go

Fruitful Day 13 The Gentleness Of Jesus

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Mark 5:25-43
Matthew 11:28-30
John 13:12-17
Galatians 5:22-23

Fruitful, Day 13

The crowds were gathering, pressing relentlessly on all sides.
With His power to heal illness and drive away demons, word was spreading quickly. People from all walks of life, with all manner of brokenness, flocked in masses in pursuit of Jesus, the Christ.

In the midst of this particular crowd was a well-respected Jewish man, high-ranking with authority and political clout as a synagogue official, for he too was desperate. Jairus was familiar with Jesus’ growing fame and His divine ability, as he had likely witnessed Jesus healing a man’s hand in the synagogue in the weeks prior. (Luke 6:6-11) None could do what Jesus did. While Jairus was surely intrigued, he entered the crushing crowd that day out of pure desperation.

His daughter’s life hung in the balance.

It’s easy to step back and critically analyze. One can afford to be curious at a distance, but when it’s your desperation, nothing matters but the pursuit of wholeness.

Jesus immediately responded to Jairus’ urgent pleas to come to his house and slowly they moved in that direction.

Again, the crowds followed.

Can you imagine being Jairus? Desperation met reality as faces swam in front of both men. The mob was filled with shoving and jostling, loud noises, body odor, and incessant pressing of desperate bodies running rickshaw over one another as one little girl’s life hovered between life and death.

I’m not really comfortable with crowds like that, but if I wanted to be near Jesus, I am certain I would have set aside my discomfort to join the throng in pursuit of Christ that day.

Which is exactly what one woman did. Like Jairus, her desperation drove her into the tangled mass of people. She’d endured twelve long years of uterine bleeding, living as a shamed outcast from her community (Leviticus 15:25-27), taken advantage of by doctors who promised cures but worsened her condition. (Mark 5:26) Ironically, she, who had lived over a decade in isolation, was now driven by desperation into a crowd of hundreds with one goal in mind. Wholeness.

Twenty-nine years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like this suffering woman, I’ve experienced isolation from friends and even family because of disease. People are uncomfortable with such ravaging illness and don’t know what to say, so they stay away. They fear “catching” cancer themselves, and in their attempt to self-protect, they left me alone. I imagine this woman and I had many common experiences. Fear. Shame. Abandonment. Loss. Grief. Add to those woes the fact that her condition was neither diagnosable nor curable, despite the costly search for answers, and her desperation becomes nearly palpable.

Unrelated to cancer, five years ago I experienced intestinal disorders that no test or exam could identify. I too was neither diagnosable nor curable, and after six months of constant appointments, pokes, and prods, I was exhausted. I can only imagine twelve years of such! I can hear her heart’s cry, “What could it hurt to find Jesus? I’ve tried everything else. I have nothing more to lose.”

Jairus, desperate for his little daughter’s life.
This woman, desperate for her own.

Both were met with a radical gift surpassing their expectations.
Gentleness.

I’m sure the woman planned to press through the crowds, likely on her knees, to touch just the hem of His garment and then slip away unnoticed. But at her touch, despite many hands pressed against Him, Jesus’ voice of authority pierced the cacophony, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:30)

My reaction would have been the same as the disciples’. “You see this crowd pressing in on you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” (Mark 5:31) Jesus knew the difference between the touch of physical nearness and the hope of desperate faith.

In His divinity, Jesus knew who had touched Him.
In His gentleness, He asked His question of invitation.

Tightness grips my chest as I think of her “being caught,” and then I relax, remembering Jesus’ gentleness has invited this woman to step out. I can envision His calm eyes searching the crowd for the woman’s face, fixing His gaze of compassionate love upon her. Scripture records the woman coming with “fear and trembling.” Aware of her healing, she came to Jesus, fell down before Him, and told the whole truth. (Mark 5:33)

Christ’s gentleness drew her to Himself, invited her to unpack the entirety of her brokenness, then responded by publicly calling her His own, “Daughter.” He made her whole.

Not just her body, but her soul.
“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” (Mark 5:34)

Amid a stunned crowd, a messenger for Jairus arrives with the tragic news his daughter has died. In the span of time it took Jesus to call one woman out of brokenness and into wholeness, another’s life passed away.

Yet, the gentle Jesus turns unhurried, peace-filled eyes to meet Jairus’ red-rimmed ones, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.”  (Mark 5:36)

The nameless woman fades away into the crowd, no longer hiding nor walking with head bowed low. She dances in grace, for the gentleness of Jesus has called her His own, healing her body, heart, and soul.

