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The GT Weekend! ~ Enough Week 1

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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, Lesley reminded us that “one small act changed everything” in the relationship between Adam & Eve and God. Where oneness and beauty once splendidly danced, brokenness, shame, fear, and blame took over. In what ways can you identify with this concept in your own relationship experiences? We’ve all acted certain ways or said certain things to bring about brokenness and destruction in our relationships. It’s painful and messy to think about, but every one of us have both brought about brokenness and been the receiver of such wounding from the people we love. In these scenarios, it’s easy to see the other person as the enemy, blaming them and growing angry or bitter, but this is exactly the trap Adam and Eve fell into. The real enemy is Satan, who loves to break our relationships with eachother and God. As you consider this when you think about the people you love, be intentional in praying for them, remembering they are not the enemy!

2) Israelites were enslaved under Egyptian rule for 4 centuries; they needed a rescuer. When God freed them from captivity, He promised to bring them into a good land of abundance and freedom. After a few days of foot travel across the barren desert, they arrived at the entrance of the Promised Land; God had been faithful, good, and kind. But Israel, on discovering that the Promised Land was full of enormous fruit and fearsome giants (true story, guys, read Numbers 13:17-29), completely rejected God’s good gift! (Numbers 14:1-10) Sisters, don’t miss this, I have also been guilty of rejecting the good gifts God offers me because they aren’t what I expect. Israel’s rejection of Canaan, resulted in God leading them to turn around and wander the desert for 40 years. I don’t want to miss out on what God has deemed for my good and His glory just because it doesn’t fit my expectations. What about you?!

3) God continued pursuing His people, Israel, despite their constant rebellion. Even though they had prophets and priests who pointed them back to God’s heart, sin has its stealthy way of sneaking in and bringing death and destruction in its wake. Prophets who loved God, called aloud for Israel to turn her heart back to the Lord Almighty. Just as God faithfully pursued Israel, so He pursues each one of us. Imagine this! The God of all on a mission to catch you with His infinite love and mercy! How does this make you feel? Can you look around your life and point to ways His voice is raised like the prophet’s to call you to return to Him? He is always waiting, never put off by your rebellion enough to cease in His pursuit of a real, authentic relationship with you. If He will stop at nothing, what’s holding you back?

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 Romans 3:10-12 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

There is no one righteous, not even one.
11 There is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away;
all alike have become worthless.
There is no one who does what is good,
not even one.

Prayer Journal
Lord God, sometimes I lose sight of my sin. I forget how stealthy it is and how intent the Enemy of my heart is to steal, kill, and destroy. I become lulled into mediocrity as I chase after the sins that tempt me, neglecting to remember You alone are worthy of love and worship. I forget that my phone and my social media feed will never love me back for all the time and attention I give them. I justify my rudeness, pretending I’m just “being confident”. I cover up my manipulation tactics, my sharp words, my eye rolls, my deceit, my anger, my arrogance. I forget, Lord God, I forget these are the very things that destroy the oneness You died to share with me. Lord Jesus, remind me this weekend. Remind me as the days move towards Easter that You came to destroy the Destruction of sin. Remind me that when I surrender myself to You, I don’t have to forget about my sin, it’s paid for by Your blood. Don’t let me forget my sin, Oh Christ, let me remember 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

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Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Calling Day 11 The Lens Of Truth

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 5:6-14
Psalm 36:5-12
John 12:44-50
1 Peter 1:13-25
Revelation 6:12-17

Calling, Day 11

A dear friend gave my daughter a delightful pair of purple sunglasses a few weeks ago. She is absolutely smitten with them. Plastic jewels and gems adorn the frames, and they are larger than her last pair, so they fit her better. The tint of the lenses is rather dark, but she feels like such a big girl when she’s wearing them, she’ll insist she can see just fine, thank you very much.

It’s no rare occasion to find her twirling in the sunlight streaming through my front window, wearing those purple, sparkly sunglasses. There’s a shift in her gait when she puts them on; it’s obvious she just feels different.

Take a breath, Christian. We’re going deeper, fast.

Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians about light versus darkness is an object lesson about delivering truth in love, to say the least. (Ephesians 5:6-14) He didn’t mince words about the dangers to followers of Christ who live in the world. If anything, he underscored the arduous reality of a life surrendered to Christ. He spoke the unpopular truth that those who are disobedient to God will face His wrath. He called out the Ephesians and warned them against even partnering with those who do not obey God. Furthermore, Paul exhorted the church in Ephesus to not only remove themselves from any association with those who do not obey God, but to actually expose their deeds of darkness.

Are you squirming? I am. Talk about high challenge. Not only were the believers at Ephesus not to associate with those who do not follow God, but they were to actually expose the dark deeds of those who were enemies of the Lord.

“Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. Therefore, do not become their partners.” (Ephesians 5:6-7)

Paul’s words were concise and deliberate. They slice through potential internal or external argument, explanation, and even current cultural caution with razor-sharp, Spirit-led acumen. His challenge left no question about the gravity of their, and our, calling.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth – testing what is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:8-11)

His words were filled with truth, but do you recognize what they aren’t filled with? Accusation, or condemnation. No, these words were delivered in love. Make no mistake; there is a high challenge here, but there is equipping and invitation here, too. Paul extended a hand to the believers at Ephesus when he called them out of popular culture and up into Kingdom culture as he reminded them Whose they were.

