endurance

Wilderness Day 15 Wilderness Faith

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 1:1-4
Acts 1:12-14
Deuteronomy 8:2-10
Isaiah 53:4-6
Matthew 8

Wilderness, Day 15

Wilderness experiences often leave us feeling far from God.
Yet God is with us and at work in our midst.
He faithfully provides, leads, and humbles us as He reveals our hearts, all while moving us forward toward the fulfillment of His promise to finish His work. (Deuteronomy 8:2-10)

Wilderness waiting doesn’t mean inactivity or wasted time. As we see in the lives of Jesus’ disciples as they awaited the indwelling Holy Spirit, the wilderness teaches us faith, endurance, and dependence on God.

In the forty days after Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to His disciples, proving He was truly alive. (Acts 1:3) He told them about the Kingdom of God and instructed them on how to live after He ascended to His heavenly throne.

Jesus’ final words to them centered on the promised Holy Spirit:

“[F]or John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days [. . .] you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses [. . .] to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:5, 8)
Jesus returns to heaven. (Acts 1:9-11)
And the disciples enter the wilderness of waiting.

Wow! Can you imagine the conversation between the disciples on the road home?

Is He coming back?
What should we do now?
They were very dependent on Jesus during His earthly ministry, yet now Jesus expected them to take the Gospel to the entire world without Him! For the disciples, this was a major hurdle for persevering faith, a wilderness moment.

Consider our own circumstances, when ministry doesn’t fit with our expectations of how God would further His kingdom. We, too, can find ourselves staring at the sky, wondering what’s next.

Despite moments of confusion and anxiety, the disciples returned to Jerusalem, as Jesus had commanded. There, they “were continually united in prayer, along with the women[.]” (Acts 1:14)

Imagine the disciples remembering the lessons Jesus had taught them on prayer and worship, humility, faith, and community.

The disciples’ first move, therefore, was prayer, shaped by Jesus’ example. Jesus made prayer a priority in His life, modeling it to His disciples. (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 5:16)

Jesus also described true worship, in a shocking conversation with a derided Samaritan woman. (John 4:21-24) The physical location of worship would no longer be important, He explained, putting to rest a generations-old conflict between ethnic groups. Rather, all believers would “worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23)

Another fundamental lesson Jesus taught was the greatness of those who humbly serve. (Luke 22:24-27) In answering a dispute over which disciple would be most glorified in Heaven, Jesus challenged their thinking.

“On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45)

Jesus continually demonstrated servant leadership and humility. The disciples would need these skills to take the Gospel to the world.

Along with reflecting on Jesus’ teachings, the disciples could use their wilderness time to consider the importance of faith.

The disciples had witnessed Jesus restore abundance of life in miracle after miracle.
A centurion’s servant, healed with a word. (Matthew 8:5-13)
A leper, and the disciple Peter’s mother-in-law, healed with a touch. (Matthew 8:1-4, Matthew 8:14-16)
Spiritual and physical healing, again and again, living fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah’s words, before their eyes, “He himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases.” (Matthew 8:16-17, Isaiah 53:4)

Yet, in none of these restorations had the disciples’ own lives been at risk.
Until the night a terrible storm arose as Jesus and His disciples were traveling on the sea.
As their boat nearly capsized in the waves, the disciples woke a sleeping Jesus, begging Him for rescue. (Matthew 8:23-27) Jesus calmed the storm, then challenged them to assess their faith.

You see, it’s easy to proclaim faith that God is working in a stranger’s hardship.

The smallness of our faith may not become apparent until the waves surge before our eyes, threatening to sweep the air from our lungs and crush our bones beneath the weight of the sea.

Yet, Jesus calmly reminds, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) Faith enables us to rely on God’s strength to overcome any storm or wilderness moments that tear into our lives.

Such faith would be critical for the disciples to carry out Jesus’ final commission. Now in the upper room, before the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter led them in faith as they waited and prayed.

When the Holy Spirit arrived, Peter, who denied Christ three times only weeks earlier, spoke powerfully about the life and resurrection of Jesus to the masses of Jews who filled Jerusalem. As a result, three thousand people came to faith. (Acts 2)

In the wilderness, we, like the disciples, can learn to prioritize prayer, engage in true worship, humbly serve, and move in the rhythms of faith.
God is faithful, and we can depend on Him, even in the wilderness.

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Wilderness Day 4 Job’s Wilderness & My Own: 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 Job’s Wilderness & My Own!

The Questions

1) Why does Job assert he will emerge from his testing as pure gold? (verse 10)

2) Why does Job say that God terrifies him? (verses 15-16)

3) Why does Job say he is not destroyed by the darkness that covers his face? (verse 17)

Job 23:10-17

Yet he knows the way I have taken; when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold. 11 My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept to His way and not turned aside. 12 I have not departed from the commands from His lips; I have treasured the words from His mouth more than my daily food. 13 But He is unchangeable; who can oppose Him? He does what He desires. 14 He will certainly accomplish what He has decreed for me, and He has many more things like these in mind. 15 Therefore I am terrified in His presence; when I consider this, I am afraid of Him. 16 God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. 17 Yet I am not destroyed by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.

Original Intent

1) Why does Job assert he will emerge from his testing as pure gold? (verse 10)
In Job’s biblical account, the Lord tested His servant by allowing him to lose his children, possessions, and health (Job 1:13-19, Job 2:7) John Piper explains that in testing Job, “God chooses to get an open victory over Satan for His own glory. A test will show that in the heart of Job God Himself is more highly esteemed than any possession or any family member.” God knew Job was a man of integrity who feared God (Job 1:8) and wouldn’t turn away from the Lord because of trouble. In fact, Job avowed, “When He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.” (verse 10) Although he wavered and struggled because of his difficulties, Job ultimately honored God with his actions and responses to the trials he faced. Job knew that just as gold comes out of intense fire pure and refined, he would come through the Lord’s testing better, wiser, and more steadfast in faith. (Job 42:1-7) Eugene Peterson remarks that when we go through suffering, our “lives are often transformed, deepened, marked with beauty and holiness, in remarkable ways that could never have been anticipated before the suffering.” Although Job was frustrated and discouraged, he did not curse God or give up, as he was encouraged to do. (Job 2:9-10) He complained and protested, but he held no anger against God at his great loss. (Job 13:15) Job knew God was worth more to him than everything else on earth. (Psalm 73:25-26) He respected God’s sovereignty and trusted His perfect will and plan. When we experience trials and troubles, we can follow Job’s example of trust in God and come through the struggles wiser, closer to God, and deeper in our faith.

