Groaning Archives - Gracefully Truthful

Waiting Day 15 All Of Creation

October 22, 2021 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:18-39
Daniel 9:20-26
Matthew 28:16-20
2 Peter 3:8-17
Revelation 21:1-8

Waiting is active. I know that’s not how it’s usually portrayed, but it’s an accurate statement, especially in relation to Biblical matters. Throughout time, all creation has been waiting for things – personal redemption/vindication, fulfillment of promises, changes to situations, deliverance, experiencing a significant event and security in their relationship with God. Let’s unpack each of these as we revisit the previous journeys in this Waiting series.

I can remember times when I have longed for vindication, either for myself or a loved one. But my circumstances never come close to what Joseph went through; sold into slavery, accused of rape, thrown into prison, and forgotten by someone he helped.

The beauty of Joseph’s waiting is that he kept clinging to the Lord, doing what was right, even when he could have decided not too. God had given him a vision and he actively waited for it to come true. Like Joseph, as we wait for vindication in God’s timing, we can do right things too.

Promises are easily made but sometimes just as easily broken. David had a promise from the Lord of becoming Israel’s king. (1 Samuel 16:1-13) But then about fifteen years went by. And during that time, the king he served faithfully repeatedly tried to kill him out of jealousy.

But David neither wavered in his trust in the Lord and nor did he just sit around. Instead he killed Goliath, (1 Samuel 17) served as a warrior against Israel’s enemies, calmed King Saul in his courts, (1 Samuel 16:14-23) spared the king’s life twice when he could have taken it (1 Samuel 24, 1 Samuel 26) and served as a refuge and mentor for a group of about 400 distressed, impoverished and discontented men. (1 Samuel 22:1-2). In the end, his waiting was rewarded, as he became king and was known as a man after God’s own heart. (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22) As David did, we can also use a season of waiting for a promise to be fulfilled to allow God to develop the fruit of the Spirit in us so we can impact His kingdom as we wait.

Hosea was lamenting the unfaithfulness of his wife, waiting for his situation to change, just like he was waiting for Israel to heed his message to be faithful to God. Anna and Simeon were waiting to see with their own eyes, the Messiah as their lives drew to a close.

Israel was waiting 400 years for the promised Messiah who would rescue them and bring redemption. They were waiting to know they were truly loved by God and not forgotten. Each of these were waiting and groaning each day, seeing nothing change with their visual eyes. Can you relate?

How does this echo the groaning of creation and the return of Christ? Each season of waiting I’ve mentioned points to Jesus. Everything they were waiting for can be found in Jesus.

Anna and Simeon laid eyes on the Messiah before they died. His earthly ministry was the beginning of the fulfillment of prophecy and promises. (Daniel 9:25-26) Though many did not recognize it, Jesus’ presence on earth was confirmation of God’s unfailing love for His people.

Christ’s finished work on the cross shows how much God thinks His creation is worth – everything. But imagine the disciples groaning for three days because who they thought was their redeemer was dead. And then they realized Jesus had been resurrected. God’s plan and timing was perfect, even though it didn’t line up with their expectations.

The cross and the Resurrection change the spiritual situation and provide personal redemption for all who believe in Christ. That’s worth every moment we’ve spent groaning.

What about the future day of Christ? Throughout Scripture God has laid out His plan. And so creation has waited, seeing hints of it throughout the history of Israel. But we also see the effects of the unfulfilled part of God’s plan in the brokenness of this world; disease, depravity, physical and mental limitations and outright disregard for any real morality and goodness.

When Jesus went back to the Father forty days after His Resurrection, He gave the disciples, who founded what we know as the Church today an assignment. We are to make disciples, teach God’s commands and remind others that God is always with us. (Matthew 28:16-20) In essence, build My church while you wait. Be their hope while you wait for me to return.

But what were they and are we waiting for now? Before Jesus went to the cross, He promised a Helper, the Holy Spirit. He enabled the disciples to begin the work of building the church. (Acts 2) He is who enables us to live out our assignment. And we continue waiting and groaning until a future day when “the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children”. (Romans 8:21)

When will this be? Only God knows. Even Jesus is waiting for God to say “Go get yor bride”. God is waiting for His perfectly selected time to begin the process of creating the new heaven and the new earth. (Isaiah 51:6) Why wait , you may ask. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us God is patiently waiting for “all to come to repentance.”

While we wait for this glorious day, let us groan not with sorrow but with hope. Let’s “make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight.” (2 Peter 3:14)

“Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Amen. Let us wait for it to be so.

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Alive Day 9 The Groaning: Digging Deeper

September 23, 2021 by Mandy Farmer 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 The Groaning!