He’s inviting us, too.

Christian, does any part of Paul’s challenge indicate we have a call on our lives to blend in with the rest of the world, or to value what is valued by those who do not follow our Father? Further, what do you think might be one of the most effective ways the enemy intends to quiet the hands and feet and voice of Jesus on earth today? 

Might it be to keep them so occupied with the day to day things,
and the big, overwhelming cultural things,
and the general state of the world things,
and their very feelings, that they forget they are merely temporary citizens here?

Exhale.

It’s time for each of us to be honest with the God we serve.

Is it possible we have been looking at the world, and our lives, through a darkened worldly perspective? We have been going through the motions of a Christian walk, but is it merely an accompaniment to our worldly life?

Beloved, what drives you?
Are you ruled by your feelings, or by your Father?
Are you more vested in the things the world holds dear, or the things of your Father’s Kingdom?

Hard questions. Typing them wrecks me, too. But we have to ask them. Daily. And more importantly, we have to answer them.

Because this is what Paul’s words mean. 

We are called to be children of light. Just like my daughter needed to take off her sunglasses to see clearly, we are called to remove every darkened lens which affects our judgement. To test all beliefs with the discernment He gives. To speak the truth, and illuminate the dark deeds of the enemy, and to point always to our Father. We are called to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation. A peculiar, set-apart people. (1 Peter 2:9) This world is not our home. We reside here, for a time, as God has ordained, but this life is but a breath.
Paul’s words are true, and they are for us today. 

There is a God in heaven, and in us, if we have given our lives to Him. He will fulfill all He has said He will fulfill, and He has called us to carry His Kingdom throughout all the earth.

Christian, take off your shades and walk in the light!

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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 Calling 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 Calling!

Calling Day 6 For This Reason

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 3:1-21
Ephesians 2:1-22
1 Peter 3:13-22

Calling, Day 6

For this reason.
These are the first three words in Ephesians 3.

Lean in, sisters. Paul is about to explain the motivation driving his life of incredibly challenging, incredibly impactful kingdom work.

What propelled him to get up after each beating?
What kept him going after shipwrecks?
What urged him to declare the Gospel with the same vigor he once used to attack the church?

For this reason.

Paul knew his why. And that made all the difference.

We discover Paul’s why by reading Ephesians 2. Read it aloud as if you were having a conversation with Paul, keeping in mind the passion saturating his words; this would not be a dull, emotionless speech!

Dear sisters, we share in Paul’s why:

We, too, were dead in our sins until God made us alive with Christ through grace, by faith.

We, too, were once far away from God, but have been lovingly brought near through Christ, who is our peace. (Ephesians 2:13-14) Upon His foundation, we too, together with all believers, are being built into God’s holy temple. (Ephesians 2:19-21)

For this reason, we, like Paul, can experience a similar desire to bow before the Lord, to humble ourselves at the awareness of all Christ has done for us. In this moment, overwhelmed with revelation of the mysterious love of our Father (Ephesians 3:1-7), the busyness and strife of the world around us fade away. The incessant cries for “Now and Must Do!” are wonderfully replaced with an eternal, holy urgency. This life shall pass away and we are assured we will spend eternity with Christ.
For this reason, we live with holy abandon!

But what about our co-workers, our neighbors, or the barista at our favorite coffee shop?

How can we share the good news,
the call from death to life,
and the Father’s heart longing to draw them near?

Are we willing to sacrifice our own comfort, or finances, or status
to invite the lost of our dying world into peace with God?

Paul told the church in Ephesus to not be discouraged over his afflictions on their behalf; he understood how his suffering would further God’s mission of sharing Jesus with the Gentiles.

Sharing the gospel will not be without sacrifice. It may be in the form of intense persecution, as Christians in some countries are currently experiencing. It may look like someone’s laughter after hearing the gospel. It could be a harsh “no” when asked to talk about Jesus. It might even just be the inconvenience of obedience when the Lord nudges us to hold the door for someone several steps behind us.

Regardless of what each day may bring, I desire to live with Paul’s boldness in pursuit of Christ and sharing Him with those around me. I want to trust so deeply in the Lord that even my levels of joy and peace in Him declare His goodness.

For this reason, I echo Paul’s prayer in verses 14-21, with an intense expectancy for the Lord to respond.
Will you join me, sisters?

Oh Lord, teach us to share the gift of the gospel with those around us. Strengthen us with power in our hearts through Your Spirit. Dwell within us and teach us how to love those around us. Help us comprehend Your love, which surpasses simple knowledge. 

Lord, You truly are able to do beyond what we can ask or imagine. May we live our lives for You and Your glory. Solidify our “why” within us and help us invite others to meet you wherever we go. 

Amen. 

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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 Calling 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 Calling!

Open Day 7 The Unconventional Open: 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 The Unconventional Open!

The Questions

1) Can my faith in Christ save someone else?

