eternity

Alive Day 10 Hope Unseen

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:24-27
Hebrews 11:4-12:2
Habakkuk 2:3-4

Alive, Day 10

“Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. 

In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:24-27)

Seeing is believing. What you see is what you get. Prove it. Show me.

When we are skeptical about something, we often seek ways to confirm its truth or error. We want evidence. Even Jesus’ own disciple, Thomas, said He would believe Jesus was alive after the crucifixion only when he saw the scars. (John 20:24-29)

Our Christian walk requires faith in what we do not and cannot see right now. Furthermore, it requires hope that Jesus is Who He claimed to be and is trustworthy. We are promised eternity with God and an end to all suffering and tears. We can trust His promise!

We are not, by nature, good at waiting. We seek the quickest way to the desired result.
Waiting can be excruciating.

During our adoption journey, we were first told our child would be joining our family about a year after we started the process. It wasn’t until two years later, however, we were able to hold her for the first time, welcoming her into our family.

The wait was painful. I prayed my daughter would be safe and cared for, having no idea of her condition. I wept for her as I wondered who was there to kiss her “ouchies”or wipe away her tears. Who was making sure she didn’t go to bed hungry? I wept because I missed her, though I didn’t know I could miss a person I’d never met. I longed to be with her, to hold her in my arms and tell her I loved her.

Though the wait was painful, we had hope that someday she would be with us. Until then, we prayed, we encouraged each other through the hard times while dreaming of what life would be like when she came home.

Our waiting for Jesus is similar. Waiting isn’t easy, as we long to be with Him, to have Him hold us and to tell Him we love Him, to marvel at the beauty and tenderness of His face, and to feel His loving touch.

We are not alone in our waiting! Romans 8:26-27 show us the Spirit knows what we need and is able to communicate with the Father in ways we cannot, because we do not know how to express our longing!

How comforting to know that though we cannot see, the Father planned in advance for the Spirit to guide us!
To comfort us and to remind us of the hope we have in Him!

This world has pain, sorrow, and struggle, but in the midst of it, God is faithfully caring for us while we await the completion of His plan! He not only left the Spirit, He also gave us His Word. There, we find examples of His faithfulness, as well as the faith-filled lives of those who have gone before us reminding us He is preparing a place for us! He has planned for our rescue before He even created the earth! (Titus 1:2)

Hebrews 11 tells of faithful believers who depended on God, clinging to their hope in Him. They were willing to set aside comfort, security, and their very lives, because they considered trustworthy the One who was doing the asking.

In Habakkuk, we find God’s people in captivity in Babylon.
The prophet has inquired of God, how long?
How long will Your people have to wait for rescue? (Habakkuk 1:1-4)

God answers, “I am doing something in your days that you will not believe.” (Habakkuk 1:5) In chapter 2, He urges Israel to wait for deliverance with endurance and hope, “Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late [. . .] the righteous one will live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:3-4)

As God gave His word to Habakkuk, He has given us His word concerning our eternity. We labor in this world, looking ahead to the hope He has given us through Jesus, for we are assured, “He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

How do we hold onto hope when life gets difficult?
We continue to join together with other believers, to encourage and remind each other of God’s goodness and the hope we have in Him. (Hebrews 10:23-25)

We live together as a body united in Christ,
praying for one another,
bearing each other’s burdens,
and rejoicing in the victories of other believers.
We continue to keep incorruptible hope before us, remembering from where we have come as sin-sick depraved souls, embracing the sacrifice of Jesus with grateful hearts.
In light of the Unseen Hope, we can live fully surrendered to His lordship and leadership, giving glory to the One Who has called us to Himself.

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Alive Day 6 Adopted

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 1:12-13
Ephesians 1:3-10
Titus 1:1-3
Romans 8:14-17
Hosea 1:10-11

Alive, Day 6

For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:14-17)

Father, You know I love you.
You also know the level of overwhelmed I feel right now, Lord.
I know You’ve been faithful to preserve me before, and I know You will continue.

But, Abba?
No matter how hard I try and pray and organize and squeeze in time, there is just not enough. I’m empty. I can’t keep this up. I can’t do everyone’s job. I keep praying, throwing myself on You, but the hours of work aren’t disappearing and my time narrows. How do I manage all this AND be un-burdened?

Daughter, come to Me. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Yes, I know. My coming to You has been pretty lacking. My quiet time has been, well, lack luster. I feel so far from You, Lord. I can’t muster up anything.

I died for this.
For your feelings of alone. For your sense of being abandoned. For your inability to follow Me on your own power. I died so those lies could be defeated, holding no weight.

What other lies did You die to defeat, Jesus?
I really need some anchors for my flailing feet right now. My marriage, friendships, kids, grieving places, failing areas, the places I’m hurting, the places I’ve hurt others… I keep running rickshaw over all of them. I hate that I’m doing it, but I just can’t seem to stop.

I died for you.
Full stop, my heart. Lord, I know this…but, do I?

