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The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched VIII Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Lazarus had a story to tell. Back from the dead! Talk about the very best come-back-story! The truly radical part of Lazarus’ story, however, wasn’t found in his silent heart beginning to beat again, it was in how Jesus had changed his heart his sisters forever. One day, Lazarus’ body stopped working again, and it didn’t start back up, but his soul was safe forever in the presence of the Lord. Because Lazarus had trusted Jesus with much more than his body, the radical part of his story was that one day, Lazarus would live forever with Jesus Christ in fullness and sweetness. You and I weren’t buried in a tomb and brought back to life, but this picture is the same for our souls. Before trusting Jesus with our everything, our souls were chained up in sin and death. After Jesus, we are free, alive, radically made new! Is this you?! Made new? Tell your radical story!! Pick one person to share with this week! If you aren’t absolutely certain you have a “death-to-life” story with Jesus, send us an email (contact@gracefullytruthful.com) or connect with a friend who loves Jesus. Don’t wait another day!!

2)  Naaman’s skin disease was miraculously healed, but the greater healing was his prideful heart being dramatically humbled before God. It’s easy for us, as human beings, to only focus on the physical instead of the spiritual. We pray for bodies to be healed. We pray for hurts to be made whole. We pray for financial pitfalls to be reversed. We pray for many physical or relational things, and while we are invited by the Lord to pray about all things, the Lord is most interested in our spiritual condition. How He loves to use the physical realm to point us toward the spiritual one! As we come to the Lord this weekend, let’s ask Him to heal our hearts, to root out our sin, to teach us to worship Him in fullness, and for our minds to be renewed by His gentle, Shepherd hand! Expect Him to heal!

3) Disappointment. Loss. Grief. We’ve all walked these roads and felt the depth of emotion associated with these struggles. For Tamar, her disappointment seeped through her entire life. One by one, those who were supposed to protect her and stand up for her, not only let her down, but put her down. They demoralized her. They cheated her. They used her. They abused her. They mocked her. Yet, the Lord heard her, He saw her, and He moved on her behalf to bring about His wonderous glory! While few of us have experienced the severity of circumstance like Tamar, we each walk our own difficulties. Sister, if the Lord used the extreme brokenness of Tamar, grafting her story into the very lineage of Jesus Christ, who extended radical grace to all peoples through His sacrifice on the cross, how greatly will He work in your brokenness?! Sit for a few minutes in total quiet (or as much quiet as you can manage to ascertain!), hold open your hands, and speak to the Lord as you surrender your broken places and sharp, cutting edges. Ask for redemption and wait as He moves!

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 Isaiah 63:7 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I will make known the Lord’s faithful love
and the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,
because of all the Lord has done for us—
even the many good things
he has done for the house of Israel,
which he did for them based on his compassion
and the abundance of his faithful love.

Prayer Journal
Lord God, You have done unfathomable things! My tongue can testify endlessly of Your mighty power and I will never tire of sharing the incredible things You have done in my life, Lord! “You have made me rejoice, Lord, by what You have done! I will shout for joy because of the works of Your hand! How magnificent are Your works, Lord! How profound Your thoughts!” (Psalm 92:4-5) Lord, give me more opportunities to share what You have personally done in my life, for none can argue with my personal experience with You. Take my story of redemption and bring others near to Your heart through it! Give me courage, Abba. Courage to share, wisdom to follow Your leading, and tenderness toward those hearts who are utterly lost and condemned without hope in You. Stir my heart to tell of Your healing in my life!

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Sketched VI Day 7 Cassidy: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Cassidy!

The Questions

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

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

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

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak. 14 For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. 15 Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.  16 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Original Intent

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

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

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

Everyday Application

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

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

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

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

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Sketched VI 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.

Sketched VI Day 4 Pat: 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 Pat!

The Questions

1) Why does Paul open his letter with the character of God?

2) How are sufferings and comfort related?

3) Whom do we need to comfort?

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.

