extraordinary

The GT Weekend! ~ Terrain Week 3

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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) The region of Galilee was where Jesus spent a great deal of His time while on earth. He knew its roads and topography well. He was familiar with how to navigate the city and He knew the faces of those who lived there. Lori left us with a challenge in her Journey Study on Monday, “Go for a walk today and as you walk think about the terrain Jesus walked. From the calling of His disciples, to the road He traveled to his death. Where, or how, is Jesus calling you to walk? Who, or what, are you following? Jesus or something/someone less? Pray for open eyes and attentive ears. Invite Jesus, our Master Teacher, into your ordinary and allow Him to make it extraordinary!” Do this! Then, write down what you learned from God’s Spirit on your walk. Is the Lord calling you to introduce yourself to the new neighbors, or strike up a conversation with someone nearby who is different than you? Has He placed a desire in your heart to take a step of faith toward a big goal? What would it look like to trust Him and follow Him, even when you can’t see where this step might lead? Commit your way to the Lord and watch with an eager heart what He might do in you, through you, and for you!

2) On Wednesday we reflected on the exile of John to the island of Patmos. Exile is a theme throughout Scripture from Adam and Eve to Abraham to the nation of Israel and even to the early Church. The idea of exile (because our sin casts us out of God’s presence) reminds us of our need for redemption and to be “brought back into” God’s good design. Like Abraham living as a foreigner in the land (Hebrews 11:13-16), we too, if we have given our lives to Jesus, live as foreigners and strangers in our own land. (1 Peter 1:1-2) Like the exiles in Babylon, we are called to pray for the land we are dwelling in and pursuing its well-being. (Proverbs 11:10) Yes, we may meet opposition, but Jesus told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Furthermore, we must pray for our brothers and sisters in parts of the world where persecution poses a more physical and dangerous threat. Spend some time today praying for the well-being of your neighborhood, city, and country. Then check out this prayer guide from Voice of the Martyrs to help you pray for brothers and sisters around the world who are living with the very-present threat of persecution. Model your prayer after Paul’s prayer for persecuted Christians found in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.

3) We’ve spent three weeks studying the terrain of different scenes from Scripture. Maybe you’ve never considered the literal mountains, lakes, meadows, and rocky places where biblical history unfolded. Or maybe, you’ve traveled to the Holy Land and you already have these physical elements vividly pictured in your mind. In light of all we’ve learned, consider the physical terrain of your own life. Where do you see beauty? Where do you find the messes? What zones in your home or your life are safe? Which ones are sacred? Which ones feel beyond repair? What would it look like to surrender each of these to the Master of All Creation? What if we each trusted God as our own Master Builder to redeem and renew the terrain of our lives? Take a sheet of paper and draw out a blueprint of your life. Mark out the rooms and their sizes, then label them according to what is flourishing or struggling in your life. Search Scripture for verses of praise or truths you can claim over each “room”. Keep the blueprint sketch in your Bible as a reminder to pray continuously over the terrain around you, intentionally surrendering it to the Lord!

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 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

In view of this, we always pray for you that our God will make you worthy of his calling, and by his power fulfill your every desire to do good and your work produced by faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer Journal
Oh Lord our God, You have created the heavens and the Earth. You have shown us Your greatness in the work of Your hands. And yet… We know this Earth, as it is today, is not our home. We are strangers in a foreign land, eagerly awaiting the new heavens and the new Earth where we will be fully at home in Your presence. Sustain us, oh Lord, with Your truth as we feel the pain of this life. Comfort those who suffer for Your Name’s sake. Strengthen and embolden those who live in places where worshiping You puts their lives and livelihoods in danger. Thank you for their example of steadfastness. Teach us all to worship You, setting You apart as Holy in our everyday worship, regardless of our civic religious freedom. As I walk through this life, help me to be eager to follow You, to do the good work You have created me for. Thank You for the growth You have already brought in my life. Please, help me to continue to grow in my delight in You. Thank You for the gift of salvation and for the many blessings You have lavished on my life. Help me to glorify You in all things!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Terrain Day 11 Sea Of Galilee

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Deuteronomy 11:18-25
Matthew 4:18-23
Matthew 13
Mark 4:35-41

Terrain, Day 11

Mountains, rocks, olive trees, gardens, waves, winding roads, and stone buildings.
The smell of the sea, fish, freshly broken dirt, rain, and warm bread.
Wind blowing in your face, sweat dripping from your brow, wet fishing nets draped over your shoulders.
People working, talking, laughing, wondering, hoping . . .