I died for you to be mine, my Own, my Beloved One.
I died so you would never need to cling to fear, and could instead run from it, filled to overflowing by the fullness of truth and grace found only in relationship with Me.
(Colossians 2:9-10, John 1:14)

Only in Me. (John 14:6-7)
No other Father will love you like this. (John 10:30, John 15:15-16)
Never will I disown. Never will I forget you. I cannot, for I am perfectly faithful.
I Am here. (Isaiah 49:15-16, 2 Timothy 2:13)

All the riches of eternity are ours to share because you are Mine and I am yours. (Ephesians 1:3-4)
That’s adoption.

And when you don’t feel close, when the mountains loom larger than life,
when the walls are closing in, and you feel crushed beneath it all,
remember adoption has hemmed you in on all sides behind and before.
(2 Corinthians 4:8-10, Psalm 139:5)

Once you are Mine, you cannot escape My hand. (John 10:28-29)
I am your shelter, your shield, your very great reward. (Genesis 15:1)
The boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places for you, (Psalm 16:5-6)
and though others abandon you, I will never forsake you. (Psalm 27:9-10)

You’re adopted.

You are my enough, Yahweh. (Psalm 121)
Who am I to call into question the lavish love of a God who sacrificed Himself for me when I hated Him, loathed Him, spurred Him? (Romans 5:8)

God, who has the highest right to be offended and every right
to disown all of us as hell-bent rebels, chose us.
Never will He UNchoose us. He cannot.

“To all who received Him, He gave them the right to be His children, to those who believe in His Name.” (John 1:11-12, emphasis mine)

Sisters, with all urgency, we must not miss this!
Only those who respond to His warm welcome of adoption are finalized as His own.
Only then are the spiritual “papers” signed and His Spirit comes to dwell within us as His down-payment to prove His promise that He will one day complete the good work He has begun in us by welcoming us Home. (Philippians 1:6, Romans 8:15-16, John 14:16-17)

He has paid the price of our adoption by spilling His own blood in humble sacrifice, the response is ours to give, accepted only by faith in Him. (1 Peter 1:18-19, Hebrews 11:6)

He is willing to become ours, will we become His?

The God who crafted each freckle on your cheek, each pivot of your naval, and every fleck of color in your eye, has already chosen to offer adoption since before time began. (Titus 1:2-3)

This God, who simply could not let us drown in the demise of our deathly, sin-loving ways without offering His perfect love to us, is holding out the adoption papers. (John 1:12-13) He desires us to understand that to be adopted by Him is far more than belonging, it’s to embraced by love on purpose.

His adoption is a love story lived out in every thread of our lives, woven behind and before, above and beneath, as we explore again and again, how magnificent it is to be known and loved, chosen, and adored.

This is adoption.
What will you do with this grand love?

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If Day 11 Free Ride

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 13:44-46
Romans 5:1-5
Matthew 6:25-34
James 1:2-4

If, Day 11

“Yes, but it’s going to cost you.”
Have you heard a version of this phrase, if not those exact words?

I have. Sometimes it’s said with the humor of a friend; other times, it has been spoken with all seriousness.

Cost.
We understand it from a monetary sense pretty easily. Do I have the money needed to buy this? How much do I need or want said item, and what am I willing to do to ensure I can make the payment?

But do we grasp the concept of cost beyond dollar signs?
Do we recognize cost is involved in every decision we make?
Beyond that, do we recognize we are changed by every decision we make?

In the business world, return on investment, otherwise known as ROI, is a recurrent phrase. Will an investment provide a return that is worth the cost of the investment?
Will our investment of following Jesus provide a valuable return?

Suppose following Jesus cost us nothing?

Cost is significant.
Upon reflection, I honestly cannot think of a time when cost was not connected to change in my character or life.

Even when I’ve received a free gift, I am aware of the significant cost to the giver.
Cost is always involved. 

With these thoughts swirling through my mind, I sat down to write this study.
What if following Jesus cost us nothing?

If my brain were a literal computer, I would be receiving an error message. In fact, my mind is unable to compute that sentence, and I think of the movie Mean Girls, in which a character says, “The limit does not exist” during math class.

We’re either following Jesus, or we’re leading ourselves.
We’re seeking His kingdom, or we’re building our own.
We’re either counting the cost to follow Him, or we’re not investing.

Adam and Eve chose to invest in the words of the serpent and we are still reaping the returns on their investment. From the very beginning of time, cost has been at play.
Our relationships with Jesus are no different. 

The Bible says a difficult road and narrow gate are the way to heaven. Narrow means lots of decisions are involved in staying the course. Narrow means potentially being misunderstood by those walking the broad paths. Narrow means uncomfortable seasons and various invitations for growth.

Narrow means there will be a cost,
and the final return on investment is Heaven.

But what if…
following Jesus cost us nothing?

We willingly pay out for what we view as valuable.
If we aren’t willing to pay, we deem the value as worthless.

Eternity with Jesus is a pretty significant return on investment, and motivates many people to choose to trust Him. However, Heaven is not the only return we receive when we truly follow the Lord.

