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Nations Day 11 The Daily Pressing

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Mark 14:1-9
2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Matthew 25:31-40

Nations, Day 11

My husband, Wes, and I (Laurie), have lived in Zambia, Africa, for 25 years. Together, we minister as Directors of New Day Orphanage. Though we began as traditional church planters, God redirected our paths to grow His Church through the children of Zambia.

Small-scale farming is the primary means of survival for the villages surrounding New Day. Rainy season brings tall maize hiding the villages. During dry season, these lofty grasses are burned in preparation for the new growing season, which means we are fighting fires that threaten the orphanage.

We work among the BaTonga people, the third-largest people group in Zambia. English is the official language, but most rural people speak Chitonga. Wes and I took a short course in Tonga, but certainly aren’t fluent, which presents challenges.

New Day is like an oasis in the desert by providing orphaned children a safe place to live, hear about Jesus, and receive an education. Reading, writing, and math are taught in New Day School, but they also learn hands-on skills necessary for Zambian everyday life, like farming, sewing, gardening, and handwashing clothes.

Most importantly, they learn how Jesus loves them and wants a personal relationship with them. We want every child to know that a relationship is more than going to church, which is especially important because Zambians are very religious people. The majority claim Christianity, but are deeply entrenched in witchcraft, suspicion, and fear, which pervades every aspect of life.

On Saturday or Sunday, they gather together for worship under trees, in meeting halls, open-air thatch-roofed shelters, or concrete block buildings. They sit on floor mats, rickety benches, or chairs for hours to sing, dance, and read the Bible in their language. While this may sound spiritually rich, worship is, sadly, mostly a social gathering.

Living in rural Zambia presses us on all sides; even getting simple supplies from town requires planning. Healthcare isn’t wonderful, but a mission hospital isn’t far. Poor internet sometimes cuts us off from the world’s happenings. As white people, we are expected to solve poverty, be perfect, have all the answers, and help everyone who comes to our door. We live in a glass box, always being watched!

We experience frequent power outages, water shortages, dirt, bugs, snakes, rough roads, flooded bridges, and countless cultural differences to which we’ve never quite acclimated, despite many hard-fought attempts!

Mission life is not glamorous!

We love hosting volunteer teams to minister with us, but it’s obvious they have a false idea of our lives. Short-term teams view Zambian life as an adventure, forgetting that the challenges they faced in the span of one week continue daily for us.

As pressing as daily life is, we also struggle balancing our human abilities with our desire to meet every need while not enabling others to depend on man instead of God.
Let me explain…

At 4am, my phone’s alarm sounds like a siren, waking me from deep sleep. Because of the drought, Zambians experience daily power cuts, which makes me thankful for solar lights and battery fans. Still, it had been a long, restless night without electricity, so my eyelids were heavy, and I was already feeling hot. I knew I needed to get up if I would have any time to pray and read my Bible.

Climbing from bed, I moved to the kitchen and my coffee pot. Grabbing a cup of fresh brew, I headed to the living room for prayer. I felt groggy and knew I would be fighting to stay awake, but I also knew this time with the Lord was exactly the fuel I needed for the day ahead.

I opened my Bible to Mark 14:1-9 and, as the Lord often arranges, my morning devotion was just what I needed to hear.

While reclining at the table for a Passover feast, a woman came to Jesus carrying an alabaster jar of costly perfume. She broke the jar and poured the fragrance on His head. Some complained she was wasteful, rebuking her harshly. She could have sold the perfume and donated to the poor!

Jesus took on her critics, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for Me.” (verse 6)

Jesus understood the woman’s heart, knowing she had sacrificed her perfume as an act of lavish love. The gift’s costliness hadn’t entered her mind. She wasn’t looking for praise from others; her highest aim was to give her best to her Savior.

As I read this, I thought about missionary life.
It isn’t easy serving others.

The needs and expectations of our people are many, encompassing the orphaned children and each staff member, but every villager also assumes we can meet their needs.

The people scolded the woman for her act, but Jesus commended her.
She made the right decision.
It was better to please Christ than please people.

