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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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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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Fruitful Day 15 Sweet Self Control

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 6:1-22
Genesis 8:15-22
Daniel 1:1-21
John 13:34-35
Galatians 5:22-23

Fruitful, Day 15

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control. The law is not against such things.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

These are two amazingly profound verses, subtle in their power and fierce in content. The first eight fruits all make logical sense. Who wouldn’t want more of those qualities?

Then there’s self-control.

It’s like a beautiful, soothing piece of music playing in the background for the first eight fruits, which suddenly comes to a screeching halt when self-control is presented and viewed through worldly understanding.

However, over the years, I have come to appreciate the inclusion of self-control as a fruit of the Spirit, and how it bookends the list with love. I am also grateful self-control is a result of the Holy Spirit working within me.

Self-control is defined as “the ability to control behaviors in order to avoid temptations and to achieve goals. The ability to delay gratification and resist unwanted behaviors or urges. A limited resource that can be depleted.”

Can you imagine a world without any self-control?

I realize a few of the posts I’ve seen on my social media feed over the past year may not have been created if a greater measure of self-control had been employed. So maybe a lack of self-control isn’t too hard to imagine.

Thankfully, the Lord knew the vital need for self-control and gave us the Holy Spirit to help grow and implement self-control within us.

Additionally, He is a faithful Father who demonstrates self-control perfectly. He also gave us His Word, in which we see examples of other imperfect humans learning and expressing self-control.

One of the first examples that came to my mind of the Lord’s self-control being modeled in Scripture is the flood. (Genesis 6:5-22) Yes, I do mean the story of the Lord sending the flood to wipe mankind from the face of the earth with the exception of Noah and his family.

This story might seem like a strange choice, but I see two distinct ways in which He showed self-control.
1) Sparing Noah’s family
2) His promise to never flood the earth again
The Lord did not completely destroy all of mankind. He displayed self-control by sparing the race and graciously selected Noah and his family for the journey.

He also promised to never flood the earth again, giving us the rainbow as a symbol and reminder of His covenant vow. (Genesis 9:11-17) Scripture doesn’t provide great detail regarding the people’s wickedness in Noah’s day, but I have observed a few things in my lifetime making me wonder how closely our behavior mirrors theirs.

Still, the Lord displays self-control every single time it rains, by not flooding the world.

The Lord perfectly demonstrates self-control and Scripture is full of people who loved the Lord and, as a result, their lives reflected His self-control in their own stories. I am a visual learner and observing how others have practiced self-control helps me immensely.

Daniel and his diet, for example. (Daniel 1:8-16)
I admit I am nibbling on a cookie — timing is everything — as I imagine what it must have been like for the selected Jewish exiles to eat from the royal table. The decadence offered, and daily encouraged, must have rivaled any all-you-can-eat buffet.

However, Daniel and three others training with him chose to eat only what would honor the Lord, as the “rich food” had been offered to idols.

Their choice required self-control in surrender to the Lord. Not only were they bypassing the choicest food, they were risking displeasing the king, and likely suffered ridicule from their peers at the table. Multiple forms of self-control were required to honor the Lord through their food commitment.

Like Daniel, we are called to reflect God’s character of self-control in our own lives through surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s work in us. At times, I have successfully displayed Spirit-driven self-control. I’ve also failed more times than I care to consider.

For several years, I worked at a college with fraternities and sororities. Within that role, I was called into all sorts of scenarios at all hours. So often, especially during the middle-of-the-night, high-stress situations, I sensed the Holy Spirit fueling self-control within me. Many students I worked with didn’t know the Lord, but most knew I did. How I responded in those situations reflected on the work the Lord had been doing in my own heart. I will never know the full impact of how His self-control changed situations, but I pray those students were positively influenced.

Self-control is challenging to implement in real life if we are relying solely on ourselves. I love how the definition describes self-control as a resource that can be depleted. We cannot walk this life alone, relying on our own self-control reservoir. It will run out.

Therefore, we desperately need to allow the Holy Spirit to bear fruit in our lives. He can pour out self-control, not only refueling our dwindling resources, but supply self-control that can only come from God.

Self-control is a sweet gift from the Lord.
Holy Spirit, please pour out more. Make my heart a tender place of surrender as You work out this fruit in me! For Your glory, our benefit, and the benefit of those around us!

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Terrain Day 10 Mount Of Olives

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 6:25-34
Romans 8:14-17
Matthew 21:1-5

Terrain, Day 10

Read enough of my writings, sit with me at coffee, or walk beside me as the sun sets and you will know, “this girl loves small things.”

The solitary flower in a mass of wild weeds.
The softly curled leaf, just hinting at gold while its counterparts wear green.
The single dappled spot on the underside of my daughter’s toe.

