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Pause VI Day 7 Hold Fast

January 10, 2023 by Melodye Reeves 2 Comments

Pause VI Day 7 Hold Fast

Melodye Reeves

January 10, 2023

Discipleship,Faith,Follow,Humility

Philippians 2:12-18

12 Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 In the same way you should also be glad and rejoice with me.

Today's Pause Challenge

1) Pull out your Bible and read Philippians 2:12-18 fully through 3 times. Read slowly, emphasizing different words each time. Let the words of Scripture wash over you as the Spirit speaks to your heart.

2) Each time you read, write down everything that pops out at you, makes you curious, or wonder “why?”. When you’re finished, go back through and you’ll be amazed at the new things the Spirit is leading you into knowing about Him!

3) Write out a prayer of thanks to God for sending His Son to endure the cross on your behalf. Ask Him to help you love His word and be true to it. Pray for a life free of grumbling and complaining, knowing God is holding you fast and will complete His work in you. (Philippians 1:6) Thank Him for other believers all over the world who are living lives of faith, even in the midst of persecution.

4) Memorize Philippians 3:13-14

Tags :

following,humility,imitate,obedience,sacrifice

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Trevin Wax said, “the Creator was slain by His creation. The shepherd was slain by His sheep.” What a ghastly, glorious thought. Ghastly, for it was the price of our sin and our rebellion the Son of God suffered on a cross to pay. Glorious, for it was the Father’s rich mercy and unfathomable love which exalted Him to the throne of heaven!
(Revelation 4:8-11)

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Sketched VII Day 4 Following: Digging Deeper

March 12, 2020 by Melodye Reeves Leave a Comment

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 Following!

The Questions

1) Jesus saw him, called him and Matthew followed. What is so significant about how this happened? (verse 9)

2) Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors. What is so significant about how this happened? (verse 10)

3) What was the probable tone of Jesus’ instruction to the Pharisees in verse 13?

4) What does this passage as a whole reveal to us about the heart of Jesus?

Matthew 9:9-13

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the toll booth, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him. 10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Original Intent

1) Jesus saw him, called him and Matthew followed. What is so significant about how this happened? (verse 9)
Chapter 9 begins by detailing the day-to-day kind of ministry Jesus had. The gospels depict Him journeying from this town to that town to heal and teach people. In His journeys, Jesus continued to reveal more and more of His character. As His reputation preceded Him in certain places, people began to look for Him. (Luke 4:42, Luke 8:40, John 12:18, Mark 3:8). It’s no surprise people wondered about Jesus, and they often came to see what all the talk was about. But the beautifully magnificent aspect is that it was Jesus who saw them. He was constantly aware of those around Him. When friends brought a paralytic to Him, verse 2 says “Jesus saw their faith”. The gospel writers often included this phrase (“Jesus saw”) when telling the stories about Him. The apostle John especially noticed this about Jesus. (John 1:38, 47-50, 5:6, 6:5, 9:1, 11:33, 19:26) In verse 9, the reader likely focuses on the end of the verse, which is our emphasis in this study today. Matthew began to follow Jesus immediately. But the significance here lies in what the context reveals about the One he followed. God incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ, saw a tax collector named Matthew. Then He called Matthew to follow Him.

2) Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors. What is so significant about how this happened? (verse 10)
Verse 9 flows into verse 10 in this passage: “As Jesus went …” moves right into “while He was reclining.” In the present day, we might say “Jesus was always on mission.” Although the gospels tell us how Jesus purposely traveled from one place to another, He also ministered as He went. When we read passages like this, too often we move so quickly from verse to verse we miss the beauty of Jesus’ ministry. Apparently, after Matthew began to follow Him, Jesus immediately took the opportunity to call others to Himself by means of a dinner party that eventually included some tax-collector friends of Matthew. With this action, Jesus presented a living picture of the purpose of His coming. We know this because in verse 13 Jesus Himself tells us why He came to earth. Jesus said a very similar thing to another tax collector on another occasion in Luke 19:1-10. The teachers of the day struggled with what Jesus was doing, who He dined with, and who He healed. Sometimes we may also find Jesus’ teaching hard to understand or hard to obey. But this passage could not be clearer. Jesus came for this: to call sinners to follow Him.

