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Surrender Day 1 Come & See

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Surrender Day 1 Come & See

Carol Graft

January 23, 2023

Discipleship,Faith,Follow,Journey,Obedience

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:29-30
John 1:35-50
John 4:28-30
Isaiah 55:1-5

If someone issued an invitation by simply saying, “Come and see,” would you be excited? Anxious? Not budging until you have all the details? Or a mix of reactions?

In John 1:35-50, several men are called to come and see Jesus.
Andrew and his brother Peter, Philip, and Nathanael are all invited.

When we meet Andrew, he is a follower of John the Baptist. We don’t know if Andrew was intentionally looking for the Messiah of whom John prophesied, but when Andrew encounters Jesus, he realizes He is Messiah. Upon his encounter, Andrew quickly found his brother, Simon (later called Peter) and encouraged him to come and see the Messiah. 

Philip and Nathanael are called next, and their different personalities are displayed in their responses. Upon hearing Jesus’ invitation, “Follow me,” Philip seems to join without hesitation. (John 1:43) Nathanael, upon hearing Jesus came from Nazareth, is skeptical. “Come and see,” Philip insists, and Nathanael complies. (John 1:46) When he meets Jesus face-to-face, Jesus shows Nathanael he is truly seen and known, and Nathanael declares, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!” (John 1:44-50)

Each man had his own reason to follow Christ. None of them knew what would be in store for them. They simply followed, not knowing what lay ahead.

Come and see, Jesus invited them.

So they came with Jesus, surrendering their lives, families, and livelihoods. 

And they began to see miracles, such as the multiplying of the loaves and fishes. (Matthew 14:13-21,  Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:12-17, and John 6:1-14) 

Everyone present was astounded at the miracle. Truly, from three fish and two loaves of bread (in those days a “loaf” was probably not much larger circumferentially than a tortilla), Christ multiplied baskets upon baskets of leftover food. Definitely a miracle!

But were those present just as astounded by Jesus?

Jesus wanted His followers to see past the miracle of the food. He wanted them to understand that abundant life wasn’t found in a barley loaf and dried fish. Rather, abundant life was found in Him, the Bread of Life, the Living Water. (John 6:35-40; John 4:7-26)

“Jesus answered, ‘Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.’
‘What can we do to perform the works of God?’ they asked.
Jesus replied, ‘This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.’”
(John 6:26-29)

Jesus’ words to His followers echo the prophet Isaiah’s call, who prophesied about Jesus generations earlier, “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat!” (Isaiah 55:1)

Jesus’ followers needed to hunger for more than paltry fish and crumbs. 

He wanted them to hunger and thirst for Him.

This invitation to abundance is for you as well, dear sister.

As when He called Andrew and Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael, Jesus’ invitation to us includes an underlying caveat: total surrender.  

The call to come and see
doesn’t explain every detail,
doesn’t assure safety,
doesn’t put us in control of plans or the future.

To follow Jesus means completely surrendering ourselves to Him and His plans for our lives. 

Surrender and spiritual thirst are also found in John 4:28-30 where Jesus intentionally engages in conversation with a Samaritan woman. This time it isn’t Jesus who extends a come and see invitation, but the Samaritan woman. After encountering the Messiah, who knows everything about her as an outcast and loves her anyway, she ran back to her village saying, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Messiah?” (John 4:29)  

She risked everything to tell her people. She knew surrendering to Jesus was worth risking public ridicule to communicate truth. Speaking to Jesus, she discovered her worth again. She surrendered her past, her guilt and shame because of Jesus.
Her invitation started the first recorded revival in Scripture.

Those whom Jesus called then, with their faults, dark pasts, and sinful ways, weren’t very different from those He calls today. Yet, they surrendered everything to follow Christ.

What have you already surrendered for Jesus?
What is He calling you to surrender more deeply today?

What has Jesus shown you with His invitation to come and see? 

Tags :
disciple,follow,offering,real life,surrender
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The God who foreknew us before we were born also perfectly knows every aspect of our current and future circumstances. In the verse prior, Paul described believers as people who are called according to God’s purpose. Our calling goes way back to “before”; God foreknew all those who are now, and will be, brothers and sisters in Christ. “He chose us in Him (Christ), before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before Him.” (Ephesians 1:4)
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The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched X 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) Many of us know the hard edges of pain, injustice, and sorrow we felt would surely swallow us whole, or worse, bit by bit. Joseph’s story, the longest recorded single narrative in Genesis, is fraught with many opportunities to sink into the waves of sorrow, bitterness, and injustice. But God’s love was, and always will be, the greatest game changer of every story. In His lavish love, He strengthened Joseph’s faith in the midst of suffering and, rather than allow him to be swallowed by grief and despair, slowly taught Joseph to trust the Almighty Sovereign God. We each have this same choice. Every day. Every moment. Inside of each second of mundane or pain, God has provided the opportunity to lean into Him with authentic honesty or pull back. When we lean in, He increases our faith, strengthens our souls, sustains us, and gives His courage and peace. When we pull back, we soon find ourselves running blind through a minefield of bitterness, anger, depression, and despair. In the end, we lose everything. Take time to identity the opportunities the Lord is giving you recently. Where do you find your heart turning?

