Holy Spirit

Sketched X Day 5 Injustice Upon Injustice

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 30:15-22
Genesis 37:12-36
Genesis 39:1-20
Acts 8:26-40

Sketched X, Day 5

Joseph
My body racked with pain and it shook violently. Of their own volition, sobs overtook my frame. My legs could not sustain my weight and I crumbled beneath my grief. I gasped for air, my ribs pressed in, and I tasted the metallic hint of blood where my own teeth had crushed my tongue in anguish. The pain was too much. My fists clenched and opened rhythmically as I furiously pounded the hardpacked earth beneath me.

No, I wasn’t being tortured by enemy forces. No whip lashed my back. My head was not bowed by blows to my brow. The agony inside threatened to swallow me whole.

Injustice upon injustice was mine.
“Yahweh!” “Where! “Are!” “You!”
Each word punched the air as I screamed, the stone walls deafly pressing my agony back upon my ears.
Other prisoners banged on their bars to stop my clamor, but I didn’t care. What did it matter? My only hope of escape had flown away, the stones seemed tighter every day, and the memories of old dreams mocked me every time I closed my eyes.

My brothers’ sheaves bowing down to mine, then theirs turned to laugh at me with disdain.
My beautiful coat paraded as a king’s and then covered in goat’s blood.
The stars encircled me and then my embers exploded into oblivion.

Why would you mock and humble me, Yahweh?!
I obeyed you!
I listened to Your voice and believed You when You gave me dreams.
I was faithful to You and didn’t give in to temptation with Potiphar’s wife!
I sought You, not myself, for the answers to other prisoners’ dreams.

AND WHAT HAS MY OBEDIENCE GOTTEN ME?!
Injustice Upon Injustice

Philip
“I don’t understand,” the Ethiopian continued as he turned his eyes from the scroll to meet mine. “Who was despised? Why should we bother if he was rejected?”

Instantly, gruesome images and horrific sounds assaulted my mind’s eye as Isaiah’s centuries-old prophesies had played out right before me days before. The Spirit of Christ living within me had brought me to this Gentile Ethiopian’s chariot because he needed to know the truth. He needed to meet the risen Christ that Isaiah had foretold would come to suffer.

As the scenes in my mind flashed, God’s Spirit inside loosed my tongue and I explained Isaiah’s words.

“His body was wracked with pain as the Roman whip bit into his flesh, tearing skin away and exposing the bones of His spine and ribs. His wrists bled profusely where He was tied to the whipping post. The cries of a man near death hung in the air that morning, haunting all of us. The whip was not enough, of course”, I continued, not even seeing the Ethiopian beside me, for I could only see the scarcely recognizable body of Jesus in my mind.

“Thorns pierced His brow,” I went on, knowing I could do nothing to stop my voice from shaking. “Blood. So much blood, it was everywhere. But even the nails piercing innocent flesh and the wretched pain they brought, were nothing compared to the agony inside Him as He was separated from the Father as He bore our sin.”

I caught my breath and fixed my eyes on the Ethiopian. He must understand. “He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:5)

I made no attempt to stop the flood of tears now streaming down my face as I repeated Jesus’ anguished words from the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?!” (Matthew 27:46)

The man’s eyes still clouded with confusion, so I begged the Spirit to make it clear to him as I said, “Isaiah’s prophesied Messiah is Jesus. He took our place, took our punishment for our sin and suffered injustice upon injustice, that we might be freely restored to God forever.”

Joseph
Slowly my heavy weeping slowed, my body spent. Dirt that had mixed with my tears and saliva caked my face. Broken and shaking, I lay silent, wondering if the Lord would hear my cries.

Unsuspectingly, an early memory of my father wafted over me like a welcome embrace. I saw my young, boyish self sitting at his feet and heard his strong voice warming me as he told me again how the Lord had come to him in one of his dreams. My eyes were alight with wonder that Yahweh would speak to Father and unwittingly my breath caught in my chest as I remembered one particular phrase, “I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.” (Genesis 31:12) The God of Dreams SEES injustice. Surely, Yahweh longs to reverse the curse of injustice and usher in His favor just as He did with my Father!

I uncurled my frame and sat upright, wiping my face and breathing deeply, calmly, as if with new life. Yahweh sees. As I held onto this truth, repeating it over and over, memories came flooding back of how the God who sees injustice and gives Himself for the righteous had acted for me and generations before me.

Yahweh was indeed a faithful God and deep inside, I knew my story was not over here surrounded by stone, dirt, and darkness. He would finish the plans He had for me; I would wait for Him.

I bowed my head as fresh tears of gratitude washed my face. My once-clenched fists now lifted upward with palms raised in worship to the God of all Faithfulness who would take my injustices and finish the work to make me whole!

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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!