As I prepared for the day, I knew many would come to our door wanting food, money, transportation, or other requests. I knew these needs would cost my time, so I asked the Lord to show me the best way to serve Him that day.
How could I lavishly express my love to Him?

Sure, we were Zambian missionaries purposed with sharing Jesus’ love with people, but we were here to serve the Lord, not man. I prayed He would keep me from allowing daily pressures and people’s expectations to determine my decisions.
Instead, I wanted to pour out my best perfume on my Savior. 

As I began the short walk to New Day School, where I anticipated joyful children sounds, I saw the guard moving toward me. This signaled someone was already waiting at the gate with a need. I whispered a prayer, “Lord, help me pour out my best perfume on You today regardless of what others say. We will always have the poor with us, but how can we best serve You?”

Living in a third-world country where poverty surrounds us, desperate needs feel overwhelming. The challenge to be wise in who and how to help brings stress because we would love to help everyone, but we simply cannot, and neither should we.

We want everyone to know Jesus, and place their dependency on Him, not us.
We cannot save them, only Jesus can.

As you pray for missionaries overseas, ask the Lord to give wisdom in knowing the “best perfume” to pour out in their everyday life. Then pray for those who are watching through the “glass box,” that they will see Jesus in the middle of the daily pressing.

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

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Nations!

The GT Weekend! ~ Redeemed 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) On Monday, Stacy asked, “What do we do in our uncertainty? How will we handle the waiting?”. Naomi experienced seasons of loss and emptiness, of heartache and even anger, all the while, she was waiting. In the midst of the waiting, she truly didn’t know if she would ever see redemption with her eyes in this world. I know I’ve been there too. This is the stuff deep faith is made of, my friends. As the Lord strips us of familiarity and comfort, He allows us to see our need for Him, in whom exists unending delight and satisfaction. It is here in the waiting for Him, in the dearth of sweet, happy feelings, we learn the rhythm of His faithful heartbeat of love. Not feeling close to the Lord is completely expected during seasons of waiting, but take heart! He is growing your faith!

2) Boaz had seemingly nothing to gain in marrying Ruth. He incurred Naomi’s debt and the responsibility of caring for two women. Yet, he still chose to take on the role of kinsman-redeemer. Have you ever experienced a similar set of circumstances as Ruth and Naomi? Perhaps you felt as you had nothing to offer. Maybe you struggle with being “not enough”, or even “too much”. Maybe you feel as if you’re abilities aren’t valuable, or that your contribution and investment isn’t seen or noticed because it’s too small. Tightly embrace this truth, “The Lord Loves Your Weakness”, for in your weakness, His strength brilliantly shines as YOUR redeemer! In the face of our nothing, He brings His everything to lavishly love and make new whatever we surrender in fullness to Him.

3) Often, a phrase my husband will repeat when we are in conflict, is, “I just don’t understand you.” My heart response is a quick, “You’re right! You don’t understand me!”. Similarly, on a broader scope, I look around at where I’ve landed in life, what I’ve accomplished (and what I haven’t), I see my losses, I wish for what I feel should have been, and I call out, “God, I just don’t understand!” You could have fixed this, or healed her, or rescued him, or given this, but You didn’t, Lord! It’s times like this, where the Spirit reminds me that, “You’re right! You don’t understand!”, but that’s okay. I am not called to understand, only to obey, and as I obey, the Lord God of the Universe will strengthen my eyes of faith and give courage to my heart to trust Him, and Him alone instead of me! The next time you feel yourself crying out your exasperation to the heavens, remember it’s okay that you don’t get it, or see all the pieces woven together. Choose trust.

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 16:33 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Prayer Journal
Father, thank You for teaching me recently of the constant presence of peace You faithfully provide. Like Peter walking on the water as long as he kept his eyes on you, so can I experience peace in the middle of the swirling, loud tumbling of life. Your presence did not leave Peter as he sank into the water, but he had chosen fear over faith. Lift my eyes again and again to Yours, my Father. Remind me on repeat that Your peace is always available. Teach my heart to worship, keep me humble, and increase my faith!