2) Why does Job say that God terrifies him? (verses 15-16)
Job declared he was terrified of God (verses 15-16) because he witnessed the extremes of the Lord’s decrees for his life. God blessed Job with great wealth and happiness, but He also allowed Satan to test Job with multiple calamities that shook his faith. Because of this, Job developed a healthy fear, or deep awe-filled respect, of God and His power. Albert Barnes declares that God, “who has an eternal plan, and who is able to accomplish all that He purposes, and who makes known none of His dealings beforehand, should be an object of veneration and fear.” Job knew God held everything in His hands and can change everything as He sees fit in the blink of an eye. Job was awed by the sheer magnitude of God’s might. He realized that just as God can be amazingly gracious, He can also allow everything to be taken in an instant. This caused him to declare himself afraid of the Almighty. Job’s fear of God was not like the fear of man, which the Bible calls a snare. (Proverbs 29:25) God actually instructs the whole earth to fear the Lord. (Psalm 33:8) Scripture informs us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 111:10) Having a reverential respect for God makes us happy (Psalm 112:1) and is a fountain of life to help us avoid the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27) Job was in awe of God’s greatness and sovereign power, which kept him from sinning against the Lord and allowed him to accept the good and the bad that came into his life. Job accepted that God knew more than him, and that God’s ways were better than his own; this reverence blessed Job’s life.

3) Why does Job say he is not destroyed by the darkness that covers his face? (verse 17)
After Job suffered from the testing God allowed, he declared himself “terrified of God and faint of heart”. (verse 16) Even so, he proclaimed he wasn’t destroyed by the “thick darkness that covers my face”. (verse 17) Job announced that though he was down for the count, he was not out. He endured the testing of the Lord and lived to tell the tale. He suffered immense loss, but he did not die and neither did he lose his faith. He survived to rebuild and thrive in the aftermath of the Lord’s dealings with him. Interestingly, Paul expressed something similar in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, when he wrote, “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.” James also wrote about troubles, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2-3) When God allows suffering, it is never without cause. Suffering produces endurance, like for Paul and James. Or like for Job, it can draw us closer to God. Ann Voskamp suggests, “That which tears open our souls, those holes that splatter our sight, may actually become the thin, open places to see through the mess of this place to the heart-aching beauty beyond. To Him. To the God whom we endlessly crave.” Thanks be to God for redeeming the painful tragedies of our lives and using them to bring us close to Him!

Everyday Application

1) Why does Job assert he will emerge from his testing as pure gold? (verse 10)
When I read Job’s belief that he will “emerge from his testing as pure gold” (verse 10), I think of the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. In Job’s case, he hoped he would be killed, or had never been born. (Job 3) Times could not have been harder for Job. He lost everything except his relationship with God. Through his trials he learned God was all he really needed, and that God was more important than anything. Eric Ortlund asserts that “When God puts us into a position where we must hold onto our relationship with God for God’s sake only—in which we stand to gain nothing but God—we start to receive him more fully than we ever had before.” When Job was tested, he clung to God. He questioned and complained and lamented, but he never turned his back on God. He recognized that whatever reason God had for testing him, he would come through the trials “as pure gold” because he trusted and hoped in God. Today our culture holds this hope that some good will come from going through hard times. The apostle Paul tells us that God works “all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes”. (Romans 8:28) Eventually, God blessed Job with more than he ever lost, working everything out for Job’s good and God’s glory. (Job 42:12) May we also see our hardships as opportunities to lean into God and realize He is truly all we need. (Philippians 4:19)

2) Why does Job say that God terrifies him? (verses 15-16)
I recently saw something I wanted; a 5-year planner. I love knowing what to expect; mapping out the next five years would be reassuring, even if it’s not realistic. Not knowing what to expect is slightly terrifying. It is so easy to expend time and energy trying to figure out what the future holds. Dread of the unknown also frightened Job. He went from having ten children and a valuable estate at the beginning of the day to having nothing by the end of the same day. Knowing God could change things so drastically at any time made Job realize how powerfulness and finite he was compared to God. He feared this All-Powerful God who could give and take away, but it was a righteous fear, a reverent respect for a God so far above his own ways and thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Although God’s ways are “unsearchable and untraceable” (Romans 11:33), we do have some idea of what to expect as God’s child. He doesn’t spell out His specific plans for us, but He proclaims they are good. He will give us a hope and a future in Him when we trust Him as our Savior. (Jeremiah 29:11) He also declares we will encounter struggle in this world, but He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) God lets us know what He wants us to do no matter what lies ahead; He created us to do good works (Ephesians 2:10), which include being fair, faithful, and humble. (Micah 6:8) The truth giving me the most peace when facing the unknown is that no matter what happens, God is in control (Isaiah 14:24) and I can trust Him (Isaiah 25:1) As I continue facing uncertainty, I purpose to trust the God who gives, takes away, and is lovingly in control of everything.

3) Why does Job say he is not destroyed by the darkness that covers his face? (verse 17)
When something sorrowful happens, like the death of a loved one or the abuse of a child, people sometimes get angry with God or doubt His existence, questioning why He would allow such tragedy. For some, the pain and grief cannot be overcome and they sink into sorrow and despair. This could have happened to Job after losing his children, his possessions, his health, and his friendships. He had nothing left to lose but his life and his faith. Still, Job was not “destroyed by the thick darkness that covers my face”. (verse 17) He learned through the course of his trials that even through heartache, God could be trusted. Hannah Hurnard writes, “The High Places of victory and union with Christ can be reached by learning to accept, day by day, the actual conditions and tests permitted by God, by laying down of our own will and accepting His. The lessons [are] of accepting and triumphing over evil, of becoming acquainted with grief, and pain, and of finding them transformed into something incomparably precious.” When we endure suffering, we are drawn closer to God (Psalm 23:4, Psalm 34:18) and are made more like our Lord (Hebrews 12:10). No matter what God allows to enter into our lives, we know He is true and trustworthy. (Psalm 33:4) Suffering is “producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17), a reward in heaven that will be so much better than anything we could imagine on earth!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Job’s Wilderness & My Own!

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

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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

Build Day 9 Building Perseverance: 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 Building Perseverance!

The Questions

1) How does being justified by faith give us peace with God? (verse 1)

2) How does affliction produce endurance? (verse 3)

3) Why would Paul say proven character produces hope that will not disappoint? (verses 4-5)

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who was given to us.