I gravitate towards the “little known and oft’ forgotten” that I might re-discover old treasure made new again. Imagine my delight when, after weeks of praying and studying the Mount of Olives, I found “it,” a tucked-away pocket of words waiting for me to discover anew. The words are easily glossed over, as I had a hundred times before, but today, the Spirit of God raised them up out of His word for me to see with fresh eyes.

“During the day, He (Jesus) was teaching in the temple, but in the evening, He would go out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Olives. Then all the people would come early in the morning to hear Him in the temple.” (Luke 21:37-38)

I have a sacred space in my house where I sit in the mornings or late at night with my Bible, journal, and pen. When I first began meeting regularly with the Lord, my spot was in my baby’s nursery where morning light flooded my pages. Then it moved to the reclining chair in my room where I could look up to find a tiny cross etched “coincidentally” in the paint above me. When the chair was retired, my space became a square on the floor beside my bed, its lowness reminding me of my need for humility and for Christ’s perfect humility towards me. With my back against the wall, I’ve sat hundreds of times weeping in grief or joy, angry at injustice, delighted with God’s beauty, or sitting silently to hear His voice. Each time, I’ve stood up, having been reminded of truth wrapped in grace. This space has been life-giving to me, not because of its physical attributes, but because of the living God who faithfully meets me.

As I read the passage in Luke, I realized for the first time that Jesus also had a sacred space He regularly visited. The Mount of Olives.

I love nature and hiking and muddy creeks, scraggly branches, jumping frogs, and hidden hollows, but sleeping overnight…outside…under the sky? No, thank you. Firm No. N to the O, No!

But this was Jesus’ spot: His place of prayer, rest, and renewal all night long.
Because Jesus was both fully human and fully God, I am confident He had favorite trails up the mountain’s side. Perhaps He took different ones depending on His mood as He processed the human emotions of the day. Did He shed tears as He walked the familiar terrain to the spot He had deemed “His” for sleeping and prayer? Did He recount aloud conversations He’d had with His disciples or the Pharisees? Perhaps His fingers graced the edges of silky flower petals as He walked, knowing every granule of pollen as only the Creator could. Surely some nights He went without sleep as He watched the moon arc across the sky He held in place. These scenes seem likely considering the divinely human nature of the Lord Jesus, but one action is absolutely certain: here the Savior, God in the flesh, communed with the Father by the Spirit’s breath.  

This is what made the Mount of Olives special for Jesus.
Did Christ have continuous connection with the Father through the Spirit while on earth?
Yes; all three Beings equally comprise the Triune God. Yet, while on earth, Jesus gave us this quiet, tucked away example of deeply intimate prayer and escape throughout the gospels.

He left the crowds midday to pray. (Luke 4:42)

He rose early, hungering for this place of deep prayer. (Mark 1:35)

He spent His nights walking the trails of Mt of Olives to be alone with the Father. (Luke 21:37-38)

On these mountain slopes, He taught the masses how to love one another and live with a kingdom mindset. (Matthew 5:1-11)

Here, He taught His disciples how to pray. (Luke 11:1-4)

Oddly enough, considering the title of our Journey Theme, it wasn’t the terrain of the mountain that drew Jesus, it was the communion He shared with Father and Spirit in quiet isolation. He delighted in being tucked away from the crowds, out on the mountain His very own breath had created, as He shared solitude with Father and Spirit in prayer.

As the sun’s rosy glow began warming the hard ground beneath Him the next morning, Jesus opened His human eyes and began His trek down the mountain. I can see the smile on His face as He walked, continuing His conversation with the Father, while approaching the temple to teach again of lasting hope found in God alone.

His rhythm of sacred conversation is meant to be shared.
He freely invites us into communion with the Triune God of the Universe!
What a marvelous thought, that we should be invited as co-heirs with Christ and, by His Spirit, we are urged to call out, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15-17)

Jesus spent many nights walking the terrain of the Mount of Olives and resting His head on its mounds of dirt and leaves, but the terrain of our hearts is where He most longs to meander.
He desires for us to know Him as He is.
Come, enter the conversation!


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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 Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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The GT Weekend! ~ If 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) The idea of 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 makes zero mathematical sense to our analytic brains. Often, we attempt to understand the All-Powerful God with our finite, limited faculties, and the result is frustration that can lead to disbelief. Yet, even as finite human beings, we still have experiences that can help us bridge this seeming impossible gap. As a child, I watched my parents withdraw money from an ATM. They simply pressed buttons and received money. I had zero ability to conceptualize anything beyond this childlike understanding of how to get money. The idea of earning money through a job and then being able to purchase new shoes was far too abstract for me to understand. As we tackle difficult things in Scripture, we must remember our own humanity and God’s divinity; where our ability to comprehend God ends, His understanding, wisdom, and knowledge continue endlessly. While we don’t understand everything about 1 God revealing Himself as 3 unique, yet mysteriously connected divine Beings, we do have plenty of evidence in Scripture to understand this mystery does indeed exist! I’ve discovered how the more I lean into knowing God and studying Him as Father, Son, and Spirit, rather than becoming frustrated, I grow to love and understand Him more! Consider diving in to this beautiful mystery of knowing God! Begin this weekend by studying passages on Father, Son, and Spirit. Even a Google search or www.studylight.org can point you in the right direction. Other great resources include www.gotquestions.org or “Delighting In The Trinity” by Michael Reeves.

