are they supposed to stand firm?

2) Why is Paul urging Euodia and Syntyche to agree? (verse 2)

3) What do we learn about prayer from verses 6 and 7?

Philippians 4:1-7

4 So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Original Intent

1) Who is Paul addressing in verse 1 and why are they supposed to stand firm?Paul is addressing believers in the ancient city of Philippi. To know why Paul is instructing them to stand firm we must look back to what he wrote in Philippians 3:12-21. Here Paul reminds believers to not dwell on the past, but instead look ahead to the prize. (verse 13) He also, with tears, reminds believers that not all people follow Christ. There are enemies of the cross and their end is eternal destruction. (verses 18-19) Paul then reminds them of who they are in Christ, and the rich reward waiting for them in Heaven. (verses 20-21) This foundational reminder is what leads up to Paul’s instruction for the Philippian believers to stand firm. They must stand firm in Christ, anchoring their identity in Him in order not to be swayed from following Jesus by those enemies of the cross.

2) Why is Paul urging Euodia and Syntyche to agree? (verse 2)
Euodia and Syntyche were two believers who were both prominent leaders within the Philippian church. Paul does not provide details about the disagreement between these ladies, however, he does urge them to end their disagreement and repair the relationship, not only for the themselves, but for the whole church. Paul urges their reconciliation for the benefit of the gospel’s mission. They could have been extremely effective in spreading the Good News, but their arguing could cause others to turn away from the eternal hope Jesus offers. Paul didn’t want to see the spreading of the gospel hindered by their inability to reconcile and therefore he urges them towards unity.

3) What do we learn about prayer from verses 6 and 7?
First and foremost, Paul reminds his audience to not worry about anything. (verse 6) However, he does not leave them wondering what to do with their worry. He immediately instructs them to turn to the Lord with everything in prayer as the antidote for their anxieties. Paul provides the Philippians with guidance about different ways of entering into prayer conversations. While prayers often include petitions to God, there are greater depths to explore, and Paul points his audience toward these deeper waters. Prayers should be characterized with heartfelt thanksgiving as we remember and praise God for all He has done and for Who He is as our Lord and Savior. The result of patterning our prayer life in this way results in indescribable peace! (verse 7)

Everyday Application

1) Who is Paul addressing in verse 1 and why are they supposed to stand firm?While Paul is addressing the believers in Philippi, his message is just as much for believers in Jesus today as it was for them. Just as there were those who were not in Christ in Philippi, we find ourselves in the path of those who also do not belong to Christ in our everyday lives. There were enemies of the gospel in Paul’s day and there are enemies of the gospel in ours. Satan is at work and there isn’t a promise of ease when we become believers. Instead, we are promised attacks. Therefore, we must keep our eyes on Christ, on our identity in Him and stand firm against the attacks that are sure to come. When we keep our focus on the prize to come and trust in our identity in Him, we are able to stand firm against any attack that comes our way. Let’s ask the Lord to not only help us stand firm in truth, but also to remember Paul’s tears when he considered the enemies of the cross. Paul’s desire was for those who were far from God to be drawn near to Him. Who can you begin fervently engaging with love to share the gospel?

2) Why is Paul urging Euodia and Syntyche to agree? (verse 2)
These women were believers and leaders within the church at Philippi and they found themselves in the midst of a disagreement. Paul urged them to repair their relationship for the sake of the gospel. While we can love the Lord with all our hearts, serve within His church, and share the Good News with those He puts in our path, we can also damage the advancement of the gospel if our relationships with others are damaged and disunifying. People cannot hear what we are saying about eternal life and Jesus’ love when our actions do not match up. If we are sharing about a God who loves unconditionally, but we cannot love each other, the unbelieving world misses the message. Just as Paul urged these women to agree and repair their relationship for the sake of Christ, we must also ask ourselves if we have a relationship that needs repairing for the sake of the gospel. Who do you and I need to reconcile with in order to allow the Lord to fully work through our lives?

3) What do we learn about prayer from verses 6 and 7?
As believers, we are all called not to worry as it belies what we know to be true about God and His good, kind character. We enjoy a personal relationship with the God of the universe; He is in control of everything and desires for us to turn our worries over to Him. These are burdens He doesn’t want us to carry! However, we all know this is easier said than done. Paul reminds us in these verses there is no petition too big for God. We can bring it all to Him, trusting His will in every situation. A mentor of mine says it well, “We don’t pray before we work, prayer is the work and then God works.” That’s the God we serve. We petition God, then wait for Him in His divine timing to work. God will always answer. However, we need to remember God will answer in His wisdom, not necessarily what we desire. Paul’s reminder to give thanks is also crucial for us to include in our prayers. I can personally attest to God’s goodness when we thank Him. As we respond in thankfulness, looking for the ways God is working, we begin to see through His eyes instead of ours. When we begin choosing thankfulness as a habit, we find reasons to be thankful even in the hardest of situations. We begin to see God’s hand at work even when life doesn’t make sense. God is always working. Are we looking for His activity?