Original Intent

1) How does being justified by faith give us peace with God? (verse 1)
Romans 5:1 says, “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We become justified by faith when we trust in Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23), which means we are no longer separated from God because of our sin. Author John Piper explains, “God laid on [Jesus] the iniquities that we performed, and God laid on us the righteousness that He performed. He takes our sin, though He didn’t perform it. And we take His righteousness, though we didn’t perform it.” Though we are guilty of sin, we are justified through the blood of Jesus, and that reconciliation through Christ gives us peace. We have peace because we are no longer enemies with God. (James 4:4) R.C. Sproul asserts, “We cannot understand the full ramifications of this peace unless we are fully convinced of what our relationship to our Creator was truly like before we knew Jesus. Scripture describes this relationship as an all-out war.” In Romans 8:7, Paul describes the mindset of the flesh as hostile to God. Sin creates enmity (bitter fighting) between every human being and God. (Genesis 3:15) Being justified by faith in Jesus erases that hostility caused by sin and brings us into communion with God, giving us peace. We are no longer at war with God because we are one with God who is our peace. (John 14:20, Ephesians 2:14) May we all fully embrace the lasting peace that only comes from knowing God today!

2) How does affliction produce endurance? (verse 3)
When we experience afflictions, we have two choices: give up or keep going. Romans 5:3 encourages perseverance when we face trials because “we know that our affliction produces endurance.” Paul admonishes that, when we experience difficulty and keep moving forward, we become stronger for God uses all things for His glory and our good, even the times we feel most weak or incapable. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10, Romans 8:28) When we believe God can be trusted in every situation (Proverbs 29:25), we are willing to persist in faith even when the situation becomes difficult. The hardships we face with God’s help strengthen us. (1 Peter 5:10) Kathryn Butler suggests, “With our eyes set on Him, our suffering refines us, as iron in the forge. The cross infuses even our most harrowing tribulations with purpose.” Going through trials with God sustaining us, and coming out on the other side victorious, builds our faith and teaches us we can endure anything because God is with us. (Romans 8:31) As He proves Himself faithful, our faith increases. Priscilla Shirer asserts that pain “is the gift that keeps us from further discomfort. When we feel it, it becomes a teacher pointing us to the only correct Answer. . . . [God]. [He] desires for us the blessing of pain because, mysteriously, it keeps us, comforts us, humbles us, teaches us and drives us back to safety.” God uses our pain and problems to teach us to rely solely on Him and, in the process, we realize we can endure all things in Christ alone.

3) Why would Paul say proven character produces hope that will not disappoint? (verses 4-5) Paul teaches in Romans 5 that going through hard things produces proven character, which produces hope. (verse 4) When we come through adversity stronger than we entered it, character is built. (James 1:4) We have to come to know and trust God’s character more deeply by relying on Him and His promises; He has built His faithfulness inside of us. Persevering through struggles builds our character and gives us hope because we know that what God says is true and the love and help He promises is real. R.C. Sproul suggests, “perseverance refines our character, creating stability and integrity, and such stability strengthens our hope. When we see God’s faithfulness to us through our periods of suffering, we are encouraged to grasp the hope of glory.” Romans 5:5 declares, “This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Learning to abide and trust God in harrowing times, allows the opportunity for God to make us more like Christ. (Galatians 2:20) Through perseverance, we know our hope is genuine and we can rely on God’s love and His Spirit’s power to cause us to endure. No circumstance can take us off course because we have a hope we’ve come to know is trustworthy and true. Kathryn Butler asserts, “Those who know Christ have a hope which no calamity or disaster can wrench from us. It points our eyes away from this sin-sick world, toward Christ, who makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).” With disappointment looming large in many areas of our world, our culture, and our everyday lives, what a blessing to have a sure and certain hope in Jesus that will not disappoint!

Everyday Application

1) How does being justified by faith give us peace with God? (verse 1)
There is no magic number of good deeds we can do, or amount of money we can donate to a worthy cause to make us “right” before the Righteous Lord. (Titus 3:5) We like to think God accepts us if we are “good” people, but truthfully, without Christ’s redemption, there isn’t one person who is righteous. (Romans 3:10) However, if we believe in Jesus and accept His redeeming love, we are justified by faith in Him. Jesus took our sins upon Himself, so God sees us as righteous because Jesus is righteous. David Guzik explains, “because of what Jesus did, the righteousness of God is given to all who believe. The guilty sentence is transformed into a sentence of justified, and justified by faith.” There is deep peace in knowing we don’t need to do anything to earn God’s love or His forgiveness. There is no pressure to keep all the rules without making a mistake, because God has already perfectly done the work that saves us. We can add nothing to it, for even our “good deeds” are considered “filthy rags” according to God’s standard of righteousness. (Isaiah 64:6) God knows we will mess up, even after we have surrendered to following Him in faith (1 John 1:8-9), but His grace sets us free, forgives us completely, and equips us to follow Him. Titus 2:11-12 states, “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age.” We can enjoy God’s declaration of righteous over our lives because of Jesus and we can delight in the peace of living life inside the very life of God.

2) How does affliction produce endurance? (verse 3)
When I look up endurance in the dictionary, I expect to find a picture of my friend, Timothy. He grew up in an abusive home and relied on the Lord to sustain him. (Psalm 55:22) He became a missionary in a war-torn country and lost a loved one while there. Again, he allowed the strength of the Lord to carry him. (Isaiah 46:4) He lost his first child and spent months in the hospital with another baby, praying alongside hundreds of believers and watching that child grow and heal against all odds. He was replaced in a ministry position he loved, but he allowed the Lord to use that loss to birth a new ministry which blessed and served others and eventually led him into pastoring. He lost his church building due to denominational red tape, which led him to an under-served area of town where he now has a thriving congregation. He is a brilliant example of Paul’s teaching, “And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance.” (Romans 5:3) The first time Pastor Timothy trusted God to get him through a situation, his faith was strengthened, and he learned he could endure because of God’s grace. This growing faith helped him face each subsequent situation with the belief that God would come through. He faced these afflictions and others, including betrayal, rejection, and life-threatening illness, by persevering in faith, enduring with the Lord, and coming out stronger because of his reliance on God. I think of my friend when the going gets rough for me, because his example reminds me that God can handle anything, which means I can handle it because I have access to God and His strength! (Philippians 4:13)

3) Why would Paul say proven character produces hope that will not disappoint? (verses 4-5)
One of my favorite poems is Emily Dickinson’s “Hope Is The Thing With Feathers.” “Hope” is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul/and sings the tune without the words-/And never stops – at all.” This stanza reminds me that hope goes against expectation and outlasts when it seems like it shouldn’t. These lines come to mind as I read Romans 5:4-5, “…endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Hope in God will never disappoint, even when that hope seems to go against everything the world and the culture tell us. Our hope in God is an “anchor for the soul, firm and secure.“ (Hebrews 6:19) When we know God will constantly be with us in everything (Joshua 1:9), seeing us through anything (Psalm 121:8), our faith is built stronger. Having a proven character that trusts the Lord completely (Proverbs 3:5) makes us hopeful for all God will continue to do according to His promises. When we have hope, we believe God is in control no matter what the prognosis or the projected outlook. (Psalm 22:28) We don’t feel lost or shaken when unsettling news comes our way because our hope is anchored in the steadfast love of a God who faithfully sustains us. We understand that “The reality of God’s love in a believer’s heart gives the assurance, even the guarantee, that the believer’s hope in God and His promise of glory is not misplaced and will not fail.” (preceptaustin.org) This hope we have in God sings in our hearts as we realize His unfailing love will never disappoint us!