As for Jairus’ daughter, the Gentle Christ takes her slim, cold hand in His as His divine voice awakens her from death to life. (Mark 5:41-42)

Our desperation, no matter how dire, is no match for the Gentle Christ.
So bring your exhaustion, your desperation, and your faith, and find wholeness in the gentle touch of our Savior.

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Ready Week 3

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) Have you ever thought about what your struggles are meant to signify to you and those around you? If you had to guess, pick a few of your recent times of difficulty and think out loud as to what they might mean. On Monday, Rebekah challenged us through Scripture’s teaching that our trials are evidence of God’s coming judgement and coming glory. It certainly doesn’t seem likely when we think about this from our human perspective! If we slow down and surrender our struggles to the vantage point of the Almighty, and apply the truth of His Words, we can see the glimmers of coming Hope. We grieve and ache and weep because all is not well here in our world, but the Lord God designed us for perfect existence without pain. He is the Redeeming God who delights to make all things new and bring beauty from ashes. Do you believe this? Spend some time reading 2 Thessalonians this weekend, looking for how the first century believers were encouraged in their faith even in the midst of intense struggle. How can this encourage you?

2) It’s only 17 verses. I timed it and it takes about 55 seconds to read. Sisters, this is worth it! Go, right now, and read the 17 verses of truth-soaked-grace of 2 Thessalonians 2. What sticks out to you? Which parts sear your heart with urgency? Which words bring comfort or quicken your being with aching for hope to come? Where are you believing lies from the enemy of your soul? (verses 9-10) Who do you know who is trapped by the deception of the Lawless One whose desire is to keep all of us blinded to the coming glory and goodness of the Only True God? Sit with this question for a few minutes, close your eyes, and ask the Lord to show you those friends or family members who are trapped by lies that are keeping them from seeing truth. See those faces? Hear those names? Know their stories? Pray for these, Sister, pray for them!! Bring them to the Father, weep over them, beg for their eyes to be open and for them to hear and respond as the Spirit of the Living God calls out to awaken them from death to life. Is your name among those being deceived? Have you trusted Jesus to pay the blood-price earned by your sin and rebellion against Him? What’s holding you back? Are you ready to spend eternity with the God who loves you?!

3) Paul writes his letters to the churches in Thessalonica with fierce love and a passionate call to stand strong and live Ready “in the now” for the coming return of Christ. If you haven’t spent the very few minutes it takes to read his short letters, go read up! (1 and 2 Thessalonians) Now, he fervently concludes by reminding the church that God is indeed faithful, He IS coming back for His beloved people. We can be made Ready for all that is to come by deeply dwelling in His Word and leaning into His power, which He unleashes in us by the Holy Spirit to draw other people into relationship with Himself through us! Are you actively engaged with His power for this eternal kingdom purpose? Think about the common, everyday pieces of your day. The dish washing, the children watching, the friend-calling, and the meal making. Suppose it is in the mediocre and mundane that we are to glimpse to coming glory of the Father who is crafting an eternity with us that is beyond description? How might this reality shift the way you approach your everyday tasks? How can you begin changing your perspective to see the eternal in the ordinary this week?

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

In addition, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

Prayer Journal
Lord Jesus Christ, You are my solid Hope. You are present now in this moment, flooding every aspect of my life just as fully whether I am aware of You or not. Every trial is seen and known, and Your Hope shoots through every tear that falls and every ache of my human heart. Your strength is for my everyday moments. Jesus, I praise You for this tender grace. Lord Jesus, lift my eyes from mu busy lists, from the pain around me, from the brokenness, and remind me Your Hope is not only present, but is also coming. These struggles are momentary and fleeting, regardless of how permanent they feel. More so, this unshakeable Hope is solid, able to support the full weight of my ache to be whole and new. Oh Christ, may I make it my aim, with eyes transfixed on Your glorious coming Hope, to share this life and love with those around me. Strengthen me to lift my eyes off myself and use my circumstances to point to You, the One who makes me Ready now for all the indescribable richness to come! Come, Lord Jesus, come, and until you do, make me ready to tell everyone about You!

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

Ready Day 6 Laboring Love

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

1Thessalonians 3:1-13
Colossians 1:24-29
Jude 20-25

Ready, Day 6

During my daughter’s first years of university studies, my mind was always with her.  I knew that university lifestyle was quite different from secondary school. I was praying for her almost every day, calling to know how she was doing, and sending her text messages to encourage her.

Two things prompted my actions.