3) What was the probable tone of Jesus’ instruction to the Pharisees in verse 13?
From the context, this doesn’t appear to be a light-hearted scenario. Jesus was not light-heartedly directing His disciples and these teachers to do a Google search! Jesus was using a quote from Hosea 6:6 to reveal their hearts. Bible commentator Bob Utley tells us Jesus was likely using an idiom that the rabbis used to tell their students to study a particular issue. (bible.org) In this way, Jesus was making Himself the teacher, and the Pharisees His students. No doubt this angered them. Spurgeon said, “This would be distasteful to men who thought they knew everything already.” (studylight.org) Not only that, Jesus was speaking on behalf of Jehovah God. The Pharisees had asked the disciples why Jesus was eating with such “common folk.” In response, Jesus quoted Scripture as if it spoke of Himself. Jesus said, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” Quoting from Hosea 6:6, Jesus was declaring Himself as the Lord who deserved their sincere worship. In one impactful statement, Jesus was exposing their ignorance and their arrogance while also indicating what kind of followers He was seeking.

4) What does this passage as a whole reveal to us about the heart of Jesus?
Jesus called unlikely people to be His followers. Using an example they would all comprehend, Jesus spoke of those who were in need of help. It is sick people who need physicians. The Pharisees were expecting a Messiah who would reign as a king and they believed themselves to be worthy of honor with Him when that leader appeared. Jesus consistently debunked their mentality. (Luke 18:9-14) Jesus saw Matthew sitting at a toll booth and invited him to follow. Jesus ate with the tax collector’s friends who were societal outcasts, and He invited them to follow. D. A. Carson says these “sinners may include common folk who did not share all the scruples of the Pharisees.” And this indicated the very heart of Jesus. The reason Jesus came was to demonstrate His love for the weak and wounded. (Romans 5:6-11) The call to follow Him is an invitation to sit at Christ’s table even though we don’t deserve it. Jesus shattered traditional norms and criticized the Pharisees’ hypocrisy. He ate with sinners because they recognized their need. The Pharisees, on the other hand, disregarded people who didn’t measure up to their insincere righteousness.

Everyday Application

1) Jesus saw him, called him and Matthew followed. What is so significant about how this happened? (verse 9)
The invitation to follow Jesus is overwhelming. To think God came to earth wrapped in humanity and called people to join Him in His mission, “I scarce can take it in.” (How Great Thou Art) That the Creator would graciously call humanity to Himself is such a glorious thought, but when we take that first step toward Him and with Him, we realize that it comes at a cost. Jesus’ example demonstrates for us what following Him looks like. GT partner Audra Darville said, “Living on mission doesn’t necessarily mean being called to a specific place, job, or people. Rather, it’s about being ready and able to testify of who God is wherever you go and whoever you’re with.” Jesus saw the people everywhere He went. He called them to believe His words, to recognize their need for Him, to wholeheartedly follow Him and invite others to do the same. As soon as Matthew began to follow Jesus, he invited his tax-collector friends to meet the Christ. When Jesus’ enemies called Him a “friend of sinners,” they were not complimenting Him. They were insulting Him. (Matthew 11:19) When we follow Jesus, we can expect the same. (Matthew 5:10-12)

2) Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors. What is so significant about how this happened? (verse 10)
In the days of which the New Testament gospels speak, Jewish rabbis and other spiritual teachers were viewed favorably within the traditional Jewish society. Most people looked to the Pharisees as their spiritual guides. Due to their strict adherents to the Law and preservation of traditions important to the Jews, they were held in high esteem within that community. Their opinion of “tax collectors and sinners” was unified and common. They would never have publicly socialized with tax collectors due to their unchecked dishonesty and greed. But Jesus! He saw Matthew and invited him along as a friend. The reality that Jesus ate with “these kinds of people” shows that He saw beyond traditions and cultural boundaries to people’s need. Following Jesus is a call to join Him in seeing others like He does.

3) What was the probable tone of Jesus’ instruction to the Pharisees in verse 13?
Jesus called people to follow Him. He would become their servant-leader. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up My yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-20) When we are connected to Jesus, even the most challenging tasks become less of a burden. Situations that would ordinarily make us uncomfortable are viewed in the light of Jesus’ call to us. Being “yoked” together with Jesus adds a new perspective to our following Him as we recognize His strength and peace that is offered to us. The Pharisees did not fully comprehend the mercy of God. In fact, it was something the Israelites had always had a difficult time understanding. The prophets tried, but the people refused to listen. Jesus wanted His followers to understand what they were committing to by following Him. The call to follow Him might include wearisome and troubling circumstances, but partnering with Jesus is a journey of receiving mercy and proclaiming mercy.