Original Intent

1) Why does Paul open his letter with the character of God?
Paul had an amazing transformation when he met God on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-6). Where arrogance and pride once flourished, he now had a healthy reverence and fear of our Lord after his encounter with Christ that changed everything for him. He knew his position under the authority of God because of his dramatic experience and he repeatedly opened his letters with a note on the character of God. God’s character was essential to Paul’s story, but also how Paul viewed his missional calling and the happenings around him. Paul recorded his praise of God, his joy in serving Him, or his gratitude in conjunction with these notations of God’s lovely character. Reflecting on the qualities of the One True God allowed Paul to position his heart on His Lord and opened the hearts of the listeners to receive the word of the Lord.

2) How are sufferings and comfort related?
Paul was writing to the church in Corinth who were struggling with freedom from past sin. Immorality was rampant and the temptation to fall back into the old way of life was strong. Cultural pulls and the heavy shame of regret fed lies that these believers would never be free or declared righteous before a Holy God. But God’s comfort and grace breaks that self-focused cycle that leads to sin! Paul described this tension in a cycle where one begets the next. We experience suffering à We receive comfort from God à We comfort others

In Paul’s understanding, suffering and comfort were two inseparable parts of life that both require complete dependence on God. We may never be able to fully understand all of they whys behind suffering, especially when it feels so unjust, but God’s comfort reminds us that He loves to redeem all things, even the difficult trials! As we learn to rely and trust His character as Redeemer, we will learn to find comfort in Him and His good heart, even in the middle of suffering.

3) Whom do we need to comfort?
Paul wanted the church in Corinth (and all churches!) to care for each other as members of the same Body. Never one to sugar coat the reality of the Good News, Paul made it clear that we all need each other within this beautiful Body of Christ called Church if we are to endure to the end. Sharing abundantly in the sufferings of Christ was not a popular idea for the Corinthians whose culture enjoyed the finer things in life. His encouragement to the church members was to look past the momentary afflictions and be reminded that so also our comfort abounds through Christ. When one person lifts their eyes from the pain of their circumstances, instead choosing to focus on God and His character, they are then freed to comfort others because they have experienced the peace and comfort only found in the Lord God.

Everyday Application

1) Why does Paul open his letter with the character of God?
We can follow Paul’s example to speak the character of God out loud. As we get familiar voicing these truths of God we find in Scripture that describe Him, we are more prepared to remember them in times of trouble. The more truths of God we know, the faster we can recognize a lie from the enemy and ditch it before it has time to take hold and cause our hearts to wander. Let’s be in the practice of listing the traits of God as we pray, share life in community, or as we shepherd our children. As you sit with God’s Word this week, make a list of which qualities and characteristics you read about, then look for opportunities to share these with the people around you!

2) How are sufferings and comfort related?
If we view our sufferings and being comforted as part of a cycle, we can see how the Lord gives us purpose in our sufferings. When we’re feeling miserable, we can run to the feet of Jesus and cry out. He will hear us and bring comfort! The world often tells us that comfort needs to look like relief, but this isn’t a biblical view of comfort. It’s important to note how Paul did not use the word relief; our suffering may indeed continue even after seeking, and finding, comfort from God. The promise we can cling to is that He will comfort us as we walk through whatever valley we are experiencing. As we walk with the Lord, know Him better, and experience more of His character, we can remember His faithfulness as we wait on Him in the middle of difficulty. After we’ve been touched by His sweet salve of comfort, we will be better equipped to love on another sister He will bring into our lives.

3) Whom do we need to comfort?
The simple answer: everyone. The more realistic answer is to bring comfort to those in our lives. Community is where it’s at girl! We are so thankful you are here at Gracefully Truthful and consider it an honor to walk with you through the journey of life with Jesus. We believe physical community is also invaluable and encourage you to find a local body of believers to do life with. If you’re needing help finding community, email us at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com and we’d love to talk you through some next steps. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to those around you needing comfort and be ready to step forward in obedience! Begin praying now for the Lord to bring you someone in need of comfort in the way you have already experienced in Jesus! Or, maybe this is a new area for you and you aren’t sure what that looks like. Be intentional in seeking out biblical community and dig in with authenticity as you seek the Lord’s own comfort through His people!