Worship Through Community

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Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Treasure Day 3 Mirror Of Her

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Jeremiah 29:1-14
Isaiah 45:9-13
Psalm 139
Ephesians 1:3-19

Treasure, Day 3

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

I’ve read Jeremiah 29:11 more times that I can remember, and I’ve heard it more times than I’ve read it. I bet many of you can say the same. We all want to claim God has good plans for us, plans for a good future and hope. The deep application of Jeremiah 29:11 is richly rooted in our inheritance from Christ, who Himself is our Hope and Future, but do we really walk in that truth in our everyday lives? For me, I know I’m quick to skip over the eternal riches of Christ, instead wishing for a right-now-fix of “I deserve….”.

Recently, someone I know received several opportunities I had been eyeing for a while. Let me tell you, the richness I have in Christ was the furthest thing from my mind. All I could think about was “Why not me?”  Yep, the cloud of comparison infiltrated my heart and mind. I started to believe poisonous questions and lies over deep truth.

You might be familiar with some of those untruths.

What did she do to deserve this over me?
I must not be as good as her.
Now my chance is ruined.
Maybe I need to do (insert action) more (or less).

But let’s not just talk about the times where we knock ourselves. Let’s chat about the times we compare “in reverse”.  This type of comparison is equally as untrue and poisonous. Trust me, I know this from personal experience, sadly. We may get to do some great things or receive some incredible blessings and comparison sets in again. I’ve said things like:

I’m finally on her level (or above her).
This is an even better opportunity than she had.
I’m going to exceed what she did.

Ladies, do you know what we do when we compare, whether positively or negatively? We’re telling God how to do His job.  Isaiah 45:9 illustrates how the created should not be questioning its Creator.
“Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’”

Neither should we say, “God, you should have made it possible for me to do that” nor “God, thank you for giving me more talent than her.” Instead, with humility, we should be looking at ourselves and at our sisters, especially our “her” as God does.
He sees us as wonderfully crafted treasures.

Psalm 139 beautifully reminds us whose we are.
We belong to God.
Not just me, or you, or even her.
All of us.
We are all His treasures, and we’re fully known by Him.

He created our inward parts and knit us together (verse 13).
It is God who knows and understands our every thought and word (verses 2-5).
We have been “remarkably and wondrously made” (verse 14); we are His “wondrous work”! Not better or worse than anyone. But wondrous!

When comparison begins rearing its head in my life, I remind myself,
“Mari, God made her, therefore she is wondrous. And guess what? He made you too, so that makes you equally wondrous. You are both wonderful treasures!”. You should try this with your “her”. Real truth changes our heart perspective!

Yes! We are wondrously made and intricately crafted as His treasure! For a full picture of how God sees us, let’s consider who we are. In exploring Ephesians 1, we discover all we are chosen to BE. It’s an outstanding list: holy, blameless, adopted, redeemed and forgiven. We’re chosen to receive an incorruptible inheritance, have wisdom and understanding, receive the seal of the Holy Spirit, hear the truth, and receive spiritual blessings and grace. We are chosen to belong to Christ, know God, praise Him, and believe Him at His Word!

This is who we are. This is who she is too.

Let’s make this practical, because it’s easy to say we will view others as God’s treasure when comparison isn’t lurking. But once it arrives, we need readily available tools to help us hold onto God’s unchanging truths over the all-too-sweet lies of comparison.

In case you were wondering, I’m not telling you to do something I haven’t done.
I take the list from the previous paragraph and write it out. (Mine is in the margin of my journaling Bible). When I need to renew my mind about me or her, I go to this list. I first insert my name in each statement (i.e. Mari is chosen to belong to God). Then I start over and insert her name. Friends, there is no way you can do this and not see how we are all priceless treasures of God!

By digging into truth, I realize my friend, and every other “her” in my life has been blessed by God with good opportunities, but He has also blessed me with different opportunities. He treasures her gifts and gives her chances to use them, but this in no way prevents Him from treasuring and blessing me. She is not my competition. She is my sister in Christ. We can shine for the kingdom in our individual, different ways. And we do.