2) How often do we long for life to be easier? Wouldn’t it be nice if we never struggled or felt pain? Why does the Lord allow us to feel pain and suffering? Shouldn’t He just make life easy for us if we believe in Him? We see from Philippians 3 that the value of knowing Jesus is far greater than any comfort or ease we could wish for. As we walk through suffering and trials, we grow in our dependence on Christ and our steadfastness in worship. If He just handed us an easy life, we would not feel our need for Him as deeply or as fully as we do in our struggles. What trial or struggle are you going through right now? How can you allow the discomfort and difficulty of this situation draw you closer into relationship with Jesus Christ? Consider how you tend to be self-sufficient or block out the pain rather than depending on the Lord through the pain. Maybe you throw yourself into your work, or disappear into books or movies, or maybe you numb your pain with food or alcohol. Take time today to spend time in relationship with God. Feel your need for Him, and remember only He can satisfy. Read James 1, and ask God to show you how to mature through your trials.

3) Where have you seen justice perverted in society around you? What social justice issues press your hot buttons and have you amped up and ready to fight to protect others’ rights because they have been overlooked without representation? Then look around your everyday life and the relationships you’re engaged with. Where do you see injustices played out? Perhaps against yourself or others? In what ways have you fought to stand up for justice? As you consider these, also take a brave minute to consider who gets to decide what true justice looks like? Is there a right and a wrong? Who gets to decide this and why? Is it really fair for everyone to choose their own “justice”? Does that feel like “justice” to you? As you think through these things, consider the character of God as being a perfectly just God. What attributes would you be able to fully rely on if this was true? In what ways are you deeply grateful that God is a just, righteous God? Praise Him for this, then pray confidently for His justice to be made known to all of us!

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 Ephesians 1:3-6 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

Prayer Journal
Blessed be You, oh Lord, the God of all wonder and glory! How marvelous are Your ways, how unknowable Your love. I stand in awe of how great You are. Your nature as 3 persons in 1 God is beyond my comprehension, yet You call me into relationship with Yourself that I might know You and reflect Your love to a broken world. I confess that when I suffer, I long to be free of trouble. I desire an easy life over the steadfastness and faithfulness that comes only through trial. I confess I tend to numb my own pain, rather than rely on the joy that comes from knowing You. Lord, we ask that Your justice would come on this earth. We know Your very nature is just. Help us to view the world with hearts and eyes turned toward perfect justice. May we care for the poor and the outcast, valuing them as people made in the image of the one true God. Grant courage and boldness that we may be quick to serve those in need and ready to speak truth to the powerful. May we reveal Your heart for justice to those who are far from You.

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Sketched IX Day 10 Peter’s Pursuit

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 10:1-43
Galatians 2:11-14
John 14:1-31

Sketched IX, Day 10

I did it again, Lord. Why can’t I seem to get this? Why do I so desperately want to follow You, only to fail miserably?

Over and over, You have loved me when I have passionately succeeded at the wrong thing. Instead of lashing out at me when I cut off that servant’s ear, You healed him and let them lead you away. All I wanted to do was serve and protect You. But that wasn’t Your plan. (John 18:10-11)

It was never part of Your plan.
It all makes more sense now. Well, most of the time.
I still think about all You spoke to us while You walked with us. You told us over and over You were showing us the Father. (John 14:1-11) You told us You would be going to the Father, but the Holy Spirit would be coming in Your place.

At the time, I subconsciously categorized Your words into my mental folder tagged, “Sure, Jesus.” That folder held Your teachings I partially understood, but weren’t urgent for me to completely figure out. You would always be with us. You were the Christ. Er, You are the Christ. I assumed You would be walking with us into victory, instead of into what felt like such a depressing defeat.

After You died and reappeared to us in your resurrected body, I understood an entirely different level of victory. You had defeated death! Not even Lazarus did that permanently.
When You ascended, You were lifted up, fulfilling Your words about going to the Father.

I miss You, Jesus.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the gift of the Holy Spirit and am so thankful for His presence. I just wish, sometimes, I could see Him. I could watch You love the unlovable and understand how I could do the same. I could sense the tone of Your words and feel the peace emanating from You.