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

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Sketched VI 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.

The GT Weekend ~ Seeds Week 1

Leave a Comment

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) When have you experienced a season of waiting and feeling empty? What did it look like as those areas were filled and redeemed by the Lord? Our empty places aren’t always filled the way we envision them, but every situation we give over to the Lord is transformed by His filling. When we relinquish control of our everyday moments, we open them up to being filled by the Spirit and used by Him. Decide to look intentionally for where the Spirit is leading and filling instead of rushing by these moments and filling them with our agendas. Consider writing “filled” somewhere in your home, car, or even your wrist as a reminder to give over control to the Lord, waiting for Him to fill.

2) It’s one to thing to say yes to the Lord when He asks you to specifically do something, but it’s a different heart attitude to be willfully submissive to whatever he calls us into. Jesus doesn’t call us into ‘categorized obedience’ where we can control the outcome and the game plays, He asks for total submission. When we do, Real Life breaks through and lives are transformed for eternity! How will you begin practicing saying “yes” as part of your everyday?

3) In what ways does the “easy lie” of “striving is required to please God” pop up in your life? Look for ways you seek to control, or ways you feel burdened or weighed down, or consider the expectations (and their source) you spend time, energy, and emotion working to meet. Hidden inside life with Christ, peace buoys and joy comes and freedom is unleashed, even in the maddening moments of everyday life precisely because striving has ceased. The Lord cannot love you more than He does in this moment, and He will never love you less! What physical markers can you put around you to remind yourself of this truth? Consider setting an alarm on your phone with a helpful label to keep you focused

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 Colossians 3:1-4 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Prayer Journal
Your thoughts, my plans. Your power, my weakness. Your infinite knowledge, my narrow-minded and limited perspective. How could you consider using me to expand Your Kingdom and do Your work? Yet, You do. All of those weak limitations are altogether transformed in the light of Your offer of redemption.

Remind me, Spirit, constantly, to seek the things above; the things of Christ. Train my heart to focus on You and the life You give and the obedience You call me to as I move through my day, interact with my kids, spend money, and chat with friends. Prepare me to be ready to say yes to You at any moment regardless of what it could cost me. How I love You, Lord! Thank You for hiding my life in Yours!

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Worship V Day 9 1,000 Tongues To Sing: Digging Deeper

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 1,000 Tongues To Sing!

The Questions

1) Why did Jesus come into the world?

2) How does Paul convey himself in this letter to Timothy?

3) What do we learn about God in this passage?

1 Timothy 1:15-17

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. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Original Intent

1) Why did Jesus come into the world?
Jesus, God the Son, came as an act of obedience to God the Father, Who sent Him (John 6:38) for the purpose of “saving sinners”. The most well-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, describes this perfectly (in concert with John 3:17). Jesus gives everlasting life, therefore “saving” sinners. Jesus saves them from torment and separation from God. In Luke 5:32 Jesus states, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Again, Jesus says in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Who are these “sinners” Jesus came to rescue? The collective “US” across all humanity. “There is none righteous, no, not one, for all have fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10, 23)

2) How does Paul convey himself in verse 15 to Timothy?
Paul refers to himself as the “worst sinner” in verse 15 and reiterates it in verse 16. In verses 12-17, Paul gives a brief recounting of his “faith story” as he describes who he was, the moment he was eternally changed because of Christ, and how that decision changed everything about him going forward. In his story, Paul openly admits to being “the worst sinner” because he outright persecuted the Church but he received mercy and was made new. He was a sinner, but now he is the recipient of undeserved mercy so that Christ’s patient love would take center stage through Paul’s redeemed life. If Paul, the worst sinner, can be brought back to God, and his core identity change from sinner to saint because of Christ’s great mercy, then no one is too far gone! Paul purposefully emphasizes his own unworthiness of receiving forgiveness to Timothy to encourage him to continue persevering in sharing this freeing gospel to all as he pastored the church in Ephesus.