So sisters, let’s all embrace this truth and walk in the freedom of being His handcrafted Treasures!

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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 Treasure 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 Treasure!

Open Day 14 Radical Offering: 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 Radical Offering!

The Questions

1) Who is speaking and who is the audience in this passage?

2) Who are “they” in verse 44?

3) Based on verse 46, in its context of the entire passage, how is true, genuine righteousness demonstrated?

Matthew 25:42-46

42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me. 44 “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Original Intent

1) Who is speaking and who is the audience in this passage?
The One speaking in these verses is Jesus. This passage is part of His teaching that began in the previous chapter of Matthew. “As Jesus left and was going out of the temple…” (Matthew 24:1) As He proceeded from the temple and made His way to the Mount of Olives, Jesus made a startling statement, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Obviously curious, the disciples privately approached Him (Matthew 24:3) with questions. Commentator Ray Stedman explains: “It was well known that the Romans were lovers of temples. It was their boast that they preserved, if at all possible, the temples and monuments of any country they conquered. They had been in power in Palestine for many years and they had not destroyed the Temple. There seemed no good reason, therefore, why this Temple should ever be destroyed. But Jesus solemnly assures them that there would not be one stone left standing upon the other.”
Matthew 24-25, often referred to as the Olivet Discourse, contain the long answer to the disciples’ questions. Matthew 26:1 indicates it was only the disciples with Jesus as He spoke. (Matthew 26:1)

2) Who are “they” in verse 44?
Contained in Jesus’ long answer to the disciples was a warning communicated through a parable. In His explanation of future events, Jesus designated every person a sheep or a goat. He also assigned them a position on the right and the left. Although we have no scriptural evidence for why He chose to make the goats the evil ones and the sheep the virtuous ones, Bible commentator Adam Clarke compares them in a helpful way:
“Sheep, which have ever been considered as the emblems of mildness, simplicity, patience and usefulness, represent here the genuine disciples of Christ. Goats, which are naturally quarrelsome, lascivious, and excessively ill-scented, were considered the symbols of riotous, profane, and impure men.” In this chapter, it’s evident that the message of the parable is much less about the characteristics of sheep and goats, and much more about how behavior indicates what is truly in a person’s heart. Jesus began by describing the deeds of the righteous sheep (Matthew 25:35-40) positioned on the right. In verse 44, He’s referring to the unrighteous goats on the left, previously mentioned in Matthew 25:41. These are “they”. When Christ returns, “they” will join all the others mentioned in chapters 24-25 who will spend eternity separated from God.

3) Based on verse 46, in its context of the entire passage, how is true, genuine righteousness demonstrated?
Chapter 25 ends with a serious statement from Jesus, just as chapter 24 does. (Matthew 24:51) The disciples’ questions regarding Jesus’ coming again and the “end of the age” gave Him an opportunity to again teach them about true righteousness as opposed to the false righteousness of the religious leaders of the day. (Matthew 5:20)
The Scriptures, Old Testament and New Testament both, clearly state what God means when He calls His people to righteousness. It’s not a call to work for our salvation, but it is a call to work out our salvation through obedience. James explains that true religion is demonstrated by our deeds. (James 1:26-27) This is especially true of how we respond to those in need within the church. The good works mentioned in Jesus’ parable are not meant to communicate that salvation is achieved by our efforts. He is stressing that our salvation will produce effects, including a compassion for others that motivates us to love through serving. The disciples very likely did not understand all that Jesus was saying about His returning (Matthew 24:27, 36, 44 and Matthew 25:13). He hadn’t even left yet! But one thing is certain, as commentator Adam Clarke reminds us:
“… the punishment inflicted on [these] was not because of their personal crimes; but because they were not good and were not useful … Their lives do not appear to have been stained with crimes, but they were not adorned with virtues. They are sent to hell because they did no good. They were not renewed in the image of God; and hence did not bring forth fruit to His glory.”