All normal sights, sounds, and smells in this place called Galilee.

Galilee, a region in northern Israel, is the setting for much of the gospels. This small locale touted mountains and hills in its upper region, while the lower region was famed for its fertile soil and the Sea of Galilee.

Normal daily life in Galilee meant walking, and a lot of it! In fact, it wasn’t uncommon to walk 20 plus miles (32 km) every day. People walked to work, walked to get water, walked to worship, walked up the mountains, down into valleys, and along the seashore.

Walking was also a normal, daily routine for Jesus, who called Galilee His home. He walked beside the seashore, calling disciples, teaching, confronting, loving, and healing. (Matthew 4:18-23)

He walked up the mountains, looking for higher ground on which to teach the growing crowds. Matthew 5:1-2 (emphasis mine) tells us, “When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. Then He began to teach them[.]”

He walked to the mountains alone to pray, never forgetting to make time for His Father. (Matthew 14:23)

He even walked to His death just outside of Galilee, a place called Golgotha, “The Skull”. (Luke 23:26-27, 32-33)

Fishing and boats were also a routine part of life for the people of Galilee, as fishing was a primary occupation in the region. Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen by trade before Jesus called them to “fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19) Jesus and His disciples often used these boats to cross from one side of the sea to the other. Pop-up storms were prevalent, as the cool eastern wind blew over the mountains and dropped into the sea.

The Sea of Galilee saw capsizing storms, like the one Jesus calmed in Mark 4:35-41.
“He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Silence! Be still!’ The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

As well as terrifying storms, like the one Jesus traversed as He “came toward them walking on the sea.” (Matthew 14:22-33)

Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose to walk on the water in that storm?
Yes, He was Jesus, but surely there was an easier way! Why not immediately calm that storm too, or take another boat?

Perhaps Jesus’ unyielding steps on wind-battered waves were meant as a lesson for us, as we walk through the storms of life.

Remember Peter, the bold disciple who called, “Jesus, if that is You, let me walk on the water too!” (Matthew 14:28, paraphrase) What happened when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves – yep, down he went. Similarly, life-storms can take us down when we take our eyes off the One we are to follow and walk toward.

Jesus the Teacher was a master at turning ordinary life into valuable lessons. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are full of these lessons, called parables.
Matthew 13 shares several of these purposeful stories:
“Parable of the Sower”
“Parable of the Wheat and Weeds”
“Parable of the Hidden Treasure and Priceless Pearl”

These imaginative stories were woven together with common everyday objects and routines to teach of God’s radically uncommon love,
showing Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah.
Lessons still relevant today.
Lessons we would be wise to remember, meditate on, and apply to our lives.

 Throughout Scripture, God says,
“Do you have eyes and do not see;
do you have ears and do not hear?” (Mark 8:18, Jeremiah 5:21, Isaiah 6:10)
Even in Jesus’ day, so many people saw His miracles and did not believe.
They heard Him teach, yet denied His authority.
They witnessed the fulfillment of prophecy, but refused to accept the truth.

Let this not be said of us!

Let’s determine to walk through our everyday moments with eyes wide open to what God is revealing about Himself in the middle of our ordinary as we follow Him!

Speaking of following, the extremely narrow and maze-like roads of Galilee left only one choice when traversing them: closely following the person in front of you. It was easy to become lost among unfamiliar twists and turns.

Interesting, don’t you think?
When Jesus said, “follow Me,” He meant it quite literally. Imagine Jesus saying, “I know the way; to arrive safely, you must follow closely behind Me. Don’t take your eyes off Me.”

Walking. Fishing. Digging. Planting. Baking. Sunshine. Warm breezes. Sudden storms. Ordinary everyday life, until you add Jesus to the equation, and the ordinary becomes extraordinary!

Go for a walk today and consider the terrain Jesus walked, from the calling of His disciples to the road He traveled to His death.

Where or how is Jesus calling you to walk?

Who or what are you following?

Pray for open eyes and attentive ears.

Invite Jesus, our Master Teacher, into your ordinary and allow Him to make it extraordinary!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
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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 Terrain Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

Follow Day 4 Entering The Extraordinary: 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 Entering The Extraordinary!

The Questions

1) In studying the Bible, repetition is significant. Abram is mentioned 9 times in this passage, the most of anyone. What is significant about him?

2) Who called Abram?

3) What was Abram called from? What was he called to?