Galatians 5:22-24 highlights the fruit of the Spirit, and outlines the cost of their cultivation. When we “crucify the flesh with its passions and desires,” we allow the Spirit to move within us and He pours out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The brutal language describing the cost of following Jesus boldly declares to us that holiness, not happiness, is the aim of the Christian life. The way of change, the way of transformation, the narrow way of daily putting to death the sin nature wrapped around our spirits since Adam and Eve’s initial investment . . . this is the way of great cost.

We gladly pay the cost because the benefit far outweighs the price tag of surrendering self to the Savior who gave Himself wholly for us, choosing to hold nothing back. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Whole surrender is the way of Jesus, who sacrificed everything from His human body to His very existence in community with the Father.
This is the way of Jesus-followers, who are called to walk in His footsteps by picking up our own crosses.

Oh yes, the cost is great.
But the reward, “the joy set before [us],” Jesus assures us, is far greater.

For in return for Jesus’ sacrifice, we receive redemption, the knitting back together of our spirits once torn apart by the claws of our sinful choices.
In return for our costly sacrifice, we become more like Him, the One who sacrificed all for our redemption.

Thus, not only do we know Him more deeply, but we reflect Him more clearly to the searching world around us.
“Come,” our lives say, “Here is the One who can breathe healing and life into your shattered soul.”

Finally, in Ephesians 6:10-18, we learn how God equips and sustains us through the attacks we will experience during our days on earth. The Lord does not leave us alone until we get to heaven. He is faithfully with us, teaching us how to navigate this lifetime. Again, the benefit of never being alone or ill-equipped adds to the value of following Jesus with our whole lives.

We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we have the Word of God to read and learn, and we have the Heavenly Father loving us deeply. The Lord’s love is infinite and His mercies are new every morning.

While the sacrifices and challenges involved in following Jesus are quite costly, the ROIs of following Christ are infinite. I will gladly invest to gain Christ and heaven for eternity, and to point others to His open arms during my time on earth.

I am so very grateful that following Christ costs me something.
This is a gift I can never repay.

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The GT Weekend! ~ Nations Week 2

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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) “Today, most people of Scotland have no idea what the Bible says nor any interest in finding out.” Lesley’s quote from Monday speaks volumes of the spiritual state of her home country. If you were to make a similar summary statement for your country, your city, neighborhood, or even extended family, what would it state? What biases or bents can you identify from your statement? In what ways do you feel your personal journey with God has been influenced by the prevailing spiritual attitude in the culture around you? If you had the ability to radically shift your culture over the next decade, what areas would you intentionally influence and why? How does your prayer life and everyday choices reflect this desire for deep cultural impact? As you consider the nations of the world, the offer of Hope only found in Jesus, and the intentional calling of your life as a committed Christ-follower, what role do you think the Lord may be inviting you to stretch into?

2) “Don’t be so judgy.” It’s one of my teenager’s favorite lines when she senses my eyebrows will soon rise at her life, or clothing, choices. No one like to be on the receiving end of “judgy”, but oh we are so quick to justify why we have the right to be, don’t we? Or is that just me? I’m already thinking of all the reasons why I have the right to raise my eyebrows at my daughter. What are some scenarios where you feel rightly justified to also “be judgy”? If we sit still long enough, and pray honestly, the Lord will surely bring us some scenes just from the last week where we feel justified in our position. It doesn’t take much for us to stand on a higher pedestal than someone else, does it? As Christine shared of her country’s radical shift over her lifetime from ethical moralism to lack of tolerance for Christian morality, it made me consider how necessary relationship is as the foundation for genuine life transformation. Christine’s authenticity really struck me, and maybe it will you also. “I’ve spent most of my life with the healthy, people who already have a relationship with God, but now, God has called me to go to the sick.” The sick, being all those we easily default to “judgy” towards. I need to confess my sin of judgement to the Lord, you too? Let’s be willing to “go to the sick”. How about we both start praying for opportunities to do this right now?!

3) Anna’s experiences in moving countries called into question her identity as a Christ-follower. What is it that truly makes someone a Christian? Several nations have identified as “Christian nations” in various forms over the ages, while many have not. How have your experiences growing up in your family of origin as well as your homeland, shaped your expectation of what it means to truly identify as Christian? Maybe for you it meant going to church or mass on Sundays, or reading religious texts, saying prayers, or perhaps attending a worship gathering on special holidays. For Anna, her move really made her heart assess why she believed what she did, and if it was strong enough to support her life. Thinking through our beliefs is a difficult, sometimes frightening task, but it’s exceedingly important. What questions are you afraid to ask about your faith? Have you ever brought them up to anyone? What would it take for you to walk away, or run towards, the Christian faith? What about faith is attractive to you and what turns you off? These are all important questions we should ask! Be encouraged that God is not hiding behind a curtain hoping you don’t dare ask big questions. He encourages seekers to keep on seeking! No matter how long we have followed Jesus, there are more questions to ask, more things to ponder, and more seeking to be done. What a marvelous mystery that the One True God can both be welcomed by us, while also so vast and mysterious that we could seek Him for eternity and still never fully understand 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 John 17:20-21 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their word. May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe You sent Me.