Everyday Application

1) Who is speaking and who is the audience in this passage?
Jesus taught and lived out compassion in front of His disciples in everyday life. His very purpose for coming to earth was to love other through serving them. (Mark 10:45) The disciples may have been slow learners, but that didn’t stop Jesus from teaching deep truths and demonstrating his compassionate love over and over. More than once, the disciples asked Jesus a question and they received an answer that was deeper and broader than they probably expected. Had we been in earshot of the conversation on the Mount of Olives, would we have chosen to keep following Him? The calling on the life of every disciple is exactly the same. What Jesus spoke on this day has just as much relevance today as it did then. As His followers, may we remain close to Him through His word. May we read and study this parable and pray for wisdom to practice the hospitality Jesus was teaching His disciples to live out with bold love.

2) Who are “they” in verse 44?
It’s doubtful that anyone participating in this Bible study desires to be counted with the goats in the parable Jesus told. Yet, we may find ourselves feeling guilty we aren’t serving our brothers and sisters in Christ the way we should. Though we should not compare our service to others, we would be wise to study the Scriptures that teach us to serve others, to pray for God’s leading and strength to do exactly this, and to seek how we can reach out to those God wants us to love through service. For those who have no desire to serve others, this is a serious message from Jesus: examine your heart. It may take time to discover the practical ways to meet the needs of others, but His sheep recognize His voice and are willing to obey His command to love and serve those “least” among us. (John 10:27-28)

3) Based on verse 46, in its context of the entire passage, how is true, genuine righteousness demonstrated?
The righteous have eternal life, not because we do great works, but because Christ did the great work on the cross. (Galatians 1:3-4)The eternal life we have in Him has already begun for those who are in Christ. While on earth, we are to live like He did while He was here. It’s a life that is outward focused, because we know our future with Christ. Truly righteous people who have been made new in Christ see others’ needs and serve them as Jesus would. The true believer does this not out of duty, but from a heart of gratitude for salvation and the rich, fullness of knowing Christ. Rosaria Butterfield was the recipient of genuine hospitality and it changed her life:
“Counterfeit hospitality seeks to impress and entertain. Counterfeit hospitality separates host and guest in ways that allow no blending of the two roles. It separates people into noble givers and needy receivers, or hired givers and privileged receivers. Counterfeit hospitality comes with strings; Christian hospitality comes with strangers becoming neighbors as they become the family of God. Radically ordinary hospitality is never convenient. A good question to ask yourself: What is the difference between inconvenient and impossible?”
What we do for the stranger, the disadvantaged, and the disabled we do for the Lord Jesus.
It’s real love in action. And it’s a crucial element in the believer’s life.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Catch up with Radical Offering!

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!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Open Week Three!
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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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Passionate Day 6
Behold, Your Son

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Passionate Day 6
Behold, Your Son

Rebecca Adams

April 3, 2017

Adoring,Believe,Broken,Community,Emptiness,Faith,Fear,Forgiven,Freedom,Generous,God,Gospel,Grace,Jesus,Loss,Lost,Love,Relationship,Sacrifice,Truth

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 19:16-27
Galatians 6:1-5
John 13:31-35
Genesis 22:9-14  

Evening was drawing around them, and a chill made them shiver in the cool air. A bran new sunset stretched out before them, gloriously perfect and visually astounding, almost as if the rest of Creation paused to watch its beauty, but tonight their minds weren’t filled with breathtaking visuals. Tonight was different. Fear was present. Brokenness was here. Shame had stealthy stolen the sweet freedom the couple had danced in mere hours before. They hid; afraid to be found out, sweaty palms, quickened heart rates, defensive anger leaping in their throats.
Sin held them in its death grip.
Their eyes had indeed been opened.
They could see as God saw.
They saw sin. They saw righteousness.
And they instantly knew that they had fallen out of perfect bliss, out of holiness.
One disobedient action that had broken the sweetest relationship of all, the one between themselves and God.