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

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Ignite Week 3

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The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) In her Journey into the Great Awakening, Lesley noted that not everyone supported the widespread revival that brought so many into a genuine relationship with Christ. People within the church! The Lord was moving in a mighty way, yet people within His own Body were against the growing and stretching. Uncomfortable stretching isn’t exciting for anyone, and if we aren’t careful, we too can easily fall into the category of “critical and negative” when it comes to God growing us. To fight against our own heart’s natural tendency to “oppose” change and keep everything comfortable, spend some time this weekend praying about where the Holy Spirit is inviting you into new growth. Ask Him to change your heart!

2) “Just One”, Kendra wondered. Would just one soul rescued from eternity apart from Christ be worth a lifetime of persecution, hardship, and suffering? Consider it a bit differently, what if the just one was you? Blessedly, yes! Countless individuals have counted the cost of following Jesus and concluded it is indeed worth it, even for just one. If that cost is worth one rescued soul, what implications does that hold for each of us as Christ-followers? As we go through everyday life, we all need a reminder call to re-assess our focus. Does it align with following Jesus no matter what? Take this as an opportunity to ponder the Lord’s call on your life and what He might be inviting you into!

3) “The Father always preserves His light, placed on deposit in every believer”, wrote Paula. If you have said yes to Jesus, and surrendered your all to Him, His light, as the light of the world, is within you! It can feel like our everyday lives are too mediocre or monotonous to share that light, but that is an enemy’s lie! Each day, we are presented with a new set of invitations to shine the light of Jesus brightly. Pause to think back through the last 24 hours and identify ways to share the light of Christ. As you move into the weekend, ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of the moments He is providing for you to shine, then follow through with bold obedience!

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 Matthew 5:14-16 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

You are the light of the world! A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they might see your good works and glorify your father who is in Heaven.

Prayer Journal
It will always be remarkable to me, Lord, that You intentionally designed us, as flawed, sinful, prone to wandering human beings to be Your light bearers to a world dying in darkness. Father, the right now society can feel so overwhelming, and so lost, and so easily distracted by possession and popularity. Remind every believing sister praying with me now of her mission to join with other brothers and sisters to share the light brightly! Your mission is vast, but Your power, Your call, and Your equipping are mightier than we imagine! Show us more of Yourself as we surrender to You again and again.

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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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Ignite Day 1 The Wick

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 43:1-4
Acts 4:29-31
Acts 2:42-47
Luke 11:31-36
James 3:1-12

Ignite, Day 1

“My heart is the wick, Your love is the flame. And I wanna burn for Your Name.”

Merriam-Webster defines ignite as “To set afire. To cause to burn. To subject to fire or intense heat. To heat up. To set in motion.”

Have you ever built a campfire from scratch? In order for your fire to catch and grow, you need everything set up in exactly the right order. First, you gather lots of small, dry branches and twigs, leaves, paper and anything else that will catch fire quickly. This is called kindling. You’ll have more success if you pile the dry twigs and branches on top of the kindling. Next, you position larger logs over your kindling, being sure to leave space for air to flow under the logs.

Then, you strike your match and set the kindling on fire. As the flames grow and start to spread to the smaller twigs and branches, you might blow on the flame, or poke it with a long stick, to stir it up more. The flame grows and burns hotter, and as it does, the larger branches and logs grow hotter until they begin to catch fire, too.

Love, I have to be honest with you. When I picked up the assignment to write this Journey about Polycarp and Ignatius, I had literally never heard of them in my life. In fact, as I sat in our writer’s meeting and scanned the list of upcoming Journeys, I felt…

Uneducated.
Lacking.
Ill-equipped.

Ouch. And to add insult to injury? The truth is that I didn’t feel any real desire or curiosity to dig deeper into the lives of any of these historical fathers of the faith.

So, I did what any self-respecting fringe millennial would do. I picked the ones with names I could not really pronounce, pseudo-affectionately dubbed them, “Iggy & Poly” in my mind, threw my inexperience to the wind and dived in deep.

And here we are. But before I can fully introduce you to Ignatius and Polycarp, we have to go back a little further. In order to do that, we’ll stick with the campfire picture we just processed together.

Stay with me, this is important.

The Kindling
Before Jesus arrived as the promised Emmanuel, God With Us, we need to visualize the spiritual climate in Israel. God’s people were effectively trapped in a religious box of their own making. Where He had set out His law to protect and free them, they instead chose to chain themselves to religion and more. They created their own laws and rules in addition to His, and rather than trusting God to justify them through sacrifice and the atonement of sins, they adopted a religious spirit. They thought they could justify themselves. This resulted in a prideful people group who were desperate for truth, purpose and relationship, yet still rigidly clung to the very things that held them captive.
They were empty. Dry.

Spiritually dead.

The Spark
Enter Jesus.

When the Son of God slipped quietly onto the Bethlehem scene in the form of an infant… the Jewish people were confused.