2) If it’s 100% true that we must each believe in order to be saved, why did Mark record that Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic’s friends and then said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”? (Mark 2:6)

3) Why did Jesus forgive the man’s sins first instead of healing his body?

Mark 2:1-12

When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. 3 They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: 7 “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?  Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic— 11 “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

12 Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Original Intent

1) Can my faith in Christ save someone else?
The mysteries we find within Scripture, that themselves whisper of the vast mysteries bound up in the heart of God, are many. But they are recorded on purpose for us to read and study and pray over. How prayer works, and how a believer’s faith impacts another person, whether lost or saint, is one of those mysteries. We can delve into the subject and consider it from all angles until we wear ourselves out thinking it through, but at its end, we can put it to rest knowing that our mighty God is completely sovereign and utterly beyond our ability to fully understand or comprehend. There is no box we can fathom that is able to contain God. Because Scripture is wholly true, it will never contradict itself. Where a verse seems to go against other Scriptures, it simply means we have a surface understanding of that passage and need to study and pray more thoroughly. Studying the Bible and rightly applying it does not mean simply reading it and taking what we want to hear from it! A strong, steady truth repeated often from Old Testament to New is that our faith is our own. No one can save us on our behalf. We must each make the choice whether to surrender ourselves to Christ or keep trusting ourselves to save us from our sin. Either we believe, and take God at His word, or we don’t. But that belief is individualistic, every single time. (Romans 3:22, Romans 10:9-10, Genesis 15:6)

2) If it’s 100% true that we must each believe in order to be saved, why did Mark record that Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic’s friends and then said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”? (Mark 2:6)
I believe the answer is two-fold. First, God designed believers to live together in community, to love and act and move as one Body, with great unity. All throughout Scripture, we are commanded, not simply invited, to pray for one another, carrying each other’s everyday burdens (Galatians 6:2) as well as praying for opportunities for the Kingdom of God to advance and His gospel to be made known.  (Colossians 4:3) Prayer is an integral part of following Jesus in everyday life. He calls us to pray on behalf of those who have already believed in Him and those who have yet to trust Him at His Word. What these four men did by physically bringing their friend to Jesus’ house is a perfect picture of what every believer does when they pray for another. As we pray, we are carrying these people into the presence of God, directly into His throne room of grace and mercy where He hears and listens! (Hebrews 4:16) We do have influence on other’s engagement in the presence of God through our own faith, whether that person is a Christian or not. Second, Jesus did indeed see the faith of the four friends and so chose to call out this man and bring forgiveness to Him and eventually healing of His body. However, simply because Mark records Jesus’ noting the faith of the four, does not at all preclude that Jesus also saw the faith of the paralytic in his heart. A few verses later, Jesus makes it clear He has authority and power to know precisely what is in our hearts, whether good or evil. Naturally, Jesus saw the heart of the paralytic as well, and knew he was ready to accept Christ as His forgiver of sin and healing of His soul.  When it comes to matters of salvation, we must keep two things forefront. 1) Salvation is accessed through faith alone by grace alone and 2) God is sovereign, meaning we are not privy to all the inner workings of who is genuinely saved and who isn’t. That is for God to know and work out, not us.

3) Why did Jesus forgive the man’s sins first instead of healing his body?
First, the man’s most primary necessary healing, like each of us, was his soul. The mortal wound of his soul, caused by sin, was damning this man to an eternity separated from God. The paralytic’s restoration to God through Jesus was the most pressing healing. Second, Jesus did heal the man’s body, but for an incredibly focused purpose: glory to God and growth for the Kingdom. God does not heal for the sole happiness and health of the one being healed; His main purpose is always to draw others into Himself and we are drawn to Him by His revelation of glory.  The paralytic, though physically healed, one day died and his healed body ceased working. However, that same man, is right at this moment, dancing free in the very presence of the God whose glory was revealed on that day when his sins were forgiven! The temporary physical healing was a profound platform by which to demonstrate the pressing eminence of the eternal!

Everyday Application

1) Can my faith in Christ save someone else?
No, I cannot save anyone, no matter how much faith I have or how much it grieves me to watch them turn away from the Lord again and again. And neither can you. Paul grieved like this over his fellow Jews who, though they knew and studied every pen stroke of the Old Testament law and prophets, they missed the whole point of Jesus’ death and resurrection as the fulfillment of those very law and prophets. Paul wrote, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers…” (Romans 9:3) As much as we grieve for lost, our faith cannot save them. They must make that choice for themselves just as we had to.

2) If it’s 100% true that we must each believe in order to be saved, why did Mark record that Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic’s friends and then said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”? (Mark 2:6)
While we clearly cannot give someone else salvation, no matter how much we love them, we can and must have influence in their spiritual lives by faithfully praying for them. We are called to bring others before God’s throne, asking Him to reveal His glory to them that they too might “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.” (Romans 10:13) I hope you’re as convicted to read this as I am to write it, Sisters. Let’s be faithful Christ-followers and steadfastly bring our friends before the Lord just as these four men did for their paralyzed friend! Begin making a list of those in your sphere of influence, or even those on your street, who don’t know Jesus. Begin praying for them by name for their salvation! Ask for doors to be opened for you to share your own faith journey and what Jesus has meant to you. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you opportunities to invite these people you know and love to church, or even just over for a meal as you faithfully invest in their faith journey.