The Questions

1) What were the sufferings of the present time, and what future glory was Paul referencing? (verse 18)

2) How does the “groaning of creation” point to truth? (verses 19-20, 22)

3) Who are the firstfruits of the Spirit? (verse 23)

Romans 8:18-23

¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. ¹⁹For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to futility–not willingly, but because of him who subjected it–in the hope ²¹that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. ²²For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. ²³Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits–we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

Original Intent

1) What were the sufferings of the present time, and what future glory was Paul referencing? (verse 18)
Persecution of the church began as soon as it was birthed. Immediately in Acts we find the temple police and Sadducees putting apostles in prison (Acts 4) and stoning the Christians, including Stephen. (Acts 7) Some of this was under the leadership of Saul (later Paul). Paul suffered greatly after his salvation. Right from the start, he was blinded and needed to find his way to Ananias for prayer in order to be healed. Some think that poor eyesight was the suffering “thorn” he bore, or perhaps his health issues contributed to his poor eyesight. (Acts 9:15-16, 2 Corinthians 12:1-6) (Blue Letter Bible) He wrote to the Corinthians concerning his many trials throughout his ministry. (2 Corinthians 4:8-12) He was beaten, imprisoned, stoned, shipwrecked, weary, sleepless, poor, hungry and thirsty, cold and naked. Yet, through Christ, he prevailed. (2 Corinthians 11:23-28) (Bible Charts.org) He often shared, however, that these sufferings not only kept him humble, but also cultivated his faith. God used Paul’s sufferings to further God’s Kingdom and spread the Gospel to the Gentiles. These persecutions continued not only for Paul, but for all believers in the first century leading up to all the horrific acts of Nero and many others against Christians. Paul’s letters, which were already circulating by the time of Nero, would become a great source of encouragement to the early Church, reminding them of future glory with Christ. We often think of “future glory” as being “when we all get to heaven” where sorrows and tears are gone. But Paul shared with the Romans of the peace available now as well as the certainty of knowing that God was working through their afflictions to produce His character in them. (Romans 5:1-5)

2) How does the “groaning of creation” point to truth? (verses 19-20, 22)
“The heaven declares the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1) God’s creation is so wonderful that it alone can draw us to God. Just from observing creation, all people can see that God is Truth; we are all without excuse of understanding a Creator exists. “Ever since the creation of the world His eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things He has made.” (Romans 1:20) Yet, creation has been groaning since the Fall of Man. (Genesis 3) The ground was “subjected to futility” (verse 20) because of sin and it began to decay even as our bodies decay; aching to be restored to its original state. Creation waits, just as we wait, to be fully redeemed. Isaiah shares how it once was in the Garden of Eden before sin entered the world, and how it will be again one day, ‘The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together, and a child will lead them.” (Read more in Isaiah 11:6-9!) The Psalmist wrote of the second coming of Jesus as well saying all creation would praise God and truth would be revealed, “Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.” (Psalm 96:11-13, NLT)

3) Who are the firstfruits of the Spirit? (verse 23)
When Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai, God gave instruction for building the tabernacle and how to celebrate the feasts. (Leviticus 23) The feasts were periods on the Jewish calendar to stop and worship the Lord, it was a time to remember what God had done. I found the study of the feasts very exciting as they each pointed to Jesus, even though they were instituted centuries before He was born. The Feast of Firstfruits directly followed Passover, which was a celebration of spring and new crops. Everyone offered up to God the very first of their crops during the Feast of Firstfruits. It was no coincidence that Jesus rose from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits as the ultimate celebration of new life. He was the first to rise from the dead and live forever. (Matthew 28) All who trust Christ for forgiveness and salvation will experience this same resurrection from the dead! “For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming, those who belong to Christ”. (1 Corinthians 15:22-23) (Finding Christ in the Feast of Firstfruits) Something I find interesting is that an earthquake (creation groaning) was the first to celebrate the resurrection. The earth groaned exceedingly during the crucifixion, (Matthew 27:45-54) but creation shook again, this time with anticipation, at His resurrection. (Matthew 28:2)

Everyday Application

1) What were the sufferings of the present time, and what future glory was Paul referencing? (verse 18)
Paul wrote of his sufferable “thorn in the flesh” to the church in Corinth saying, “…so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) We can’t identify exactly what Paul’s thorn was, but this unknown is for our advantage; we can relate his sufferings with our own regardless of their source. Christians from many generations have benefited by his reference to the thorn while applying it to their specific problems. (Dr. Thomas Constable) The thorn of which Paul speaks gives us an understanding of God’s perspective concerning physical infirmities and suffering. (Blue Letter Bible) Personally, I have suffered from chronic pain for over 10 years. At times the pain is excruciating, but I have found complete trust in God despite the intensity. Turning to God in my pain has resulted in a much deeper relationship with the Lord of Lords than I would have had before. At one point, I had the same conversation with God that Paul records. “Please, Lord, take this pain away from me. I have learned my lesson.” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10) But God reminded me that I, like Paul, needed this pain to keep me humble. So, we walk hand in hand, day-by-day as I learn to trust Him more. It’s a wonderful hope of glory! I look forward to the day when He will wipe away every tear from my eyes. (Revelation 21:4) Then I will leap with the lame, see with the blind, hear with the deaf, and shout with the mute! Oh! What a glorious day!