Prayer Journal
Lord, I hear You. For my heart to prepare to actively engage in the work You are already doing in the nations, I have sins holding me back. Jesus, I want free from these sins so I can love Your people better! Only in You can I find freedom from these sins I have clung to again and again! I’m bringing You my ugly pride in thinking I have no room to grow and nothing to change in order to build Your kingdom here. I’m bringing the lie that my way is best, and that other parts of the world, true members of Your Body, aren’t as important as my corner of the globe. Forgive me for ignoring those different than me, for elevating myself and my vantage points over others. Forgive me for claiming to love Your Word, but shunning, shaming, and refusing to engage others crafted in Your image just as I am. Lord, here in this place of forgiveness, let me see Your face and the faces of the nations. Teach me to love like You, Jesus. Teach me to pray fervently alongside them. Break down my walls, that together, we may bring Your kingdom here.

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Worship VIII Day 3 Everyday Praise

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 11:33-36
Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 3:1-8

Worship VIII, Day 3

The fall colors were stunning, adorning the towering trees in red and gold finery. The autumn sunshine warmed my skin as I laced up my shoes and prepared to run the leaf-covered path stretching before me.

I had been praying over this run, asking the Lord to reveal Himself. I wanted to meet with Him. I wanted to know Him. I wanted to be held and comforted and loved. Today was supposed to be my son’s 6th birthday; instead little Elijah James has spent every September 30th running the fields of Heaven with Jesus. When I was pregnant with him, running kept my nausea at bay, so I ran often. As I ran, I prayed for him, for his life, for his future, and I thanked God for giving me the gift of being his mama.

Then, one day, his heart stopped beating and Jesus called my little boy home before I ever saw his face on this side of my womb. The last day of September will always find me running outside, enjoying the gift of fall sunlight and remembering an incredible truth, my little boy knows more about Jesus than I do, for he sees Him face-to-face.

Elijah worships the King in His very presence, while I ache earthside for eternity.
EJ’s everyday praise looks magnificently more brilliant than my own, but even so,
I’m invited into the same sacred space as I offer up my praise because we worship the same Lord and Savior.

As my feet rustled the fallen leaves that afternoon, I knew my heart was ready to hear from the Lord. I had slowed down, preparing to listen and know Him. The Lord asked questions, and my heart wrestled with them, seeing areas of sin and patterns of rebellion and distrust. Weeds were cut back as my Father sang over me and once again, I was made new from the inside out. My heart responded to His melodies of love by praising Him, speaking with Him, and delighting in Him.

Spiritual retreats, special church services, and times set aside specifically for prayer are rich and powerful in our lives and marked with deep heart worship. While these milestones are significant, such experiences are not intended to be sequestered to “holy retreat days.” Yes, the Lord met me on that beautiful fall day and I was drawn into deep worship, but this access to the Holy One is available every day, in all of my ordinary moments.

Cultivating a heart of everyday praise begins with realizing the fullness of His Holy Presence is as close and available as our skin and bones for those who have made Jesus their Savior.

Paul was an apostle full of passionate zeal, and his love for God overflowed into everyday praise simply because he practiced rehearsing the truths of God’s character on repeat. In his letter to the church in Rome, he writes of God’s radical grace in making eternal salvation available to all people. His pen practically shouts praises inspired by God’s love, which bestows spiritual gifts and calling and divine purpose upon all who call on His name. (Romans 11:29) Paul’s emotion catches up to him as he proclaims to his audience, “You were disobedient, but God took your wretchedness and showed you unfathomable riches!” (Romans 11:30-32, my paraphrase)

The more Paul speaks of the glories He knows to be true about God, the more his intensity grows until finally he can’t help but sing,
“Oh, the depth of the riches
and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments
and untraceable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?
And who has ever given to God,
that he should be repaid?
For from him and through him
and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever. Amen.”
(Romans 11:33-36)

This morning, I was hurt by a loved one’s words. I was frustrated by my children. I was angered by the mess. I felt unseen and unknown. I hadn’t spent hours praying over my day, asking the Lord to meet me and prepare my heart to know Him. I wasn’t reflective and open to the Spirit’s work; I was a mess.

But my reality didn’t equate to God becoming distant.
His nearness isn’t dictated by my feelings or circumstance, only by His choice.
And His choice is faithful love for those who have been clothed in His own righteousness through Jesus, every single time.

My heart status this morning was nothing like the afternoon of September 30th, but the Lord was unchanging. As I sat in the Target parking lot and cried (….and shouted), the Spirit reminded me of Who He Is. As I breathed in His grace, His Spirit flooded me with peace I absolutely cannot describe. My clenched jaw instantly relaxed, my breathing slowed, my head rested back against the seat. As anger seeped away, peace invaded, and I was once again graciously reminded that I live out my everyday messiness in the very presence of the God of holiness who has declared me righteous.