Now I need to navigate each day without You physically beside me. I know the Holy Spirit guides me, but sometimes He’s not easy to understand.

Like when I had the vision about the sheet of unclean animals and was told to eat them. It was repeated three times and a voice told me to kill and eat. When I replied that I would not eat anything unclean, the voice responded, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.” (Acts 10:15)

Lord, that was very confusing. Yet, as soon as those men came to the gate of the house where I was staying, I knew it was the Holy Spirit telling me to go with them. When we arrived at our destination and I found myself being honored in the midst of God-fearing Gentiles, the words from the vision came back to me.

Who was I to call these people impure? If God orchestrated this meeting, He had a purpose, a clean one. A holy one.

Lord, You showed up when I began to speak. I shared of Your love for them and then You unleashed the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, You. Poured. Out.  (Acts 10:44-46)

We were all dumbfounded. I thought for sure I would never forget the lesson I’d learned over those few days. You came for anyone and everyone. Jews and Gentiles alike, You welcome us all.

Yet, here I am again, Lord. I feel the same sinking feeling I had when I began to flounder out on the waves. I so valiantly tried to serve You, and I am once again in need of rescuing. (Matthew 14:22-33)

Paul called me out. Paul, the one who previously persecuted Christians and never physically walked with You the way I did. He reminded me of the truth I preached to Cornelius on the day I thought I’d never forget.

Well, I forgot.

It became easier to add a few conditions to the truth of Your love to make it more palatable for my Jewish brothers to embrace the Gentiles. I know You never loved us with contingencies, Lord, but it felt easier for me to keep the peace.

But Paul is bolder than I. He declared the expectation of circumcision was not part of Your criteria for entry into the Kingdom. As Paul likes to remind us, we are saved by grace, through faith. How did I forget this important truth? (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Oh Lord, forgive me. Once again I ask You to catch me, helping me find my solid ground again. Help me live and love as You did, Jesus. Help me know the Father as You do.
Holy Spirit, guide and lead me on.

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched IX Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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

Sketched IX Day 6 Heart Healer

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 3:1-26
Isaiah 53:3-6
Luke 7:1-10
Luke 22:47-51

Sketched 9, Day 6

I noticed him straight away by the Beautiful Gate. It’s strange; I must have walked past him many times before, but as John and I approached the Temple, just in time for the afternoon prayer service, my attention was immediately drawn to the man.

He had been lame since birth, and he was over forty years old. Unable to earn a living any other way, his only hope was to beg for money from those visiting the Temple. I felt a pang of compassion as I saw him being carried there by friends and seated in his position by the gate.

“Please give me some money!”

As we got closer, he called out, his eyes lowered to the ground. Although he was not addressing his words particularly to us, and although we had no money, something made us stop, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. We had become familiar with the Holy Spirit’s work in recent days. On the day of Pentecost, God had filled us with His Spirit and empowered us as He promised He would. Where once we had been weak and fearful, now we were bold as we shared about Jesus, and miraculous signs and wonders were now regular occurrences.

I stood and gazed at the man, and my heart went out to him.

“Look at us,” I said. He raised his head eagerly, and I could see the hope in his eyes, the expectation that we were going to fulfil his request for money. But there was also something deeper, a glimmer of faith. Maybe the reason he sat outside the Temple each day wasn’t only because of the gathered crowds. Maybe his desperation had drawn him to the place of worship. I admired his hope and faith persisting after so many years.

I had no money, but I had something better to offer. I thought of all the times I had witnessed Jesus’ healing power as He cured the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, and even raised the dead. His authority was so great He had healed a centurion’s servant without even visiting the man, just by saying the word from a distance. His desire was always to heal.

Even not so long ago, in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus’ enemies came to arrest Him, He healed one of them! In my panicked attempt to defend Jesus, I had cut off a man’s ear, but Jesus simply told me to put my sword away, picked up the man’s ear, and restored it.

Now God had sent the Holy Spirit to fill us with the same power.
I knew what I had to do.

“I don’t have silver or gold,” I began, and the man’s face instantly fell. “But what I do have, I give you,” I continued. “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”

He looked at me in confusion, so I reached out my hand, and as I helped him to his feet, his ankles were instantly healed and strengthened!

His eyes were wide as he began walking, hardly daring to believe it was true. At first his steps were small and tentative, but then they became bigger and more confident. Before long he was leaping and shouting praise to God, unable to contain his joy and exuberance.

As we entered the Temple, he came with us, praising God all the way, and clinging to us. Unsurprisingly, a crowd gathered to learn the cause of the commotion, and I could hear their incredulous conversations.

“Isn’t that the beggar who sits by the gate?”
“It can’t be – you know he can’t walk.”
“But it looks like him… It is… It must be…”

As the truth sank in, they were completely astounded!