3) Why did Jesus forgive the man’s sins first instead of healing his body?
We can look around our world, our churches, and even our families and our hearts break with the heavy physical suffering being experienced by all of us on varying levels. Children sick with cancer, babies who never breath outside the womb, wives who bury husbands, parents who bury children, spouses who live with abuse, aunt and uncles who watch nieces and nephews ruin their lives, and grandparents who find themselves starting over as they parent their grandchildren. The ache is grievous, the load is heavy, and oh how our hearts break in agony wishing we could remove the pain, the wound, and the hurt. But we cannot. And so, we beg the God of all to do it for us. And often times, He does! But sometimes, though He certainly could, He does not. I’ll be straight up with you, we just cannot know all the reasons behind all of our whys and why nots on earth, but we can know for absolute certainty, that when the Lord God heals, and even when He doesn’t, there is a purpose. A good purpose. A purpose that He, and He alone, will use to expand the kingdom and grow our faith if we will allow Him. What we see is temporary. What is coming is eternal. What we live out today is just a vapor. What we invest in with faith will last forever. Pray, Sisters. Pray for the Lord to bring physical healing and make His Name great in the process, but please pray that far beyond the physical, that our hearts will lean into His good Father heart, and we will remember that His eternal healing is indeed coming!

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

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 Open Week Two!
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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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Ignite Day 3 The Flame

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 28:16-20
Acts 2:42-47
Luke 14:25-34

Ignite, Day 3

Enter Ignatius and Polycarp. Or, as I affectionately call them, “Poly & Iggy.”

Where did we start?
Here is The Wick preceding The Flame!

And before that?
Yes, that would be our friend Paul, or Saul… You’ll have to step into his story with us on Sketched V!

What happened before Paul?
Oh yes, those were the Seeds scattered by the growing church right after Jesus ascended and the Holy Spirit descended. Don’t miss that!

But that brings me back to my friends, and fellow igniters for the Gospel, Polycarp and Ignatius… theirs is a story to tell!

Ignatius
Ignatius lived in what I have to imagine must have been one of the most exciting times in church history. He was born in 35 A.D., most likely just after Jesus died and was resurrected. He grew up in those early years, and was considered one of the first-generation believers. Ignatius became the church father of Antioch during his time, and was more commonly referred to as the bishop. (Yes, the same Antioch at which the Holy Spirit filled the Upper Room of believers – and the city in which followers of Jesus “Christus” were first dubbed “Christians.”)

Ignatius is most famously known as one of the church’s earliest martyrs, but he was also one of the first-generation disciples. Although he was likely not born until just after Jesus ascended, as a young man in Ephesus, Ignatius was personally discipled by the apostle John.

I have to stop right here for a moment. Can you even imagine being “personally discipled” by one of Jesus’ own disciples who physically walked with Him? Who prayed with Him? Who saw Him turn water to wine and call Lazarus to life? Who saw His resurrected body and witnessed His ascension?

Wow. Chills.

Ignatius lived to the age of 72, and by all accounts, he was exceptionally full of fire and boldness. (I mean, the man pouring into him was poured into by Jesus Himself, in the flesh. How could you NOT be?) Ignatius was the first to speak about the virgin birth of Jesus outside of the New Testament, and he is also credited for the earliest recorded use of the phrase “catholic church,” with regard to the universal church. His heart echoed Christ’s regarding unity, and he openly denounced division as “the beginning of evil.” Throughout his years, Ignatius wrote many letters to the church at various locations, the majority of which addressed the threat of false teachers who asserted that Christ did not actually appear in the flesh.

In a nutshell, history shows Ignatius as a man fixed on truth. Ignatius knew truth, applied it, lived it, and spoke it. He lived and died with single-minded purpose, refusing to stop until the very end.

Ignatius was arrested, most likely on charges of “atheism,” and escorted from Antioch to Rome under guard of ten soldiers. At every stop along the way, he was able to meet with leaders of the local church there, and he wrote seven letters to them with the help of a secretary. To the church at Smyrna (led by the bishop Polycarp), he wrote “Follow, all of you, the bishop, as Jesus Christ followed the father.”

The exact details of his death are unknown, but the heartbeat of his life can be felt in his words:

“Now I begin to be a disciple… Let fire and cross, flocks of beasts, broken bones, dismemberment…come upon me, so long as I attain to Jesus Christ.”
– Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch

Polycarp
Polycarp was born in 69 A.D., and was appointed as bishop of the church at Smyrna by the apostles, yes, the original apostles you read of in your Bible! He was actually a friend and disciple of Ignatius, as well as a disciple of the Apostle John. When Ignatius, under guard, was en route to his execution and writing letters to several church bodies, Polycarp’s church was a recipient of one such letter.

As one of the first second-generation disciples, Polycarp was alive when the church was growing rapidly. He became a follower of “Christus” as a child, and his faith and boldness were apparent in many documented instances. He was adamant that the truth and message of Christ would not be distorted, and he didn’t flinch when confronting early Gnostics and heretics. In fact, Polycarp is credited with converting many Gnostics to Christianity. Though he held little formal education, his one writing to the church at Philippi conveys he was both humble and direct.