4) What does this passage as a whole reveal to us about the heart of Jesus?
Jesus came to invite sinners like us to follow Him. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.am For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John 3:16-17). At creation, God saw the people He had made and said, “It is very good.” (Genesis 1:31) Instead of faithfully loving God, we broke the beautiful relationship we had with God through Adam & Eve. (Hosea was preaching this in his message of mercy Hosea 6:7) Jesus saw the people He passed along His journey! He had compassion on them and desired to meet their needs, especially their deepest need. I’m so thankful Jesus didn’t let social status or cultural norms dictate His invitation to people. Following Him will take us on a journey of faith, but many outcasts have realized and received His invitation of mercy. Now we invite others to join us!
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
No turning back.

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

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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This is Sketched VII Week One!
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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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Sketched VII Day 3 Following

March 11, 2020 by Rebecca Adams 1 Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 14:25-33
Matthew 9:9-13
Matthew 7:24-27

Sketched VII, Day 3

These are the stories of the women behind Gracefully Truthful. How God led them here, and how He has grown their hearts to know Him deeper and love others more fully, as a result of stepping out in obedience.

—-

Kendra
The message came across my screen: “Kendra, I read some of your blogs and I was wondering if you’d be interested in writing for an online women’s Bible study?”

I bounced one of my twin daughters on my hip while I set my coffee down and responded without much thought: “YES!”

I was excited for an opportunity to be creative and pour myself into something different than hanging cloth diapers and cooking dinner. Little did I know how the Lord would use this to grow me.

As Gracefully Truthful continued to form, and I began writing Journey Studies,
a shift occurred in me.
God’s Word became more precious than ever because I was studying it through a new lens of learning so I could hold out truth to others.
The more I studied, the more I knew my Jesus.

That initial text came almost four years ago, and more life and death has happened in those four years than I would’ve ever imagined. Gracefully Truthful became my community, it became the consistent “thing” keeping me rooted in God’s word when my life crumbled around me. Looking back on Journeys I’ve written, I can see the journey of my heart as I learned what it means to write with vulnerability and transparency while trusting my Savior. This story isn’t about me, and every word if it points the God who sustains me despite my brokenness.

I haven’t arrived.
I’m not preaching from a mountain that others have yet to climb.
I am standing in the middle of the valley, my hand outstretched towards other sisters, while clinging to the truth of Scripture and the life God offers there.

Wherever you are, whatever your mess, God wants the same for you as He’s shown me….to use it for His glory!

Michelle
One of the biggest reasons I have grown deeper in my relationship with the Lord is attributed to women.

Women in high school who hosted Bible Studies.
Women in college who discipled me and showed me how Scripture study was tied to knowing Jesus more intimately.

Women in small groups sharpening me, pushing me, challenging me and reproaching me.
Women who have anchored their lives in God’s Word and have been activated as Kingdom Builders as a result.

Because of other women pointing me to Scripture, and watching my own heart grow deep from study, I am convinced of the high value of every woman studying God’s Word and applying it to their everyday lives.

I have seasons where I struggle to stay connected to God closely through His Word. I desire it, but life gets busy and I give way to excuses. Being connected in ministry with Gracefully Truthful provides personal accountability for me to be in the Word, actively applying it, and intentionally reaching out to encourage other women.

Writing assignments push me to research a passage for deeper understanding or clarity on a Scripture. I love studying His Word; it becomes more precious every time I read!

Often, something I’ve read from my personal time with the Lord is exactly the passage a person I run into that day resonates with, or it fits within the context of something I’m writing about. The beauty of following Jesus is that as we step out, He already knows where He is taking us.

We are guaranteed immense peace, joy and life to the full when following Jesus.
We are also promised persecution, and often suffering comes along for the ride. I struggle in being vulnerable in this suffering while writing. Worse yet is fear running rampant in my brain. I fear I will get labeled in someone’s mind as a goody-two-shoes for writing about the Bible. It’s a regular choice to proclaim truth rather than be concerned about another’s judgement. I pray regularly that He may be made great through my tiny contributions to GT as I follow one small step after another.