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

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

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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

Build Day 5 Building Faith

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 4
James 2:14-26
James 1:2-4
1 Peter 14:12-19

Build, Day 5

Did you know haters existed in the Bible? They did, and today I want to talk about two of them, Sanballat and Tobiah. Their target? Nehemiah primarily, but also the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile in an effort to resettle the city. Let’s see how Nehemiah’s haters operated.

The Israelites were minding their business, each working on rebuilding their assigned portion of the wall. Sanballat and Tobiah’s first line of attack against them was mockery and insults, trying to discourage the workers. (Nehemiah 4:1-3) Nehemiah, who was leading the building efforts, could have responded directly to them verbally or even physically, but he chose the way of wisdom and faith. He prayed. (Nehemiah 4:4-5)

Nehemiah trusted God to handle the opposition, instead of trying to handle them himself.  His response reminds me of someone else who prayed in response to His haters. Jesus, hanging on the cross, accused of being a liar and a fraud, turned to the Father in prayer instead of using His unlimited power against His haters.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.’” (Luke 23:34)

I’m praying we can follow these examples and respond to opposition with prayer, instead of trying to handle it by ourselves. After all, God said, “Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay.” (Deuteronomy 32:35) We need to trust Him, relying on Him to handle the situation.

If you thought Sanballat and Tobiah were done, think again. As the Israelites kept on building (Nehemiah 4:6), the haters upped the ante, plotting with other nations to attack the Israelites. (Nehemiah 4:7-8, 11) Some workers grew discouraged at the opposition and the sheer magnitude of the task remaining. (Nehemiah 4:10-12) This time, Nehemiah did not pray alone as many workers prayed alongside him. (Nehemiah 4:9)

Then Nehemiah asked everyone, leaders and workers alike, to do as he had been doing and would continue to do, trust God, who had shown Himself faithful time and again. While also, joining God by taking appropriate action. They could act as guards and protect themselves and their families. (Nehemiah 4:13-18)

Nehemiah armed the people with prayer and encouragement as well as the practicalities of guards, weapons, and an alarm system. The people responded by returning to the work God had given them. (Nehemiah 4:15-21) Nehemiah embodies the promise found in James 1:2-4, “The testing of your faith produces endurance.” That endurance makes us “mature and complete.”

Nehemiah was definitely being tested as a leader through escalating opposition and discouraged countrymen. Yet he showed himself mature by demonstrating his faith in God through prayer and works. He prayed, made and implemented plans, and even worked alongside the people. (Nehemiah 4:21-23) Imagine how encouraging it is for workers today to have their boss stay late, roll up her figurative sleeves, and help out with that critical project. Now imagine how the Israelites felt having Nehemiah join in the work, all the while risking his own life too!

James 2:17 says, “Faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.” How is this reflected in Nehemiah’s story? Nehemiah shows a complete picture of trusting God to work on our behalf, while also actively putting that faith to action by using the wisdom He imparts for leading well. We can learn much about building from this prophet.

As we are building our families, ministries, and communities, what can we learn from Nehemiah’s experience?

As we trust, pray, build, and endure, we can stand confidently on His assurance He will never leave us nor forsake us!

“Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the LORD your God is the one who will go with you; He will not leave you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

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The GT Weekend! ~ Waiting Week 1

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Psalm 13 begins, “How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” Certainly we have all experienced the discomfort of waiting in some form or another. Joseph knew God had selected him for a specific mission and purpose, but it may have seemed to Joseph that God was taking the scenic route to get him there. We do not see Joseph questioning God or crying out in despair. In fact, at the end of his life, Joseph was able to look back on all the waiting and trials and confirm how God had used every season of his life to bring him to God’s intended result. What are you waiting for? If you’re anything like me, you don’t have the same clear vision Joseph had for where your life is going, but you do have dreams and desires. Consider two or three things you are waiting on today. Pray that God would sustain you in your waiting, and remember the final verses of Psalm 13, “But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.”  How will you practically choose to sing?!

2) Wednesday’s Journey Study closed with this thought, “Maybe this is the key to waiting well. We can trust God’s character even when we can’t understand our circumstances, holding onto the sure hope He is still working even when we struggle to see how. Ultimately, we can trust that, in His own perfect timing, His purposes will prevail.” In a world of fast food and free next-day delivery, many of us are accustomed to near-instant gratification. But Romans 5:4 tells us our afflictions produce endurance, which leads to character, which leads to hope, which will not disappoint. It’s easy for us to ask, “Why is this happening to me?” It is harder to consider our circumstances are being used to grow our endurance, character, and hope. David waited many years for the fulfilment of God’s promise. David was honest with the Lord about his doubts, but God’s character never waivered. Where are you struggling to trust in God’s character? Can you imagine some ways He may be using these things to grow you? Write down the four words: affliction, endurance, character, and hope. When you are tempted to despair in your trials, remember these words and the God who actively works in you. Commit your way to Him and ask Him for help to endure well and hold tightly to the Hope He gives.

3) Disappointment comes from unmet expectations. Sometimes, disappointment is minor like a schedule change in your busy day or missing an engagement you were wanting to attend. Other times, the disappointment hits much deeper with life-long impact. Loss of a loved one. A marriage that ended or not finding “the one” to marry. Miscarriage or unable to conceive. Career opportunities. The list is endless, and regardless of our specific disappointment, whether big or small, each one leaves us with a large vacuum of desire utterly unfulfilled. Because we’ve all shared this common experience, we can connect with Hosea’s story in very deep ways. Hosea had waited for a bride, and when the Lord showed him who to take for his wife, his expectations didn’t align with reality. Yet, through this union, God would show Hosea, and Israel, the deep, passionate, and extremely radical love God has for His own Beloved. Hosea’s love story was entirely unexpected, but instead of becoming angry or indignant with the Lord’s response to his faithful waiting, Hosea’s single love story told the greatest love story of God for His people. Just suppose, the Sovereign God of all, who wastes nothing, loves endlessly, and carries our sorrows as His own, wanted to redeem our disappointment for His glory?! What would you surrender to Him?

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 13:3-6 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
But I have trusted in your faithful love;
my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.
I will sing to the Lord
because he has treated me generously.