Polycarp’s death is the first recorded martyrdom in post New Testament church history. At the age of 86, he was arrested on charges unknown. After a surprisingly witty banter with the proconsul, Statius Quadratus, he was burned at the stake.

His response when the soldiers grabbed him to nail him to the stake leaves little question about the strength of his faith. “Leave me as I am. For he who grants me to endure the fire will enable me also to remain on the pyre unmoved, without the security you desire from nails.”

Not unlike the fire that burned so many martyrs of the early church, the flame of faith continued to burn brighter.

These early fathers were on fire for Jesus, delivering the message of Christ readily and often. Their whole-heart, whole-life, bold faith inspired those around them to be bold in turn, and the church ignited.

I’m not going to lie to you. Studying the lives and deaths of these men was not easy. Their willingness to go and grow, and die for what they believed in forced me to take a hard look at my own faith and how I walk it out. There was guilt. There were tears.

And then, there was hope.

Their devotion was unmatched. Their fervor inspired. These men lived their whole lives for Jesus and His message, and after a lifetime of devotion, they gave the ultimate sacrifice to be with their Jesus.

What would this place look like if we lived our days and nights with that kind of fervor?

What would it look like if we set aside our cultural comforts and embraced “Christus” and His message the way they did?

What would it look like if we denounced our social media-centric lives, and chose to cultivate actual Biblical community instead?

What would it look like if we cut through the distractions of this age and actually began to crave time with the One Who makes our heart beat?

Would our youth grow and return and thrive in the Church? And would they bring others with them, because the Church wouldn’t be a building at all, but a family?
Would our denominational division start to look less like walls and more like bridges?
Would we work together to fix the mess we’ve helped to create, in love?

And would the flame begin to grow like it once did, because WE would carry it boldly?
Love, would we start to catch fire again?

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Seeds Day 2 Unstoppable Overflow: 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 Unstoppable Overflow!

The Questions

1) If all believers have the Holy Spirit, why doesn’t everyone speak in different tongues? (verse 4)

2) Why did “some sneer and say, ‘they’re drunk on new wine’”? (verse 13)

3) What common result occurs when believers are obedient to the Holy Spirit?

Acts 2:1-16

When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place.2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. 6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” 12 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”

14 Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them: “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let me explain this to you and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning. 16 On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

Original Intent

1) If all believers have the Holy Spirit, why doesn’t everyone speak in different tongues? (verse 4)
First, it’s important to note and define what “languages” mean in the original context. Verse 6 and following point out that each one in the crowd were hearing the message of the gospel in “their own language”. The languages here are not “secret prayer languages” as Paul speaks of in Corinthians, rather they are the languages of the time and culture (Parthians, Medes, Elamites, etc as noted in verses 9-11). Also, note that as the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples, represented by the visual of flaming tongues, the Flame “separated and rested on each of them”. The Lord God is a diverse God and the Holy Spirit reflects that character. There is no evidence in the remainder of Scripture that the disciples were always able to speak in countless different languages, but Scripture does not specifically say they didn’t either. The point is not the gift and ability the disciples had at this time, the focus is on the power of the Spirit who enabled them to do what they previously were completely incapable of doing. This is precisely what the Spirit does!

2) Why did “some sneer and say, ‘they’re drunk on new wine’”? (verse 13)
An absolutely incredible miracle, never before witnessed, was occurring right before their eyes, yet some in the crowd of eyewitnesses outright rejected it by mocking the miracle and its validity. These mockers “wrote off” what God was doing by publicly defaming the disciples saying they were “drunk on new wine”, making it seem like the whole miracle was a mass of confusion instigated by a group of drunkards. In reality, the Spirit of the Living God was being poured out for the purpose of calling sinners, all humanity, even these mockers, into the fullness of life offered through the forgiveness and redemption of Christ.

3) What common result occurs when believers are obedient to the Holy Spirit?
In this passage we see several specific results from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit enabled the disciples to do what was previously impossible (verse 4) and what isn’t stated, is the obvious, the disciples obeyed. The Spirit does not force any believer to do anything, but each of the disciples moved and followed through on what the Spirit was leading them to do.
The people were astounded and amazed (verse 7). God’s work will always be incredible, it is our choice to either recognize His moving or discount it as a “weird phenomenon” or “coincidence.” Ask the Spirit to give you eyes to see where He is actively working!
Where God’s Spirit moves people are drawn in to Him. Sometimes this shows up as questions, seeking to know Him more. Sometimes it results in saving faith or a deeper faith, but always there is fruit. As believers, we should take great encouragement from this! Whenever we step out in obedience, the Lord will work!
Notice that the disciples were not doing anything special for the Spirit to fill them and use them. They were simply waiting, praying, and ready. May we assume those same postures as we move through each moment of our day, waiting expectantly for God to move, praying in sweet connection with Him, and ready to be obedient, even if it looks different than we expect.