Sara
Have you ever been in a season with the Lord where you have a greater desire to obey the nudges you are receiving from Him, but aren’t sure what that looks like?
A few years ago, that quite accurately described me.

I knew the Lord was telling me to use my writing ability for His glory; however, I had no idea of the outlet. A random (ha! More like the direct orchestration of the Lord) moment in my church lobby with one of the current Gracefully Truthful writers opened a sudden and unexpected door; it was a perfect invitation to obey the Lord and I became a writer for Gracefully Truthful.

As I write my Journey Studies, I find the Lord so faithfully grows me through the process. Before the words formulate in my mind, I’ve had to learn how to listen for His voice through the Word and in prayer. I have experienced the joy of the Lord changing me in order to bless other women through words crafted on the page.

I’ve also discovered the beauty of being a vessel through which the Lord can move. Two things motivate me when writing a journey study: glorifying the Lord and encouraging the reader to draw closer to Him. Becoming a writer for Gracefully Truthful was one my steps of obedience as I followed Jesus, but those steps are all over the place for me and for you! He’s calling each of us; will you follow?!

Audra
Ministry has always been a part of my life and I had long waited in anticipation of becoming a missionary and moving abroad to share the gospel with those who are different than me. As I studied Scripture, I grew to understand that living missionally takes on many different forms. I began asking God to show me what my mission would be.

I carry many roles as wife, mom, small group leader, speaker, and author. As I’ve walked more closely with God He reveals how each of these are my mission field. Living on mission doesn’t necessarily mean being called to a specific place, job, or people. Rather, it’s about being ready and able to testify of who God is wherever you go and whoever you’re with.

It was a few months before my wedding in Kansas City. Being from the Bahamas, I was doing most of my wedding planning online, which is how I was introduced to the ministry of Gracefully Truthful. Merry happened to be on our list for potential wedding photographers and she, obediently following the Lord’s whisper, “randomly” asked if I was a writer because she felt God put me on her heart to be the newest GT Partner.

I said yes!

But she didn’t realize I had been stalking GT and thinking how amazing it would be to write for them, but felt I wasn’t good enough.

I had never applied, but God had been working in my heart, going before me and preparing the way for me to follow.

GT’s mission lined up perfectly with my own passion to encourage and equip women to study Scripture and live out their own mission in following God. I couldn’t imagine what mission-living looked like for me, but God did. He stirred my heart with His passions then lovingly provided a place where I could communicate His heart for His daughters.

You don’t need to know all the answers and end-goals either; just follow!

Merry
I was several months pregnant with my youngest, caring for two toddlers, working part time and running a business, while also preparing to take college classes again when Rebecca reached out to me about writing for Gracefully Truthful. To be honest, absolutely nothing about writing for this ministry seemed to make sense in the natural, but unbeknownst to Rebecca, God had called me to write several years prior to that day.

When He first spoke to me about writing, I shrugged it off as crazy. But when I saw Becca’s message, the Lord brought me back to that moment in an instant.

So, I said yes.

You know, a kind of crazy thing happens when you start to say “yes” to God: He begins to give you more opportunities to say “yes”… and to keep saying it. Gracefully Truthful was one of those first “yesses” for me.

Being part of this writing team has been a stretching, challenging obedience which has forced me to examine what I believe, why I believe it, and whether or not I choose to submit every part of my mind, heart and life to God and actually live it.

Because here’s the thing: it’s all well and good to write for a women’s ministry or blog, or fill-in-your-blank, but the truth is that you can’t write the things the Lord calls you to write without actually also doing those things. You can’t sit behind a computer screen and let Holy Spirit flow through you to encourage and challenge other women to experience the fullness of God in everyday life without also actually experiencing the fullness of God in your everyday life.

This Gracefully Truthful journey has required sacrifices of time, energy, sleep, and so much more, but it has also reaped a harvest of growth, transformation, commitment to reading and applying Scripture rightly and a passion to help women understand who they are in Christ and how to cooperate with the story He’s writing.

And in the end, if I really believe what Scripture and Holy Spirit show me to be true, how can I keep any part of myself from Him? I don’t know about you, but I want to walk out every measure of what He has for me to do here in His Kingdom. Whatever that looks like. Wherever that takes me. Whatever He requires. It’s all His and for His glory, anyway.
I’m just along for the ride.

How will you follow?
What’s your next YES of obedience?!

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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 VII Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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