2) How does the “groaning of creation” point to truth? (verses 19-20, 22)
Today, we are seeing the teaching of Jesus on the Mount of Olives fulfilled. He said mankind would become increasingly evil, fighting brother against brother. “There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of labor pains.” (Matthew 24:3-8, emphasis mine) We are certainly seeing those labor pains in our day through earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, mud slides, volcanoes, fires, and other “natural disasters”. We hardly recover from one tragedy before another comes. Earthquakes alone have been increasing over the 120 years they have been recorded. You may remember the deadly earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004. (World Vision) That year there were 1,672 earthquakes around the world. After that, numbers increased steadily through 2011 which topped at 2,481. We have had a slight drop since then, ranging between 1433 and 1808. But still, that is at least 4 earthquakes somewhere in the world every day. (Statista) All that without mentioning other “groanings of creation”! Obviously, the earth groans for the coming inheritance promised in Revelation by the Creator God Himself. The Apostle John wrote down what He saw as the new heaven and earth. (Revelation 1:1-2) Certainly, what we see in John’s book of revelations is only a glimpse of what we will experience in perfected Glory with God such as, clean water, the Tree of Life bearing all kinds of fruit, and the curse removed. Revelation 22:1-3 says, “Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lambdown the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse.

3) Who are the firstfruits of the Spirit? (verse 23)
When we accept Christ as Savior, we become a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) His Holy Spirit works within us to remove our carnal spirit and to become new in Him. The things in our past are now gone! We are now alive in Christ. “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-6) Paul takes it one step further… “so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:7) One day, all who trust Christ for forgiveness of sin and have repented (turned away from) of their sin will rise! We will be raptured into Heaven ever to be with the Lord. This is our very certain future hope! “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) And that time, our adoption in Christ will be finalized and our bodies will be gloriously changed. (1 Corinthians 15:50-58) So, in conclusion, dear sisters, I urge you, just as Paul did the Corinthians, “Be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

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1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
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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
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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.

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Alive Day 8 The Groaning

September 22, 2021 by Rebekah Hargraves Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:18-23
Romans 8:15-17
2 Corinthians 5:16-19
Genesis 3

Alive, Day 8

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly awaits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility–not willingly, but because of him who subjected it–in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we who have the Spirit as the firstfruits–we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:18-23)

As we have been journeying together through Romans 8, we recently read “Adopted” covering verses 15-17, which told us of our adoption as children of God and our inheritance as co-heirs with Christ, both in suffering and glory. In turning our focus to verses 18-23, we unpack what is meant by “sufferings.”

Today’s passage speaks to our innermost groanings experienced on a daily basis as we journey through life in a fallen world. Not only do we groan, but the whole of creation groans right along with us, not one aspect of creation remains unaffected by the fall. All of creation groans for a better life and a more eternal inheritance, because our world was never meant to be broken this way.

This world, according to verse 20, has been “subjected to futility.” The Greek word for futility is “mataiotēs,” and literally means “what is devoid of truth and appropriateness, perverseness, depravity, frailty, want of vigour.” Reverend Matthew Henry, a great author of Bible commentaries, further explained, “There is a present vanity to which the creature, by reason of the sin of man, is made subject. When man sinned, the ground was cursed for man’s sake, and with it all the creatures (especially of this lower world, where our acquaintance lies) became subject to that curse, became mutable and mortal, under the bondage of corruption.”

Never before has the reality of this groaning seemed as clear and tangible for me personally. As I write, I am a mere three weeks into my husband’s first deployment, a separation I know is a direct result of the fall. Were it not for sin, disease, and trial in this life, military deployments would be unnecessary and my kids and I would not be separated from our favorite person for the next several months. We are only three weeks in, but we’ve already experienced our own fair share of groaning.

Because of the fall and our disobedience, we experience a brokenness all around us in this life, a suffering which often feels too much to bear. In those moments, it’s vital to understand such misery is not doled out at the whim of a cruel God, but is the direct result of our sin.
Our sin is a slap in the face of God’s righteousness and His loving care towards us, His creation.
Our sin is not a mere mistake, accident, or “no big deal” we can just explain away.
Rather, it is something we must own, for it keeps us impossibly far from God – were it not for Christ.