2) Joseph wasn’t really looking for redemption. He certainly wasn’t expecting to see the familiar faces of his brothers amidst the sea of faces that day as they came to Egypt, bowing to him, to purchase grain. Redemption and restoration within his family relationships may have surprised Joseph, but it didn’t surprise the Lord. He had seen this day from long before Joseph’s brothers had plotted to murder him. The Lord knew redemption was coming when Joseph unjustly sat in prison. More so, the Lord knew all the internal wrestling, heart ache, and grieving hot tears Joseph would cry in the years between being sold into slavery and the day he would embrace his brothers with glad tears. God never once abandoned Joseph; not one of His promises was broken. The Lord proved faithful at every single point, and eventually, Joseph saw with his physical eyes what the Lord had taught him to see with his spiritual eyes: redemption. The Lord loves us far too much to simply give us what we think we want in the physical realm without first teaching us what we really need in the spiritual realm: God Himself. Wherever you are in your own journey, high hope or struggling to lift your head, be encouraged that the God of redemption sees you, and He knows your redemption story inside and out. Trust Him!

3) Every injustice. Every broken place. Every wound that has relentlessly damaged bodies and relationships. Every single tear that has stained our cheeks. Healed, made whole, and redeemed one day. Joseph experienced only a small sliver of the full redemption the Lord had planned for His people during his life. Joseph’s family experienced partial redemption and the nation of Israel was blessed temporarily with safe harbor and sustaining food for a season. Eventually, though, Israel became enslaved for 400 years and suffered significantly in many ways even into modern times. Still, their homecoming is sure and certain, and so is ours. Whatever good we experience and whatever redemption we receive in this life is merely a hint of the good restoration still to come for those who have trusted Christ completely for their salvation. When we choose to adjust our lens to see our struggles with the perspective of Home on the horizon, even hardship becomes more bearable. Practice turning over your perspective to the Lord this weekend. Ask Him to fix your gaze on the eternity to come! To help you anchor in this truth, marinate your soul in truths of Scripture like Revelation 21 and 22 and Psalm 27.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from John 13:7 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.”

Prayer Journal
Lord Jesus, like Peter at the Last Supper, like Joseph in prison, like Israel wandering the desert, like Abraham leaving his homeland to follow Your lead, Your words speak truth to our reality, “What I’m doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.” (John 13:7) When You sat with Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3), when You commissioned Joshua to “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9), when You came to Isaiah in a vision (Isaiah 6), they had no way of knowing what You were doing in their timeline or how it would echo through the ages. But You did; You knew all along. You never cease to be faithful, steadfast, and true.

Teach us to trust You with our stories. Teach us to honestly bring You every piece of our painful suffering, surrendering it fully to You, and waiting with great, expectant Hope for Your sure and certain coming redemption. What You are doing now in our lives, we cannot comprehend the wide spectrum You have planned, but teach us to live by faith and not by sight. May our hearts choose praise, worship, and adoration now, whatever our circumstances look like. Here is my life, Lord God, make Your redemption known in its storyline!

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Sketched X Day 14 Dinner & Identity: 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 Dinner & Identity!

The Questions

1) Why would Jesus wash Judas’ feet even though He knew Judas would soon betray Him? Why not just send him away immediately? (verses 2-3)

2) Why was Peter hesitant to allow Jesus to wash his feet? (verses 6-9)

3) When Jesus talks about following His example, does He intend us to literally wash feet? (verses 12-17)

John 13:1-17

Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 Now when it was time for supper, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray him. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God. 4 So he got up from supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and tied it around himself. 5 Next, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.”

8 “You will never wash my feet,” Peter said.

Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”

10 “One who has bathed,” Jesus told him, “doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For he knew who would betray him. This is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothing, he reclined again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.

16 “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Original Intent

1) Why would Jesus wash Judas’ feet even though He knew Judas would soon betray Him? Why not just send him away immediately? (verses 2-3)
It is impossible for man to fully understand God’s timing. While that seems like a “churchy” answer, this is simply the truth. However, we can draw some insights based on what else we know from Scripture about Jesus, this scene, and the revealed heart of God. The disciples never really understood who Jesus fully was or His plan to redeem mankind until post resurrection, which we see in part as this story unfolds. While they said they believed Jesus was the long-awaited Promised Messiah, they only knew part of the story, and their actions proved their understanding. Jesus, as God incarnate, perfectly represents God as love (1 John 4:16); there is no one God does not love, including Judas. Jesus Himself said, “I have come to serve, not be served.” (Mark 10:45) Every single word and action of Jesus carried deeper meaning and purpose than these twelve men realized. The plan written before the beginning of time needed to play out fully in order for Jesus to beat death and pay the penalty once and for all for ALL sin. Additionally, Jesus knew of Judas’ future betrayal even as He called him to be a disciple. He is God after all, which means He is all knowing. Perhaps the best explanation comes from Jesus who said, “I only do what the Father tells me”. (John 5:19) Jesus was obedient to the Father at every point, which included loving Judas.

2) Why was Peter hesitant to allow Jesus to wash his feet? (verses 6-9)
Peter didn’t understand Jesus’ often shocking actions and words. As a result, his pride often got the best of him and Peter was offended by Jesus. In this passage, Peter thought someone “lower” in rank than Jesus should be washing feet, which would have been culturally appropriate. It was the norm to have slaves do the unsightly task of foot washing, certainly not the Promised Messiah. It’s important to notice that Peter never once said, “Hey Jesus, I got this; why don’t you sit down while I wash your feet.” Peter did not yet understand true servanthood and humility. Offended, he balked at Jesus’ willingness to perform such a menial task. His limited understanding is even more evident by his next words after Jesus tries to gently lead him into understanding. Peter rashly responds, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” (verse 9) In Peter’s mind, he was raising his hand shouting, “I get it Jesus! I’m gonna’ let you wash all of me!” While Peter expressed a willingness to do whatever it took in that moment to be close to Jesus, he still didn’t fully understand what it cost to be a humble servant and do whatever God asked. This is evidenced later in Peter’s story by his anger at Jesus’ arrest and subsequent three denials. 

