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Worship XI Day 3 Gimel & Dalet

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Worship XI Day 3 Gimel & Dalet

Sarah Afan

May 31, 2023

God,Life,Mighty,Power

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 119:17-32
Romans 7:14-25
1 Corinthians 13
John 10:27-30
Jude 1:24-25

Oh, how I long for God in my heart, how I desire to walk with Him side by side, each step in accordance with His will. Like the Psalmist, “I long and yearn for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:2) His presence is marvelous, containing unspeakable joy and peace. Often, when I meet Him in prayer, an hour in His presence is like five minutes to me because His presence is overwhelming joy. Most times I end up in tears of boundless joy.

One day as I was taking a walk, the thought of God filled my heart; I felt His presence within me. I was reminded I am His creation and I am created in His image. (Genesis 1:26-27) I considered myself, imagining how the holy and mighty hands of God formed me. I was thrilled and overjoyed, longing for the time I would see Him face-to-face in heaven and be with Him forever. (Revelation 22:3-6)

Therefore, my uttermost desire is to please Him in everything I do. I create time to study His Word, that I may know His instruction and obey them, but God’s Word is beyond human intellect; mere human wisdom cannot discern it. As Jesus said, His words are spirit and life. (John 6:63) Every time I read His Word, I cry, ”Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wondrous things from your instruction.” (Psalm 119:18) For no one can understand God’s thoughts except His Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:11)

However, as much as I long for the Lord and take time to study his word, my flesh is in conflict with me. I find myself failing to keep the Word as I desire in my heart. On many occasions I have taken steps to change a sinful habit, but before I realize it, I have returned to the same habit. Knowledge of the Word has made me think of myself better than others, but in truth and in practice, I am not any better. 

In my devotion on 25/03/2023 I read 1 Corinthians 13. I wrote in my journal about the state of my struggle to love in God’s own way but failing:
“As I put myself on the scale of God’s kind of love, I see myself naked, zero without anything good to boast of. It proves to me that thinking and posing that I am a better Christian than others is mere display of the knowledge of the Bible in theory, and that alone is not love… Having the knowledge of God’s Word alone cannot make me what the Word says, it is acting on it; and I am helpless, powerless on my own. No wonder in Romans 7:24 apostle Paul says, ‘What a wretched man I am!’”

Paul’s words in Romans 7:15-24 reflect my own life, 
when I do what I hate 
and fail to act on how I ought to love. 
I sometimes find it difficult to follow God’s Word, 
but easy to do what His Word forbids. 

Thank God, Paul goes on to exclaim in verse 24, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but my flesh, the law of sin.” 

In my journal, I continued, “All that makes me a Christian, a child of God, is God’s grace. I am righteous because God has declared me righteous through my faith in Jesus Christ. He has imputed the righteousness of Christ in me; I am justified before God because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.”

Therefore, I will continue to praise the Lord my God for His loving-kindness; my struggle with sin does not stop Him from seeing me justified in Christ. He loves and blesses me. 

Similarly, on 25/02/2023, I journaled on God’s grace in perseverance. Drawing on assurances from John 10:27-30 and Jude 24-25, I began to praise Him, “To Him who is able to keep me from falling and to present me before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy- to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages now and forevermore!”

I will never relent in my prayers as I ask Him to give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17), and that He may strengthen me with power in my inner being through His Spirit, that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. I pray I may be firmly established in His immeasurable love. (Ephesians 3:17-18)

I recall a similar prayer I wrote in my journal on 24/11/2021. “Lord, I give You my hand, hold it and lead me wherever You want to take me. I am willing to go with You to any length provided You won’t leave me alone. So long as You are with me, Lord I will go with You because when my physical life terminates here, I will finally be with You in Your glory. Oh, help me never to see any reason to neglect you at any moment, Amen!!”

I cling to His decrees, and I am confident He would not put me to shame. (Psalm 119:3)

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help,instruction,law,life,Psalm,worship
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Pause V Day 13 Intercession

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Pause V, Day 13

In yesterday’s reading we saw Jesus give clear instruction and encouragement to both the disciples of old and us. Today, His instruction continues, but by way of example.
I love that about Him.
He never stops teaching us.

In today’s reading, Jesus’ intimate prayer to the Father serves as an example for our own prayer habits. If you’ve ever wondered how to pray, in true depth and authenticity, this is how.

First Jesus prays for Himself. He speaks of the work He’s been sent to do and how it will glorify God. Next, He prays for His disciples, who were His loved ones. He reminded God of the work they had done and the faith they had demonstrated. He prayed for God to protect and sanctify them.

Finally, Jesus prays for all believers, current and future! He prayed for unity among them and for His glory and love to be evident in them.