They had asked for a king.
Someone who would fulfill the Law.
Someone who could rescue them.
And God answered, because that was His plan all along.

But He didn’t answer in the way they wanted, or the way they expected. Instead, He sent Jesus to fulfill the Law in the way that only Jesus ever could. And because the people who prayed for rescue didn’t see it coming in the way they expected, the majority missed the message the Son of Man brought to life.

However, there were those positioned closest to Jesus who recognized the Truth and began to smolder from His heat. These apostles were disciples in word and deed. They spent time with Jesus in His everyday life and ministry.

They saw Him perform miracle after miracle, healing after healing.
They witnessed Jesus in life, in death,
and then in life again.
They got it.

More importantly, they caught it. And when He told them to go, they went.

They began to walk out their faith in boldness, preaching the gospel to all who would listen. They healed the sick, and cast out demons. They taught others about the life of Jesus, what His death and resurrection meant, and why it mattered. They devoted themselves to studying the Scriptures, to praying, and fellowship.

And their numbers grew exponentially.

And Love? The ones Jesus chose to draw into His closest circle?
The ones He trusted to catch fire first – and to fan the flame?
They were unquestionably the last people anyone would expect to fulfill that weighty calling. In fact, you or I might have even called them….

Uneducated.
Lacking.
Ill-equipped.

But God saw them differently.

The early church began to grow against all odds in the face of extreme opposition.
In the weakness and humanity of the ordinary men and women who spread the message and ministry of Jesus, God was shown strong.
Whole families began to receive the message of Jesus,
and though persecution was commonplace, Christianity caught fire.

The church continued to grow until one day, as Saul of Tarsus walked the road to Damascus, the resurrected Christ Himself appeared to him. Prior to this face-to-face, Saul had been instrumental in persecuting countless followers of Christ, with the full support of the Jewish leaders. Saul’s resulting sudden and whole-heart, whole-life, jaw-dropping conversion fanned the flickering flame to a roar. Saul became known as Paul, and he adopted the lifestyle of the other apostles, discipling others, encouraging young leaders in the church, and delivering truth and challenge in love to all he encountered.

And the flame began to grow.

As for my friends, Poly and Iggy, I’ll introduce you on Wednesday of this week. 🙂

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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 Ignite Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

The GT Weekend ~ Seeds Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Sara put words to a struggle we all encounter at various points in life, either to live in fear of people or walk in faith with the God who has never failed us. Take some time to identify where you have lived in fear of people in the past. How has the Lord shaped your heart to choose Him, as the better, over acquiescing to others? Celebrate His work here! Consider new challenges where you are apt to choose what people want at the expense of following the Savior? Take these specifically to the Lord in prayer!

2) On Wednesday, we were challenged to consider the pitfalls of our identity sources. Sara noted how grateful she was for having walked through a season of having her identity deconstructed. Consider writing out your top 4 markers of your identity and sift through the source for each of those. If the source is removed, the identity will crumble. What is holding up your identity?

3) All throughout this Journey Theme of Seeds, we’ve been challenging ourselves to consider “what if” we lived as boldly as the examples we find in the pages of Acts of those first century Christians. Their stories are incredible and their faith seems entirely other, but it began simply, exactly like our own. Each of their journeys grew from a seed of faith, nourished by a regular, consistent investment in a relationship with the God of the Universe in everyday life. The invitation for dramatic life change is ours as well. What If  you were to begin investing deeper with Jesus this weekend? Where might He take you? What would He want you to know? Who would He want you to share the gospel with? Suppose the Lord had written an invitation to you, what would your response be? Write it out and be willing to be different!

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 Job 38:31-33 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
or loose the cords of Orion?
Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,
or can you guide the Bear with its children?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?

Prayer Journal
Ah Lord God, Your good kindness to us is so far beyond my comprehension. Keep taking my breath away with the vastness of Your love and Your design for life! You, who created galaxies we haven’t even explored. You, who gather the seas in Your hand. You who measure the mountains on a scale. You, who crafted the body of an ant and the structure of micro-organisms, purposed to have a relationship with every single human being on a deep and personal level. And then You called us out, made us new, and gave us purpose as You invited us into a mission to love others as You have loved us. Keep my eyes focused in this rich truth, reminding me You’ve invited me ever deeper into “What If!”.

Worship Through Community

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Worship V Day 4 How Deep The Father’s Love: 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 How Deep The Father’s Love!

The Questions

1) Who are the persons referred to as “Every family in heaven and on earth” in verse 15?

2) In this intercessory prayer, what purposes is Paul praying for the Ephesian believers?

3) How are these lofty purposes realized?