3) When Jesus talks about following His example, does He intend us to literally wash feet? (verses 12-17)
Yes and no. For the original audience this passage could be taken quite literally, given their culture. It was common practice for a slave to wash your feet when you came into a home, as most travel was by foot. However, there is always a deeper meaning to Jesus’ recorded words. In this scene, Jesus emphasized that His disciples have been called to a lifestyle of humble servitude to others, regardless of who the “others” or the situation. Numerous times, Jesus instructs these twelve men to follow His example in other teachings. He has invested time, energy, and countless hours training them to be His hands and feet. Now the time had come for them to “step up” and humbly serve others by getting low, just as Jesus modeled. In a way, Jesus was saying, “I don’t care how messy, how dirty, how sinful, how different people are; I’m calling you to humbly serve each and every one of them. So that you can then tell them about Me and the salvation I bring.”

Everyday Application

1) Why would Jesus wash Judas’ feet even though He knew Judas would soon betray Him? Why not just send him away immediately? (verses 2-3)
Questioning God’s plans and His timing are an age-old issue. How many of us have said, “I just don’t understand what God is doing” or “I know this is God’s plan, but why is it taking so long?” or “Why wouldn’t God intervene?”. Like the disciples, we suffer from perpetual tunnel vision. We often focus only on what is right in front of us. We miss the big picture because we stubbornly refuse to see God working in hard things. Thank God, Jesus washed Judas’ feet! Consider for a minute if He hadn’t. What would it mean for us? It would mean there would come a point where we have sinned one too many times or our sin was too big to forgive. Jesus washed the feet of a man He knew would betray Him, just like He died for you and me, all the while knowing we too would betray Him. (Romans 5:8) Yes, those are hard words to hear, but each and every time we sin, we are choosing to betray Jesus. More so, sin is sin, from a white lie to murder each sin separates us for eternity from a perfectly loving God. (Romans 3:23) BUT Jesus died for it ALL! (Romans 8:37-39) We don’t need to understand His timing or His purpose, that desire to understand comes from our worldly thinking! We only need to understand, and fully place our faith, on the truth Scripture teaches over and over, Jesus willingly came to save each and every one of us. (1 John 2:2) He chose to be obedient to the Father’s call and submit to death, so that He could pay the penalty for our sin! “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children!” (1 John 3:1)

2) Why was Peter hesitant to allow Jesus to wash his feet? (verses 6-9)
I love Peter! I am thankful he was so dense at times! His story gives me so much hope for my wayward self! If you’ve done much reading of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) at all you know Peter had a huge pride issue. This interaction over foot washing with Jesus is one of several in which Peter, thinking he had it all figured out, put his foot in his mouth and had to be gently, and sometimes firmly, corrected by his loving Savior. How many times have we done the same thing?! For me, too many to count. We are all guilty of it and some of us (not naming names, but me, Lori!) have a huge struggle with pride. Pride is one of those things that sneaks up on me, even though I know it’s an issue and try to be aware of its luring temptation. It’s deceptive and seems to sneak in under the radar until it gets fed and continues to grow and grow, pulling me deeper into sin and farther from Jesus. Then, just like with Peter, Jesus graciously points out my sin and gently allows me to see and understand its tragic depth. It’s not so much that Peter was hesitant to let Jesus wash his feet, he was hesitant to accept Jesus’ attitude of humility and servanthood and wear it himself. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to live with the same attitude as Jesus in our broken and messed up world, especially when we allow pride to trip us up.

3) When Jesus talks about following His example, does He intend us to literally wash feet? (verses 12-17)
Today’s application hasn’t really changed. We too are called to follow the example of Jesus by being His hands and feet. Hebrews 13:1-2 tells us “Let brotherly love continue. Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.” The truth of the matter is people and relationships are messy and hard; being humble requires full reliance on the Spirit of God at work within us. Look at Jesus’ life on earth and how many times He showed up in messy and hard situations to love others! We need not worry about how to love like Him, because it’s not us, but Jesus working in us as long as we are surrendered to Him! Our responsibility is to be willing and obedient to go where He leads, help those He puts in front of us, and even wash the feet of our enemies. (Romans 12:20) I can’t help but think about the passage in Isaiah 6, when the prophet is confronted with God’s holiness and it absolutely wrecks him. Isaiah’s response is exactly what ours should be today as we encounter the radical holy humility of Jesus, “Here am I, send me”. Jesus wasn’t forced to die to save us, He chose to obey His Father, which meant humbling himself to the point of death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8) The same is true for us, we aren’t forced to obey God’s call on our lives, but once we are truly confronted with the holiness of God and the depths of our sin, how can we not kneel and say, “Here I am, an absolute wreck, but send me, I’ll willing to go.”

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

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Build Day 13 Building Security

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26
1 Chronicles 23:24-32
James 4:13-17

Build, Day 13

In the first eight years of our marriage, my husband and I moved five times. Our moves were always long-distance, always for a different reason, and always into a drastically changed environment.