They surrounded John and me, and I knew I had to set the record straight. It was an amazing opportunity to tell the people about the source of this awesome power.

Addressing the crowd, I explained the man had not been healed in our power, but by Jesus’ power and by faith in His name.

They knew about Jesus. Many of them had been there that awful day as He stood before Pilate. Many of them had shouted for Jesus to be put to death and for Barabbas to be freed. (Mark 15:6-15)

Yet, I felt no bitterness towards them. Jesus’ death had been part of God’s plan, and God had shown His power by raising Jesus from the dead. Their sin, all of our sin, had been the very reason Jesus came. His command to “love your enemies” came to mind (Matthew 5:44), and I longed for them to understand how they were just as much in need of healing as the man who was now able to walk for the first time. They did not need healing of the body, but healing of the heart. This was exactly what Jesus’ death had made possible, if only they would accept it.

“Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of
refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19-20)

The physical healing of the man pointed toward a deeper, spiritual healing each one of us needed, a healing available to all because of Jesus’ sacrifice and victory.

The fire in my belly, a longing for each wounded heart to meet its Healer, burned ever stronger. Where would He lead us next?

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

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 Sketched IX Week Two! 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 Sketched IX!

Sketched IX Day 4 A New Day: 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 A New Work!

The Questions

1) What is the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing?

2) What is the importance of the declaration by Father God, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” (verse 5)

3) Why did Jesus instruct these three disciples to “not tell anyone about the vision”? (verse 9)

Matthew 17:1-13

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown and were terrified.

7 Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.”8 When they looked up they saw no one except Jesus alone.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

10 So the disciples asked him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

11 “Elijah is coming and will restore everything,” he replied.12 “But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

Original Intent

1) What is the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing?
Peter, James, and John (who were the only disciples present with Jesus in this scene) were Israelites and would have been extremely familiar with Moses and Elijah. They would have known their pivotal role in Israel’s history and how God used their lives to reveal Himself through His covenant Law and His prophets. God used Moses to rescue His people from Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. Moses was trusted with the 10 Commandments by God and was the spokesperson who delivered them to Israel. Elijah was one of the prophets. He was a faithful prophet who spoke against the false god Baal and pointed people towards Yahweh. God did not allow Elijah to die, but instead called him to Heaven, escorted there with a flaming chariot. (2 Kings 2:11) Peter, James and John would have seen these two men as encompassing all of the law and the prophets; their presence both gave witness to Christ and pointed to Jesus being the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.

2) What is the importance of the declaration by Father God, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” (verse 5)
This is the second time God spoke these words regarding Jesus. The first occurrence immediately followed Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. (Matthew 3:17) God the Father is giving clear authority to Jesus’ words and mission in these statements. We see these two occurrences at critical moments in Jesus’ ministry. The first is at the beginning of His public ministry, which was followed by Jesus’ period of fasting for 40 days in the wilderness where He would be tempted by Satan. The second comes towards the end of Jesus’ life as He is preparing to suffer the consequence of the sins of the world. (1 John 2:2) These declarations by Yahweh give Jesus authority in His mission, helping Israel understand that Jesus, as God the Son, was co-equal with God the Father. The Father’s voice of love also encouraged Jesus as He walked in obedience to the Father at these pivotal moments.

3) Why did Jesus instruct these three disciples to “not tell anyone about the vision”? (verse 9)
Peter, James, and John were chosen to see Jesus in all His glory before His death and resurrection. However, it was not time for the world to see Jesus in the same way. Peter, James, and John were witnesses to the event, and were then able to share it with the world once Jesus had resurrected. If they would have told the other disciples or made Jesus’ transfiguration public knowledge before the right time, it may have deterred the mission and made the suffering which He was preparing for confusing for the world. They would have wondered even more why He could not (intentionally chose not) to save Himself. Once Jesus resurrected, this event would serve as evidence to His divinity, but it needed to be concealed until the timing was right.

Everyday Application

1) What is the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing?
Moses and Elijah symbolized the law and the prophets of the Old Testament. For us as believers, Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of both. Moses and Elijah served as witnesses to the authority of Jesus during the transfiguration. Peter, James, and John then served as witnesses to the transfiguration and Jesus’ authority. Although you and I didn’t see these events firsthand, we know about them because of the faithful witness of those men. We too have a responsibility to be faithful witnesses to the activity of God in our lives as well as the divinity of Jesus to the world. Christ’s fulfillment of the law and prophets sets us free from the requirement for us to be perfect, which is impossible! Jesus was perfect on our behalf. When we share this good news with others, and how His freedom has healed us and made us whole, we are testifying of the transfiguration of our own souls in Jesus!