Let’s take time to reflect on our prayer lives. Are we praying for ourselves? Are we praying for all of our loved ones? What about other believers? The world? The lost who will come to know Jesus one day through the brave testimony of others?

We should be pursuing God’s plans for our lives so intently that we can’t help but pray about it. Jesus is our example, so let’s read, study, and follow His blueprint.

Today's Invitation

1) Be a scribe and copy the precious words of Scripture down word for word. Make space in your journal to write down every word of John 17 today. As you copy, lookup a cross reference or two as you come to them (they are the small letters next to certain words in your study Bible or online at www.biblia.com). As you write, consider the limitless power and authority of our God! He is near, He is not far. He sees all, and He will most assuredly bring justice, and He will defend and guard His own people who call upon Him for salvation. Which verse stands out to you as being especially for your heart as a message from God?

2) Choose one of these options to live boldly with authentic honesty in biblical community. As we grow deeper in God’s Word, the Lord designed us to share and grow with others walking alongside us.
a) Take a photo of your journal time this week and share it, or share a quote from it.
b) Do a Facebook Live on the GT Community group and share how God has been working in you.
c) Leave a comment here about it.
d) Share something God has been showing you in a comment at the GT Community Group
e) Plan a coffee or lunch date with a friend and share what you’ve been learning and soaking in as you have hit Pause.
f) Write a note of encouragement to a sister who has been through the nitty-gritty of real life with you. Let her know how deeply she has impacted your walk with Christ.
g) For some of us, having a “2am friend” to build biblical community with is a new concept. If that’s you, this is an exciting, fresh place to be! Connect with our Facebook Community, send us an email, reach out to your local church body, seek out a small group and plug in! 

3) Memorize John 17:23

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John 17

Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said,
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. 3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent —Jesus Christ. 4 I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed.

6 “I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from the world.
They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, 8 because I have given them the words you gave me. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me.

9 “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me,
because they are yours. 10 Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled. 13 Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them. 14 I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

20 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word.
21 May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. 22 I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation. 25 Righteous Father, the world has not known you. However, I have known you, and they have known that you sent me. 26 I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.”

How Does “Pause” Work?
1. Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

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 Pause V 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 Pause V!

Pause V Day 12 Instruction

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Pause V, Day 12

When my kids were younger, my husband and I would leave instructions for them when we went out. We gave the dos and don’ts, the exceptions, and the consequences if rules weren’t followed.

As Jesus was preparing to finish His earthly ministry by dying on the cross to sacrifice Himself for us, He gave instructions for His disciples, as well as consequences if those instructions were ignored. They really didn’t realize what was about to happen. We have the benefit of knowing, so His words should hold more gravity for us on this side of His resurrection.

Jesus instructed us to remain in Him so we could produce much fruit and we will be rewarded. But if not, we’ll be cast aside. (John 15:5-7)

We’re told to love one another like Jesus loves us. (John 15:12-13)

Prepare for persecution as you follow Jesus, remembering the world hated Jesus too, and more importantly, first. (John 15:18-19)

These are not easy things, but we don’t need to worry about how we’ll persevere through them. Jesus reminds us we will always have the Holy Spirit to help us, and He reminds us of a sweet, anchoring truth in our closing verse for today’s reading in John 16:33.

“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

Have courage, dear Sisters. When we are loved by the Merciful Father, rescued through the sacrifice of Jesus, and preserved by the Holy Spirit, we can survive hard things. More so, our inner spirits can thrive! We can stand boldly in the face of fear-inducing situations because He who has gone before us has paved the way for us, already attaining our final victory!

Today's Invitation

1) Pull out your Bible and read John 15 and 16 fully through 2 times. Then focus in on reading John 15 verses 9-17 several times through. Go slow. Emphasize different words each time you read it. Savor the message, and pray as you read. Write out verses 9-17 in your journal.

2) Each time you re-read verses 9-17, write down everything that pops out at you, makes you curious, or wonder “why?”. When you’re finished, go back through and you’ll be amazed at the new things the Spirit is leading you into knowing about Him!

3) Pay special attention to each instruction Jesus gives. Note how each is connected to an aspect of your relationship with Him. Pray over how these can be more connected in your life.

4) Memorize John 17:23

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John 15

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.

18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own.
However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it,
the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they don’t know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.

26 “When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father —the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 You also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

John 16

“I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. 2 They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 They will do these things because they haven’t known the Father or me. 4 But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you will remember I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15 Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.

16 “In a little while, you will no longer see me; again in a little while, you will see me.”

17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this he’s telling us: ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me,’ and, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They said, “What is this he is saying, ‘In a little while’? We don’t know what he’s talking about.”

19 Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, and so he said to them,
“Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me’? 20 Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21 When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world.