Once, we lived and worked in an inn. Another time, we lived with family. We spent a year in a stereotypical apartment complex without neighborly sentiment. Three years passed in a house in a mostly senior neighborhood. Now, we live in a townhouse and count the neighbors with whom we share our walls as friends.

Every place we’ve lived, God has been faithful to us, often by providing unexpected relationships. But transplanting is still hard, and often, finding new fellowship takes time.

In Nehemiah 11, many people faced the challenge of being transplanted. Some had returned to Israel from exile in Babylon, already uprooting their lives from a big city to resettle in a land ravaged by years of war and neglect. Others had been left behind in Israel during the exile, pouring themselves into maintaining life in an exposed, broken place.

With Jerusalem’s temple and wall rebuilt,
it was time for her citizens to move in and embody
what those physical structures represented.
Community.

Some families needed to relocate within the walls to fulfill God’s call to be God’s people, in God’s city, living God’s way, praising Him night and day together.

Of all the catalysts motivating my husband and I to move, never once was it because someone cast a lot. For the people in Nehemiah 11, however, it was exactly this. The ancient practice of casting lots in most cultures was somewhat akin to flipping a coin to make a decision. The idea was to make an impartial, unbiased decision about who would have to transplant to form this community. The unspoken emphasis in a biblical context was the heart motivation to surrender decisions to the Lord.

Can you imagine having the location of your home decided for you by mere chance? This is the place you’d return every day after work, make your own, and maybe even raise your family. You’d have no say over the neighborhood, your neighbors, or how far you were from the marketplace.

For Israel, casting lots wasn’t a game of chance, left to “fate”.
Rather, being selected to transplant was viewed as a decision from the Lord.
God had formed Israel as a people.
God had provided the Promised Land,
brought them out of it as punishment for longstanding sin,
and preserved a remnant for Himself.
These Israelites were that remnant.

Although being transplanted wasn’t easy and not many volunteered for it, it was actually quite an honor to be part of the new community forming in Jerusalem. Being a resident there meant having a front-row seat to watching God’s promises being kept and participating in the work and worship He’d called Israel to participate in long ago.

Israel’s leadership, including Nehemiah, fundamentally recognized that bringing residents home to Jerusalem absolutely must be accomplished God’s way.

While casting lots may have appeared to be the “deciding factor”
in choosing which families were transplanted,
but God was sovereign over each “flip” of the proverbial “coin”.

A variety of people may have been selected, but they were purposefully picked from each of the tribes God preserved: Judah, Benjamin, and the Levites.

These new residents of Jerusalem were also called to perform specific tasks in specific ways. They were assigned jobs according to their heritage. For instance, “Mattaniah—he and his relatives were in charge of the songs of praise.” (Nehemiah 12:8) This was in line with God’s previous design for Jerusalem and Israel, outlined several times in the Old Testament, such as 1 Chronicles 23:24-32, where the duties of the Levites are described.

In the long list of names found in Nehemiah 11-12:26, we discover a group of individuals willing to trust God and surrender their plans or preferences in order to relocate, take on particular jobs, and participate in a community organized around worship. Theirs is an example of what we’re all challenged to do in James 4:15 as followers of Jesus, “You should say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.‘”

We see modern examples of this in missionaries and church planters who are willing to relocate to fulfill God’s calling. Any Christ-follower who chooses to actively trust God and honor Him wherever they live demonstrates this willing, humble, active obedience, even when unexpected circumstances lead them to move, or limit their choices of neighborhood.

If you’ve transplanted recently, or you know someone who has, be encouraged. It is hard, but you’re not where you are, or engaged in the work you are, by mere chance!
God has placed you for a purpose.

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The GT Weekend! ~ Word 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) Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “Do as I say, but not as I do” implying that the speaker’s life choices don’t necessarily align with their words. They likely see the wisdom of following a certain guideline, but find that in real life, it’s easier or more comfortable to choose a different action, even one that’s counter to what they advocate for with their words. In what situations have you witnessed this inconsistency? Identify some areas you are more prone to do this. In contrast, how does it make you feel knowing that someone’s life matches with full integrity to the words and teachings they verbalize? Would you be willing to trust a God who said one thing and did another? What does it say to other people who are watching your life when they see inconsistencies between what you “practice” and “preach”? Intentionally ask the Lord this weekend to open your eyes to where you tend to live inconsistent with what you assert to be true, then begin recognizing these patterns as they pop up in your everyday life.

2) Chosen. What feelings and thoughts do you conjure up with this word? What scenes from you life do you associate with chosen? What does it mean for you that God has chosen you? Are you living surrendered to His choice over you? What’s holding you back?  Appointed. We all hunger for purpose in our life’s story. What you involved in that fills your “cup of purpose”? What engagement makes you “come alive”. Do you feel boxed in or freed in knowing that the God of the universe has appointed you for work in His kingdom? Loved. Having a purpose is one thing, but knowing you are also dearly loved is altogether more significant. Do you view God has being Love? In what ways do you feel or know you are loved by Him? In what ways do you feel abandoned? Bring Him your honesty! Persecuted. We enjoy the feelings of being loved and adored, chosen, and appointed for a purpose, but the idea of persecution catches us off guard. What are your emotional, mental, and physical responses to the idea of persecution? In what ways do you feel these four descriptors are connected or in opposition to each other? Consider how you view Jesus, as God the Son, having demonstrated each of these. Look up Luke 6:40 as you process this.