His love for me will never abandon and will always pursue my heart that I might know Him more, inviting me into everyday praise.

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Questions 2 Day 15 Does God Need Me?

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 3:13-15
Psalm 50:7-15
John 15:9-17
John 17:9-13
Romans 5:6-11

Questions 2, Day 15

Tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap.

Drops of blood struck a staccato beat as they fell into an ever-widening pool, saturating the dirt around rough-hewn beams gouged into the earth. Blood’s heavy iron scent settled in a stifling cloud over nearby onlookers.

Soldiers clustered in conversation a little distance away, raising their voices over the heartrending wail of mourners. One soldier threw a puzzled glance to the sky, wondering at the darkness shrouding the sun since midday. He shrugged in the inky darkness and turned back to his fellow servicemen. For those assigned to crucifixion duty, the agony that daily played out around them faded quickly into mundane.

But their talk halted abruptly as a figure on one of the three crosses heaved against the spikes and cried out,

“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”
My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?(Matthew 27:46)

Centuries later, we wonder what could possibly compel the God-man on that cross to knowingly and willingly submit to such agony?
To a death that left Him unrecognizable as human?To total and utter separation from God the Father and the Spirit?

Surely, it must have been to satisfy a desperate need.
To mend His eternity, torn by the sins of His creations.
To fill the aching loneliness left by their desertion.
To secure for Himself workers in the establishment of His kingdom on earth.

These are logical conclusions, but they’re based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the character and heart of God . . . one I’d never really considered until now. If it’s a new idea for you, too, cool! Let’s learn together in this safe space!

In essence, we ask
Did Jesus die to redeem me because God needs me in order to be happy?
To be joyful?
To be satisfied, or fulfilled, or in community?
To be effective, powerful, or present?
Does God need me . . . at all?

Absolutely not.

Stings, doesn’t it?
But let’s invite our egos to take a seat and talk it through . . .
Because it’s actually THE BEST news.

God needs nothing.

He lacks nothing; the world and everything in it are His.
He does not need our offerings, praise, or provision.(Psalm 50:7-15)

He created all, in heaven and on earth.
He owns all.
He is victorious over all, with no need of aid.
(Genesis 14:17-20, Psalm 24:1-2)

Instead of needing anything, He is the source of everything.
Including us.
He gives us life and breath.
He determines our days and our boundaries.
He, Who made us, cannot be contained by us.
Our service does not fulfill or empower Him.
He is not bound by our understanding or creations or imagination.
(Acts 17:22-29)

He. is. all.
When God revealed Himself to Moses through the burning bush, He declared, “I AM WHO I AM”. (Exodus 3:14)
No other descriptor is needed, or could be more than, God Himself.

He is fullness of joy.
While He offers to share His joy with us, His joy is NOT dependent upon us.(John 15:11)

He is fullness of community, existing as God the Father, Christ the Son, and Holy Spirit.

In Himself is shared ownership, shared pleasure, and shared knowledge of each other on the most intimate level.

He has no need of us.

But take heart; we’re coming to the best part.

If the God-man on that cross knowingly and willingly submitted to such agony to satisfy a desperate need, His sacrifice would have been one of obligation.

Instead, He embraced His suffering
Unto disfigured death and utter abandonment
to satisfy a desperate love.

Our sin broke our world, broke our eternity, broke our spirits,
But it did NOT break His love.
And so He made a way to overcome our sin.
(Romans 5:6-8, Ephesians 2:4-5)

No, He doesn’t need us.
But oh, how He wants us!
How He loves us!

In those moments when….
the enormity and ugliness and shame of our sin
punches us in the gut, stealing our breath and leaving us longing
to peel off our skin, climb out, and be someone else because we can’t stand to be this wretched mess for one more second . . .

Oh, how He wants us!
How He loves us!

For here, in the absence of need, the fullness of God’s want
astounds us with its flourishing passion. 

Beholding the sobbing heap of mistakes and regret before Him,
Against all human logic, with obligation nowhere to be found,
Driven by abiding love,
He wraps us in His scarred arms and whispers,
“Beloved, I chose the cross, because I choose you.
Even here. Even now.”

(Cue the ugly cry. Every time.)

What will we do with this stunning reality?

Perhaps you’re experiencing significant lack, or feeling small and incapable . . .
His truth reminds you of the God Who needs nothing,
Who is the source of all, and is graciously, your Provider.

Perhaps you’re drowning in condemnation and shame, feeling wholly unlovable . . .
His truth resoundingly declares His incomprehensible love for you.

Perhaps He’s asking you to respond to His love by stepping out in forgiveness, obedience, or repentance . . . .
Here, in this unforced space, you are free to proclaim grateful devotion to your Father, Lover, and Helper.

Move into truth and act upon it, knowing full well the One Who loves us best is for us!

As we reflect on these questions, seek His heart, and follow the gentle nudges of His Spirit, we can walk on in partnership with the One Who loves us best.