*Note: In Genesis 17, Abram’s name was changed to Abraham. Both names will be used in this study.

Genesis 11:24-12:4

11:24 Nahor lived 29 years and fathered Terah. 25 After he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 26 Terah lived 70 years and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 These are the family records of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans, during his father Terah’s lifetime. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives: Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 Sarai was unable to conceive; she did not have a child. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32 Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran.
12:1 The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you. 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

Original Intent

1) In studying the Bible, repetition is significant. Abram is mentioned 9 times in this passage, the most of anyone. What is significant about him?
Genesis 11:26 contains the first reference to Abram. Abram/Abraham is mentioned 312 times in 272 verses in the Bible. He is the most notable man of the Old Testament and, except for Moses, no other Old Testament character is mentioned more in the New Testament than Abraham. Moses gives us the record of the lives of three early Jewish patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But Abraham’s son, Isaac, serves mainly as a transitional figure rather than a prominent one. Therefore, the early patriarchal record divides history between the two lives of Abraham and Jacob. The New Testament authors signify for us Abraham’s importance and impact in Scripture’s redemptive history. Believers in all generations are called Abraham’s sons (Galatians 3:7), and the Bible author James refers to him as “God’s friend.” (James 2:22-23) Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, James reiterates the Lord’s message to the prophet Isaiah regarding Abraham as his friend. (Isaiah 41:8) This specific title is used of no one else in Scripture, although Exodus tells us Moses and the LORD spoke face to face as friends do. (Exodus 33:11) While we don’t meet Abram until he’s 75 years old, his role in the story of our own redemption is pivotal.


2) Who called Abram?
Abram’s story begins in Ur, an ancient Chaldean city. Joshua describes his earlier history for us in his record. Before God called him, Abram had no knowledge of the one true God. (Joshua 24:2) He had no idea the God of the universe would choose a special people for Himself, nor that He would bring Abram into His plan to redeem mankind. Like He often does, God called an unlikely man from a family of idol worshippers, who himself was probably one. Following the information regarding Abram’s lineage, we are introduced to the first part of God’s call to him. In Genesis 12:1, several translations aptly translate the verse as “the Lord had said” instead of “the Lord said.” This is important because according to Acts 7:2-4, Abram received his call in Ur before his father died in Haran. We see in these Genesis verses it was God who called Abram to go to a land where the promise would be fulfilled for him and his descendants.

3) What was Abram called from? What was he called to?
Abram was called to leave his home and was called to go to an unknown place. God called him to this unseen promise as an example for those who would come after him, choosing to follow Christ though we cannot yet see our eternal promised hope in Heaven. “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8) God was not only calling Abram to a land, but to a promise. In verses 2-3, God says “I will” five times. In chapter 11, we see man’s plan, but in chapter 12, we see God’s. (blueletterbible.org) God’s plan was bigger than Abram could ever have imagined! God called Abram to blessing in three ways: He would make him into a great nation, He would give Abram and his descendants a great name, and He would prosper and protect him. The apostle Paul offers insight into the promise God gave Abram as he guided the Galatians to understand that the blessing of righteousness in Jesus comes from faith, even for the Gentile, just as it had for Abraham. (Galatians 3:7-9)

Everyday Application

 

1) In studying the Bible, repetition is significant. Abram is mentioned 9 times in this passage, the most of anyone. What is significant about him?
According to Old Testament scholar Gordon Wenham, no section of Genesis is more significant than this passage. Abram was called by a God he had never known to leave his familiar environment and go to a land he had never seen. Since the beginning of history with Adam and Eve, man’s sin had resulted in God’s curse. Yet now God promises to redeem humanity and call out a people for Himself who would experience blessing and hope. Abram’s extraordinary faith is a foundation for all those after him who will enter into the story of God’s redemption with him. The significance of Abraham’s obedience is that it links every believer to Abram’s faith; all those after him who would trust God for salvation are impacted by Abraham’s obedience tied to his faith. (Acts 13:26). The birth of Christ was the culmination of that faith. Abraham was a living example of faith and hope in the promises of God, though unseen (Hebrews 11:8–10). Dear sister, may our lives so reflect this kind of faith in the unseen future that we pass on to those who come behind us a lasting hope.