3) What do we learn about God in verse 17?
Our Great God is King of all time from eternity past through eternity future. He has always been and will always be the True King, the only God. There is none like Him; He has no equal! (Isaiah 40:25) God is immortal, meaning He is not limited to our earthly bodies which die and decay, returning to dust; He lives for eternity and exists outside of temporal time and space constraints. Within Him is found nothing but immortality; not a hint of death or an end. He is also invisible, at least to our fallen human eyes, dwelling in light which no human can approach (1 Timothy 6:16).

Everyday Application

1) Why did Jesus come into the world?
Do you ever find yourself feeling like you and Jesus are “okay” because you do so much? Maybe you serve at church and you’re a homeroom mom at your kids’ school and you also donate to a local food pantry. That’s enough, right?
Friend, no. That’s not enough. Nothing you or I could ever do, even if we worked yourself into utter exhaustion and poverty, could ever be enough to work your way to salvation. God’s economy just doesn’t work that way.
Father God knew we would need a Savior. He knew even before He created anything or anyone that the first humans (Adam and Eve) would disobey (Genesis 2:15-3:7). The sin that entered the world through this couple could only be removed by a blameless sacrifice from The Spotless Lamb.
Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was unlike other crucifixions in a myriad of ways, the most important being that He was innocent of any crimes, yet He took upon Himself all of the sin of the world. All sin. Of all time. Past, present, and future. He took the punishment that every person who ever lived deserved from God.
And then, He defeated Sin and Death by rising up out of that grave!
HE is the reason we can experience salvation and eternal life.

2) How does Paul convey himself in verse 15 to Timothy?
If Paul, being the foremost of all sinners, can experience the mercy Jesus gives when He is trusted for salvation, then anyone can! That was the message for Timothy to take to the church at Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3), and that is the message to you and me today, Sisters. Think your worst is too much for Jesus to forgive? Think again! Just take one step of faith toward Jesus…He’s been waiting for you. He loves you. He wants to give you eternal life with Him and help transform you into the beautiful woman He created you to be. In the same vein, extend that free gospel to all. Pull back from pre-deciding who “will never choose Christ”. Our mission is to extend this grace wrapped truth of salvation, not decide who will or will not embrace its message.

3) What do we learn about God in this passage?
When we open ourselves to Jesus’ powerful mercy and allow Him rule and reign in our life, we experience radical heart changes no one can comprehend unless they’ve also allowed Jesus to transform them.
Wesley’s song lyrics are a wonderfully descriptive account of the salvation experience.
Jesus shines on a dark soul, weighed down by sin, and cleanses it.
The burden of punishment is lifted!
Real living begins!
Praise and worship are natural consequences!
There’s such a glorious freedom in knowing He is forever holding you!
The greatest thing is how surrender opens us to a relationship with God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Our Triune God wants us to talk to Him and, if our hearts are in tune with His, we will sense His leading and guiding.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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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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Anchored Day 10 Fabric Of Life

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Colossians 1:1-4
Colossians 3:12-18
Genesis 1:26-27

Anchored, Day 10

Be Who You Are?
Look around and you’ll see all kinds of inspirational quotes encouraging you to
“be yourself”, “be who you are”, “you be you”.

Absolutely! God made each of us uniquely (Psalm 139:13-16) and we can celebrate that! However, found hiding underneath these pithy statements is a subtle message to focus on whatever you’d like to say or do regardless of what others think or care about.
Surely this must be the “real” you.

The problem?
Who you are depends on you.

When I became a mom 11 years ago, I slowly had to face the painful reality of
who I thought I was,
what I felt defined that identity,
and the stark contrast of who God says I am in Christ.
Who I thought I was, wasn’t good enough.
I needed something much more solid.

Perhaps you’ve had a season like this, where God uses circumstances and people in your life to patiently reveal where your identity had wrongly been resting.
Perhaps like me, you didn’t even know it was resting there
and it was God’s grace He showed you!

The book of Colossians gives us a different framework to, “be who you are”.
It’s actually the most hope-filled message of identity there could possibly be!
Colossians 3:12 begins, “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved…”.  
What glorious truths!
God chose me of His own will!

His redemption makes me holy!