Though they hid in the shadows, they knew, of course, that the Father would find them.
He was coming now, His footsteps falling gently on lush, vibrant grasses.
He was waiting to delight in fellowship with them, to walk and talk in the Garden.
To know them. To lavish love on them. To be with them. They were His delight and He was theirs.
But tonight’s reality was different.

The Father’s voice filled the silence, “Where are you?”
And in the dialogue that followed that single question, Adam and his lovely bride, Eve,
found themselves cursed and separated from God because of their sin.
A chasm had been created; one they could never bridge.

As they prepared to leave the Garden of Eden with a sadness and shame that was heavier than anything they’d known,
the Father did a curious thing.
He provided for them. He provided even when they had done absolutely nothing to deserve it.
In fact, they’d done everything to deserve nothing but separation.

He spilt blood, the first blood ever shed, and he took the skins of those beautiful animals He’d created and He gave them to the couple. Covering their physical needs, while pointing forward to a time when He would cover for their spiritual needs and bring humanity back into relationship with Himself.

Hundreds of years later, an old man who’d followed the voice of God for decades,
stood atop a mountain, knife in hand, ready to slay his own beloved.
Abraham trusted God. Period.
With his own life, and now, with the life of his son.
He stood ready to give the unthinkable to the Lord His God,
when suddenly the voice he’d followed so closely, abruptly commanded Abraham to stop.
God was providing His own sacrifice.

A ram from God was caught in the bushes close by and was slain on the altar instead of Isaac, Abraham’s son.
And in that breathtaking moment when God gave Abraham back his son, acknowledging his unwavering faith in the God who had always provided, the Father knew that if Abraham were to look across the desert a ways, he would see another hill.
A hill outside of Jerusalem, where one day, God’s own Son, His own Beloved, would die in the place of Abraham, in the place of Isaac, in the place of each one of us who has unwavering faith.
And God would not stop that sacrifice.
Because He is a providing God.

When the Israelites wandered in the desert.
God provided water, bread, meat, and shoes that didn’t wear out.

Elisha the prophet sought food and water from a widow during a drought so severe that she only had enough for one small loaf of bread. But God provided her with enough oil and flour that she, her son, and Elisha never went without until the famine ended.

Soldier Jonathan and his men were exhausted from battle and God provided honey to revive them.

Jonah was tossed into the sea because of his disobedience and God provided a fish large enough to swallow him whole, keeping him alive.

Over and over.
Needy people meet with a providing God.
Whether it’s simple physical needs, emotional ones, or spiritual ones, Yahweh is a God who gives. And so it is no surprise that as Christ is gasping for air on the cross, dying to provide access to a restored relationship with God if we would trust Him, He provides in another way as well. Tangibly. Physically. For his mother.
“Woman, behold your son”, and then to John,
“Behold, your mother.”

Jesus’s providence for his mother not only spoke of God’s character as provider,
but also pointed to our need for community as a means of that providence.
Jesus was in need and He chose to depend on His community, expecting John to step up.

This providing for each other, leaning on each other, carrying each other’s burdens….it’s the very DNA of community life.
And Jesus calls us to live richly within its threads.
Both in giving and receiving.

As we look at the Savior, and see His provision of salvation by making a way for the broken to be made whole,
don’t miss seeing Him as provider in the small things.
This is the God who not only cares about every soul, but also every hair on your head.
You are well loved. Well cared for.
And we are called to flesh that out in the arena of community.

Love others well. Care for their needs. Depend on them.
Because our God provides!

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Passionate Day 7
Digging Deeper

God tested Abraham to see if he truly loved God most in his life, that he feared and revered God higher than anything or anyone else.

While there was nothing that Abraham could do or give up to earn righteousness, God counted Abraham’s faith as righteousness
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March 27 - April 14, 2017 -- Journey Theme #14

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Adoring Day 15
The Overflow of Adoration

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Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 5:18-6:10
2 Corinthians 2:15
Jude 1:20-23
Leviticus 2:11-13 

Nothing blows me away and sinks into my heart quite like the uniqueness of generosity.
Especially when I know how much it cost the giver.