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I kneel before the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Original Intent

1) Who are the persons referred to as “Every family in heaven and on earth” in verse 15?   
The concept of family is extremely important in the Bible, both physically and theologically. Jesus makes it very clear that in the kingdom of Heaven, the most important family connection is spiritual, not physical. In Matthew 12:46-50, He uses “family language” to describe the connection God intended for Believers to share with each other and the Lord. “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother…”
Of course, we understand “family” as a group of persons sharing a common father. Jesus directed His prayers to God the Father and He taught us to do the same. It is to “our Father God” Paul directs his prayers on behalf of those who are members of the family in Christ. Those who have received the “Spirit of His Son“ evidenced by calling Him “Abba! Father!”. (Galatians 4:6)
The family referenced in verse 15, therefore, are all those who are a new creation in Christ. This family is The Global Church consisting of all who call upon the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. This family is drawn from “every nation, tribe, people, and language”. (Revelation 7:9) A defining characteristic of this spiritual family is love one for another which John writes, “A new command I give you, love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples if you love one another.”

2) In this intercessory prayer, what purposes is Paul praying for the Ephesian believers?
Paul prays for the church to know, in a deeply intimate and experiential way, the vast love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge. He prays this on their behalf in order for them to be fulfilled and overflowing with all the fullness of God. This deep knowing of Christ’s love is at the pinnacle of Paul’s prayer. Before this peak, Paul first prays for the Ephesians to be strengthened in their deep “heart” places within through the Holy Spirit. This strengthening leads to an ever-increasing faith for everyday living, which produces this pinnacle lens through which we are able to grasp in continuously greater degrees the vast richness of Christ’s love. (Ephesians 3:18)
Paul couches this precious exposition in the context of harmonious unity. This experience of Christ’s love explodes when the Global Church (all believers) live and grow together, going steadily deeper into understanding who Christ is through the Holy Spirit’s revealing power.

3) How are these lofty purposes realized?
In verses 14-19, Paul points to the source of a believer’s growth being the strength-imparting Spirit of Christ who dwells within every Christ-follow as teacher (John 14:26), comforter, and counselor (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit enables believers to flourish in an ever increasing, never complete, realization of the love of God the Father. The pathway of growth is discovered through prayer, faith, and submission to God’s revelation found in Scripture. The more we are willing to go deeper in trusting the Spirit of God living and active within us, the more we will discover, with awe and wonder, the glorious riches of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord! None of Paul’s prayed for purposes are possible apart from the work of God the Spirit; we cannot do it on our own strength or determination. He works in the believer’s heart and, in the process of our growth, obedience, and humble submission, He brings glory in the Church and to all generations for the sake of His Name! (verses 20-21)

Everyday Application

1) Who are the persons referred to as “Every family in heaven and on earth” in verse 15?   
The physical family is the most important building block in human society and should be nurtured and protected. When we are born again in Jesus, we are birthed into a spiritual family and are adopted as God’s children and He is our Father. (Romans 8:15)
The spiritual family is not bound or described by ethnicity, gender, or social standing. As Paul says, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed , and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

2) In this intercessory prayer, what purposes is Paul praying for the Ephesian believers?
New Testament scholar and author of several commentaries, William Hendriksen, writes, “God is glorious in all His attributes, His power, His infinite Love, His mercy, His grace, His wisdom (…) Paul prays that all of God’s attributes be richly applied to those who are followers of Jesus Christ”. Hendriksen emphasizes how God’s character is embedded, nurtured, and grown to flourish within the heart of every believer through the work of the Holy Spirit when a person chooses to accept Christ as Lord of their life.
Just as Paul prayed for the Ephesians, so should we pray for one another within this family called Church as brothers and sisters, all children of our Father God. To know Christ deeply and experience His love, we begin with simple faith. Faith to receive Christ, faith to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as He leads us deeper, and faith to continue leaning into the character of this God who calls us Beloved.
Let the Spirit of Christ transform in glorious ways!
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) Be made new! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old has passed away; behold the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

3) How are these lofty purposes realized?
EASY! Well, probably not easy, but the process is simple and uncomplicated; the choice rests on us whether we will follow or not.
We begin with the knowledge that God’s Word, the Bible, is what we hang on to daily for wisdom and guidance and is the means by which the Holy Spirit transforms us and makes us new. The psalmist writes, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) This Word of God is for real, everyday life!
In verse 14, Paul notes, “I bend my knees to the Father”.  It is in honor to be welcomed into the presence of the Almighty God! Submission and worship to God the Father is the heart attitude allowing us to draw close to Him through faith. The more we give ourselves over to studying His Word and listening to the Spirit, the deeper faith will root our lives. As we lean into the Father, He grows our understanding of just how deep, high, wide, and long is His love for us as His children. His love is limitless!
Don’t let another day pass before becoming more intentional in your faith walk with God. Whether you have never asked Jesus to be your Lord, or if you’ve been trusting Him more every day for the last 80 years, keep on growing! There is more the Lord wants you to discover about His love! Read His Word. Pray continuously, all day in all situations. Worship God as Father, Son, and Spirit, praising Him for His plan to grow us, root us, and delight to show us His love! “Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children; walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

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Catch up with How Deep The Father’s Love!