2) What is the importance of the declaration by Father God, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” (verse 5)
The Father twice declared and affirmed Jesus’ identity. First, the declaration was very public at His baptism, and then, more intimately, in front of just 3 disciples. This declaration of Jesus as God the Son is crucial. The Father leaves no room for doubting who Jesus is and affirms He is more than a good man or great prophet; He ensures the disciples understand only Christ is the promised Messiah. This declaration provides each of us hope found only in Jesus. If Jesus wasn’t who He claimed, we would be left hopeless, for no “good man” could save us from the consequence (death and separation from God) we earn because of our sin. Jesus came, the Father confirmed His identity, and Christ fulfilled God’s promise to send One who was worthy and able to pay the price for our sins. The result of Jesus’ victory over death, our punishment for sin, provides us with unshakeable, eternal hope.

3) Why did Jesus instruct these three disciples to “not tell anyone about the vision”? (verse 9)
Peter, James, and John were privy to an incredible moment in Jesus’ life where they saw Jesus in His complete divinity before the resurrection. However, the world was not ready for this truth. They were instructed to keep the moment to themselves until after He resurrected. There are moments in our life where our experiences may need to be private for a time. It doesn’t remove the incredible work of God in us, but others may not be ready to hear it yet. However, there will come a time when we are called to testify of the greatness of our Savior and the work of our Lord, just as the disciples did. When that time comes, God uses our testimony for His glory. The Lord knows when the timing is perfect, just as He did when the three disciples were able to share the incredible story of the transfiguration. In the same way, His Spirit will prompt us to share our experiences with the divine, risen Savior; He will use our witness to glorify Himself and draw a lost world to Himself.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with A New Work!

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

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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

Word Day 13 Chosen, Appointed, Loved, Persecuted

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 15:9-25
Luke 7:17-30
John 17:13-26
Isaiah 42:1-9

Word, Day 13

The heady scent of roasted lamb mingled with melting wax as the disciples gathered around the low table with Jesus for another Passover feast. Though familiar, something entirely other stirred as Jesus prayed, broke bread, and passed the cup.

They ate, He served them, then, in sweet intimacy, Jesus prayed words of life over His brothers, these chosen ones…

You did not choose me, but I chose you. (John 15:16)

Chosen
When I was eight, a recurring nightmare haunted me for 3 consecutive nights. In vivid detail, I watched a gunman murder me, but then, after multiple nights, I saw Jesus stand in the gap, dying the death intended for me. Jesus chose me to be His. He invited me to believe that, though my sin separated me from the holiness of God, He still chose to rescue me and pay for my sin.

Scripture is bursting with biographies of those God has chosen for Himself. He delights in transforming the ordinary and broken, the shame-filled and forgotten, into lives brimming with hope and purpose.

Abraham, who waited decades for God’s promise to be fulfilled, was chosen.
Isaiah, the most well-known prophet to Israel, was chosen.
Mary, the mother who carried the very Son of God, was chosen.

Each was called out, away from the life they’d once lived, awakened to a new existence and ushered in by the delightful choice of the God who longs for all to call Him Father.

I appointed you to go and produce fruit. (John 15:16)

Appointed
Those who sit with me in conversation long enough to hear my heart know I’ve repeated, “I just want my life to matter.” Maybe it’s that I’m racking up the birthdays, or because my oldest is leaving home. The scenes of my life keep shifting and I wonder over and over, “Does this matter?”

The same love that motivated the heart of God to choose me, also appointed me, and all who accept His invitation. He smiles with pleasure as He intentionally floods each chosen life with purposed appointing. He appointed me to school my kids, gather women to study Scripture, make yummy meals (and some that set off the smoke alarm), and walk alongside my husband.

Here’s the incredibly beautiful thing about being appointed by God. It’s as variegated as African dresses and yet as uniformly connected as the constant elements of our universe.
Your appointment looks different from mine.

Zacchaeus was appointed to give away his possessions.
Levi was appointed to invite his friends to dinner, so he could introduce them to Jesus.
John was appointed to preach a message of repentance in the wilderness.

All who answer God’s calling of being chosen are lovingly appointed to bear fruit for His kingdom. Every fruit, regardless of shape or color, is seeded with love.

This is what I command you: Love one another. (John 15:17)

Loved
We’d been married for seven years and were tanking fast. My husband was pursuing his dream of seminary, and I was fighting demons from my abusive past. In the midst of my self-hatred and spurning of God, my husband announced he was leaving seminary to fight for me. He said he had no plans to return; that I was more important. What manner of love didn’t expect my perfection, but just loved?

No disciple of Jesus escapes His mighty call to allow love to color every aspect of life. Pouring the cereal, changing the diaper, shopping for groceries, arguing with your spouse, listening to a friend, going to church, making coffee.
All of it has been designed as an act of worship, of love.