Last December, my 6 year-old daughter came home from Store Night at Awana, a club where she learns Bible verses and core biblical truths. For every verse she memorizes, she earns a “buck”. She walked into Store Night with a pocket full of 20 bucks and an excited twinkle in her eye. Later, after much debating on what to buy, she rushed home to show me her treasures. A plastic ring for her sister, a car for her brother, a candy for her other brother, candy for her other sister, a sucker for herself, and a tea light candle holder with a Bible verse on it….for me.

My heart ached from exploding. Why would she buy me something? These were her bucks, she’d waited months for Store Night and worked so hard to earn them.
With teary-eyes, I held her close and told her thank you as her own eyes lit up with delight.
Then the price tag caught my eye.
$10
And tears flowed as my heart broke with love.
She had spent half of her earnings on me and got herself a sucker.

I looked at my daughter, who glowed with giddy happiness at buying me something, and I felt like I was touching a piece of Heaven.
I couldn’t pay her back.
I couldn’t give her more “bucks” or do a single thing to return this favor.
It was priceless.
And I caught God’s view of generous living as I kissed my girl’s sweet cheeks.

The generosity He shows us is boundless.
His kindness, His compassion, His forgiveness, grace, comfort, and love, are everyday reminders of it, but the greatest outpouring is found in the gift of His own Son.
See, He spent all He had when His Beloved hung naked on a tree,
taking the punishment He hadn’t earned.
We can’t pay Him back.
It’s priceless.
His blood is precious.
And the more we lean into that gift and see just how priceless it is, the more often we will find our hearts adoring Him.
And the more we adore, the easier it is to extend His embrace, by giving it away.
I read an interesting verse today in my time with Jesus.
“You are to season each of your grain offerings with salt;
you must not omit…the salt of the covenant.” (Lev 2:13)

Um, what?!
Yes, this is a tiny rule that applied to Old Testament Israelites about sacrifices, but the why is what made me curious. We all know salt is a preservative, and in biblical times, a “salt covenant” meant that the agreement would not end. In Middle Eastern culture, sharing a meal together was also a critical part of entering into a salt covenant because it meant that a deep sense of friendship was involved. The covenant was more than just a contract that couldn’t be retracted; it was about an intimate friendship being preserved as well.
The Grain Offering for the Israelites? It was a “meal” between God and the priests. The portion that was to be burned up for God was only a handful, the rest of the offering was given to the priest as their portion of the “meal”.
The covenant between God and Israel was a “salt covenant”; it couldn’t be broken.
And it was much more than a contract; it represented a restored relationship, a mutual friendship.

But wait, there’s more!
After Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and all of these Levitical offerings were no longer needed, the idea of salt remained. I promise this has a tieback into generosity, bear with me! 🙂
In Colossians 4:6, Paul is in the middle of talking about various relationships (marriages, workplace, fellow Christians, and unbelievers), and he concludes by urging everyone to allow their conversations to be seasoned with salt, no matter who they are talking to or interacting with.
Our lives are meant to reflect that original “salt covenant”!

A covenant we couldn’t possibly keep because of our sin,
so God keeps it for us by His grace.
A grace we are called to extend to everyone within our reach.
“Don’t omit the salt.”
It’s a covenant of deep friendship, a friendship we are to invite others into.
“Don’t omit the salt.”

We’ve looked at so many ways and reasons to give Adoration to the Lord in this series, but the one that honors Him most, is the one that overflows onto others. As we bring praise to the King, look deep into His heart, get wrapped up in His love, stand in amazement at His grace and goodness, His intention is that our conclusion is to give ourselves away.
By sharing grace.
By inviting others in.
By not omitting the salt.

God doesn’t need our adoration;
He wants us to see Him for who He is
so that it motivates us to extend His grace to everyone around us.

My daughter’s generosity affected me so deeply because I knew there was no way to repay her.
The gift God gave us by restoring our relationship with Him is one we could never repay.
And because it was so precious,
I want to give it away just as He gave to me.

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Adoration Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Adoring!