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!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Worship V 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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Woven Day 7 Coming To Us: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s
Journey Study?
Check out Coming To Us!

Romans 5:8 Christian Standard Version (CSB)

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

The Questions

1) How was Christ’s death proof of God’s love?

2) I think I’m a pretty good person…does “sinner” really apply to me?

3) Why did Christ have to die?  Isn’t that excessive and over the top?

The Findings for Intention

1) How was Christ’s death proof of God’s love?
Paul’s letter to the church in Rome takes up one basic message:  the power and importance of the gospel.  As he opens his letter, Paul declares his purpose of bringing about obedience in living out the faith, so that the name of Jesus and message of the gospel would be known (Romans 1:5-6).  As Paul then explains the impact of the gospel, he makes a strong statement at the beginning of this verse that we have no reason to question God’s love for us.  He has made His affection clear.  His love is so great that he willingly sacrificed His Son on our behalf, mine and yours.  God made the first move in coming to us with a loving answer (John 3:16), the only answer, in the person, life, and death of Christ.  God gave Christ to accomplish the impossible – making us whole and holy – despite our sinful selves (Romans 8:2-4).

2) I think I’m a pretty good person…does “sinner” really apply to me?
Paul’s answer is simple:  YES.  YES, IT DOES.  He did not want the Romans to be confused about the fact that they were each in desperate need of the gift that Christ offered them through his death and resurrection.  In Romans 3:9 Paul states that no matter the background, no one is immune to sin.  Being Jewish. and therefore part of God’s chosen nation, didn’t get you out of that status.  Being Gentile, and having the wisdom of the world on your side, wasn’t any better.  And in Paul’s day, that covered everyone.  You were Jewish, or you weren’t.  Those were the two options in his cultural context.  He goes on to say in Romans 3:23 that because we are all sinners, we cannot attain the level of God’s perfect glory and holiness.  And do you know what the word “all” here means in Greek?  ALL.  I know, I know…deep sigh.  It’s the worst pastor joke ever, but it’s true and effective.  All means all.

3) Why did Christ have to die?  Isn’t that excessive and over the top?
Paul explains as he continues in his writing to the Romans that sin has one result: death (Romans 6:23).  And since we all sin, we are all subject to death (Romans 5:12).  And if we stop with that fact, requiring Christ to die may seem harsh and excessive and leave us asking if there wasn’t another option?  However, Paul goes on to say in the second half of Romans 6:23 that, “…the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Did you catch that?  Christ’s death is a gift to us, given from a heart of love.  In that sense, Paul says it was, in fact, excessive and over the top; not in a wow-that-was-way-too-harsh-and-cruel kind of way, but in the extravagant-love-grace-and-mercy-I-don’t-deserve kind of way.  That is the depth of God’s love that Paul wanted the church in Rome to fully comprehend, a love that would go beyond anything that would make sense to the rest of the world.  That is the power and love of the gospel!

The Everyday Application

1) How was Christ’s death proof of God’s love?
LOVE.  It’s a dangerous word, overused, and often ignored.  We don’t know love on this earth that doesn’t fail at some point.  If we apply our knowledge of earthly love to the holy love of God, we may doubt His love. Or question His care.  Or allow our fears to be an excuse to keep our distance from Him so we don’t get hurt.  Or ask Him to keep proving His love over and over.  Think of how those responses would impact your most loving, significant earthly relationship (child, adult, spouse, parent, etc.).  Demanding proof of the other person’s love would breed frustration on so many levels.  If we don’t consider God’s love as something altogether different, we risk misunderstanding the greatness of His work on our behalf.  That is the point of Christ’s death.  It is a love beyond anything else, a love He proved once and for all, a love that pursued us before we even knew He was there.  How often do you require additional proof of God’s love, beyond the sacrifice of Christ, asking him to meet your demands, or orchestrate circumstances your way, or do that “one little thing” to show His love?

2) I think I’m a pretty good person…does “sinner” really apply to me?
My answer is also simple:  YES.  YES, IT DOES.  All still means all.  GOOD is probably the second most dangerous word in our everyday conversations. When applied to people, it’s nothing but a lie.  There are no good people.  We all have issues, and we cannot reach the holiness that God requires.  God is the only standard of good.  Yet, we try to excuse ourselves and others for our “good” hearts, “good” intentions,  and “good” reasons.  It’s a dangerous trap, meant to make us believe we’re not that bad.  And if we’re not that bad, why do we really need a Savior?  It’s a slippery slope…  Do we see good in the world?  Absolutely.  But to credit that good to anything other than God is to make ourselves, or others, much better than we actually are.  Having a right understanding of our sinfulness forces us to acknowledge the depth of our need of Christ.  We are sinners.  And still he died.  For my mess.  And yours.  Do you find yourself struggling with your need for Christ because you put a lot of effort into being a good person?  What makes you uncomfortable with being a “sinner”?