3) I once worked for a librarian who left me with a pile of books that needed covered. She provided all the necessary materials, books, and a clear end goal. I snipped and trimmed and pasted and folded, spending significant time meticulously covering the books, but when the librarian returned she realized she’d forgotten to leave me with actual instructions. A task that should have taken minutes had turned into hours when I was left without an example to follow. What is something you learned just by watching someone else model a behavior or pattern for you? Did this process of learning effectively carry over into your own rhythms of life that you can identify today? In the same way, who has been influential in living out how to follow Jesus for you? Who has negatively impacted your perception of living a God-focused life? Can you identify some markers in your life where you are influencing others in their spiritual growth? We all follow someone’s spiritual example whether we realize it or not, therefore, we would be wise to make sure the people we are taking our spiritual faith cues from are those whose lives consistently align with the ultimate model of Jesus’s life.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from John 21:15 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.”
“Feed My lambs,” He told him.

Prayer Journal
“More than these…” “Do you love Me more than these…” The words echo around my heart, Lord. Do I? Do I love you more than these? Show me my own personal “these”, the people and things and purposes I give myself for and the comforts that I love. As I consider next steps for our family, and some stretching possibilities that make me hedge in fear and discomfort, ask me again, Spirit, “Do you love Me more than these?”. It’s one thing to verbally confess that I trust You and I love You, but you don’t care about my lip-service. Will my life decisions, the big, scary ones and the seemingly insignificant ones, point brilliantly to a heart decision of trusting You or myself? Lord, align my heart with Yours. Teach my feet to follow in Your pathways. Guide my hands and heart to build Your kingdom, not mine. Hold me faithfully fast, even when I choose myself over You. Bring me back to following You.

Worship Through Community

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Word Day 4 Follow & Remove: 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 Follow & Remove!

The Questions

1) Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem for the Passover and why is this important to this passage? (verse 13)

2) Why did the actions of the people in the temple make Jesus so angry and why was His anger not sinful? (verses 15-16)

3) Why did Jesus not entrust Himself to them? (verse 24)

John 2:13-24

13 The Jewish Passover was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. 15 After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. 16 He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”

17 And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me.
18 So the Jews replied to him, “What sign will you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.” 20 Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?”

21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made. 23 While he was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. 24 Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all

Original Intent

1) Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem for the Passover and why is this important to this passage? (verse 13)
Deuteronomy 16:16 instructed all men to appear before the Lord three times a year. The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which Passover is part of, was one of those times. Jesus would have made the journey to Jerusalem in accordance with this instruction along with all the other Israelite males as Jerusalem was the religious center of Israel. Therefore, the city would have been a bustling place full of travelers. The temple was located in Jerusalem and these travelers were also required to make a sacrifice while they were there. All of these details set up the scene we read about in this passage.

2) Why did the actions of the people in the temple make Jesus so angry and why was His anger not sinful? (verses 15-16)
Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread would have brought many travelers into Jerusalem all of whom were required to offer sacrifices to God according to the Law. While some would have brought their sacrifice with them, several would have arrived needing to purchase an animal for the sacrifice. The people of Jerusalem had chosen to set up a marketplace in the Temple Courts to not only sell animals, but also offer money changing services as people would have needed local currency. These merchants sold for a higher price and took up the space in the Temple that would have otherwise been reserved for worship. Jesus shows up and is angry at what is taking place in His Father’s house. He is angered at the Temple being defiled and people being cheated out of their money. Not only are they defiling the Temple, but they are profiting from their actions. Jesus shows His anger by clearing out the Temple of the merchants. However, this anger was not sinful because Jesus was responding to sin, He was responding to His Father being insulted. Neither was He acting “out of control” in His anger as we read that He had taken the time to “(make) a whip out of cords” (verse 15) as He observed the defilement around Him. Therefore, Christ’s actions were coming from a place of righteous anger and were not sinful.

3) Why did Jesus not entrust Himself to them? (verse 24)
Being the Son of God, Jesus knew the hearts of those standing before Him. He knew when He was being misunderstood or when faith was not genuine. Many eyewitnesses, who followed Jesus and saw all He did during His time in Jerusalem, noticed He was different, but did not embrace Him as the Son of God. Jesus knew they thought He was a good teacher, or possibly a prophet, but they refused to recognize Him as the promised Messiah. As a result, Jesus chose to keep Himself at a distance from those who didn’t genuinely believe Him.

Everyday Application

1) Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem for the Passover and why is this important to this passage? (verse 13)
Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover which was customary in His day. There was a sacredness to these days and the Israelites took time to pause and remember what God had done. We could learn a lesson from the Israelites about slowing down and intentionally remembering what God has done in our lives. They spent time preparing their hearts by following customs designed to help turn their hearts to worship. While we aren’t bound by the same Law they were, it is wise to follow their example and set aside specific times in our calendar for remembering and celebrating what God has done.