Prayer Journal
How long, oh Lord? Will You forget me forever? Will You allow this season of waiting and uncertainty to drag on and pull me under? We cry out to You in desperation. We seek Your face in the midst of our trouble. Do You hear us? Are You listening? But God, You are rich in mercy. You heard the voice of Joseph in his jail cell, of David in his hiding place, of Hosea in his troubled marriage, and You rescued them. Time and again, You have shown Yourself to be a faithful God. I believe You will rescue Your people from their afflictions; Lord, help my unbelief. As we wait for You, may our afflictions produce endurance, leading to character, resulting in a sure hope. While the days feel long and the nights are dark, I choose to sing a song of praise to the God who hears. I believe I will again rejoice in the goodness of our God. You answer our prayers, You rescue Your people, You have treated us generously. Thank you, oh Lord, for Your steadfast love and daily grace.

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Ready Day 12 Unlikely Abundance: 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 Unlikely Abundance!

The Questions

1) According to this passage, what should our attitude be during suffering?

 

2) What gifts does suffering bring?

 

3) What does it truly mean to have biblical hope?

Romans 5:2-5

We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Original Intent

1) According to this passage, what should our attitude be during suffering?

Shockingly, believers in Jesus are encouraged to rejoice during suffering. In Romans 5:2-5 Paul declares two unshakeable things in which we can continually rejoice. The first is the hope of the glory of God. (verse 2) The second is our suffering. (verse 3) When Paul writes about rejoicing, he uses the Greek word, kauchaomai, which means to “elevate” or “boast”. We are literally boasting, or bragging, that God will be “shown off” through our suffering. That His glory will be revealed is the first aspect of our rejoicing. Then we “rejoice” or, “elevate” our mindset by putting our hope beyond the sufferings themselves and onto Hope in the person of Jesus Christ. This is not to say, however, we rejoice in the actual suffering. For example, a woman diagnosed with cancer doesn’t rejoice that she has a disease. Her rejoicing, or the shifting of her perspective to orient to a biblical viewpoint, would reflect viewing her cancer as the means by which God will be glorified and she will build endurance. In turn, this endurance will be used by God to develop her character, which will strengthen her confident expectation of the goodness to come both in her present reality and in eternity with Jesus. We rejoice that our suffering will show off God’s goodness, and we rejoice, or look beyond our suffering, to know the purposes it will achieve as God works through every detail.

 

2) What gifts does suffering bring?

Paul lays out three specific gifts in Romans 5:2-5 regarding suffering. The first is endurance, which is the ability to withstand, persevere, and “hang in” when things are hard. This unique blessing is received as we walk through suffering. We don’t gain endurance when life is easy and comfortable. Only suffering redeemed by a loving God can deliver the gift of endurance. The second gift of suffering is character. This may be an even greater gift than endurance because the person I become is one who is more like Jesus, and more like the person He created me to be before I was marred by sin. Through hardship, God not only redeems our suffering through endurance, He reveals who we were designed to be in Him. Suffering is the refining fire that burns off the un-useful and sin-wrecked harmful habits in me so our character becomes more Christlike. Thirdly, we receive the blessing of hope, which is a gift like no other. Like a crowning jewel, God uses suffering to produce His unshakeable hope within us. Hope that will not disappoint because it isn’t placed on an event or a set of circumstances, but on the unchanging person of God Himself. As we surrender our suffering to Jesus, He is faithful to redeem our brokenness, reveal our true identity, and then crown us with “real life” through incorruptible hope.

 

3) What does it truly mean to have biblical hope?

The original Greek word Paul used here that is translated “hope” in English means “confident assurance”. These days, if we use the term hope, we are often implying we “wish” for something we aren’t at all certain we will obtain. This definition doesn’t help us at all when we consider biblical hope! Paul’s Greek word, “ἐλπίς”, isn’t pie-in-the sky wishful thinking like, “I hope I get to go to Europe someday,” or, “I hope I win the giveaway I entered.” Hope, from a biblical perspective, is absolutely certain. When people in Jesus’ time spoke of hope, they meant something you could count on and build upon without doubt. Suffering gives us the capacity to hope deeply. As we suffer, enduring through trial, our character matures, and we develop the kind of trust in God that is absolutely certain of His love and our future with Him. If we choose to walk through the storms of life with Jesus, we come out personally knowing His goodness more fully than we did before we ever encountered difficulty. This is a work only God can accomplish even in the most difficult of sufferings! The blessings He provides through suffering are gifts we could never gain any other way. 

Everyday Application

1) According to this passage, what should our attitude be during suffering?
Our rejoicing attitude reflects a perspective shift in our minds. (Romans 12:2) In Colossians 3:1-4, God tells us to lift our eyes above the things of this world because our “real life” is hidden with Christ Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 4:17, Paul reminds us our trials are “light and momentary”. They don’t feel light and momentary, so how can he say this? Paul suffered more than most. He had physical ailments, imprisonment, threats of death, beatings, shipwreck, opposition, rejection, betrayal, and more. Like Paul, we can say our troubles are light and momentary when we gain an eternal perspective. What if I choose to look at each situation with a magnifying glass, bent down near to the problems? In that stance, I only see the difficulty and pain I am experiencing. In contrast, when I take an eternal perspective, it’s like I toss aside the magnifying glass and stand up so my problem is seen in the context of a much bigger picture. Even though I don’t rejoice in having the problems I face and the pain they cause, I can see the purpose they are being used for in my life and rejoice in that. In a similar way, I don’t rejoice when my personal trainer tells me to do ten more repetitions of a difficult exercise while my whole body screams out during that exertion. But I do rejoice in the fruit of that suffering and can look past the pain to see the reason I’m enduring. I know the more I exercise, the stronger I will be and the more fit to live the life I desire. Suffering is like exercise that pains us, but in the long run, makes us stronger and more prepared to enjoy the rich presence of God in heaven.

2) What gifts does suffering bring?
The famous author and student of Scripture, C. S. Lewis, said, “We want not so much a Father but a grandfather in heaven, a God who said of anything we happened to like doing, ‘What does it matter so long as they are contented?” And yet, (according to C. S. Lewis again) we have a God who does not, “love us because we are good, but a God who will make us good because He loves us.” The way He often makes us good, re-shaping us into His image, is through what we consider suffering. As a constantly good and gracious Father God, He allows hardship and suffering to come into our lives and then uses it for His divinely good purposes, “producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) In a fallen world where selfishness and sin abound, both around us and in us, suffering is an inevitable byproduct. However, we can be confident our good God uses that suffering, and the endurance He builds in us, to bring about the growth needed to make us more like Himself. Amazingly, here in the heartache of suffering that is surrendered to Jesus, we become free people, alive with radical love which He has lavished upon us. (1 John 3:1-3)

3) What does it truly mean to have biblical hope?
As Christians, we always have hope amidst our suffering because we know our suffering will absolutely lead to fruit within our character. Not because we are amazing at self-perseverance, but because our good God is powerful enough to build our endurance in us, even in the midst of suffering. We know our sufferings are light and momentary when we hold them up to the measuring stick of eternity; this perspective is the gift of faith. When we have biblical hope, we are putting our trust in God, knowing for certain He is with us through even the darkest valley. He will not leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) He will use each and every drop of what we endure to bless us and to show Himself off. As we think on these things, lifting our eyes above the things of the world and placing them where our real life is hidden with Jesus, we gain a broader perspective which helps us remain patiently still while we allow suffering to have its way with us. God is always at work during trials. Remembering this gives us the greatest hope of all.