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Worship VII Day 12 Held Fast: 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!
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The Questions

1) What is the treasure in jars of clay? (verse 7)

2) If there is hope and life in Jesus why does Paul include verses 8-9 about suffering?

3) What does it mean to focus on what is unseen? (verse 18)

2 Corinthians 4:7-8

7 Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak. 14 For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. 15 Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Original Intent

1) What is the treasure in jars of clay? (verse 7)
Jars of clay or earthly, temporary jars are what Paul is referring to by “jars of clay”. However, the treasure in them surpasses the temporariness of the jar. The jars are fragile and weak, but what they hold is far from fragile, weak, or temporary! Paul is writing to believers of a treasure that will surpass all of time. He is writing of God Himself dwelling in believers as they live in relationship with Him. Paul is reminding the Corinthian believers they know the good news of Christ and salvation. These verses remind us the treasure of Jesus comes from God alone; they cannot attain it without Him. However, verse 15 also reminds them this grace and good news is not to stop with them. They are to extend it to others by sharing the good news of Christ and offering others the same relationship with the Heavenly Father they enjoy.

2) If there is hope and life in Jesus why does Paul include verses 8-9 about suffering?
Paul knew the truth of these verses better than most. His life was anything but easy. He was persecuted, shipwrecked, and imprisoned for the Gospel, yet he never gave up. He kept walking the path God laid before him. “Instead of finding in this disparity reason to doubt his vocation, he saw in it an illustration of a great law of God. It served to protect the truth that salvation is of the Lord.” (Expositors Commentary) Paul is reminding the Corinthians life following Jesus wasn’t guaranteed to be easy. However, Paul doesn’t leave them in their hopelessness. He follows these verses with the reminder Christ walked through suffering and conquered death. Their journey is not hopeless because God will never leave them and because God purchased their hope and security with His own blood. They share in the victory of Jesus even in the trials and sufferings this world offers. (Romans 8:17, 1 Peter 4:13)

3) What does it mean to focus on what is unseen? (verse 18)
Paul didn’t know Jesus personally when He walked on earth, and neither did Paul’s audience. Paul has shared the message of the Gospel with them and is now writing to them. They have never seen the hope they cling to, but instead it is faith in the unseen they are living out in everyday life. What they see around them is temporary, but they are to focus on what is unseen and what is eternal.  Paul is reminding them this world is not the end, there is a promise for more. A promise of a day when Christ will return. A day the believers in Corinth thought was closer than it was, but a day that will indeed one day happen. Paul is reminding them, someday all will be made right; there is hope and life and the promise of an eternity spent with God. The struggle now will be worth it!

Everyday Application

1) What is the treasure in jars of clay? (verse 7)
We are the jars of clay. Our bodies may be temporary, weak, and fragile, but we hold the greatest treasure when we live in relationship with our Heavenly Father. I don’t know about you sisters, but the season we are living in during Covid-19 has been exhausting and hard. I have felt my humanity maybe more now than at any other point in my life. I am weak and fragile, but the good news is, I was never asked to walk this life alone! God extends this amazing treasure of relationship with Him to each of us when we choose to accept His offer of complete forgiveness for sin. He promises to live in us and we never face any aspect of life apart from His strength. As I cling to the treasure deposited inside me (2 Corinthians 5:5), the good news is that only Christ offers this unexplainable hope and joy. However, just like the Corinthian believers, I am not supposed to keep this treasure a secret. I am to share and extend the good news beyond me to a hurting world. I am to share with others the life only Jesus can offer as we walk in relationship with Him. I challenge you today to ask yourself, “Am I living a life where others see Christ living through me or am I keeping Him a secret?”

2) If there is hope and life in Jesus why does Paul include verses 8-9 about suffering?
We may understand these verses better today than we ever have before in light of a global pandemic, racial unrest, and many other worldwide struggles. If we are honest, the world around us brings affliction and persecution like never before. We look around and feel perplexed and at times struck down. Jesus never promised His followers a life of ease. Instead, in Matthew 16:24 we are told to pick up our cross and follow Him. In John 16:33 Jesus tells there will be suffering. Jesus Himself suffered worse than any of us could ever imagine, yet He did not lose hope. His suffering and sacrifice is the source of our life! Paul includes these verses to remind us following Jesus won’t always be easy. There will be tough days, weeks, and years, however, He will never abandon us! (Psalm 138:8) Instead, as we cling to Him during the hard seasons of life, it is an “opportunity for Christ to demonstrate His power and presence in and through us (NLT Study Bible).” When we walk through suffering and hard times, the work of Christ in our life is evident to the world around us. We simply have to choose to lean in and cling to Him by faith.