  1. I love her, and wanted her future to be good.
  2. I was afraid lest she fell into a bad company and ruin her life; I didn’t want my labor to be in vain.

I see a similar relationship between the Thessalonian Christians and the apostle Paul, Silas, and Timothy, who traveled together to encourage churches. (1 Thessalonians 1:1) Having suffered great opposition, they persevered to preach the gospel to the believers in Thessalonica together. After being forced to leave the city, they were keen to know how the new believers were growing in their faith. Paul’s team made several attempts to visit, but were hindered by Satan (through aggressive persecution). At last, they resorted to sending Timothy to go and encourage the churches on their behalf.

Recalling his labor among them, Paul said,

“We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.” (1Thessalonians 2:8)

As a result, Paul’s team was afraid, lest the new believers become weary and give up their faith because of affliction. Therefore, they sent Timothy to “strengthen and encourage” them, so no one would be shaken by afflictions. (1 Thessalonians 3:2)

Wow! That pricks my heart; I ask myself again and again whether I am committed to loving the Church this way. How often do we pray for the Church, especially new believers? What about those who have backslidden? Are we making efforts to restore them back into Christ’s fold? I am afraid that instead of reaching out in empathy and support, sometimes others’ failures become a topic of discussion to us. In our hypocrisy, we talk of it with pleasure, as if to say, “it serves them right.”

There’s a hymn that usually keeps me in check; as I sing, I am reminded of all I owe Jesus:

“Must I go and empty-handed?
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him?
Must I empty-handed go?”

Are we prepared to meet our Savior?
Will our life’s work reflect His heart of passion for each person?
We must return to this first-love question throughout our lives.

Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19-20) We must not take His command for granted; it calls us to action! The immediate receivers of His command (His disciples) obeyed it.

Now it is our turn.

How committed are we to making disciples?
Do our hearts yearn with love, the way Paul and his team did for the Thessalonian Christians?

His deep care for them compelled Paul to say,

“When I could no longer stand it, I also sent him [Timothy] to find out about your faith.” (1Thessalonians 3:5)

Paul was afraid Satan might have tempted them to abandon their faith, and thus Paul’s labor would have been in vain. I am deeply challenged by the attitude of Paul and his team; overwhelmingly, it is dominated by caring for and nurturing the Thessalonians’ faith. Similarly, our concern must be to prepare the world for the coming of Christ.

When Timothy returned with a positive report about the Thessalonian Christians, Paul describes how the team celebrated with joy:

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction we were encouraged about you through your faith. For now, we live, if you stand firm in the Lord. How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy we experience?” (1Thessalonians 3:7-9)

To Paul and his team, the steadfastness of the faith of the Thessalonian Christians was life; he explained, “Now, we live.” What a passion!

Such celebration is for us, as well!

Jesus describes the incomparable joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7); should there be anything for us to celebrate more than the increase of God’s kingdom?

The report of the Thessalonian Christians further spurs Paul and his team to deep and fervent prayers.

“[A]s we pray very earnestly night and day to see you face to face and complete what is lacking in your faith.” (1Thessalonians 3:10) What a commitment!

Doesn’t this kind of zeal challenge us?
Sisters, it’s time for us, like Paul, to step into Jesus’ commission and commit ourselves to disciple-making. Like Paul and his team, may our hearts burn in prayer “day and night” for those we know are perishing without Jesus.

What joy shall it be, when we see such people repenting and growing strong in their faith! Such great rejoicing will be ours when, at last, Jesus says to us,
“Well done, my faithful servant!”
(Matthew 25:21)

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Nations Week 3

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) On Monday, Laurie shared a beautiful analogy from Scripture about her work on mission in God’s kingdom akin to being poured out as the best perfume to Christ. Think about the ways you have been impacted in beautiful ways by those who, because of their love for Jesus, have loved you well. Be specific. Bring up their faces in your mind and write down their names in a note on your phone. There are many needs around us in our everyday lives whether it’s an empty pantry, kids’ transportation, dirty diapers to change, never ending errands, or long lists of “to do’s”. As you think through the ways you “pour out perfume” in your regular life rhythms, ask yourself if you are willing to make space for what or who the Lord wants you to pour into, at the expense of something or someone on your list. Return to the names on your phone of those who impacted you and decide to send them a thank you note for how they showed Jesus’ love to you. Then prayerfully, and humbly, bring your to do list to the Lord, asking Him to show you the most lovely way to pour out perfume to Him by loving others!