2) Why did the actions of the people in the temple make Jesus so angry and why was His anger not sinful? (verses 15-16)
As New Testament followers of Christ, we no longer have a temple we are required to make pilgrimages to. However, Scripture is clear that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) In light of Jesus’ high view of the temple in Jerusalem, we should ask ourselves if we are conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of ourselves being called a temple. The Holy Spirit resides in all who have placed the full weight of their trust in Jesus and His sacrifice for us, therefore we should glorify God with our bodies instead of defiling them as the merchants defiled the temple. We can also think about these verses in relation to the church, which is God’s people living out His love to others on earth. We can bring disunity within the church and damage the church’s impact when we become distracted by anything less than worshipping our Creator. Likewise, we should remember there is such a thing as righteous anger. However, in response to sin and injustice, we must be careful to act within the authority we have and not assume the authority of Jesus. We should rise up against injustice and stand up for those who are treated unjustly. We should be angered by sin within ourselves and others. However, we are not called to be the judge and jury for those outside the Body of Believers. Instead, we are called to love the sinner and point them to Jesus. (1 Corinthians 5:11-13)

3) Why did Jesus not entrust Himself to them? (verse 24)
Jesus knew the hearts of those around Him when He walked the earth, and He knows ours as well. He knows if we are genuine in our faith or faking it to the world around us. “Faith cannot be one-sided here any more than elsewhere. Christ gives Himself to those who give themselves to Him. They who so trust Him that He is sure they will follow Him even when they cannot see where He is going; they who trust Him, not in one or two matters which they see He can manage, but absolutely and in all things; to these He will give Himself freely, sharing with them His work, His Spirit, His reward.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary) There will be challenging days in our faith and we are called to trust Christ, not only when life is easy and we know where we are headed, but also in moments of uncertainty or when those around us waiver. When we choose faith, the reward is large. This past year of 2020, has been a year of staying faithful in the unknown and hard for many of us. However, even in those moments, we are called to genuinely believe and trust Jesus. Following Him won’t always be easy, but it will always be worth it!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Follow & Remove!

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 Word 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 3 Follow And Remove

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 2:13-25
John 12:23-26
Luke 9:59-62
1 John 2:15-17
Matthew 11:28-30

Word, Day 3

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein has always been one of my favorite books. The childhood story of a boy befriending a tree and growing old with the tree has always captured my attention. When the boy is little, he enjoys swinging from her branches, eating her apples, and sitting in her shade.

As he grows older, the boy doesn’t visit the tree as often, but when he does, he often comes with grown up problems like needing money and a home. To help the boy, the tree gives her apples, her branches, her leaves, and her trunk until she is nothing left but a stump. When the boy is very old, he again visits the tree, but he is tired from the weary weight of the world. The tree is happy to give the boy one last gift, a place to sit and rest on her stump.

The Tree demonstrates sacrifice and a joyful pouring out of yourself that runs deeply contradictory to our individualistic, self-serving culture.

For me, this story vividly demonstrates the glorious gospel.
Jesus, “who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead He emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity.  And when He had come as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even to death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8)

This kind of emptying of ourselves isn’t something we’re comfortable with.
We see the cost, and we run the other way, gripping tightly to what we value in the world, unwilling to make the kind of sacrifice that asks us to let it go.

Yet, time and time again, when Jesus calls us to follow Him, He asks us to leave behind people and comforts we hold closely.

Following Jesus is not comfortable; it is costly.
It requires whole life surrender.

It’s not that Jesus is greedy, doesn’t value our relationships, or the lives we have built around us. He cares deeply about us, our common everyday moments, even the hairs on our head, but He knows that only when every part of our lives are surrendered to Him, can live truly full lives. When it comes to following Him and doing the work He has crafted for us, we must hold loosely to the fading things of this world lest they become idols standing in the way of true obedience to the One True God.

In John 2, we read the story of Jesus clearing the temple of the market merchants and money changers. What a clear physical and visual message Jesus was sending! He came to change the world for each and every person starting with removing our idols. As Jesus overturned the tables, He made a clear statement about people who claimed to worship God mixing up the worship of Him with worshiping the things of this world. Making idols of money and earthly possessions have no place in the Kingdom of God. Emptying the temple of the idols of commercialism and money cleared the way for Jesus to do real ministry that was meaningful and personal.

We cannot follow Him,
if we will not remove our idols.

When Jesus asked the men in Luke 9 to follow him, they hesitated, pulled back by their earthly duties. Jesus firmly challenged them to focus instead on the eternal importance of spreading the word about God’s Kingdom.

The things of this earth will fall away and fade,
but the kingdom of God will remain forever.

Like the man Jesus encountered and the Giving Tree, we are called to give up the things culture insists are all-important, the comforts we crave, and the idols we bow down to.

When we find ourselves as a stump,
stripped of our self-righteous pride,
and finding all comfort in Christ…

When we have allowed Jesus to make our lives a place for weary souls,
weighed down by the heaviness of the world,
to find rest in Jesus…

We will live our fullest life in Jesus alone
as He works through us to build His Kingdom.

It’s not easy.
It’s not comfortable.
It’s not going to be popular.
But that which we gain is more valuable than anything else we could possibly imagine.

What is Jesus calling you to remove in order to follow Him more fully?
Will you join me in praying for the strength and courage to
follow Jesus and remove the world’s allures from our lives?

Let’s stand together, friends, as we follow our Savior in whole-life surrender!

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

Worship VIII Day 9 Who Is Like Our God?: 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 Who Is Like Our God?!

The Questions

1) What is the meaning of “the Word” in this passage?

2) How was Jesus’ life the light of men? (verse 4)

3) How does this passage lead us to worship?