3) What does it mean to focus on what is unseen? (verse 18)
Like Paul, we don’t have the privilege the first disciples had. We don’t get to walk with Jesus and learn from Him as He lives and teaches. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “we walk by faith not sight.” I am reminded of what Jesus said in John 20:29, “Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet believe.” When we choose to put our faith in the promises we cannot see, we are blessed! We look around and see a temporary world filled with sin and suffering, but there is a promise of more. There is the promise of the eternal. When Jesus left earth, He promised to return. (Acts 1:11) This is the promise we cling to as believers. Our life now isn’t forever! We know the unseen includes life forever with God that will be without pain and suffering. It is a place where He will wipe away the tears and there will be no more mourning or pain. All of what we know will pass away (Revelation 21:4). I don’t know about you sisters, but I long for that day. We have hope in this unseen promise. I challenge you to live in light of the end of the story clinging to the promise of the perfection that lies ahead of us.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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This is Worship VII Week Three!
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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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Worship VII Day 3 The Wonderful Cross

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Philippians 3:1-11
Isaiah 53
John 15:6-17
Mark 15:6-37

Worship VII, Day 3

Dichotomy
Such a fancy-sounding word, simply meaning a contrast between two differing or opposing ideas. Why is this word important for today’s journey into worship? As we explore the hymn The Wonderful Cross, we uncover the incredible dichotomy of the cross of Jesus, simultaneously wonderful and horrible. Come, discover with me.

“When I survey the wondrous Cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain, I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.”

In Biblical times, there was nothing wonderful about a cross. It meant crucifixion, which was excruciatingly painful, while also publicizing the victim had committed a crime deserving a penalty of death.

Except Jesus committed no crime.
There was no sin to attribute to Him. (1 John 3:5)

However, human beings have sins to spare, and Jesus took every last, ugly, despicable one of them to that cross of death and shame. (Isaiah 53:5-6)
His holiness took on our sinfulness.
His righteousness was willingly offered in exchange for our unrighteousness when we embrace the cross. This place of death offers a slaying of our sin as we submit to His rule and reign! Anything we give up in this life to follow Him is a loss so we can gain eternity. (Philippians 3:7-9) Praise Him, the Prince of Glory!

“See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet?
Or thorns compose, so rich a crown.” 

Jesus’ cross experience was filled with pain and suffering. Can you imagine being beaten with a whip laced with metal? (Mark 15:15) Picture a crown of thorns beaten into your head. (Mark 15:17-19) Then carry a cross beam on your wounded back, only to be nailed to it, and hung to die. Every drop of blood, from His head, hands and feet flowed from joyful obedience to the Father. He could have focused on the pain of the cross. Instead, He focused on the joy of it, because He was winning our salvation.

In the face of hatred and jealousy, He expressed love.
In response to the envy of the chief priests (Mark 15:10),
His fellow Jews yelling, “Crucify Him!” (Mark 15:12-14),
Roman soldiers mocking Him (Mark 15:20),
and crowds scoffing as He hung on the cross for their sins (Mark 15:29-32),
He offered His life for them all.

This was pure love.

John 15:13 says, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”
Jesus, however, went beyond this definition. Romans 5:8 says,
“while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

While they were not His friends.
While we were not His friends.
He still laid down His life, because He loves us! Does it ever bring you to tears to think about someone, anyone, loving you so much? I can scarcely handle the thought of the most holy God loving sinful me that much. Yet He does! Glory!

“Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
All who gather here by grace, draw near and bless Your name.” 

The chorus mentions “gathering to bless His name.” This is what we do on Sundays at church, at Bible study, in small groups, and as we pray together throughout the week. We bless Him.
When we lay our problems down so He can handle them, we bless Him.
All made possible because of the wonderful cross that brought His brutal death and our freedom.

On the day Jesus died, people gathered at the foot of His cross, but their intention was not to bless. They drew near to mock the very One who could save them. Today, in light of what Jesus finished for us, we metaphorically gather at the foot of the cross to bless the very one who did save us. (Isaiah 53:5 and Isaiah 53:11)

“Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

How do we respond to this costly, sacrificial love? In His horrific death, we find the most profoundly extravagant act of love and selflessness ever displayed.

I can think of three actions we can take in response.
First, accept the gift of salvation. Jesus paid a high price for us to spend eternity with Him. Let’s not leave His gift unaccepted and unopened.

Second, since Jesus died for us, we should die for others in sacrificial love. On a daily basis, we work toward dying to self and to our sin. Philippians 2:3 explains it best, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.” In a nutshell, dying to self means:

  • Operating in humility
  • Considering others before ourselves
  • Placing others’ needs before ours

I warn you, it will feel like death. I’ve tried it!
But it’s nothing compared to the cross of Christ. So, let’s just do the thing, and live in the love of Jesus as we follow Him, okay?

Third, we can take hold of the life Jesus died to give us.
Let’s read our Bible and do what it says.
Let’s use our gifts for His glory, not ours.
Let’s press on toward the goal for the prize of following Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)
We can do this in honor of the wonderful cross and our beautiful Savior!

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

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Neighbor Day 3 For The Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 10:25-37
1 Peter 4:7-16
John 13:1-15

Neighbor, Day 3

Then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
(Luke 10:25)

Do.
What must I DO….to inherit eternal life.