2) What were your experiences with church growing up? In what ways have those perceptions shifted over time? Rather than give a casual response, sit with the question for a few minutes, letting it simmer in your heart. Write down scenes or descriptive words you associated with God or church as you were younger; attach some ages that were pivotal in your formation. As you clarify your thoughts on paper, it becomes easier to see how we think differently from our current vantage point. What are some stark contrasts you notice? Janna shared yesterday how Church is defined as God’s people, but it’s often reduced to an experience. Share out loud your responses to this statement and why you feel this way. Consider how your everyday life choices reflect what you genuinely believe about Christ’s Church and the believer’s role. Ask the Lord to stretch your current view of His Bride, the Church, and expand it over time, teaching your heart to love and engage ever more deeply!

3) Make some space for special worship and prayer this weekend by planning just 15 minutes of time alone. Mark it on your calendar and do whatever necessary to keep this space set apart as sacred between you and God. Prepare your heart by thinking ahead to this time with Him, asking Him to make your heart ready to engage with His Spirit. When you’re ready, find a quiet place inside or outside, silence your phone, and open your Bible to Revelation 7:9-12. Read it several times through, slowly. I repeat, slowly, because we tend to rush things, don’t we? What words or phrases stick out to you? Bring those to the Lord, asking Him to stir your heart and speak to You through His Word. After soaking in His Words, close your eyes and let yourself imagine the scene described in these four verses. What do you see? What do you hear? What is radically different than your everyday life experience today? Consider your answer to this last question as you think through the prayer of Jesus, “Let Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, emphasis mine) How can you actively take what the Lord has been speaking with you about into actionable steps in your everyday life?

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Revelation 7:9-10 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

“After this, I looked and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language which no one could number, standing before the Throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the Throne, and to the Lamb!’”

Prayer Journal
Father, I confess my view of You and Your work around the world is much too small. I fall into my regular daily chaos or monotony, and because I don’t see it, I forget that Your work continues. Lord God, please keep prying my hands off myself, lift my gaze to see beyond my borders, and be reminded that I have an important role to play in Your Body, the Church. Give me opportunities to explore how believers are spreading the gospel in other countries and right here in my own city. Stir me in deeper ways to actively participate in the work You are already doing around me. Prod me to seek out people who are different than me, expand my horizons so I can love others better. Give me a kingdom perspective that spans all nations, peoples, and languages, then show me how You have created me to participate in building Your kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven!

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

Reveal Day 4 Heartache’s Hope: 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 Heartache’s Hope!

The Questions

1) Who has been anointed and sent in these verses?

2) What needs rebuilding, restored and renewed in verse 4?

3) Who is Isaiah addressing in these verses?

Isaiah 61:1-4

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

Original Intent

1) Who has been anointed and sent in these verses?
There is speculation on who the speaker of these verses could be, but what is clear is their connection to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Isaiah 6:1-8 paints the remarkable picture of Isaiah’s calling. He was willing to go and speak as the Lord’s mouthpiece to His people, Israel. God had anointed Isaiah to go and do the work of the Lord because Isaiah was willing. In the first half of Isaiah the prophet foretells the judgment to come against Israel, but this section of Isaiah provides flourishing hope. The prophecy proclaims a time yet to come when Israel would be taken captive by Babylon, but then delivered from their captivity. However, Isaiah’s good news does not end there; He is also telling of a time when Jesus would walk on earth and forever release God’s people as captives through His sacrifice on the cross as He would take the penalty of our sin on Himself. Centuries later, Jesus quoted Isaiah’s words in Luke 4:18-19 proclaiming that the fulfillment of Isaiah’s words had finally transpired. Regardless of whether the speaker is actually Isaiah, the hope-filled message declaring a coming Rescuer is certain. There is a promise of a future blessing for God’s people, and Jesus adds a new layer of promise to these verses when He comes in fullness as God and man.

2) What needs rebuilding, restored and renewed in verse 4?
Isaiah prophesied of the coming destruction of both the Northern and Southern Kingdom of Israel. The Assyrians would take Israel, the Northern Kingdom, captive in 722 BC and Babylon would conquer Judah, the Southern Kingdom, in 586 BC. Jerusalem would be destroyed, and God’s people would be dispersed. However, captivity and destruction were not the final destiny of God’s people. God had no intention of abandoning His promise to Abraham generations before, but instead uses the destruction and captivity to usher in a time of spiritual renew for His people. Isaiah tells of a time when Israel would be restored to glory both as a city and as His people. They would no longer be a place of ruin and destruction but a thriving people chosen for His purpose. Nehemiah tells the story of a portion of this rebuilding as he leads the re-building of Israel’s wall and the city begins to be reestablished. Later, the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell of the ultimate restoration when Jesus is born through the promised bloodline of Judah and King David.