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.  3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

Original Intent

1) What is the meaning of “the Word” in this passage?
Perhaps a better question would be Who is the Word. The Word is Jesus. John is explaining in these opening verses of his gospel narrative that Jesus is in fact God; He is eternal, even taking part in creation. Hebrews 1:3 tells us the Son (Jesus) is not only the “radiance of God’s glory”, but also the “exact expression of His character.” John begins his account of the gospel by providing a foundation of Who Jesus is as fully divine as he helps his audience understand this idea of a triune, meaning three-in-One, God. Part of the original intent would have been to link the God the Israelites had studied and worshiped their entire lives to this new guy on the scene, Jesus. John takes his readers all the way back to Genesis 1:1, even using the same wording “in the beginning”, to make the connection. Additionally, the account of creation in Genesis tells us God spoke his “Word” and the world was created. Again, his language points clearly that this Jesus, a man in the flesh, was present at the time of creation as the Word, co-equal with God the Father. The original Greek language used “logos” for “Word”, which signified “a distinct manifestation of God”. Holman Bible Dictionary explains, “John saw that the same agent of God who gave life in the first creation was also giving life in the new creation inaugurated by Jesus’ coming. The creative Word of God became flesh; being divine He embodied divine communication. Now the Word dwells among us revealing the glory of God.” John is leading us towards an understanding of Jesus’ eternal nature, while also providing reasons why He alone is worthy of our praise and worship precisely because He is God!

2) How was Jesus’ life the light of men? (verse 4)
To answer this question, we must first understand what the purpose and essence of light. I know it seems rather silly. Light is obviously an energy source that allows us to see and find our way in the darkness. When we back up to the obvious understandings, we can make more sense of the complicated concepts of Scripture. In this context of seeing in the dark, we can understand that the life of Jesus is meant to provide us with direction, clarity, lighting up the dark paths surrounding us. Up to this point, the Jewish people had been looking to the Law, passed down from Moses to light their path and provide them with instruction and guidance for living. The Law was extremely detailed and confusing, not to mention long, and impossible to keep in its entirety. Nonetheless, the Law of Moses was all the Israelites had ever known. Now, Jesus comes on the scene and things began to change. John tells his readers they no longer need to look to the Law or religious leaders for direction, but to the God-man, Jesus because He embodied the fullness of the Law and the prophets. He was the one who would light their paths and show them how to live. This meant a new way of thinking for the Jews. It was also one of the reasons why the religious leaders (Pharisees and Scribes) didn’t really like Jesus. Can you imagine how freeing this would have been to your average Jew?! Your entire life had been lived under an exhausting set of rules. Then Jesus came to shine the true Light of freedom and forgiveness found only in Him that leads to eternity. There is only One Worthy of our worship, and it’s Jesus, the Life and Light of the world!

3) How does this passage lead us to worship?
John’s readers had been taught their entire lives that you only worshiped the Lord God and this worship happened most often in the temple where the Spirit of God resided. Not only that, but only those chosen as priests could enter the Holy of Holies (inner sanctuary of God), the place where His Presence dwelt. Teaching them to see and understand that Jesus, this guy they could see, hear and follow, was in fact the same God they had grown up worshipping. His Presence was however, no longer confined to the temple, but was walking among them. This was mind-blowing! It meant they no longer needed to travel to the temple to worship, but could worship God wherever they happened to be. It also meant they had just as much direct access to God as did the priests. They themselves could talk to God because He gave His Spirit to live within all who believed on Him! These few verses clearly pointed to Jesus and His eternal nature, His power, and His authority. I mean, talk about a reason to worship!!

Everyday Application

1) What is the meaning of “the Word” in this passage?
As with the original intent, John’s gospel helps us connect the dots so to speak, providing the critically important understanding that Jesus has always existed. There was no “beginning” for Jesus; He was present before, and involved in, the creation of the world. Jesus is One with God. (John 17:21) This “word play” can become confusing for us when we talk about God as our Father and Jesus as the Son of God, because those terms seem to indicate two separate beings in the English language and our minds! Returning to the Greek “logos” and reminding ourselves of the original meaning, “a distinct manifestation of God” is incredibly important as we work to understand the meaning of Jesus’ identity. Christ Jesus is that very distinct manifestation or visual representation of the fullness of God. It’s important to note that this same word “logos” is used in Revelation 19:11-13 speaking of the return of Christ. The Word (Jesus) was, is, and is to come. Someone once asked me, “Isn’t it a good thing that you don’t completely understand God? Do you really want to worship someone you 100% understand?” While at first you might think, “Yes; that would make life so much easier!” But, if we give some time to pondering the idea, we will land in a place of honesty where we realize we would certainly not want to worship One we could fully comprehend. God is utterly unlike anyone we know; His ways and thoughts cannot be understood by mere human beings! His altogether otherness is what makes Him worthy of our worship!

2) How was Jesus’ life the light of men? (verse 4)
As we study this passage and carry its truths into our everyday moments, let’s keep in mind the purpose of light by providing us with the ability to see where we are going. The older I get, the more light I seem to need in order to see clearly. Whether it’s driving at night or trying to read pretty much anywhere, I find it much easier for my old eyes to focus and see clearly when the light is bright. Given a choice, I will always choose the well-lit road to travel. This principle is the same when it comes to following Jesus. The way He illuminates is the way that leads to abundant life! It really is simple; the light Jesus provides is just like the brightness that a lightbulb provides, allowing us to see clearly and pointing out any obstacles that may be in our path. When we surrender ourselves to Jesus, He teaches us how to follow Him where there is shadow or darkness. Even the darkness is light to Him! (Psalm 139:12) Reference after reference in Scripture talk about Jesus being our Light. Psalms 119:105 tells us, “your word is a lamp for my feet and light to my path”. In John 8:12 Jesus says, “I am the light of the world”, and Matthew 4:16 says, “those living in darkness have seen a great light (Jesus)”. The Life of Jesus provides the best Light possible because only Jesus can conquer the darkness of our sin through His infinite Life. His Light never burns out or grows dull, but shines just as brightly today as it did hundreds of years ago.