The good news in the midst of this hard, sad reality is that Christ has secured for us a sonship, an adoption into the family of God which provides us with a rich inheritance. Just as we have been made alive in the Spirit, so, too, do our bodies anticipate the coming inheritance of life on a new earth.

The most blessed and encouraging part of this inheritance?
It is so rich and grand that it renders the sufferings of the here-and-now
as nothing in comparison!
(Romans 8:23)

Which is saying a lot, considering just how painful our sufferings can be! Yet truly, our suffering is a mere blip on the backdrop of the whole of eternity, a painful blip, yes, but nothing compared to the unimaginable joy that will be ours! (Romans 8:18)

As long as these days of deployment feel, they are nothing compared to the unending years of eternity.

As challenging as solo parenting is for me in this season, it is nothing compared to the unending joy and peace I will enjoy for eternity.

As alone as I sometimes feel right now, it is nothing compared to the unending fellowship I will have with the God of the universe and all His people for eternity.

It is true that life in this fallen world is hard.
But it is also true that hardship doesn’t get the last word.
In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul reveals how God sets about making all things new in our hearts when we come to Him in salvation. And this restorative aspect of God’s character? It will see its final and ultimate manifestation on that glorious day when the world-breaking curse is itself broken. (Revelation 21:1-5)

So, take heart, dear friend, in the midst of whatever hardship these words find you.
We’ll be home – for all eternity! – before we know it if we lay claim to the gift of Life that Jesus holds out to each of us right now!

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If Day 15 End Of Evil

July 30, 2021 by Rebekah Hargraves Leave a Comment

If Day 15 End Of Evil

Rebekah Hargraves

July 30, 2021

Broken,Creation,Fruitfulness,Grace,Holy Spirit,Longing,Love,Mercy,Peace,Perfect,Redemption,Truth

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:22-23
Genesis 3:15-19
Ephesians 2:4-5
Romans 6:17-18
Revelation 21:3-4

It’s been a hard eighteen months, hasn’t it? A pandemic (and accompanying struggles), social unrest, tragic loss of life, a divisive election cycle, personal attacks and online debates, and the list continues. Right about now, I think we can all relate to Paul’s words in Romans 8:22-23,
“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in labor pains until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits– we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”

Something within each of us longs for peace and a perfect world. We long for justice, righteousness, and love to prevail. Whatever our background, personal theology, faith, or lack thereof, this desire reveals the truth of the Bible when it cries that the broken world in which we live – fraught with so much sin and heartache – isn’t the way it was supposed to be. And – praise the Lord! – one day it won’t be like this any longer.

The first two chapters of the Bible are so beautiful. They present a perfect world just as God designed it to operate; a world without sin, heartache, trial, loss, suffering, or sadness of any kind. But by the third chapter, perfection is lost when sin enters the story, and all manner of brokenness quickly ensues. In fact, read one chapter beyond that, and murder takes place!

In Genesis 3:16-19, God lays out the initial consequences faced by men and women as a result of their sin (toil, increased pain in childbirth, etc.). But humankind’s spiritual condition as a result of the fall is far more grave. From the moment of the first sin, throughout all of history, humanity as a whole are “dead in our trespasses” (Ephesians 2:5) and “slaves of sin” (Romans 6:17). We are leading lives we were never meant to live, suffocating in a brokenness for which we were not designed, and so we groan.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis illustrated this truth well when he asserted, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”

We were made for another world, and another world is precisely what is offered to us! All human efforts throughout history to construct utopian societies, to return to the Garden, to reach perfection, tranquility, or peace on our own, have failed.
Imperfect humans simply cannot create perfection.

But God, in His grace and mercy, constructed a plan that has never, and will never, fail. His plan was one He promised way back in the Garden of Eden, when sin first entered the world! Revealing His great love for His people, even in the midst of their sin, He says in Genesis 3:15, “I will put hostility between you [Satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. [Jesus] will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

The entire rest of the Bible unfolds God’s grand plan to restore the world to what He originally intended, an obliteration of sin and a restoration to righteousness in Christ, a destruction of heartache and pain and a return to peace in the Lord.

This plan looked like God sending His Son, Jesus, to be the sacrifice for our sins so we might take on His righteousness as our own and be granted eternal life in Him forever. What glorious news!

Romans 6:17-18 says, “But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over, and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.” This is the promised change we undergo when we “confess with [our] mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in [our] heart[s] that God raised him from the dead.” (Romans 10:9)

Just as the first two chapters of the Bible are beautiful in their perfection and peace, the final two chapters of the Bible are just as beautiful (if not more so!) as we see the promised perfection and peace we anticipate! May you embrace these words from Revelation 21:3-4, and may they bring you hope and peace!

“Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.”

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Groaning

Waiting Day 15 All Of Creation

Read His Words Before Ours!