When Jesus overturned tables, pleading others to know the heart of God, He loved.
When Paul surrendered his position to become an itinerant preacher, he loved.
When Lydia opened her home to missionaries, she loved.

Every one of Christ’s disciples were chosen and appointed to lead lives of lavish love.

If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. (John 15:18)

Persecuted
It’s not popular, this dying to self. Strange, isn’t it, that true, authentic, in-the-dirt-with-you love also carries the risk of ridicule. When we stand for the unjustly treated, when we invest in friendships with those of a different skin color, when we invite the trans-gender to dinner, when we sit at the bar with the promiscuous and hear their story, mainstream Christianity pulls back their religious garments in “righteous” outrage.

To follow Jesus is to fling wide the door of persecution, and understand that being chosen, appointed, and loved, means that suffering is worth it.

The faithful eleven who sat around Jesus that Passover night would all be persecuted for their faith. As they championed the kingdom work of spreading the news that God chooses, appoints, and loves, they would feel the knife of persecution.

But none felt it as deeply as Christ Himself.
All who follow Jesus with their whole lives are each chosen, appointed, loved, and persecuted, because Jesus was first.

This (Jesus) is my servant; I (God the Father) strengthen Him,
this is my chosen one; I delight (love) in Him. (Isaiah 42:1)
I will appoint You to be a covenant for the people. (Isaiah 42:6)
He (Jesus) was pierced (persecuted) because of our (humanity’s) rebellion,
crushed because of our iniquities. (Isaiah 53:5)

Sister, you, are chosen by the Christ who sacrificed Himself for you.
The God who crafted the color of your eyes has appointed you for good kingdom work.
The Jesus who sat at the Passover feast, sits with you now in the middle of your mess to say you are loved.
This same God knows that following Him results in persecution because it isn’t popular to love like Him. But He promises to fill you with His Spirit, strengthen you, and sing over you, “Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33)

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

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 Word 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 Word!

Worship 8 Day 2 The Why: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

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

The Questions

1) Verse 20 tells us this passage is part of a prayer. Who is represented by the personal pronouns used in the prayer?

2) What is the significance of the connecting phrase “so that”, which is used four times in this passage?

3) What is the importance of demonstrating unity and love as disciples of Jesus Christ? (verses 23-24)

John 17:20-24

20 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. 21 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. 22 I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. 24 Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation.”

Original Intent

1) Verse 20 tells us this passage is part of a prayer. Who is represented by the personal pronouns used in the prayer?
Why do we worship? We worship because we have been made one with the Father and Son. The Why question is answered in this prayer by determining the Who. Verse 1 says, “Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, ‘Father …” The Son of God was praying to His Father. Prayer was a habit for Him. (Luke 5:16) The prayers Jesus prayed give us insight into who He is. They speak to us about His nature, His heart, and His purpose while He walked on earth. His prayers also instruct us in our own prayer lives. In Matthew 6:9-13, the author records Jesus teaching His followers how to pray. Here in John 17 we see Jesus following the very pattern He taught. Jesus starts His prayer with “Father”, and as He prays, He acknowledges the Father’s authority, kingdom, and purpose. (verses 1-5) He then begins to pray for those closest to Him, His disciples. He prays for provision and protection for them, asking the Father to give them what they need and remind them of His teachings. Jesus prays for His disciples to be protected from the enemy and the world’s evil system. (verses 6-19) As He comes to the close of His prayer, He begins praying for all believers. He wants those who believe (John 3:16-18) in Him, including those of us in the present age, to be unified. We see verses 20-21 involve the Son (I) who is praying to the Father (You) on behalf of the disciples of Jesus (these), all other believers present and future (they), AND everyone in the world who will come to believe in Him one day.

2) What is the significance of the connecting phrase “so that”, which is used four times in this passage?
Why do we worship? We worship “so that” Jesus is known and glorified by all people. In these five verses, the Christian Standard Bible translators used the phrase “so that” in all but one verse. Jesus prayed for four results: 1) that the world would believe, 2) that His disciples would be unified as He was with the Father, 3) that His disciples would recognize that His unity with the Father was also attainable for them, and 4) that all would see the glory of Jesus. (verses 21-24) The prayer of Jesus reveals His heart for everyone in the world. John, the author of the book with the same name, had walked with Jesus. He writes about the time Jesus met a man named Nicodemus and explained to him how he could enter God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus explained to the man about heavenly things and told him about the Father’s love. He shared with him that the reason He had come to earth was to give everyone spiritual life that never ends. (John 3:1-21) This is the gospel message John wanted his readers to know was on the heart of Jesus. Pastor Greg Gilbert explains that the gospel is “simply telling the good news about Jesus! It’s a message from God saying, ‘Good news! Here is how you can be saved from judgment!’” In his gospel and his letters, the apostle John’s purpose was to reveal Jesus’ purpose in coming. He had followed Jesus closely and had heard Him teach, and very likely had heard Him pray many times in this way. (John 20:31, 1 John 5:13)