When I said, “I do” to my husband, like any other wife, I had no idea what I was saying yes to.

I thought I was saying yes to….
Lifelong happiness.
A good partner.
Someone who would always cheer me on.
A leader I would always want to follow.
Never feeling alone.

What I didn’t think I was saying yes to….
Feeling alone for huge chunks of our marriage.
Wondering if I’d married the “wrong person”.
Feeling more encouraged by my barista than my husband.
Wondering how we could disagree about so. many. things.
Making plans for how to survive if he left me.
Long seasons of sadness.

Eventually, when all my expectations kept falling flat, and I realized I just might not get that “happily ever after”, I was ready to throw it all away…and blame God in the process.

I had stayed in the marriage.
I had been loving and kind. (well….mostly)
I had done the hard relational work.
I had been patient.
I had been prayerful.

I felt I had “done” everything I could, and God….well, He should have done something more…

He should have changed my husband.
He should have made marriage easier.
He should have made us more similar than different.
This was His fault.

If Jesus had been living on earth in physical form around years 7-8 of my marriage (and 9-10, and 11-13…), I probably would have driven over to His house and had a little “come to Jesus meeting.”

And it probably would have looked quite a bit like the conversation between Jesus and the lawyer recorded in Luke’s gospel.

What else could I possibly DO for You to give me a good marriage, Jesus?!
Do you not see how hard I’ve worked here?
Do you not see how hard this is?
What more must I do?!

When the lawyer approached Jesus that afternoon in Jerusalem, he had an agenda, and it wasn’t a heart-felt, how-can-I-change-to-honor-God attitude, either. He wanted to justify himself before this carpenter man from no-good Nazareth who claimed to be the Promised Messiah. He wanted the mic drop moment, where Jesus would be forced to give props to the lawyer and all his astounding “goodness”.

Jesus’ answered the lawyer, the expert on the law, by turning his question back on him with such poignancy, such directness, yet such intimate tenderness, it was impossible to miss Jesus’ heart for people.

In His own culture, Jesus did what I imagine He would have done for me if I had stormed His house with my own agenda. In my mind, He would have poured me a coffee and sat with me on the front steps while I poured out my frustrations, along with a solid dose of self-righteousness. Then, when I took a breath, He would have begun sharing a story. A story about me. A story I would be drawn into. A story that would take my breath away with its accuracy.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem….”, Jesus began, immediately arresting the attention of all those around Him, especially the lawyer. His story went on, full of nuances the expert of the Law would not have missed, while making His point that both examples of self-righteous souls in His story severely missed the mark precisely because they were keenly focused on their ability to perform and do.

Then, unexpectedly, there was a third character in Jesus’ story. A man who simply by being mentioned, would have turned the stomachs of those listening, especially our lawyer friend. The lawyer’s fists began to tighten and the color rushed to his cheeks as the despised man of the story turned out to be the hero instead of the righteous doers.

Without missing a single beat, Jesus looked squarely in the lawyer’s eyes (and mine), and asked, “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

Perhaps it was with clenched teeth and a stubborn insistence to not roll his eyes, the lawyer responded with resignation, “The one…” How it galled him that the hero was from a people group he loathed with every fiber of his being! He took a big gulp of air and quickly finished, “The one who showed mercy.”

Again, in a nanosecond, Jesus would have picked up our empty coffee cups, tossed me my car keys from the front stoop, and said with that kind, gentle, firm voice,
“Go and do the same.”

Dumbfounded, and awash with the kind of realization that just keeps hitting you like ocean waves, I would walk back to my car knowing I had a single calling in my marriage, to love like that man who was the very least likely to love.

I was called to be merciful.
I was called to be a good neighbor, not a self-righteous one.
I had been invited, by the Lord of All, to love my husband deeply, and continuously, because the Jesus-kind-of-love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

What could the lawyer do to earn eternal life?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
So how could he access eternity?
By becoming like the Savior, which is only possible by a complete heart-transplant. Death to the old way of doing things, and coming alive to the love of Jesus and His mercy by trusting Him for salvation alone. No work of ours could suffice.

This really wasn’t about how my husband should change.
This was about my willingness to look at Jesus’ perfection instead of my marital flaws. When I found satisfaction in Christ, He fueled me to love my husband in a way that truly honored Him.

With startling clarity, as I reflected on that coffee meeting with Jesus that afternoon, I was reminded of another scene.
One where smelly, dirt-caked feet were held by the Master of the Universe and gently washed. Humility paired beautifully with lavish, divine love. Humility picked up feet that didn’t deserve His attention, and love bathed them with tenderness.
Christ’s words after giving such a majestic gift?
“Go and do the same.”

Being a neighbor to my husband means washing feet.
It means humility and love and tender mercy.
None of which are possible in my own human strength. I need divine intervention for this calling, which is why I need Jesus and His love to make me new.
For the love of Jesus, I can love my man.
For the love of Christ, I can go, and do the same as my Lord has done for me.

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

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

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