22 So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.

23 “In that day you will not ask me anything. Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

25 “I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 On that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

29 His disciples said, “Look, now you’re speaking plainly and not using any figurative language. 30 Now we know that you know everything and don’t need anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”

31 Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe?
32 Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.
You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

 

How Does “Pause” Work?
1. Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

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 Pause V 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 Pause V!

Pause V Day 9 Sheep & Shepherd

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Pause V, Day 9

Jesus spent much of His time in ministry subtly, and not so subtly, pointing out that He was the Messiah. Sadly, many Israelites missed the clues. The religious leaders seemed to suspect the truth, but were unwilling to accept it, lest their power and influence be diminished.

In today’s reading, Jesus made two statements that powerfully declared, “I am the Messiah”.

I Am the Gate for the sheep. (John 10:7 and John 10:9)
I Am the Good Shepherd. (John 10:11)

He spoke first about entering via the sheep gate. If you recall from Day 6, the Sheep Gate was a familiar place. The Israelites entered this gate to bring their sacrifices, many of which were sheep. Jesus was proclaiming Himself as the way, the gate, through which to be saved; this was exactly the role of the Messiah as foretold through prophecy.

When He said He was the Good Shepherd, Jesus declared He would willingly lay down His life for the sheep. He would then take it up again, as commanded by the Father, in order to prove victory over Sin and Death forever.

On this side of the resurrection, many of us know Jesus as the prophesied Messiah. We are the sheep who will enter eternity in heaven because of the gate, Jesus. We should be like sheep who learn to listen intently to and for the Shepherd’s voice. They follow His instruction because He has proven Himself a worthy and loving Shepherd.

In the same way, we should be listening in our hearts for the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. The Jews who did not believe Jesus was Messiah, were the ones whom Jesus described as not recognizing His voice. Those who did recognize it, knew Him and followed Him, and were kept safe for all eternity.

Sisters, let us be the sheep who develop such a deep, abiding relationship with Jesus that we recognize His voice, know Him and follow Him in whatever He calls us to do.

Today's Invitation

1) Be a scribe and copy the precious words of Scripture down word for word. Make space in your journal to write down a few verses from John 10 that grab your attention as you read. As you copy, lookup a cross reference or two as you come to them (they are the small letters next to certain words in your study Bible or online at www.biblia.com). As you write, think of the incredible gift it is to be invited into God’s presence through His word!

2) Choose one of these options to radiate Jesus’ love to others as you hold tightly to the anchoring truth of the eternal confidence we have only through Christ!

a) Pitch in to do something extra at church. Whether it’s helping with cleanup, opening doors, trimming weeds, or offering to help in a child’s classroom, step up to loving deeper by serving in a new way.

            b) A note of genuine kindness and specific encouragement goes a long way in showing love and support to your pastor. Consider sending your pastor(s) an email or card!

            c) Check out some local ministries in your area and make plans to serve with them for an afternoon. Maybe it’s organizing school donations, serving soup, or stuffing backpacks for kids. Even better, get some friends to join you!

            d) Prayer walking is a simple way to begin shifting the eyes of your heart to truly see others. Walk around your neighborhood, some city streets, the aisles of your grocery store, or intentionally sit at a local coffee shop and pray, pray, pray. Pray for the people around you, pray for hearts to turn towards Jesus, pray for your own heart to be ready to share the full gospel if given the chance. Don’t worry about seeing results, that’s God’s job!

            e) Strike up a conversation with a random stranger. It may move to spiritual topics, it may not, but showing love to those outside our immediate circles always begins with a simple conversation. “What have you been doing today?” “Do you live nearby?” “Where do you go to church?” “What are your favorite local restaurants?” “What a cute handbag! Where did you get it?” These open-ended questions work well!

3) Share the exciting, bold ways you are living out your eternal confidence today with the rest of the GT Community! Our Facebook community page is always open! Or snap a photo and tag us on Instagram @gracefully_truthful

4) Memorize John 12:25-26

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Connect with our community on Facebook!

Join the GT Community on Facebook!

John 10

“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

19 Again the Jews were divided because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and he’s crazy. Why do you listen to him?” 21 Others were saying, “These aren’t the words of someone who is demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

22 Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

25 “I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works that I do in my Father’s name testify about me. 26 But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

31 Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone him.

32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these works are you stoning me?”

33 “We aren’t stoning you for a good work,” the Jews answered, “but for blasphemy, because you—being a man—make yourself God.”

34 Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, I said, you are gods? 35 If he called those to whom the word of God came ‘gods’—and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say, ‘You are blaspheming’ to the one the Father set apart and sent into the world, because I said: I am the Son of God? 37 If I am not doing my Father’s works, don’t believe me. 38 But if I am doing them and you don’t believe me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I in the Father.” 39 Then they were trying again to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

40 So he departed again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him and said, “John never did a sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1.Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

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 Pause V 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 Pause V!