3) Who is Isaiah addressing in these verses?
Isaiah was a prophet to the Southern Kingdom. He prophesied the punishment coming to Judah because of their sinful rebellion against God. The entire book, not just this section, is a call for Judah to return to God as His people while also telling of the coming Messiah through His people just as He had long ago promised to Abraham. These verses continue to be aimed at this audience who, yet again, strayed from their True Love, Yahweh, and would face destruction so God could lovingly regain their attention. God would use their redemption to continue moving history towards His ultimate purpose of redeeming all of Creation.

Everyday Application

1) Who has been anointed and sent in these verses?
Isaiah’s calling and anointing in Isaiah 6 has always been amazing to me. God gave him a vision and Isaiah was immediately willing to go and proclaim God’s words. God uses Isaiah to proclaim judgment Israel would soon face, but the promise of redemption was also included. Isaiah’s glimpse into the coming salvation of all people through the person of Jesus, the anointing of our Savior is astounding! We have the blessing of living on the side of history after both of these events, Israel’s captivity and Jesus’ coming to earth. Jesus fulfilled God’s promise through Isaiah to “set the captives free”, and it is now our calling to proclaim the same good news Isaiah so willingly declared. While the redemption work of Jesus was completed on the cross, there is still work to be done until He returns. Will we echo Isaiah’s words with a willing heart, “Here am I. Send me!”?  (Isaiah 6:8)

2) What needs rebuilding, restored and renewed in verse 4?
Jerusalem is in ruins from Babylon captivity and is no longer a place of prominence. The city, and the hearts of the people, are desperately in need of restoration to the One to Whom they belong. While Jesus was the fulfillment of the restoration for Israel, God’s plan did not end there. Jesus came to redeem and restore every human heart’s broken relationship with the God of the Universe because of our sinful choices. When our faith is in Jesus, and we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, we are restored, and made righteous, in His sight. However, even this is not the end! There is still a coming renewal promised in the return of Jesus. He will come again in all His glory to rebuild, restore, and renew humanity. He will establish His Kingdom in the perfection it was intended to be from the beginning. Isaiah’s prophecy is a multi-layered-prophecy. Just as it has been fulfilled in part, we can trust the ultimate fulfillment is indeed coming. The destruction we see in our current world is not forever. There is the promise of a day when “every tear will be wiped away and death will be no more… and everything will be new” (Revelation 21:4-5); what a glorious day that will be!

3) Who is Isaiah addressing in these verses?
While Isaiah’s prophecy was originally addressed to the people of Judah, his message is just as important and relevant for us today. We are a people who, time and again, choose to live for ourselves instead of for Him. No matter how long I walk with Jesus, my heart is prone to stray. I am never immune to thinking I can do it on my own, and I need redemption just as much as ancient Israel did. Thankfully, God doesn’t leave me, or any of us, on our own or stuck forever in our sin without providing a way out. He offers each of us eternal redemption and forgiveness through Jesus and gifted us His Holy Spirit to empower us to walk this journey of life as beacons of Jesus’ hope for others. There will be consequences when we go astray, but Jesus always offers redemption and grace when we choose to trust Him.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Heartache’s Hope!

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 Reveal 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.

Sketched VII Day 5 All In

2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 13:5-18
Matthew 8:18-22
Luke 14:25-27

Sketched VII, Day 5

My husband and I said, “Yes” to the something big two years ago.
We’ve been married 10 years, we have three children, two with us, and one with Jesus. We’ve lived in seven houses in three countries.
We’re familiar with the Lord asking us to do something and us (trying) to say yes.

Our most costly “yes”, however, came when He asked us to Go.
For us, going meant moving across the world to share the Gospel with people who haven’t heard it and don’t have access to it from other people in their culture.
These are the unreached.

The price tag for obedience is varied for many, but Jesus says in Matthew 8 it may involve not having a place to lay your head. In Luke 14, Jesus says one should hate his father and mother in order to leave and follow Him. While not literal in meaning, these examples demonstrate what it looks like to surrender. We must be ready to give up everything we hold dear to us if we really want a deep, vibrant relationship with Him. This is not only my family’s cost for obedience, this is for every Christ follower!

Serving in cross-cultural evangelism is hard.
We moved to a country where we knew no one and didn’t speak the language. The food was strange and spicy, the traffic didn’t seem to have any system beyond Don’t Crash. While we have a really comfortable place to live, the plumbing is taped together, the washing machine is filled with mold, and the bugs and critters seem to multiply overnight.