2) Who called Abram?
It is the LORD who called Abram! It is Yahweh, the divine Creator who desired to have a relationship with His people. God’s call and promise to Abram in Genesis 12 focus on the hope that secures our sure future through His grace. It is the LORD God who called him out, and it is this same God who has called us out from our sin and saved us from death. (2 Timothy 1:9-10) The kind of faith God blesses is the kind willing to leave everything behind for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as God called Abraham to leave, He calls us to leave the familiarity and comfort of sin and enter to the promise of eternal life. Jesus called people to follow Him, but some were unwilling. (Matthew 19:16-22) Paul reminded the believers in Philippi that it was God who called them to salvation and they were to only believe and obey, “Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12)

3) What was Abram called from? What was he called to?
Abram’s call from God reminded Moses and the Israelites that God had a plan for Abram’s life long before Abram had done anything for God. God had called Abraham as His humble servant simply because it pleased God to do so, thus revealing the amazing grace of God! God’s rich grace towards us is a theme woven throughout the life story of Abraham. God showed mercy to the patriarch at every moment of his life because he needed God’s mercy all the time. Abraham’s saving righteousness was a gift of mercy from the God who called him.  “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) As heirs of Abraham’s faith, we can follow his example. We are called out of sin and into God’s promise of eternal life. We are called out of disobedience and into the abundant life of Christ. We are called out of our temporary dwelling and into an eternal and better one; an extraordinary one!! (Hebrews 11:13-16)

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Catch up withEntering The Extraordinary!

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 Follow Week One!
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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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Follow Day 3 Entering The Extraordinary

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 3
Genesis 11:24-12:4
Romans 4:1-11 

Follow, Day 3

Voices mingled together and eyes turned toward one focal point as fingers pointed and fathers lifted small children to their shoulders for a better view. A voice interrupted everything, somehow arching above all the whispered talk circling around those gathered by the water’s edge. The rhythmic splashes of people being dunked beneath the water, only to rise again, punctuated his booming speech.

“Repent!” The voice called aloud.
“The Kingdom of God is near!”
Urgency undergirded every syllable, leaving a nearly tangible sensation ringing in the ears of all who heard.

Suddenly, like an electric shock wave, the wild man pointed a hairy finger and with unmistakable clarity, spoke in an awe that captured rapt attention,
“Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Collectively, a gasp went up from the crowd as Jesus, the Christ, moved with purpose through the crowd. For the first time, the prophet’s voice trembled,
“I need to be baptized by You, yet You come to me?”
Jesus insisted, and joined the countless people humbled beneath Jordan waters and raised out, but as He did, the Spirit of the Holy God descended upon Him and the magnificent Voice of the Almighty echoed for all to hear, “This is my Beloved Son with Whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”

Stunned, the crowd slowly dispersed as Jesus slipped away into the growing evening to enter His wilderness. The events at the Jordan would mark each of them forever, but for Andrew, whose curiosity demanded more, the internal wrestling had just begun.

It had been weeks since Andrew had witnessed the baptism scene that played on repeat in his mind. He needed answers.
Who was this Jesus?
Who was this man for whom the heavens opened?
What was His invitation?

Back and forth Andrew and his friend exchanged thoughts on Jesus as they walked the narrow path one afternoon. Full of un-earthly power and grace, Jesus walked past the two men deep in discussion, they suddenly paused and exchanged glances. As if readily understanding the other, they swiftly moved in, surreptitiously following several paces behind Jesus. Sensing their presence, Jesus half-turned and asked with a wide grin, “What are you looking for?” 

Insistent curiosity overcoming his stuttering tongue, Andrew stammered, “Oh! Rabbi! Well…”
“What he means is,” interrupted his friend, “Where are you staying?”

Jesus laughed and motioned with His arm for them to join Him. “Come and you’ll see.”

~~

“May the god Marduk and the goddess Zarpanītu the queen, look with joy upon the work of my good deeds and order the prolongation of my days, and discuss my years to be many; may they decree as my fate the protection of my offspring, the increase of my progeny, the expansion of my family so that they branch out widely….” (Ancient Prayers to Marduk)

Abram mumbled the familiar words, as he had countless times before. The discontent in his heart grew stronger, reaching to his hands as he tightened them into fists. He had wealth. He had influence. Offspring he lacked, and his heart seemed to die within him more each day at this knowledge.

How tired he was of accruing good deeds. How weary he had become of returning to his tent each evening to look into the eyes of his bride, Sarai, knowing she felt useless without children. What more could he do?! What else could he sacrifice? Why would Marduk refuse him? The anger inside threatened to overtake him, and he quickly stood, as if trying to flee from himself.