3) Why did Christ have to die?  Isn’t that excessive and over the top?
God’s excessive gift of Christ’s death on our behalf creates a way for us to live in relationship with Him.  Christ offers what we cannot:  perfection.  I have an image in my mind of the day I will stand before our Father, and He asks what makes me worthy to dwell with Him for eternity, giving an account for my life (Hebrews 4:13).  I see myself standing, head bowed, avoiding eye contact, desperately seeking an answer as to why I am good enough, yet knowing there is nothing I can offer.  Speechless.  But then, I see the loving eyes of Jesus staring into mine as He speaks on my behalf and says, “Father, I know her…she is mine.”  Jesus is my only answer.  That, my friends, is the glory of the gospel!  The extravagant love of God that pursues us in our darkest days and stands up for us when we have nothing to offer of ourselves.  God gave His Son freely and with affection, with us in mind.  I encourage you to close out your time today by thanking God for His abundant gift of Christ’s death for you.

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

I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

The Community!

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

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? 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 :-))

The Why!

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.

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.
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Woven!

Eve Day 13 Eve Of Pentecost

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Eve Day 13 Eve Of Pentecost

Rebecca Adams

December 20, 2017

church,Courage,Faith,Fear,Help,Hope,Jesus,Love,Peace,Power,Praise,Prayer,Relationship,Time,Trust,Worship

Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 2:1-13
Acts 1:6-14
John 14:15-31

Surely, they felt hazy, like they were walking in some kind of dream.
It had been a whirlwind of emotions and a rollercoaster of flat-out unbelievable scenarios. They themselves wouldn’t have believed it if they hadn’t lived it, seen it with their own eyes. Add to that, the over 500 other witnesses who had seen exactly what they had.
The resurrected Lord walking among them.

No, what happened could not be denied or falsified.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the most real thing any of them had ever experienced. And their joy at Christ’s resurrection, even now at His ascension as Lord of all, they were jubilant!
But, now what?
It was the question not one of them dared speak out loud, but its pressing presence was almost palpable as they gathered.

It had been a horrific tragedy to watch their Jesus shamelessly humiliated and crucified on a Roman cross, seemingly deftly pinned under the ruling authority the disciples, and the rest of the Jewish population, had thought the Messiah would surely rescue them from. Rome’s tyranny.
But He didn’t.
Their Messiah, their Savior, had died a torturous death before their own eyes.
The sorrow of their souls.
The anguish of their hearts as precious, precious memories swirled before their eyes from the last three years. The healings, the teaching, the miracles, the radical transformation of everyday lives.

After His death, they had gathered and hid, literally fearing for their lives. Jesus wasn’t exactly friends with the Pharisees. Were their lives at risk now too?
But then HE had appeared.
They’d seen their Jesus, the very One they had watched be brutally killed.
He ate with them.
Touched them.
Called them into more.
Hope like never before had swept them away into an incredible euphoria of worship.

But now, stumbling down the Mount of Olives after Christ had risen into the sky.
Stunned again.
Their Jesus gone again.
Angels again, as their eyes had strained to catch another glimpse of Him beyond the clouds.
What? Why?
Now what?

The question begged to be answered.
The immense vacuum of their lives was painfully obvious.
Jesus’ resurrection was radical and incredible.
But the 12, no, the 11… and another ache filled their hearts at the remembrance of Judas’s death and betrayal, were alone again.
Alone with the greatest news on earth.
Still so….empty…somehow.

Going back to fishing seemed ludicrous after Jesus had met them on the beach a few weeks ago after His resurrection, inviting them to be fishers of men.
But how?
Peter looked around, for as devoted as they had followed their Jesus, he knew as well as any of them…they weren’t learned men. They were fishermen, tax collectors, just ordinary Jews.
Yes, Jesus had changed everything for them.
But still….what now?

So the band of disheveled, emotionally windblown brotherhood of eleven walked back to Jerusalem in stunned, surreal silence.
“Did you see….?”
Nodding heads.
“How….?”
Confused faces and shrugging shoulders.
For as purposeful as the message Jesus’ clear, strong voice of “Go therefore into all nations and preach the gospel” had delivered to them, they knew they had no power.
All nations?
Who would believe them?
So, on to Jerusalem they walked, just as Jesus had told them to do, eyes on their dusty sandals.
Go.
Wait.
“You will receive power”, Jesus had said as He was being lifted up into the clouds.
“You will be my witnesses ….in all the earth”, He had said.