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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!

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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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Ready Day 4 Are You In?: 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 Are You In?!

The Questions

1) Why are Paul, Silas, and Timothy thankful for the Thessalonians? (verses 2-3)

2) How did Paul, Silas, and Timothy know God had chosen the Thessalonians? (verses 4-5)

3) How should we respond to persecution? (verses 6-8)

1 Thessalonians 1

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy:
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace to you and peace.

2 We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. 3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you for your benefit, 6 and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. 7 As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Original Intent

1) Why are Paul, Silas, and Timothy thankful for the Thessalonians? (verses 2-3)
First Thessalonians begins with Paul’s expression of gratitude for the Thessalonians. Author Chuck Swindoll explains that Paul’s stay in Thessalonica was brief, so he sent Timothy back to discover how they were doing. Although Timothy’s report raised some concerns, Paul was grateful to find them thriving. He declares in 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, we “…always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. We recall (…) your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul is thankful that their faith in, and love for, God motivated them to work hard and do great things to build His kingdom. They labored to spread the Gospel because they believed Paul’s message. Paul is also grateful for their endurance inspired by hope in Christ. God’s love and His promise of heaven empowered the Thessalonians to endure hardships in order to share the Good News of Christ with others. Author David Guzik observes, “there was an undeniable work of the Holy Spirit and a marvelous change in their lives. The three great Christian virtues were evident among them: faith, love, and hope. . . Therefore, their faith produced work – as is the nature of true faith. Their love produced labor. . . Their hope produced patience, which is the long-suffering endurance needed to not only survive hard times, but to triumph through them.” The Thessalonians loved others because God loved them; it was His great love which spurred them on. Their hope in Jesus enabled them to endure persecution. They knew He died, paying the penalty for their sins, in order to give them eternal life with God. This secure hope of a forever home in the glorious presence of God urged them onward to persevere in their faith. Paul thanked God for how the Thessalonians were growing in their faith and expanding God’s kingdom.

2) How did Paul, Silas, and Timothy know God had chosen the Thessalonians? (verses 4-5)
Paul, Silas and Timothy established the church in Thessalonica. Paul’s first letter to them after their departure celebrates their spiritual growth during their short existence. In 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, Paul tells the church he knows God chose them “because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance.” Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament explains how this verse describes an “election of you by God. It is an old word from εκλεγομαι — eklegomai used by Jesus of His choice of the twelve disciples (John 15:16) and by Paul of God‘s eternal selection.” (Ephesians 1:4) Paul encourages the saints that they were chosen by God, which he confidently knows because the Holy Spirit visited them with great power. The Spirit’s presence, and His work through them, evidenced God choosing them. They did not just hear the Word, but they actively responded to God’s call. As a result, the Holy Spirit did mighty work in their lives. John Gill notes that the power of the Holy Spirit was “working and implanting His graces in them, as faith, hope, and love, and every other; and He Himself was received along with it, as the Spirit of illumination and conviction, of regeneration, conversion, and sanctification, and of faith and adoption; all which gave full evidence of their election.” The indication that God had chosen the Thessalonians was the way they allowed God to work in them and through them. When they heard the Good News of the Gospel preached to them by Paul, Silas, and Timothy, they did not receive it as just a nice message. They submitted to the Truth of God’s Word which penetrated their hearts and minds, changing them forever. The power of God was evident in their lives in the way they shared His love with others, even amidst opposition and persecution. Only God could do such things!

3) How should we respond to persecution? (verses 6-8)
In 1 Thessalonians 1:6-8, Paul applauds the Thessalonians because, while they were being persecuted, they imitated Timothy, Silas, and the Lord by welcoming the Good News with joy from the Holy Spirit. Author D. Edmond Hiebert notes, “They actively began to express in their own lives the characteristics of this new life as they observed it in the lives of the missionaries.” Rather than abandoning their new faith, or hiding it to avoid persecution, they surrendered to the Holy Spirit who filled them with joy as they welcomed the life-changing message brought by Paul and his team. By following the example set before them in Paul, the Thessalonians “became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out.” (1 Thessalonians 1: 7-8) Despite persecution, the Thessalonians lived out their faith by declaring the Word of the Lord to others. Paul was also no stranger to persecution. He endured beatings, stoning, imprisonment, and more for the Gospel. (2 Corinthians 11:23-28) Paul encouraged their positive reaction to persecution, which was to persevere because of the joy set before them. Author Ray Stedman points out, “These young believers were ostracized at their work, hounded out of their homes, arrested, and put into prison because of their newfound faith. But, says Paul, they had learned to see these afflictions in a new way. They saw them as privileges, given to them for Jesus’ sake. The result was joy!” May we also endure because of the joy set before us and count it a privilege to serve Jesus even in hardships.

Everyday Application

1) Why are Paul, Silas, and Timothy thankful for the Thessalonians? (verses 2-3)
My husband taught Spanish years ago in a small country school. He also coached the boys, including Joe, in football and basketball. Joe was a strong athlete, but a mediocre Spanish student. Years later, my husband ran into Joe and was delighted to learn he had become a Spanish teacher himself! It encouraged my husband to see Joe had mastered the skills he struggled with and was now teaching others. Paul, Timothy and Silas also experienced this same joy and pride when they learned how the new church in Thessalonica was growing and maturing despite the struggles they faced. It would have been easy to give up in the face of hardship, but Paul tells us the Thessalonians worked, labored and endured because of their faith, hope, and love inspired by God. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3) We are shown how “The work of the Thessalonians was the result of their faith, and just as important was also the evidence that their faith was genuine and not simply an intellectual assent to an emotional, persuasive message to believe. (Preceptaustin.org) The church in Thessalonica continued to love God and do His will, even when obeying Him came at a high personal cost and their inspiring preachers had left town. They were willing to persevere despite struggle because they had experienced God’s love for themselves. They knew His message was true and obeying Him was worth everything. The coming promise of living forever with God in Heaven made it easier to endure hardship on earth. My prayer is that our faith in God will spur us to do good works, just as it did the Thessalonians. God’s love should pour out of us and onto others, motivating us to share the eternal hope we have in Jesus!