The Father already dearly loves me!

 Paul purposely sets the Colossians up to be rooted in who God has
already established them to be.
If we go back to the beginning of chapter 3, He also reminds those in the church:
1) We have died and been raised with Christ
2) Our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-4)

So in a sense, this is Paul’s case to “be who you are”.
Perhaps a better way of saying this is be-who-you-already-redemptively-are.
(but that doesn’t fit quite as nicely on a bumper sticker, now does it? 😉

 The Clothes Laid Out For You
Paul continues by telling us what to “put on”.
It’s as if these are the clothes that the Holy Spirit has laid out for us.
Among them are compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (3:12), as well as forgiving one another and bearing with others, and above all the garment of love, which has the ability to weave all things together in unity (3:13-14).
It’s important to note these all relate to our relationships with others.
Whether with family, neighbors or co-workers, we all feel hard-pressed in the very things we’re told to put on!

This is a tall order in our own strength and impossible to muster up.
Which is exactly why Paul started by reminding us to step into these clothes
from a place of being chosen, holy and dearly loved.
This identity is fitted by the power of God.

We don’t show compassion and kindness so that God chooses us.
We don’t respond with humility and gentleness to make ourselves holy.
We certainly don’t show love to be loved.

When we know and understand our position in Christ,
it frees us to step into the character God has designed us to show others.   

Reflecting The Father
In 3:13 Paul implores, “forgive as the Lord forgave you”.
In verse 15 he asks us to “let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts”.
In 3:16 Paul insists “the words of Christ should richly dwell (take up their home!) in us.”
With wide strokes and vibrant colors, Paul paints what a life reflecting the character of Christ looks like when we put it on.

When Genesis 1:27 tells us God created mankind in his own image, it supports what Paul is saying here.  Since you’ve been crafted to reflect the image of God – so reflect Him! Do It!

We are given ample opportunities to do this through the relationships God has placed in our lives. Remembering we were created to reflect Him helps us turn away from seeking our own comfort, pleasure and happiness in those relationships, instead asking God’s glory to be revealed even as we struggle and brush up against others.

When we are rightly rooted in reflecting God’s image,
we’re not stuck trying to be filled by others as we relate to them.

Drilling Down
At first glance, it seems Paul begins an entirely new thought in verses 3:18-4:1, but if we think about the whole chapter, it becomes clear Paul is simply drilling down to another layer.
He’s already encouraged us with who we are in Christ.
He’s told us what to put on.
Now He’s showing us what our daily relationships will look like
if the first two areas are embraced.

Tying it up, Paul circles back to what could be the second side of the same coin.
Instead of stating his point from the place of our identity,
this time he states it from the place of our ultimate motivation:
to bring glory to our Master!

“Whatever you do, do it from the heart,
as something done for the Lord and not for people,
knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord.
You serve the Lord Christ.” (3:23-24)

What are you wearing today, Sister?
Does your apparel reflect the rich identity you have as Beloved Daughter of God?
be-who-you-already-redemptively-are
Wear it well and may it bring glory to God!

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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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Sketched V Day 8 Paul, The Freedom Fighter

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 16:2-3
Acts 7:54-60
Acts 9:10-19
Colossians 2:20-23
1 Timothy 1:12-17

Sketched V, Day 8

My eyes clouded as the memories surged to the forefront of my mind.

I remembered the swell of pride the day I completed my religious training; as time passed, my acclaim as a pharisee grew. With each effortlessly victorious debate, each oratory demonstrating my deep understanding of the entire Scripture living within my memory, each flawless performance of public rites, I believed I inched one step closer to perfectly living the Law.

And yet, in the quiet of the night, questions came. Stunning in their simplicity, they goaded me, “Are you good enough? Have you done enough?”

I found myself without an answer, because despite my austere priestly persona, I hadn’t upheld the Law perfectly. And the exhaustion of my effort was overwhelming.
Unwillingly, I was bound against myself; I had no way out.

Constant perfection was demanded of me: I had joined the strictest sect of pharisees, because their zeal for the truth mirrored my own. Truth, we believed, began and ended within the Law. Anyone who violated that sacred truth deserved to be punished.