One of our elderly neighbors passed away a few months ago. We attended the wake service for her and our eyes were opened again to the lostness and lack of hope without Jesus. Her religion believes that the night someone dies, God and Satan fight for the soul of the deceased. In order to get that person to Heaven, the family and friends must say special prayers and recite parts of their holy book with great fervor.
Hopefully, the deceased makes it in to Heaven.

We sat for nearly three hours listening to these petitions.
Many people had the prayers memorized.
Some used a book as they recited empty, hollow, words.
Wearing a scarf and long sleeves in the uncooled room was stifling.
Our kids were fussing and bored, tired of sitting quietly for so long.
Spiritually, the heaviness and darkness in that place was oppressive.
This is part of our price for following Jesus with everything we have.

When we see the heart of God, it’s easier to understand why He requires a 100% surrender. Jesus says in John 10:16,
“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.
I must bring them also.
They too will listen to my voice,
and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

The why is rooted in radical love!

This neighbor and her family belong to an unreached people group in our city.
If there is no one to tell them of the redeeming love of our Creator God,
How Will They Know?

How will they believe anything different
than their traditional upbringing dictates?

Paul asks these same, bold questions in his letter to the Romans.
How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in?
And how can they believe without hearing about him?
And how can they hear without a preacher?
And how can they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!
(Romans 10:14-15)

If all Christ asked of us was a head-nod assent to the fact that He is God and died to save us, then we not only cheapen His sacrifice, but we also miss out on being bearers of His good news. The cost to carry the good news is high, it’s total surrender.
But it is worth it!

Jesus asks us to give all, but He gave all of Himself first.
And He did it out of love for the lost who did not know Him.

Part of our task is sharing the Gospel with everyone the Holy Spirit prompts us to share with. This requires boldness we do not possess on our own, which is why God gives us His own Spirit inside of us to teach us how to surrender in obedience.

We frequent our neighborhood mall, markets, and playgrounds with the desire to proclaim the Good News often. We also work with a local group of believers to bring increased health to our church, with the long-term goal of seeing them reach their neighbors with the Gospel. All that sounds good on paper, but in the flesh, it’s messy at best, and always involves surrender.

In reflecting on our previous year on the field, the Lord has taught me repeatedly how the goal of my life is not to make it easy.
I’m not promised an easy life in Scripture.
In fact, I’m promised quite the opposite.
“If they persecute me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:18)

In the midst of this challenging year, He has shown how the joy of my salvation will sustain me. By God’s grace, we may learn to be more effective on the field, but it likely will never get easier. And that’s okay.

What “yes” is He leading you into today, dear one?

Carve out time to ask Him, Lord what would you have me do?
Listen for His gentle whispers.

Praise the Lord, you don’t have to be ready for what He’s asking you to do.
He’ll do it through you as you give Him your yes!
Count the cost, place it before Him as an offering, and step out in surrender.
Immense joy, found in that tight space, is waiting for you!

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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

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

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

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

Questions Day 5 Easy Life

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 10:5-15
Psalm 1:1-6
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Psalm 39:1-5
James 1:2-12

Questions, Day 5

As we journey through our theme on Questions, we are working through the answers to common questions many of us wrestle in our daily walk. Today’s question is one I’ve found myself asking…and maybe you have, too?

Why doesn’t God give Christians the promise of an easy life,
full of blessings and health?

Woo. Talk about a loaded question. Yet, I’m willing to bet it’s one that many, if not most of us, have found ourselves asking at one point or another. Sometimes we might phrase it in the context of “adulting” (read: why is adulting so hard?!), but our heart cry is the same. I mean, it makes sense, right? If we embrace Truth, have chosen to follow Christ, and do our best to live as Christ, doesn’t it make sense that our lives would be simpler and more pleasant?

In order to gain heavenly perspective and answer this question, we need to ask (and answer) a few more questions.

What are some earmarks of what we might consider an “easy life?”

  • A healthy body, free of pain and illness, comes to mind.
  • Smooth, conflict-free relationships with our spouse, family members, friends, acquaintances.
  • The absence of trauma or abuse, and freedom from inherited familial traits we might wish to avoid.
  • An easy life might include realized desires of our hearts, and the ability to do work we enjoy.
  • Freedom from unhealthy habits or preoccupations.
  • Ample finances.
  • Fill in your blank.

To put it simply, most of us would consider a life in which we are free to do the things we want to do, when we want to do them, and in the way we want to do them an “easy life.”