2) How did Paul, Silas, and Timothy know God had chosen the Thessalonians? (verses 4-5)
I remember the first time I put pen to paper. I was 6 years old and in possession of a new Hollie Hobby diary. I wrote a few words and then enlisted the help of a scribe (my dad) since my spelling skills were limited. It wasn’t long until I was writing stories, poems, essays and journal entries all on my own as I evidence my love for putting thoughts on paper and creating new worlds of fiction. When you love something so much, there is always evidence to prove it. The church in Thessalonica had much proof of their love for God and His choice of them. Paul points to this evidence in saying, “our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance”. (1 Thessalonians 1:5) The fact that the Holy Spirit was moving in their lives, empowering them to share the Gospel in many places under severe persecution, was proof that God had chosen the Thessalonian church as His own. Author Charles Simeon notes, “If we find the fruits of the Spirit within us, we know infallibly who the agent is that has produced them; and from such an undeniable evidence of God’s love we may safely conclude that we are elected of Him.” The Thessalonians were obviously chosen by God because they were bearing the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. I want to have even more evidence of God’s work in my life than I have boxes and files that evidence my love of writing. The more we let the Holy Spirit empower our daily interactions with others, the more evidence we will have of His love working through us. 

3) How should we respond to persecution? (verses 6-8)
We all love the storyline where a hero risks his or her life to save another. It is inspiring to see love working as self-sacrifice, putting the needs of others above one’s own. Think of an example you’ve either read about, personally witnessed, or watched on film where the hero sacrifices for someone else. These depictions help us understand how the church in Thessalonica was doing much the same thing. Paul’s letter was meant to encourage the fledgling church to persevere in the face of “severe persecution” for the faith. (1 Thessalonians 1:7) As they were giving themselves up in surrender to Jesus, they held out the hope of eternal life to all those around them. Even though they were being oppressed, their love for God motivated the Thessalonians to keep sharing God’s love and the hope of His salvation, preaching the Word of the Lord “not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out.” (1 Thessalonians 1:8) The Thessalonians were living like their teachers, Paul, Timothy, and Silas, loving Jesus and His Gospel above all else, and letting it permeate all areas of their lives. They were not just preaching the Gospel, they were living it! And the fact that they were doing so even under great duress made others want this same life-giving source. Preceptaustion.org notes how “The spread of the gospel from Thessalonica was the result of vital Christian living rather than aggressive missionary propaganda. (…) The amazing joy of the Thessalonian believers under affliction has amplified the message of the gospel, causing the reports to spread in all directions.” Our lives should speak of Jesus’ incredible love in all situations, through good times and hard times, drawing those around us to Him, like the Thessalonians exemplified.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Are You In?!

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

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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

Questions 2 Day 2 Let’s Party: 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 Let’s Party!

The Questions

1) Who is speaking in this passage and why would they test themselves with pleasure? (verse 1)

2) What is significant about the author’s pleasures he chose to indulge in? (verses 3-8)

3) What was the author’s conclusion of pursuing pleasure? (verses 9-11)

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. 2 I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” 3 I explored with my mind the pull of wine on my body—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to grasp folly, until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

4 I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. 6 I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. 7 I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned livestock—large herds and flocks—more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men. 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me. 10 All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. 11 When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Original Intent

1) Who is speaking in this passage and why would they test themselves with pleasure? (verse 1)
Often, the beginning of a biblical book provides us with its place in the timeline of history, which is extremely important to correctly understanding it in its cultural setting, as well as stating the author’s name along with, generally, some idea of their career or place in society. Ecclesiastes 1:1 does not disappoint and reveals this book contains “The words of the Teacher, son of David, King of Jerusalem.” While David had multiple sons, the fact the author noted himself as “King of Jerusalem” narrows the possible authors down to 1, Solomon. (1 Kings 1:15-30) Solomon, the son of King David, was given the throne on David’s death, but was also given vast wisdom, keen understanding, and riches beyond measure by the Lord. (1 Kings 3:5-14) This gift from God’s wisdom granted Solomon insight into all manner of areas including kingly reign, justice, human relationships, and even scientific exploration that was radically advanced for his day. However, God didn’t give Solomon all wisdom, rather He allowed Solomon’s wisdom to pair with curiosity, which gave him the gift of exploring life in deeper ways. When Solomon “said to (himself), “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good” (verse 1), it comes on the heels of the closing of chapter 1:12-18, where we find Solomon had deeply explored wisdom and understanding to find the purpose and fullest satisfaction of life. Having explored book learning and human interaction and hard work and finding them all “a pursuit of the wind” (verse 17), he turns his attention to pleasure to find the source of lasting satisfaction.

2) What is significant about the author’s pleasures he chose to indulge in? (verses 3-8)
Self-seeking. Every single one of Solomon’s pleasures he chose to envelope himself within hinged upon himself. What could make him happy, or happiest? This was his pursuit, and the list is quite lengthy. Wine and the alluring pull of alcohol, he tried it. (verse 3) Hard work and accomplishment, he invested long hours and much money. (verses 4-5) He tried his hand at civil engineering and architecture. (verse 6) He lived in the lap of luxury to the nth degree, nothing was out of his reach. He wanted for nothing and acquired so many slaves that his every wish was their command. (verses 7-8) The finest entertainment was available at his demand whether it was the arts or sexual fulfillment. (verse 8) Solomon created an environment where he was the center. Not one thing on his lengthy list of impressive wealth accumulations, status, power, and access to pleasure was earmarked for the disposal of anyone but himself. Pleasure, with its attractive power, exclusively tugs one person into its gravitational pull, leaving all others out. Pleasure is about one person, self, and Solomon certainly experienced this reality as he explored the source of true and lasting satisfaction.

3) What was the author’s conclusion of pursuing pleasure? (verses 9-11)
Literally everything was accessible to Solomon as he stated, “I did not refuse myself any pleasure” (verse 10), with the exception of one. Satisfaction. In the end, all of his years of pleasure seeking were summed up by his own words, “When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.” (verse 11) The only reward was the momentary pleasure his pursuits brought him at that time, but nothing that lasted. “I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.” (verse 10) Permanent pleasure was not compatible with the ever-elusive satisfaction Solomon sought. The king observed everyone around him pursuing pleasure, yet, once he did the same, he walked away with the wise understanding that nothing satisfied for everything was fleeting like “pursuing the wind”. (verse 11)