Therefore, rage ignited within me as I listened to my fellow pharisees’ vitriolic indictment of a new, heretical movement called The Way. I had built my life upon the Law. Adherence to our sacred texts defined our culture and preserved our identity as God’s chosen through generations of foreign dominion. But these traitors declared a transcendance of the Law by the death of a man claiming to be Messiah . . .

No. I quelled the doubts whispering at the periphery of my mind.
If the Law was proven unable to save, I was doomed, held hostage by its demand for perfection. I covered my silent fear with public outrage: when a call came for a leader to put a decisive end to this madness, I was the first to volunteer.

Thus began the arrests. More than I could count, running together in a blur that powered my meteoric rise to fame within my own circles, and infamy to those whom I pursued. The mention of my name struck terror into the hearts of these heretics . . . and the intense pleasure that brought spurred me to even greater efforts.

Etched into my soul was the rabbit-howl of condemned mothers as their children were ripped from their arms and handed over to slave-traders. I can still hear the muted slap of coats hitting the ground at my feet, the gritty heft of the first stone in my hand, the spurt of blood as it met its mark. In those moments, my satisfaction grew with each display of the pain I mercilessly inflicted.

For I no longer possessed any doubt: obliterating the enemies of Yhwh, protecting the very foundations of our beliefs–this would earn my salvation at the end of my days. And so bloodlust became my passion, in the name of my God.

Until, one day, on an unremarkable stretch of road, I met my God. Soon after, scales fell from my eyes, and shackles fell from my spirit. I saw the truth of the horrific war I waged against God and His children. My deepest fears of the Law becoming my own noose were realized.

The Law, my beloved, reverenced Law
upon which I built and staked my everything, led to death.
So many deaths, at my hand.
In my attempts to follow every letter of the Law, I had become the chief of sinners.

But then, grace.
And on its heels, freedom.

Grace in the form of a God who loved me deeply enough
to meet me, man to God,
as the Truth personified.

Grace in the form of a man whose love for God
outweighed his fear of me
and welcomed into his home his greatest enemy
in the days of my greatest vulnerability.

Grace in the form of a community of believers
who forgave my past
and sewed into my future.

Grace, not perfection.
Freedom, not captivity.

I came to understand that the Law didn’t bring salvation.
Rather, it created an awareness of sin,
the futility of legalistic striving,
and the need for a Savior.

With effort, I ended my reminisces and drew my attention to the task before me. My heart was broken to learn how my message of grace and freedom in Christ was being perverted. Like our ancestors begging to return to lives of tormented subjugation in Egypt, my brothers and sisters in the faith in Galatia were trading the freedom of the gospel for the chains of the Law.

At the heart of the issue lay a question of identity.

Were we children of God because of dogged obedience to the Law?
Because we were circumcised, followed each directive regarding food, and observed every Holy day?

But, of course, we couldn’t do it all. Not perfectly enough to stand blameless before an utterly holy God. So we sacrificed to cover our failures, and tried again. Tried harder.
And failed again.
We were once trapped,
Enslaved,
Dying within a system never meant to give life.

Or were we children of God because of our faith?
Because we repented of our sins, believed they were covered by the blood of the One True Sacrifice, and accepted the grace and forgiveness of God?
We walked in freedom, finally and completely released from the cycle of sin and death into new and eternal life in Christ.

I picked up my pen and began to write, my hand shaking with the force of my conviction. The words sprawled across the page.

Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Gal 3:1-2)

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed . . .

 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons . . .

So you are no longer a slave, but a son, an heir through Christ (Gal 4:4-7) . . .

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1).

My brothers and sisters, you know the truth.
Stand upon it.
Choose freedom.

———

Sisters, how has Christ brought freedom to your life?

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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!

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

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

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Awaken Day 3 Awakening The Desperate

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 16
Psalm 116
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Romans 7:7-25

Awaken, Day 3

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me.”