3) How does this passage lead us to worship?
Allow me to offer perhaps an easier to understand paraphrase of these verses by inserting “Jesus” in place of “Word”. Jesus was in the beginning, Jesus was with God, Jesus was God. Jesus was the Creator of all things, and nothing was made without His involvement. Jesus is life. Jesus is light and no darkness has or can ever overtake the light He alone provides. These are clear and easy to understand facts that lead you and I to understand who Jesus is; our natural conclusion is that He alone is worthy of our worship. Without Jesus, we wouldn’t exist! Without Jesus, we would not even understand Light. Without Jesus, we would have no access to God. Without Jesus, we would still be trying to live up to the impossible standards of the Law. Without Jesus, there would be no hope of being free from the condemnation we deserve because of our sin. Without Jesus, we would be lost, wandering, and constantly searching for something or someone to make our life complete. Without Jesus, there would be nothing. Our everyday lives are flooded with many distractions and loud voices all claiming to have the answers, the product, or the experience we are missing. This world wants us to believe we are our own gods, that we can be and do whatever we want, without consequence. This world elevates celebrities, athletes, politicians, and lately, even medical professionals and vaccines, as the answer. These things simply are not true, and won’t last for eternity. All of these people need Jesus just as much as you and I. We all have one Creator; one Savior and His name is Jesus! He is absolutely the only One worthy of our worship!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Who Is Like Our God?!

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

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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

Follow Day 5 Where We See A Mess

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 3:1-14
Exodus 4:1-20
Acts 4:7-13
 1 Corinthians 1:26-30

Follow, Day 5

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.’ This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘For as heaven is higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Who but God would invite an ex- murderer to lead an entire nation? Humans use the past to judge the present, but God sees beyond the past. Regardless of our history, He longs to make us radically new and use us to build His kingdom.

Consider Moses, who grew up in the palace of the Egyptian pharaoh knowing he was a Hebrew. One day, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, and, after carefully ensuring no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian. Still, Pharaoh learned of Moses’ crime and sought to kill him, so Moses fled to Midian. Welcomed into the family of Jethro, a Midian priest, Moses planned to live out his days in the wilderness as an isolated shepherd caring for mangy sheep.

Like Moses, there was a time in my college life when I felt like running away. My boyfriend spent the night with another student in his home, and someone told the school authority I was the student. I was innocent, but unable to convince school leadership. My punishment was a warning; a repeat would earn my dismissal.

I was devastated. In time, bolstered by God’s merciful strength, I ended the relationship. God gave me a new beginning altogether: since then, I have been following Him, and am now in His service.

Similarly, Moses was in desperate need of a new beginning. Moses was content with a shepherd’s life in the bush; one day God appeared to him in a literal bush bursting with fire. God called Moses to Egypt to bring His people out from slavery and into a land of freedom and plenty, a land of promise.

Dismayed, Moses gave God a slew of excuses:

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Exodus 3:11)
What if they ask Your name? ( Exodus 3:13-15)
“What if they don’t believe me?” (Exodus 4:1)
I am not eloquent (Exodus 4:10); send someone else (Exodus 4:13).

Looking through the lens of his past, Moses saw himself as unfit for the work God was calling him to do. But despite his resistance, God was not deterred. He promised to be with Moses, and commissioned Moses’ brother, Aaron, as his spokesman. God also understood the physical fear hiding behind Moses’ excuses, and assured him those who sought to kill him were dead.

We cannot mess up God’s plan for us, even if we push against Him!
He refuses to give up on us because He looks not at our mess, but our potential in Him.

As Moses’ heart turned toward trusting obedience to God, he encountered God in a personal and powerful way. He received instruction and clear direction from God for his next steps. When he met resistance in Pharaoh, he sought God who faithfully met and guided him. Soon, the naïve and fearful man became a threat to Pharaoh and all of Egypt, until Pharaoh released the Israelites.

Sometimes, our past failures threaten to hold us back from following God. The past upsets us, and we lose confidence. Like Moses, we easily conclude we cannot be useful to God. Moses didn’t have an organized plan, talent, or the confidence of a leader, but God still invited him to follow. It was not about Moses, but about God. He chooses the foolish, the weak, and the despised to shame the wise and the mighty, so we boast in Him alone. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

Regardless of our past, God forgives completely, and equips us by His power for His service as we choose to follow His way. We see this truth in the lives of the apostles. Some were mere fishermen; one was even a tax collector, considered by the Jews as the most sinful; yet Jesus called each of them to follow Him. When the Pharisees grumbled about Jesus dining with sinners, Jesus replied His call was precisely for sinners such as them. (Mark 2:15-17)

Consider the Apostle Paul, a persecutor of the Church; yet God called him out of slavery and empowered him with the Holy Spirit to follow Him in freedom. As a result, Paul became a great preacher of the gospel. His Spirit-inspired writings continue to guide our lives today, comprising a large part of the New Testament.

Hear Paul’s own testimony, “This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–and I am the worst of them.’”
(1 Timothy 1:15)

Moses’ story, the first 12 apostles, Paul, and even my own life, join together to declare in wondrous chorus . . .
Where we see a mess,
God sees an opportunity for transformation.

God simply requires hearts willing to accept His invitation to follow Him, one step after the other.

Sisters, let us turn our eyes from our pasts to the One who holds our tomorrows and whisper, “Yes.”

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