For how long would they wait for this power?
Shrugging silence.
What to do while they waited?
There really only was one answer to that, and they had learned it well in the past 3 years as they had followed Jesus, studying His patterns.
In fact, as the 11 climbed the stairs to the Upper Room, breathing in the familiarity of the space, and allowing the memories to flood over them anew, it was the only thing that even came close to feeling right and adequate considering the circumstances.
Prayer.
Worship.

And so they gathered, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James along with the beloved women who had followed Jesus everywhere He went, and they prayed.
They wept, they worshipped, they were comforted by each other and reminded each other of funny stories of their time over the past 3 years. The way their minds and hearts had been opened and laid bare before the Lord.

9 days they had waited now.
9 days of living in the constant state of perpetual unknown.
Knowing they were called to ignite world-wide change, but having no idea how to go about it.
But they knew God was faithful.
He had called them, He would equip them.

But the days were getting so long.
Anxiety was high, but anticipation was too.
If the time for waiting was this long,
and the need for prayer and worship was this intense,
and the God Almighty they had come to know through the visible, flesh-wrapped image of the invisible was indeed faithful and good,
then soon,
the gift of waiting would surely be beyond description!

The next day, the gift of the Holy Spirit would come upon the disciples in the Upper Room.
They would be radically changed in ways greater than even when they had walked close enough to Jesus to smell His sweat and touch His skin.
The power of the Almighty would dwell within them.
It was this power that would ignite world-wide change.
This power that would transform common men into passionate leaders, speakers, missionaries, pastors, shepherds, lovers of Jesus. Lovers of people.  

Imagine what the Father’s Spirit will do through you!
Anticipate Him.
Worship Him.
Wait for Him.

Tags :
Community,Holy Spirit,peace,power,waiting,worship
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Eve Day 14
Digging Deeper

When Christ talked of God’s kingdom, He was never talking about a political system. He was talking about His rule and reign. God wants to rule and reign in the hearts of people. Jesus is coming again to rule over the new heaven and the new earth.
In a sense, God’s kingdom is here now among us in the hearts of those who follow Him. In another sense, His kingdom is coming when He returns on the clouds and sets up His rule and reign in Jerusalem. Then, we will all experience the fullness of His kingdom.
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Freedom Day 14 Freedom Fuels Love: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s
Journey Study?
Check out Freedom Fuels Love!

Galatians 5 English Standard Version (ESV)

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

The Questions

1) What “yoke of slavery” is Paul referring to in this passage?

2) What is Paul arguing against in verses 1-12?

3) What dichotomy is Paul setting up in the last paragraph of this passage?

The Findings for Intention

1) What “yoke of slavery” is Paul referring to in this passage?
The book of Galatians begins with an admonishment from Paul regarding a falling away by those who were so committed. The Galatians are believing in a “different gospel.” (1:6) Paul is concerned for their spiritual welfare and realizes they are becoming enslaved to insignificant non-gospel issues. The actual word for yoke means burden or bondage. The true gospel gives freedom, not burdens or yokes of slavery. The Galatians are turning back to things of the law for their salvation and being enslaved to things like circumcision, which today that argument doesn’t mean much to us, but in the 1st century, circumcision was a sign of covenantal blessing by God to an orthodox Jew.

2) What is Paul arguing against in verses 1-12?
There were a group of people in the 1st century that wanted to add to the means by which one is saved. The Judaizers believed that one must not only believe in Jesus Christ and follow in obedience to Him, but in order to be truly saved, you must also follow Jewish law. This line of thinking specifically dealt with issues like circumcision and the adhering to Jewish feasts and festivals. Paul is arguing the doctrine of grace for salvation versus the adherence to the Jewish law for salvation. He feels so deeply and passionately about the salvation by grace alone that he calls on those who are leading the Galatians away from the true gospel to mutilate themselves.

3) What dichotomy is Paul setting in the last paragraph of this passage?
For those who live in the Spirit as followers of Jesus, Paul offers a snapshot of what life should look like in the Spirit, in freedom from this world and from the law. He compares life in the Spirit with life in the flesh. Paul wanted the Galatians to know that life in the flesh indulges the flesh and the things of the flesh which he describes in detail. On the other hand, life in the Spirit bears the fruit of the Spirit. These two are in direct opposition to one another.

The Everyday Application

1) What “yoke of slavery” is Paul referring to in this passage?
A yoke offers burdens and bondage, but Christ assures us as believers that He has taken our burden and given us His own, which is easy and light (Matthew 11:28-30). Our Christian walk isn’t about checking off a list of to-dos, but rather an intimate relationship with the Lord. We are no longer enslaved to the things of this world, but we have freedom in the power of the Holy Spirit to choose the more important, to choose better, and to choose Christ first and out of that the rest flows!