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Both are quotes from the apostle Paul. (Romans 7:18 and 1 Corinthians 2:2)
Both have rubbed me the wrong way for a good number of years.
I remember hearing these words as a child and becoming indignant in my defensive little soul, “But I do work hard. I am a good girl. I know lots of things about the Bible and plenty of other things too, not just Jesus’ crucifixion.”

How desperately I wanted to be good, to be found working hard, to be exceptionally smart, and for someone to recognize me as valuable.
Like the rest of humanity, the mold of childhood was the mold I carried into adulthood,
and even now it’s sharp edges surprise me at its persistence.

The self-made, independent,
can’t-trust-anyone-but-me, good girl
I had worked hard to become so insistently
is one I face regularly in the mirror.

Whether it’s parenting, theology, marriage, friendship, or any number of other areas, that little girl defiance raises her hand and steps forward, chest puffed out,
gleam in her eye, “I’ve got this, I am a good girl, I know lots of things.”

What I didn’t realize is how hard this attitude
pushes against the heart of the One who loves me.

When I was little, my younger brother was my best friend and with frequent moves he was often my only friend. Being siblings and best friends, the natural thing to do together was get into trouble. On one such occasion, Brother and I felt it would be a terribly fun idea to remove the screen from the kitchen window and jump from the single story. Having accomplished this feat with a good degree of difficulty as the frame was old, the hinges rusty, and the window sill quite filthy, we gleefully enjoyed jumping from the window and playing all sorts of imaginative games. Then, being the older, clearly wiser sister, I decided it was time to put the screen back before a parent came home to survey the sight.

The trouble was, the screen obstinately refused to be placed back, seemingly enjoying its freedom as much as we had enjoyed ours. Our panic escalated as our palms grew increasingly sweaty and we batted back and forth about who’s ridiculous idea it had been in the first place to remove it. Eventually, resigned to failure, I cleverly schemed we deliver the obdurate screen to the pile of rubbish in the garden entirely out of sight.

But my father discovered the screen-less window, and a re-enactment of the Garden of Eden seemed thrust upon us as my dear brother was quick to blame me as his own “Eve”. Father’s anger was unabated by any of my well-thought through defenses and my punishment was quick and sure.

No amount of me (my abilities, my wit, or my stubbornness) could wrench me free from my punishment. There was no grace, there was no gentle, tender hug of forgiveness.

Here, hinged between a consequence and the absolute finality that I, on my own, had no ability to deliver myself from the incoming reprimand, is found desperation.
Desperate to be free.
Desperate for shame to be buried.
Desperate to be rescued.
Desperate for grace.

The backdrop changes and it isn’t about two elementary kids and their shenanigans,
it’s about a marriage spiraling out of control. Desperate.
It’s about finances that aren’t making it. Desperate.
It’s about a looming health issue, a broken friendship, a son or daughter who turned away, or an ugly, festering wound from your past. Desperate.

Ironically enough, when we find ourselves sitting here in this place called Desperate,
the Father God turns His face upon us.
Not to shame or punish us, but to awaken us, calling us into a rich inheritance of grace.

He stood in our place, took our punishment, went to Desperate for us, and offered Himself, all of Himself, as our own portion to claim as His daughters.

David the psalmist, David the king, David the shepherd boy,
David who walked through more desperate lands than we likely ever will,
lifted his head and sang out, “The Lord is my chosen portion… The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.”

Read those precious words again. Slowly. Notice David’s word choices.
He chose the Lord.

God had met David in Desperate, awakened his heart and given him the choice to remain in Desperate, struggling, fighting, yet knowing he couldn’t escape,
or accept the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living (Psalm 27:13).
David chose the Lord, and good awaited him.
David knew if he chose to put the Lord first, David’s heart would never be shaken and he would never again need to live in Desperate.

You make known to me the path of life;
in Your presence there is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
(Psalm 16:11)

David had the same choice each of us do.
Live in Desperate or be freed in Grace.

Paul’s words come back again, but now they are a sweet fragrance.
After choosing grace and the salvation that was purchased for me,
I, along with all my performance that will forever fail,
all my success that will never be enough,
all my expectations I can never meet,
no longer matter because I know that apart from Christ, “nothing good dwells in me”.
What matters?