Everyday Application

1) If all believers have the Holy Spirit, why doesn’t everyone speak in different tongues? (verse 4)
Sometimes when reading Scripture, we become so focused on the details we lose sight of the big picture being painted. We then try to make direct application to our lives centuries later based on details recorded in a different time and culture and directed towards a different audience. If we aren’t careful, we can do precisely that in this passage and throughout the book of Acts. Much of Acts is descriptive rather than prescriptive, meaning it tells the story of the work of the Holy Spirit in very specific ways to point to the awesome power being unleashed through Christ-followers who submit the Spirit’s leading. When reading Scripture, it’s important to ask good questions in order to arrive at good application. Some questions to ask are: What does this say about God? What does this say about people? How should I respond?
Here in Acts, we see the Holy Spirit as the one who moves, acts, and enables believers to bring about God’s glory in various ways dependent on circumstance, our willingness to be obedient, and God’s sovereign will. This description is still accurate today! While not all believers walk around speaking in numerous languages, there are hundreds of modern day accounts where missionaries have been able to speak a foreign language for the purpose of communicating the gospel, even though they did not know the language. The power of the Holy Spirit is not limited to only a set number of evidences!

2) Why did “some sneer and say, ‘they’re drunk on new wine’”? (verse 13)
When we step back to look at this scene, it seems ridiculous! How could these in the crowd that day have missed out on all God was doing, the power He was obviously displaying as He broke down language barriers by His Spirit, and the redemption He was offering to all? But they did miss out; completely, at the expense of their own eternity. We don’t know if they ever realized the truth of total forgiveness Jesus was offering, but we can take a few applications from this encounter.
First, it’s one thing to explore the claims of Christ and genuinely question the validity of His claim to be God and Savior. It’s another thing entirely to outright mock Him when given the plain opportunity to accept His gift of life and witness the demonstration of His power. The latter is nothing to play around with. Each of us are like vanishing mists, never knowing when our final breath will be; by then it will be too late to ask Jesus to rescue our souls.
Second, Paul makes it clear in his letter to the Corinthians that, though this mocking response seems outlandish, it is expected. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Again in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he writes, “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” This opposition and mockery of truth is expected, but it is also a reminder for believers to constantly be praying as Paul did for the “eyes of your hearts to be opened that you may know the hope to which He has called you.” (Ephesians 1:18)

3) What common result occurs when believers are obedient to the Holy Spirit?
Remember that in Scripture passages that are descriptive, we can look for key aspects of the big picture scene described to root us in truth for everyday living and application. Just because we have the Holy Spirit within us doesn’t mean we will constantly have the opportunity to preach a sermon like Peter did and have outstanding results of 3,000 people rescued from sin. (Acts 2:41) What we can rely on is that the Spirit will give us opportunity to share the gospel. It’s our job to be prayerful until the Lord gives that platform. We can also trust that when God provides the opportunity to share, results will occur. Those results are often unseen as we obediently sow the seed of the gospel with every opportunity we are given. Some seed will indeed fall on hard soil, like the mockers in the crowd, but even in that, the Lord is working, even if it is the work of growing our own obedience and trust in Him. It is never our job to ascertain results, only to be “ready to share the reason for the hope within us with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Seeds Week One!
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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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Gospel Day 1 For God

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 1:1-3
Psalm 19:1-6
Psalm 139:1-16
Acts 17:24-28
Hebrews 1:1-3

Gospel, Day 1

One of the first lessons I learned when I began writing is that the first line matters.

It should invite the reader in to the story or the topic, it should introduce something important that sets the scene for what is to come and, most crucially, it should grab the reader’s attention so they want to continue reading.

The opening sentence of the Bible provides an example of an excellent first line:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

This intriguing statement raises several questions, encouraging us to keep reading:
Who is this God?
How did He create the heavens and the earth?
Why did He create them?
If God created everything, and I am part of His creation,
what implications does that have for my life?

Most importantly, it teaches us a key truth: everything started with God.

In the same way, John 3:16, the key verse for this entire Journey Theme over the next three weeks, and probably the most well-known verse in the Bible, presents a succinct summary of the Gospel message, and it begins with the words, “For God…”

In both verses, God is the subject of the sentence. He is the focus; He is the one taking action. Whereas we, the heavens and earth that He created and the world He so loved, are the object of the sentence. We are not the ones taking action, but we are the ones affected by the action.

Both creation and the Gospel begin with God.

The Bible makes no attempt to prove the existence of God.
It simply presents Him as the eternal, sovereign Creator who was there before everything else began:
“Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from eternity to eternity,
you are God.”
(Psalm 90:2)

At the same time, Scripture presents Him not as a hidden God, but as a God who has made Himself known. One way He reveals Himself is through creation; the world around us proclaims God’s glory and craftsmanship! (Psalm 19:1-6)

I don’t know about you, but every time I see the power of waves crashing on the shore, or I look up on a dark night to see the vastness of the starry sky, or I marvel at the intricacy and variety of creatures and flowers I see on a country walk, it points me beyond myself to the One who created it all.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews mentions God’s revelation through the prophets, and ultimately through His Son, Jesus, the living Word. He speaks in all these ways because, as Paul points out to his listeners in Athens, God wants us to know Him.