“Abram, go from your land…”

The voice seemed to fill his entire being, yet cut right through him at the same time.
Abram sucked in his breath and every hair stood on end.

“… go from your relatives and your father’s house…”

In all his years of bowing and sacrificing to Marduk and the numerous other Assyrian gods, not once had Abram felt enveloped in this all-surpassing Presence. As Abram stood frozen in the moment, the Voice swirled around him, commanding his attention, yet without force or pressure, simply as invitation. As the Voice spoke, Abram felt alive as if for the first time. Hope was kindling in dead places within him.

“… go to the land I will show you.”

Yes. Yes, I will go. Abram’s heart already beat with new passion. Joy gurgled up where anger had thrived. The more the Voice spoke, the more Abram knew he would never again bend his knee to Marduk. This invitation captivated the entirety of his being like nothing else.

~~

Both Abram and Andrew were living ordinary lives, yet the God of the Universe met them exactly where they were with an invitation to enter into the extraordinary. The moment of decision was unexpected for both men, but for the One who called them out of their mundane and into purposeful living, it was perfectly timed.

Following the Lord often looks a lot more like waiting with expectation in our mundane than searching for signs in the sky. The Lord knew each man. He alone knew the deep longings in their hearts. And He alone knew both how to meet them, and when.

For Andrew and Abram, their humble acceptance of God’s invitation opened the door for much more than they dared hope or imagine.
God alone was more than enough for all their searching.

Jesus came to us without pretense, humbly submitting to the Father’s plan of sacrifice and through Him, the way was cleared for every heart to choose to follow. Whether you’re sitting at a crossroads of big life decisions, feel stuck in a place you never intended, or wavering at the threshold of total trust in Jesus or choosing to keep living life your way, the Savior invites all of us to humbly follow.

Trust His heart.
He knows where He’s leading.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
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Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

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

Sketched VI Day 7 Cassidy: 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 Cassidy!

The Questions

1) What does it mean to have “treasure in clay jars?” (verse 7)

2) Why did the Apostle Paul say, “we carry the death of Jesus in our body?” (verse 10)

3) How can I keep from giving up when I am afflicted and struck down?

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

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 does it mean to have “treasure in clay jars?” (verse 7)
The Greek word for clay jars comes from the word ostrakinos, which means earthenware.  The dishes used in most ancient homes were plain, cheap, serviceable clay vessels.   The apostle Paul refers to them in 2 Corinthians 4:7, when he writes, “we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.”  Paul had spent about two years leading the church at Corinth, and he was writing to them after his departure because false teachers had come into the church trying to spread lies.  According to author John MacArthur,  “in order to be heard, they had to dethrone Paul. And so, they started an all-out assault on Paul.”  Macarthur further explains, “they assaulted him on the basis of his physical blemishes, his human weaknesses, the way he looked, the way he spoke.”  To defend himself and keep the church from following false teachers, Paul chose to acknowledge those weaknesses he was charged with and emphasize the power of God in his imperfections.  As John MacArthur  states, Paul was “strongest when he was weakest, because therein the power of Christ took over.”  The apostle Paul marveled that God chose to use ordinary, unremarkable people to share the treasure of His love and salvation to the world, and he expressed this in the metaphor of God putting His treasure in simple, homely jars of clay.

2) Why did the Apostle Paul say, “we carry the death of Jesus in our body?” (verse 10)
Once Paul accepted that Jesus Christ was the Son of God on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-20) his life was drastically changed.  Not only was he no longer persecuting Christians, He was one, and He was trying to convert others to Christianity.  Almost immediately, the Jews started plotting to kill him.  He, and other Christians, were persecuted and jailed countless times throughout their ministry. When Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:10, “We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body,” he was referring to the fact of being constantly subjected to the kind of severe treatment Jesus suffered.  Albert Barnes notes that this statement is “a strong energetic mode of expression, to denote the severity of the trials to which he was exposed, and the meaning is, that his body bore the marks of his being exposed to the same treatment as the Lord Jesus was.”  Author David Guzik suggests that not only did Paul compare his sufferings with those of Jesus, but he also believed them necessary.  Guzik writes, “Paul, like any Christian, wanted the life of Jesus evident in him. But Paul knew this could only happen if he also carried about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. There are some aspects of God’s great work in our lives that only happen through trials and suffering.”  Paul recognized that suffering like Jesus helped him share the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