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

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 Fervent Week One!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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

Posted in: church, Digging Deeper, Fervent, God, Gospel, Grace, Jesus, Paul, Prayer, Relationship, Unity Tagged: believers, Deeper Waters, depth, desire, Drawn, good news, Savior, Stand Firm, thanksgiving

Beloved Day 10 Satisfaction Of The Beloved

November 27, 2020 by Rebecca Adams 1 Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 13:4-13
Song of Solomon 2:8-17
1 Corinthians 2:1-16

Beloved, Day 10

Lights on.
Clothes off.
Covers gone.
Nothing hidden.
exposed and known tied together in a single moment.

Will there be acceptance?
Does shame live here?
Does love?

I’m not a movie junky, and I rarely watch TV, but even for me, there’s something achingly sweet in watching a romantic comedy. Whatever the couple’s circumstances that pull at my heart strings, the winding path to resolution finds me swooning and cheering for the blissful couple as their “happily ever after” comes into view and the credits roll.

It’s easy to cheer on a fictitious couple on the screen, it’s quite another to live out a happy ending in real life, where expectation, desire, and satisfaction rarely align.

As a teenager, I was drawn in by the love story of Song of Solomon. I would read every word, imagining how fantastic it would be to be the Beloved of a man who seemed entirely intent on loving me.

How beautiful you are, my Love! How pleasant! (Song of Solomon 1:15)
I am my Love’s, and his desire is for me.
(Song of Solomon 7:10)
You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes. (Song of Solomon 4:9)

Surely, if I prayed intently enough, waiting for just the right one, the Lord would give me this Happily Ever After kind of man who would pen erotic poems about the delights of my body. I would feel loved, and full; content and never wanting for anything.

Your lips are like a scarlet cord,
and your mouth is lovely. (Song of Solomon 4:3)
How beautiful are your sandaled feet, princess!
The curves of your thighs are like jewelry,
the handiwork of a master. (…)
Your belly is a mound of wheat
surrounded by lilies.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle. (Song of Solomon 7:1-3, emphasis mine)

Turns out, real life was rather, um, less than.
I do remember my new husband reading Song of Solomon one night after he prepared a hot bath, but as for bright lights and clothes off, I’m always looking for the blanket and maybe, m a y b e, a candle for a light. Otherwise, pitch black works great; it’s good for sleeping and any other activity.

It would seem I actually have a lot of shame I’d rather keep under wraps. Plenty of uncertainty whispers in the corners of my heart, asking if my Lover actually loves me for me. Then, apparently, I have quite a few expectations I didn’t realize I carried, which has led to heaps of disappointment and even anger. These are also things I’d rather keep cocooned in the dark.

For over half my life, I’ve known, and loved, my husband, and he has known and loved me.
We’ve both done the best we could, given the people we were, the maturity we had, and what we knew of love and relationships. We’re now 19 years in to this mysterious covenant love we share, but, can I tell you a secret?

I only started feeling truly satisfied when I began loving my Maker first and most.
There was a time in my marriage, where the pain of disappointment and the heavy ache of never enough grew impossible to bear. It was then, I dared something new.
I took the Lord as my Husband.

I very intentionally decided Christ would have my everything, and I would look to Him alone to find my fullest satisfaction. Being a Christian was one thing, but committing to knowing Jesus as my covenant Bridegroom was another, especially in the deep wake of disappointment in my flesh and blood marriage.

It began simply, with my open Bible, a journal page, a pen, and an awkward few sentences signaling the beginning of a commitment to meet with the Lord God every single day and pray for my husband.

Over time, the woes I had with my man faded
as Christ became most and best of what I wanted.
Instead of bemoaning all the ways my man wasn’t,
I was drawn in by all Jesus was.

As I invested in my relationship with God, His Spirit reshaped my heart to see my husband differently and love him better. Sisters, when it comes to loving my man, I have an inexpressibly long ways to go, but I also know the Lord has made me new in ways I’d never dreamed possible, and He’s made my husband new too.

Want to know another secret?
My husband’s transformation took a radical shift when He decided
Jesus needed to be His one and only love as well.

He was convicted by Jesus’ words in Revelation,
“I have this against you, you have forgotten your first love”. (Revelation 2:4)
As he sat on a mountain, he was stunned by the sheer magnitude of the All-Powerful God who simultaneously deeply knew and intimately loved him for him.

Only when we fix our full attention on the One who crafted our bodies and our hearts, can we truly love another. Only here, in the complete surrender of ourselves to the One who pursues us most passionately, can we discover that we can indeed be fully satisfied.

Here with God, who sees all and knows all, and died to forever slay our shame, can we dance gleefully with all the lights on, because we are fully known and fully loved.
Here, and only here, is where real satisfaction lives.

Oh! Taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
(Psalm 34:8)

Come away, Beloved, the Lord is for you. (Psalm 118:5-6)
While every other Love in our lives will absolutely disappoint, only Jesus will fill us with overflowing delight. Be intent on knowing Him first and most, and let His knowing of you flood you with satisfaction.

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 Beloved Week Two! 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 Beloved!

Posted in: Beloved, Christ, Jesus, Marriage, Relationship, Shame Tagged: Beautiful, Bridegroom, covenant, desire, Drawn, Expectations, Exposed, Fully Satisfied, Happily Ever After, Intimately Loved, Man, My Love, Song of Solomon, Woman

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