The phrase, “You do you, boo,” is surprisingly apt.

We want to do “us,”
without having to worry about it affecting us
or those around us.

Do you know what didn’t make it onto our list above? Anything eternal.
Does anything else strike you about that list, Love? It is wholly focused on ourselves.

Ouch.

Throughout Scripture, God reveals His ways are not our ways, and those who choose to commit their lives to Him are called to a life poured out in service. As humans, it’s impossible to live with the kind of perspective God has in our own strength, but when we recognize that “our good” does not directly translate to “what we consider as our good,” and allow Holy Spirit to guide us, we’re on the right track.

So, why did God place us here and breathe life into us?

I don’t know about you, but not a single one of those things sound particularly “easy” to me. In fact, they sound impossible, because none of those are things we could ever hope to accomplish on our own! The truth is that the obedience and submission we are instructed to have are only accomplished through the work of complete transformation He does within us when He renews our mind and causes our hearts to burn within us for His Name. 

Our part is to submit every part of ourselves to Him and allow Him to change us from the inside out, which results in that whole heart, whole life conversion that caught the early church on fire – and will spark revival across the globe again.

The bottom line is that you and I, we aren’t called to comfort or an easy life, dear friend. If we believe what we claim to believe, then we must agree that our days here are but a whisper. And if our days here are but a whisper, how can we resign even a moment to anything that doesn’t serve our Father?

Love, don’t read this as condemnation or judgement. Conviction is stirred in my own heart in response to this invitation to submit more fully and embrace the life He has given me.

We are called to honesty, and authenticity. To truth, obedience, and joyful submission, but these aren’t traits we can simply decide to cultivate on our own. They are completely, wholly the work of the Holy Spirit in us as He renews us and gives us the mind of Christ. We have only to say “yes” and let Him do His work. Sister, be encouraged! What freedom and release we can find in that truth!

Father, You are worthy of all my praise. Thank You for the work You are doing, in my life personally and across the earth today. Thank You for never wasting anything. Today, I turn again to You and invite You into every area of my life. All I have belongs to You. Create in me a hunger for You, for righteousness, and to live a life wholly yielded to You. Stir in me a thirst for Your word, and for time in Your presence. Everything I have is Yours. 

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!  And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Captivating Week 3

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) Does the idea of mission work strike fear inside or fill you with delight? We tend to think of missions only in the context of overseas, but the Lord’s work is everywhere. His desire is for all nations and all peoples to experience His rescuing love, and that includes all the places you are comfortable going in everyday life and all the places you’ve silently vowed you’d never go. Maybe you aren’t called overseas, but maybe you are and fear stops you from even trying. What you are called into as a Christ-follower is missions, the “where” is the only question. Check out the mission opportunities at your church, both local and abroad, keep your eyes on the Savior’s, and follow in obedience just one step at a time!

2)  Do you ever feel like your prayers don’t matter? What if these are just words we say without Someone to hear and respond? Yes? Me too. These are lies from an enemy who wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy us and our sweet relationship with the Father through prayer. If prayer were not so powerful, the lies circling about it wouldn’t be so tempting. Think through your prayer list, what are your requests most often made? Health? Safety? Thank you for this food? Leaders of nations to walk in wise counsel? The unity of the church locally and globally? The tenacity of our persecuted brothers and sisters? This weekend, choose to stretch both your prayer list and your faith. Refuse to believe lies about prayer’s effectiveness, and stand in the gap for those we need our prayer!

3) If we are truly all, as Christ-followers, called to go. Where is your ‘go? What is stopping you from acting on that “go”? Be honest with yourself and with God and lay out your fears. Or maybe you’ve already gone, maybe you’re in the middle of a difficult, but obedient “go”. Maybe you have some disappointments, are feeling discouraged, or lonely, or are running on empty. Maybe you find yourself wondering why you chose to “go”. Please, lay those before the throne too, Sister. Whatever part of Go you find yourself in, spend time being gut-honest with the Lord who calls and faithfully equips, and ask Him to remind you what it means to give your life to save another.

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 Acts 16:9-10 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Prayer Journal
Your call on our lives is clear, Lord, to make Your Name known to all. Lord God, break our hearts for what breaks Yours! Teach us what it means to give our life for another just as You did for us. Ignite within us a passion for reaching, for loving, and an unquenchable thirst to go wherever Your Spirit leads us. Take us into Your presence, let us not leave unchanged. May we hear the cry of our fellow mankind, tune our ears to hear their desperate plea for a love that rescues. May we obediently display our love for You by going where you send!