3) How can I keep from giving up when I am afflicted and struck down?
In 2 Corinthians 4:15-16, Paul writes,” 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.  Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.”  The apostle Paul had endured intense persecution, yet he did not give up.  Why did he persist in proclaiming Christ, even when it brought him ridicule and bodily harm?  He continued so his life would bring God glory.  In fact, he focused on the fact that he was growing in Christ when he suffered for Christ.  Author David Guzik explains that Paul does not give up because “though all his suffering takes a toll on the outward man, yet the inward man is being renewed and blessed.”  Guzik also notes that Paul believed his “death-like trials made for more effective, life giving ministry for the Corinthian Christians. Knowing this made him not lose heart in the midst of trials and suffering.”  Paul could continue his ministry without giving up because he knew he was becoming more like Christ, strengthening the church, and bringing glory to God.

Everyday Application

1) What does it mean to have “treasure in clay jars?” (verse 7)
There is nothing like the optimism of a new teacher brimming with new methods and ideas.  And there is nothing like an unruly bunch of junior high students to make her scour the want ads every night five weeks into the first semester, looking for a new gig.  As a first-year teacher, I quickly recognized my shortcomings and asked God why He entrusted this “clay jar” (2 Corinthians 4:7) with the call to teach when He was so well aware of my imperfections?  Author John Piper answers this question when he writes that God “puts the treasure of his gifts and his gospel in clay pots like you and me. Your ordinariness is not a liability; it is an asset, if you really want God to get the glory. No one is too common, too weak, too shy, too inarticulate, too disabled to do what God wants you to do with your gift.”  God had given me the gifts of teaching and compassion, and He was calling me to share them with my students the best way I knew how, even though I didn’t do it perfectly.  The more I failed, the more I had to rely on God for help and strength.  It was tempting to pretend like I had it all together rather than trust in God because, as John Piper points out, “The world stresses the classy container, not the glory of God in human weakness.”  But if we let God’s strength be made perfect in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9) we can bring Him glory while we carry out His work and share His Good News.  As a teacher, I found as I relied on Him, He helped me improve and make an impact on my students.

2) Why did the Apostle Paul say, “we carry the death of Jesus in our body?” (verse 10)
I have heard it said that having a child is like carrying your heart on the outside of your chest.  It seems like an apt description to me.  It perfectly describes the feeling of vulnerability and love that arrives when your first bundle of joy is born.  I think something like that happened to Paul when he became a Christian. He seemed to carry with him an intense identification with Jesus and an ardent love for the cause of Christ.   He was frequently bruised, ridiculed and persecuted for his dedication to the Lord.  John MacArthur explains that Paul’s sufferings were “simply carrying about in [his] body the dying of Jesus.  And so, he elevates his suffering to this marvelous level.”  Author David Guzik asserts that for Paul, “the death of Jesus was not only a historical fact, it also was a spiritual reality in his life.”   For Paul, he saw the suffering that came with being a Christian as another way to point people to the marvelous work of the cross.   He taught that “we carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body (2 Corinthians 4:10)  The trials I face may not leave me bruised and shackled like Paul, but they do remind me that Jesus suffered and died so that I could live free from sin and shame.  I want to allow the suffering I encounter to lead others to life in Jesus.

3) How can I keep from giving up when I am afflicted and struck down?
In the past, when adversity came, I endured because I believed God was in control and had a purpose in the pain.  Scripture tells us our “momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17)  But there came a time of extended difficulty where I had trouble seeing beyond the daily struggle to recognize God’s hand in the situation.  Complications from a surgery resulted in a two-year hospitalization for my mother while my sister and I struggled to help my dad care for her, their house, and their other responsibilities along with caring for our own homes and families.  The daily stresses were relentless and exhausting.  I wanted to give up, and I was mad at God for not intervening.  God lovingly revealed what should have been obvious to me all along: He was with us in every aspect of this ordeal.  My mom nearly died multiple times, but she survived.  I could almost feel myself buoyed up on the prayers of my church family, who covered us in prayer daily.    There were meals provided and free childcare and divine appointments in hospital waiting rooms.  There was grace to handle each day, even if the day wasn’t going how I wanted. God was maturing me as I relied on Him when I ran out of my own strength. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I was able to keep going during that two year struggle, not knowing when it would end or what the outcome would be, because I had the grace of God to sustain me as the trials strengthened me. Paul wrote that he looked forward to the “eternal weight of glory” that is being produced by our afflictions. (2 Corinthians 4:17) We don’t give up because we know that God’s blessings and purposes are greater than any troubles we may face; His grace is enough to help us endure and grow.

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