Everyday Application

1) Who is speaking in this passage and why would they test themselves with pleasure? (verse 1)
One of the most common questions every human heart asks is, “What is my purpose?”. Solomon, even with all of his wisdom, asked the same question and explored many avenues to discover true, lasting happiness and purpose. While he had studied wisdom and book learning and how people live out their lives, he found it all to be repetitive and, in the end, meaningless. What things have you pursued in order to find true satisfaction? Maybe you’ve invested time, energy, and resources, all with the hope of finally being happy and finding a purpose that doesn’t fade away. I know I have, many times in many ways. I’ve spent the majority of my married years placing my identity and focused energy in my kids and in working to manage (err, manipulate, actually) my husband into loving me and responding to me in the way that makes me the happiest and most satisfied. Not only did my attempt to find lasting happiness in my marriage and kids prove to be utterly unsuccessful by my own manipulation, it also was (yes, caught me again, still is) incredibly un-loving. No relationship will ever be able to satisfy me. No amount of pleasure found through any source will have the endurance to sustain my unquenchable desire to be perfectly and continuously happy. Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes to lay out his research and his conclusion was that only in God do we find out greatest delight. Jesus reiterated this truth when He said, “I have come so they may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10) For me, I’ve found this to be abundantly true as well. Only when I shift my eyes off trying to wring pleasure out of my relationships and onto Jesus, have I found long-lasting and sweetly satisfying delight in both Jesus and my human relationships. Only Jesus offers satisfaction that lasts, truly everything else is meaningless in comparison.

2) What is significant about the author’s pleasures he chose to indulge in? (verses 3-8)
Solomon explored many different types of pleasure. Perhaps some of them are specifically tempting to you, or maybe none of them, but every human being longs to find delight and be satisfied in something. Solomon’s list of delights was lengthy and specific. I wonder what might fill your list if you were to specifically name them. I challenged myself to do this and was surprised at how easy it was to not only create a very specific list, but also how defensive and quick to justify my choices I became as I called them out by name.  A clean house. No wait. A clean house that someone else cleans. My internal voice continued with a decently good justification for this desire, “I actually pretty much deserve someone else to clean my house. I’ve maintained our home for 19 years, without a break. And my husband never seems to jump in and help me anyways. In fact, I need someone to clean for me. Think of all the other things I could do! Like, nap instead of pick up after others. Maybe someone else could cook for me too….” How quickly my focus became myself to the exclusion, and even demeaning of others, as I thought of how to please myself. One self-serving desire led straight to another without any hinderance at all. The whole practice was a little disconcerting, honestly. This pursuit of self-seeking pleasure runs in direct contradiction to the call of Jesus. He says that to follow Him, we must deny ourselves. (Luke 9:23) Just as there isn’t one thing in Solomon’s list that lent itself to sacrifice for another, neither did my list, and I’m guessing your honest list, if given free reign, wouldn’t include others either. Self-seeking pleasure and sacrifice live in constant opposition.

3) What was the author’s conclusion of pursuing pleasure? (verses 9-11)
If you take the challenge to read through the relatively short book of Ecclesiastes, you’ll find King Solomon’s concluding refrain of “nothing to be gained under the sun” repeated often as he studies the intricacies of life, relationships, work, academics, and pursuits of all kinds. The whole book can feel melancholy and a bit dismal, which should be taken to heart by all of us. At the beginning of his reign, King Solomon submitted himself to the wisdom of God, recognizing his own human failings and weaknesses, especially in light of the vast endlessness of the Almighty. (1 Kings 3:7-9) This position, Solomon later wrote, is the beginning of wisdom. True wisdom. (Proverbs 1:7) Wisdom that says only the Lord can bring lasting delight. Solomon was right, there really is nothing new under the sun. If we look at our possessions and our pursuits, and even our relationships, and then cast our eyes to eternity, we should shudder in our shoes. Nothing new under the sun. Everything will fade away except the Word of the Lord. (Isaiah 40:8) What will actually last forever? What is worth giving ourselves for? Jesus. Pursuing Jesus. When we surrender the whole of our everything to Him, and Him alone, He fills us with good things. (Matthew 7:11) Delightful things. Satisfyingly sweet things. Things that won’t entangle our hearts, tempting us to love ourselves more than our Savior as long as we fix our eyes on Christ alone. So, Sister, having studied this wise, ancient king, I’m thinking about the things I can start dethroning from my must-have-pleasure-list so I can give my everything to the Only King worthy of my everything. What about you?

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Let’s Party!

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 Questions 2 Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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

The GT Weekend ~ Shielded Week 1

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) How would you define victorious living? How many of those answers require something beyond your ability to control to be a specific way? Amy noted in her Journey Study on Monday that she could trace the source of her lack of satisfaction, happiness, and peace back to a lack of relying on God and wearing the armor He provides. Too busy for a quiet time with God. Too much brokenness and hurt going on to be transparent with others. The need to rely on self over the Savior. Shame. The enemy is against us as daughters of the One True God, to be sure, but he does not have jurisdiction to win! Take back ground from the enemy this weekend by holding tightly to truth over lies!

2) Who have you fought with recently. Let those faces come to mind. Who has angered or frustrated you? Who do you struggle to even breath the same air with? Hold onto the mental image of their face, and begin praying for them. Right now. It’s okay, I know it’s hard to breathe right now. Hard to let your heart unclench while you look in their eyes. Maybe you even pull back. It’s okay. The reasons and justification for your anger or you pain are brimming at the surface, but call all the voices to halt. Pray for this person. Don’t stop until you feel your tension relax and you really do see their face as not that of your enemy. Don’t allow the true enemy of your heart to deceive you into believing this person is your nemesis. Keep praying for them this weekend, let God fight the battles of your heart for you.

3) One too many stacks of unwashed dishes. One too many tantrums from your toddler or door slams and eye rolls from your teenager. One more attack from your coworker. One more way your spouse added to the mountain of hurt in your heart. What holds you up in the midst? Rebekah Hargraves points us to the belt of truth, which is the whole of Scripture and every promise it holds. She notes how it isn’t a cute band of color around our waist, but as an anchor from which everything hinges for support and balance. Do you view Scripture like this? If so, stand strong in it, Sister! Continue to read His word for the sustaining life you already know the Father gives us through it and encourage others to do the same. If not, consider beginning to allow it to be that anchor for your heart. Start by reading 1 psalm a day and jotting down a few thoughts or questions as you read. The Lord Himself will guide and teach you!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 27:56 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

For He will conceal me in His shelter
in the day of adversity;
He will hide me under the cover of His tent;
He will set me high on a rock
Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;
I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Prayer Journal
On the day of trouble and adversity, Lord, I often finish this verse with brave words of how I will rescue myself or rely on my own strength or ability to just “get it done!”. Perseverance and self-motivation leave me pretty empty, Lord, and don’t carry my heart very tenderly in the midst of hardship. There’s no room to handle my fears or unpack my frustrations. I forget You are present. I forget You have given me Your own armor, fitting it securely across my heart to protect me from the enemy of my soul. Teach me to rest in Your protection, to lay aside my anxious thoughts or angry words of retaliation, and let me rest in the peace You readily provide. Thank You for loving me so well, Abba!

Worship Through Community

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music