He did not simply set the world in motion and leave it to run; He continues to be actively involved, sustaining and ruling, and His purpose in this is that we might know Him:
“He did this so that they might seek God,
and perhaps they might reach out and find him,
though he is not far from each one of us.”
(Acts 17:27)

Psalm 139 speaks of the closeness of God.
He knows us intimately, He cares about even the smallest details of our lives,
and we can never escape from Him no matter how far we run.

He is a God who is powerful and sovereign, supreme over all things, but also a God who sees and cares for each individual. He is present, active, and interested in our lives, a God who took the initiative to send his Son for our salvation.

So, what difference does this make to how we live?

For me, it puts life into perspective, reminding me God is in charge and I am not.
It reminds me He is the Creator and Saviour, and salvation is a result of His actions in sending Jesus to die, not a result of my actions in measuring up to a certain standard.  It is not all down to me.  I am not in charge of fixing the world, or situations around me, or even myself.

The reality of God’s eternal authorship and authority also reassures me I can trust Him because He sees and He cares. No concern is too trivial to bring before Him and nothing is beyond the scope of His interest or sovereignty.

In a world that often encourages us to seek happiness in self-fulfilment,
the truth of the Gospel points us to something greater.
We are not the stars of the show.
This story is not about us at all.
Rather, it is God’s story, which He invites us to participate in by His grace.

He is the author.
The first line and the last line, and every word in between, belong to Him.
For God….

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Sketched V Day 6 Paul, The Student

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Galatians 1:11-2:21
1 Thessalonians 2:2-9
1 Timothy 3:1-10
Romans 12:1-2

Sketched V, Day 6

“For I would have you know, brothers,
that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.” Galatians 1:11
Brothers, my Galatian brothers in Jesus. I wish you could feel how deeply those ink marks are etched into my heart. You see them on papyrus, but the truth of them will burn forever inside my soul, engraved by that glorious light that once blinded my physical eyes, that I might see with spiritual eyes. The True Gospel is not, cannot be, from man at all.

“For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it,
but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”  Galatians 1:12
Just as Peter and James received the truth of Jesus by His personal, fleshly revelation, so did I receive Him. He appeared to me just as He did to them. The mystery of why He chose me is too unfathomable, especially considering my past….

You’ve heard of my past, haven’t you? My former life as I wrapped myself up in Judaism?
You know how I heavily persecuted the Church and all followers of Jesus,
violently working to utterly destroy it. Galatians 1:13-14
I knew Judaism inside and out. I could recite all 600 traditional laws, along with all the Torah laws. I spent my life in this pursuit of knowledge, working it out in everyday life so I could earn my status before God. No one could spot a blemish better or faster than me, for I was a zealous student of the law. It made me who I had become. And I was a loathsome man, Brothers!

But Grace, oh but grace! Given by the One who had set me apart before I was born. He who called me and revealed His Son to me, that I might preach Him among the very ones I’d been persecuting. Galatians 1:15-16
No one would have dreamed it possible I could become a follower of the Way, but Jesus took this worm of a man, the greatest sinner with a black, sin-filled heart, and He remade me. Even so, my fellow brothers and sisters, my legalistic mind needed re-training.
I had always given myself entirely over to being a student; now the role of learner was even more critical.

And so, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years….  Galatians 1:16-17
The mission Jesus gave me ignited my passion in ways that made my former zeal for persecuting followers look bland, tasteless, and empty. Passion grew inside me with every passing day, but the hand of the Lord was pressing down upon me to wait.
Three years, brothers, three years I waited!
Have you ever known you were called to much, but were held back waiting?

Have you felt that fiery agony?
Have you wondered what would come next? Here I was held: waiting.
I left Jerusalem and all the apostles after my conversion because I knew my mind must be renewed. I had much to learn about grace.
I re-read the Torah with brand new eyes, and as I poured over it, preaching and making connections with other believers along the way, the Word came alive!
It became ceaselessly precious and gloriously new with every word.
No, the gospel is not from man, it’s much too powerful!
Yes, the God of my Fathers was redeeming all things while I waited.
Yes, the stirring in my soul was gaining momentum as I submitted to the role of student once again.
The lessons I learned in Arabia will forever be the most precious to me because I was a student of the Lord God Himself, learning His ways and hearing His heart which went far deeper than 600 pitiful laws that could never hope to describe His glory, grace, and love.

… I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.  They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”  And they glorified God because of me.
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.  Galatians 1:18-2:21
I moved from Arabia, awakened to life by an intimate closeness with Christ.
For the first time as a redeemed man, I met Peter, or Cephas, my brother in Jesus and fellow apostle. The fifteen days with him was like an outpouring of the Spirit’s fire!

I felt Peter’s passion as he re-told stories of his time with Jesus. He shared of his own, priceless journey with the Master as he had grown from fisher on the sea to fisher in the world. The more we shared our experiences, the stronger the Spirit burned within us, binding us together in united passion for our Lord and fierce love for the lost and Christ’s Church. Just as time spent with the Lord in the Scriptures had been precious, I was experiencing the beginnings of what it meant to be in community with other brothers and sisters just like yourselves, Galatians! Student, I was still.