“…Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Everything else pales so intensely it becomes insignificant in light of knowing Jesus Christ and Him crucified to set me free.

Free from Desperate.
Awakened to Life!

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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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Dwell Day 15 Practicing This Gospel

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 103:8-10 
James 1:22-25
Philippians 2:1-11
Galatians 5:7-15 

Dwell, Day 15

Do not merely listen to the Word, Sisters, and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the Word and does not apply it
is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,
and after looking at himself,
goes away and forgets what he looks like.
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,
and continues to do this,
not forgetting what he has heard,
but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does!
(James 1:22-25) 

Beep, Beep, Beep! I swat off my alarm, stumble toward the bathroom and pause with my hand on the light switch, bracing for the onslaught of light.
With one eye open, I squint up at the mirror.
Ugh, there I am in all my morning glory; a sorry sight for even just one half-open eye!

Puffy eyes, pasty complexion– and that hair!
Wow, just wow!

This mirror is not my friend!
But wait, maybe it is.

Mirrors don’t lie.
What sort of friend would look at this mess, tell me I look gorgeous, and allow me to go to work this way?  I hate how it points out my mess, yet without the mirror’s truth-telling, how would I know I look like a fright?

The mirror simply shows me the truth.
It’s up to me to take corrective measures and fix the obvious problems.  

Just as my bathroom mirror points out my glaring physical imperfections,
God’s Word is a mirror for our souls. In His word, we encounter truth.

Like the mirror reflects our physical image, 
so the scripture reveals the contents of our hearts.
As we encounter truth, we see our error.
We are then confronted with the choice of taking corrective action through the help of the Holy Spirit, or ignoring the issue, hoping it will solve itself.  

Just like the mirror directly points out my obvious need for make-up and hair brushing, so Scripture points out where my attitudes and actions need adjustments.  

Scripture says, 
“Do nothing out of selfishness or vain conceit, 
but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 
Each of you should look not only on your own interests, 
but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

Staring up at me from the mirror of truth is my selfishness.
A wild-eyed girl, hands on hips and stamping her feet, brazenly demanding her own way.  And I am ashamed that a daughter of the King should behave as I have done.

My spirit is broken, like the Father’s, over my sin.
I long for restoration, and I run to His open arms, knowing He is for me, ready to bring redemptive healing and a heart like His. 

Scripture says, 
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, 
but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, 
that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

However, sneering up at me from the mirror of truth are my harsh words and sarcasm.
A snaggle-toothed hag leering garishly, the sword of my words brandishing high.
And I am aghast at the ugliness of my soul.  

Scripture declares,
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. 
Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves 
be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1

However, bondage to my flesh stares back.
A pitiful slave-girl gazing up with pleading eyes, begging for release, while clenching her own chains possessively.
My heart reaches for her in empathy, yet I’m powerless to lift her shackles.  

Yet scripture whispers:
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, 
abounding in love. 
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor His anger forever; 
he does not treat us as our sins deserve 
or repay us according to our iniquities.”
Psalm 103:8-10 

In this glorious mirror of Truth, we find Grace, with the name of Father, Son, and Spirit. Here we find our strong and compassionate Father,
extending the nail-scarred hand of the Son,
ready and able to lift us to freedom through the untamable power of the Spirit.
Rooted in truth, buoyed by grace, we are enfolded in His robes of righteousness.

In that moment, the selfish little girl
is transformed into a humble, compassionate princess.

The snaggle-toothed hag
morphs into a magnificent beauty with kindness on her lips.

The wretched slave-girl
rises to take her place among the redeemed royalty, shackles unleashed.

….and such is the beauty and kindness of truth and grace.  

“…you shall know the truth,” the Savior says, 
“and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

So, I bless the harsh realities the mirror of Scripture reveals,
for facing the truth is my only path to freedom through grace.
“…and whoever the Son sets free, is free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Dwell with Him, Sisters.
Dwell deeply and intimately with the King through His eternal Word,
then live free by His Word!

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

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