2) What is Paul arguing against in verses 1-12?
It is easy to see the gospel as a complex, overwhelming, hard to understand thing in our life when in reality the simplicity of the gospel is pretty straightforward. Love God, love others. He loved us first and His love is perfected in us when we love others with that same kind of love (1 John 4:7-12). We are no longer slaves to the selfish conceit in our hearts, rather we have been made new in the image of Christ. The Holy Spirit resides in us apart from any works we may do on behalf of the gospel. There is no work so great as to win the favor of God except that of the Cross which takes sinners apart from God and provides a way for them to come back.

3) What dichotomy is Paul setting in the last paragraph of this passage?
We have a choice. Life in the flesh…enslaved to the lust of the flesh, our selfish desires, never seeking outside of ourselves OR life in the Spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc. Paul is so compelled to speak out as he sees his brothers and sisters slipping away from the truth that he calls on them to evaluate their life. Are you living in “step with the Spirit”? If you say yes, then your life should represent that, your choices should be evidence of that, and ultimately those around you should be aware of that.

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

I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

The Community!

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

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? 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 :-))

The Why!

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.

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.
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Freedom!

Freedom Day 13 Freedom Fuels Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Galatians 5
Colossians 3:12-17
1 Corinthians 13:4-13

“Man, it’s so hot in here.” 

I mumbled the words under my breath as we made our way from a tiny hut in the middle of the bush in Uganda to the clinic in town for my last malaria treatment. The African heat was on fire that day, and since I was already running a fever, it felt as if it was at least 120 degrees inside the pick-up truck. We had about ten or so minutes left in our commute when the truck started to make an all too familiar noise.

Within an instant the car shut down.

We had run out of gas.

Again.

Up until this point, I had never been in a car that has run out of gas. I’m one of those ‘if it shows it’s got half a tank left then we should immediately get more gas’ kind of people. So imagine the look on my face when the driver got out of the truck and told me to wait there, as he was going to walk and get more gas.

Um, okay.

I put my feet up and allowed the soft breeze to cool me off as I reflected on my situation. Why do so many people here never fill up their car all the way? How can they be okay with running on empty? I know I’m not a mechanic, but I do know that running on little fuel on a consistent basis, does more harm than good. Why not give the tank a good fill-up?

My questions quickly turned from being about a car to being about my spirit.
Do I walk around like I’m half empty with my gas gauge quickly approaching the red zone?

Yes

Am I seeking the Creator regularly to make sure I’m fueled up and ready to love beyond my borders as the Holy Spirit works in my life?

No

When we’re given gifts that require us to do some work, but throw them aside simply because we’re not willing to do it, we’re doing a disservice to ourselves and those around us.

I’m so guilty of this– making it about how I feel, and my own comfort level, rather than denying self, releasing control, and allowing the Spirit to move in my life.

I forget way too often that we were freed to love.
When Christ died for our sins on the cross, He left behind the Holy Spirit who lives inside each believer and fuels this freedom.

Paul describes this freedom to love so beautifully in Galatians 5:14-15. He makes a clear cut understanding between how we should respond in the spirit vs how we should respond in the flesh.

For you were called to FREEDOM, brothers.
Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity
for the flesh,
But through love
serve one another.
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

A few months ago, I received word that one of my best friend’s husband had passed away. His time here on this earth was cut short too soon as he suffered from a long time mental disorder, resulting in taking his own life. Upon hearing the news, I knew what I needed to do. I hopped in my car and drove the four hours to be by her side. The entire drive to her parents’ house I prayed. I asked the Lord to give me the words to say, and not to say. I asked Him to give me insight as I navigated through one of the toughest seasons our friendship would endure. I asked Him to comfort not only my friend, but their children as well, as they had just lost their daddy.

I could not love my friend and her family fully, through my flesh.
I needed the Spirit to guide everything that I did, as through the flesh I was an absolute mess and losing energy quickly. I couldn’t stop crying, I couldn’t think straight, so with a deep breath I prayed, switched my mindset and moved forward to be there for her.

The circumstances weren’t going to change just by me showing up and being there for her, but it did help her know that she was loved and not alone. We sat on the guest bedroom bed, just the two of us, for an hour and just laid there and cried, talked, and prayed.

Choosing to surrender our selfish view of love, based on what we should get from the relationship, to a Spirit-fueled love frees us to love like Christ!
And when we love radically, filled up with Jesus’ love, the weight of performing and worrying about what you will get out of the relationship, falls from our shoulders.

So, take a breath, dear sister.
Allow the Holy Spirit to fuel His love inside of you.
Be there for someone today that needs it.
Send a text, or write a letter, to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.
Call your mom and say I love you, just because.

Take a walk, and see if the Lord puts someone in your path that you need to share the Gospel with.
Unleash the freedom of a Spirit-fueled love!

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Freedom 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 Freedom!