3) What is the importance of demonstrating unity and love as disciples of Jesus Christ? (verses 23-24)
Why do we worship? We worship because the Father has chosen to love us and to show the world His love through our unity with Him and one another. Jesus connected His relationship with His Father and His followers, as well as the relationship they had with one another, to the gospel message. Jesus prayed that the oneness of His followers would lead to His glory being revealed and received. In perfect unity, the Father and the Son loved people and desired them to spend eternity with God. Jesus prayed that those who were His disciples would be the vessels in which His love and grace would be carried to the world. God’s desire to have a relationship with humankind never changed. Through Adam and Eve’s choice to rebel against God, we are all equally guilty of this rebellion; our sin breaks the relationship with God. The good news is, that in Jesus, we are offered reconciliation back to God because of His perfect sacrifice on our behalf. (Romans 5:12-16) Jesus’ heart was bound to the unified purpose of our triune (three Persons, yet one God) God. Before the world was created, love existed between the Father and the Son through the Spirit. (verse 24) The apostle Peter referred to the work of the three Persons in the Godhead in his greeting in one of his letters to the believers. (1 Peter 1:1-2) As God set His affection on people from before the foundation of the world, Jesus’ death has given us access to the Father. The Spirit reveals to our hearts who Jesus is and how to be reconciled to God. The unity of our three-person God is important in understanding the depth of Jesus’ prayer and of our worship of God. (Resource on our three-in-One God: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/5-reasons-trinity/ )

Everyday Application

1) Verse 20 tells us this passage is part of a prayer. Who is represented by the personal pronouns used in the prayer?
If He had one, Jesus would have quite the prayer journal! This prayer is a beautiful picture of the Son of God pouring out His heart to His Father on behalf of everyone He created. The whole world from every generation is on His list. God desires worshippers, and the prayer in John 17 covers past (verses 1-5), present (verses 6-18) and future (verses 20-26) believers and seekers. This thought is mind-blowing! Jesus’ prayer for those who would seek Him was answered before, during, and after He prayed on this occasion. At Jesus’ birth, the Father was answering His Son’s prayer as the wise men from the east searched for the One they had read about.  (Matthew 2:1-10) As Jesus was praying for all His disciples, He knew a time would come when the disciple Peter would need those prayers on his behalf. (verses 14-15) With Peter’s denial, it appears that Jesus’ prayer did not work, but the Bible tells us Peter’s faith grew, and he became bold for Jesus. (Luke 22:31-32, Luke 24:11-12, Acts 2:14) We don’t know how the Father will answer the prayers of the Son on our behalf, but we can trust that He will, just as He has!

2) What is the significance of the connecting phrase “so that”, which is used four times in this passage?
Jesus gave up more than we can comprehend when He came to earth in human form. (Philippians 2:6-8) Though it’s hard to understand, we know He also never disconnected from the Father’s will and purpose for Him. Jesus’ motives, revealed by the English connecting words “so that …”, were all about God’s glory. It is from this vantage point we can rightly consider our present circumstances and are prompted to pray with the same motives. Jesus could pray knowing the past, present, and future of those for whom He prayed. We understand He not only knows what the future holds, He controls the future. The calm certainty of Jesus reveals His heart and unity with His Father. He sees from a perspective that encompasses all time and yet is outside of time. Humans do not have this capacity. We are not all-knowing, but we do have the Spirit of God Who helps us pray with discernment and wisdom and understanding. (Romans 8:26-27, 1 Corinthians 2:10-12) As we seek to worship the Lord with our lives, our prayers are shaped by what He prayed for us. It serves as an example of what to pray for ourselves and others. Ultimately, our deepest longings cry out for God’s glory. He alone is worthy of worship.

3) What is the importance of demonstrating unity and love as disciples of Jesus Christ? (verses 23-24)
The text in John 17 contains the last public prayer of Jesus before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Considering the two other prayers He prayed as He came to the end of His life on earth, we can discern the heart of Jesus. His one desire was for there to be worshippers. He prayed for this here, and later He would pray for God’s glory even if it meant the weight of the world would be placed on Him through His death. (Luke 22:39-42) As He was on the cross, Jesus prayed on behalf of those who crucified Him. His heart was filled with compassion even as it broke over the sins of the world. (Luke 23:32-34) This is the kind of love Jesus wants for all those who follow Him. We desire unity as believers because we understand it as essential to God’s purpose being fulfilled. Once we have come to Him in faith, we are then to unite with other believers in one goal: the worship of God. “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more.” (John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad)

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

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

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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