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

Anchored Day 13 When The World Is At Stake

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 95:2-5
Matthew 28:16-20
Colossians 4:2-6
1 Corinthians 16:9-10

Anchored, Day 13

Our world is dying.
Those of us walking with Jesus know the narrow road to life,
and we are commissioned to invite the perishing around us on the
journey to life everlasting. (Matthew 7:13-14)

The stakes couldn’t be higher.

This urgency drove Paul’s words to the Colossian church in chapter 4.
Having laid a foundation for Godly living in chapter 3, Paul now invites the Colossians to broaden their perspective to the lost world stretching out before them.

“Fellow saints,” he seems to say, “remember your transformation is unto transferral:
the transferral of lost souls from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light.”

Paul extends the hand of ministry partnership to Colossian believers.
He begins by highlighting the power of prayer, fundamentally understanding the success of his local evangelism depends on a suffusion of supernatural power garnered by prayers of distant believers.

So too for us, sisters!
While evangelism may not be our main vocation, we are not sidelined!
Our supportive role is critical to the work of those on the mission field.
When the world is at stake, our prayers matter.

But how should we pray?
Verse 2 of this passage provides three main guidelines for powerful, supportive prayer.

First, we are to be STEADFAST in our prayers for those sharing the Gospel.
Consistency in prayer exponentially strengthens both the pray-er (growing both motivation and intensity within her) and the recipient.

Next, we are to be WATCHFUL in prayer.
When we get busy praying, the enemy gets busy opposing us. We need to be alert to his strategies, which he’s crafty enough to tailor to each of us. Head on a swivel, sisters, let’s fight to protect our prayers.

And finally, we are to be THANKFUL in prayer.
While the view from the trenches may be discouraging at times, it’s important to remember that ultimately, the victory has already been won. As we reflect on our testimonies, we are reminded God has been faithful and will be again.
We find ourselves infused with fresh hope and strength for the fight.

We’re ready to be consistent in our prayers,
alert to the strategies of the enemy to thwart us,
and gratefully confident that in the epic struggle for the world,
our God has already been declared Victor.
We’re ready to pray.

But what should we pray?
Verses 3-4 provide timely guidance.

First, Paul requests prayer “also for us”.
Again, this refers to those whose main vocation is spreading the Gospel, whether local or far distant. Specifically, Paul shares a deep desire to make the most of “open door” moments: those special opportunities to share Jesus in unusually effective ways. These are not day-to-day conversations with a single person, but rather unique openings to minister on a large scale.

In every interaction, Paul longs to declare the mystery of Christ in a way that makes it clear. Some people may have been taught a wrong understanding of the Gospel.
Others may have no frame of reference at all and find it overwhelming.
Paul seeks wisdom to spread the word of God in a way that is relatable to each person he encounters.

So, as we pray for our missionaries, let’s ask God to create open doors for the exponentially effective move of the Gospel.
Let’s ask Him to give those on the front line precisely the right words
to make clear the heart of the Father.

In the last few verses of this passage, Paul moves instructs the Colossians
how they ought to share Jesus.

Because of course, evangelism is not just for missionaries.
Each and every one of us have been commissioned
to engage in everyday, ordinary ways of sharing
the most extraordinary story ever told.

“The time has come,” Paul seems to say, “to put all of your learning, all of your discipline, all of your growth, into action. Being transformed into the Father’s image means your heart also becomes more like His, broken for His lost children. Go now; it’s time to act.”

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders,
making the best use of the time.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5-6)

Right off the bat, Paul encourages us with the simple command to engage those outside the family of believers. Time is short, and every interaction matters.
Therefore, Paul explains, wisdom is paramount.

Where is this person in the process of salvation?
What action on my part would be most beneficial
for this person
in this moment?

Perhaps my role is to sew a seed, leaving the harvest for another worker. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9) Or perhaps this is the moment of decision, and I ought to press on.
God’s timing is perfect, and my desire is to move in step with Him as He leads.

Furthermore, operating in the Father’s wisdom and listening the Spirit’s whisper allows our words to be seasoned in a way that makes the Gospel most powerful in each interaction. Because it isn’t about us, this is God’s Work!

A highly effective approach with one person might prove detrimental with another.
Before we’re overwhelmed by the weightiness of what lies ahead, remember we have God on our side. He created each soul; He is perfectly capable of leading us as His Spirit courts each one for the Kingdom.

When the world is at stake, the power of prayer is critical
along with a willing obedience to go.
Let us meet the Lord on our knees,
hear His whispers in our hearts,
and take Him with us to the streets.

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

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