Living in community and studying the Scripture together renewed me, challenged me, and took me deeper in my walk with the Savior. This passion for both of these sent me into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, connecting with other followers, studying His Word together, and building genuine community. This was the heart of Christ’s Church!

I had no idea of the extent persecution would become my life, but for now, in the waiting, the Lord was teaching me of His good heart, His redeeming grace, and His boundless love for the church, His Bride.

Fourteen years later, after falling in love in ever-deepening ways with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit through community and Scripture study, I was ready to fully embrace the deep mission God had called me to on that long ago, yet ever fresh, day as I traveled to Damascus. I penned my first letter to the Thessalonians and now I’m writing to you, my Galatian brethren.

If you learn nothing else from me, hear this:
The gospel is much too powerful to be from man, and if you allow Him, the Lord Himself will teach, train, woo, and redeem you, even while you wait, if you give yourself over to community and Scripture study.

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

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

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

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Glimmers Day 14 Hope For Life (because of death)

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 15:9-17
Matthew 27:27-56
1 Corinthians 13
Luke 6:27-35

Glimmers, Day 14

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

In a country where poverty and homelessness is prevalent and visible.
Most of the homeless people in the Bahamas are men, but sometimes they are mothers with babies, asking for money. The five dollars in my wallet could be the way of provision for a family’s dinner.
Yet, I find myself rolling up my windows while I am at a stop.
Avoiding eye contact with the person knocking on my car window.
I justify it with thoughts on their choices leading them here or concern for my safety.

Love each other like Christ loved us.
How?

Unlike myself, where I am caught between loving myself and loving another, the Godhead was never at a loss for how to love.
He demonstrated it plainly.
He loved clearly.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Christ Died – Surrendering His all, giving up everything, holding nothing back and coming towards us in radical love.
For Us  – Not for unknown strangers, but for His beloved ones, those crafted in His image. He cane for you and me.
While – Progressive, continuous, perpetual.
We Were Still Sinners – Us, the beloved of God, perpetually stuck in our own sin, utterly incapable of saving ourselves. In sin, we were eternally separated from the God who crafted us for relationship with Himself.

We deserved death, yet He took our place and bore our sins upon Himself. (1 Peter 2:24)
We hated Him, while He loved us.

He became our sin offering, taking our rightful punishment upon Himself as only the perfect God-man could do. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

He was separated from His Father, in our rightful place, that we might never again experience separation because of sin if we ask Him to forever save us.

And then, after enduring a great amount of physical pain, He intentionally, with full control, gave His spirit into the hands of the Almighty, Righteous, God and Judge.
Wiping our slates clean, He allowed us access to God as a result of His sacrifice,
all while we still hated Him, dead set against Him,
because we loved our Sin more than the Savior.

And there is the glimmer of hope.
Us, in our inky, black sin, impossibly, eternally removed from the glorious goodness of a God of love.
But Hope.
But God.

Watching the movie, The Passion of Christ, painted images in my mind for what Jesus’ suffering would have entailed as a human being, with flesh and blood.

I watched as Jesus was scourged with the cat o’ nine tails.
I watched as they mocked Him and spit on Him.
I watched as they push the crown of thorns onto his head.
I watched as they ridiculed His great name.
I watched as they dislocated His shoulders to drive the nails through His hands.
I watched as they raised the cross and lowered it into the ground.
I watched as they pierced His side, to declare Him dead.
I watched the blood run out of His body.

And I cried I witnessed the most beautiful acts of love I’d ever seen.

But Jesus’ crucifixion wasn’t only about His humanity,
it was about His equality with God the Father.
Christ’s death was about relationship.

I watched as He asked the Father to forgive those torturing Him, including me.
I watched as He accepted the thief into the kingdom as a beloved son.
I watched as He took care of His mom, naming John, as her son, protector, and provider.

I watched as He held the world’s sin, crying out to His Father with a heart-wrenching pain that went far, far beyond any physical wound, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?!” Forsaken because of sin. My sin. Your sin.

I saw a love so amazing, it was beyond comprehension or description.

Jesus willingly took on the punishment of death
for crimes He did not commit,
for people that did not love Him,
including me. (Isaiah 53:5)

Love each other like Christ loved us.
How?

If we’re honest, we often fail to love others like Christ loved us.
We forget that others are just as sinful as us.
We love conditionally, looking for what we can gain.
We respond as if Jesus did not die for others, calling them beloved, just as He calls us.
We are judgmental and hurtful to people who truly need Jesus’ love, just like us.  

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love,
I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

We can give much.
Serve often.
Start ministries.

But if there is no love, we have nothing.

Christ’s death, and victorious resurrection, give us the ability to love as He did because of the life found through the Spirit of God who dwells within every believer.
The Spirit makes us one with God, while prompting us to extend His love to people around us.

Christ’s death itself was the glimmer of Hope.
Hope for resurrection.
Hope for restoration.
Hope to love a lost world.

The more we learn of this radiant, unconditional love, the deeper our hearts are shifted from death to life through the Holy Spirit. Gradually, His pattern of loving, becomes our own. We learn to love well, because we have been well loved.

May God be glorified and may the nations, and our neighbors, be forever changed because we love like Jesus!
Love well, Sisters.

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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 Glimmers 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 Glimmers!