Ready Day 1 Trade Routes

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Thessalonians 4
2 Thessalonians 2
Acts 17:24-31
Romans 8:35-39
Isaiah 66:1-4

Ready, Day 1

As I sit savoring my tea, I recall learning about ancient trade routes in school. Of interest to me back then was The Tea Horse Road. Now I take particular interest in the most famous trade route linking ancient China to the Roman Empire, “The Silk Road.” It was for more than just trading silk, produce, leather, gold and grains; it also facilitated the exchange of knowledge, technology, arts and intellectual ideas.

Most importantly, it helped spread the Gospel. And Paul was one of the main “traders.”
I learned recently the Silk Road may have been instrumental in the spread of Black Death. How significant then that Paul was spreading the good news of “The Life,” Jesus Christ! (John 14:6)

In the church Paul planted in Thessalonica, there were a few Jews, “a large number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women.” Paul wasn’t able to provide extensive teaching because the Jews from the synagogue threatened his team’s safety. So, the church sent Paul and Silas to Berea. (Acts 17:5-10) As a result, the new believers in Thessalonica were left . . . alone.

As newcomers to anything, our knowledge is limited and we need guidance. For example, if I don’t read the instructions for steeping time, I’ll brew bitter, nasty tea. Similarly, without experienced leaders present to offer instructions on how to live new life in Jesus, the church fell into discouragement and disarray due to persecution and bad theology. This made Paul’s two letters critical, because they instructed, corrected, and encouraged during his physical absence.

Discouragement. Troubles. Suffering. Even today, first-world Christians have a hard time believing we’ll endure such hardship. After all, we belong to Christ. Surely we should be exempt. Likely, these babes in the faith at Thessalonica thought and felt the same.

Here’s the rub. As a believer, suffering is certain. Jesus told us in John 16:33 to expect trouble in this world because we follow Him. Throughout his letters, Paul mentions the Thessalonians’ suffering and persecution, as well as his own. Consider Romans 8:35, which speaks of affliction, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger and sword. Honestly, by itself, this list scares me a little.

But suffering is not the end of the story. Jesus completes His thought in John 16 by declaring He has overcome the world! Jesus suffered on the cross, but He rose victorious over sin and death. 

For us, we endure “by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1:3)
We become imitators of Christ through suffering. (1 Thessalonians 2:14)
We are “counted worthy of God’s kingdom” when we suffer for it. (2 Thessalonians 1:5)
In the end, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us,” Jesus. (Romans 8:37)

Yes, suffering is certain, but so is hope, for when we suffer well, we imitate Christ and become examples to others. In fact, Paul tells the Thessalonian church, “you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.” (1 Thessalonians 1:7) This was especially significant for the Thessalonian church, because their position as a seaport, allowed influence to reach not only other believers, but also those still following other religions. Recognizing this immense opportunity for spreading the Gospel, Paul sent Timothy to encourage and instruct them. They needed the encouragement to continue to hold strong in their faith. But what about instruction?

Both Paul and Timothy gave instructions on how to live as believers. Thessalonians needed to be anchored in the truth of the gospel so they would not be deceived and influenced by false teaching, flawed doctrine, and a polytheistic culture. There were two particular points of instruction. One was how to live as they waited for their ultimate hope, Jesus, to return. The second was regarding the Day of the Lord (the return of Jesus).

Our hope is in Jesus’ return, for which we expectantly wait. But, like the Thessalonians, we frequently view waiting as passive. They had false teachers who convinced many the Lord’s return had already happened. So why continue preparing for the Lord’s return or live faithfully?

Paul corrected this lie. He said, until Jesus returns, believers are to not be lazy but instead, to love one another, “to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands” (1 Thessalonians 4:10), to “stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, whether by what we said or what we wrote,” (2 Thessalonians 2:15) and to “stay awake and be self-controlled” (1 Thessalonians 5:6).

Sisters, we also need to wait expectantly for Jesus’ return, by engaging in active readiness, not just sitting around twiddling our thumbs. There won’t be time to get ready when He comes. (1 Thessalonians 5:2) We need to be ready!

It’s been over 2000 years since Jesus left earth. Let’s not become lazy in our wait for His glorious return. Instead, let us be humble, submissive, and honor His word, thereby experiencing His favor. (Isaiah 66:2) I encourage us to read Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians and determine how we will go about being ready for His return. How can we be traders of the gospel? Let’s each settle on actions through prayer and study and then live ready!

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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 Ready 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 Ready!

Esther Dy 10 Wisdom: The Best Adornment

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Esther 4:12-5:14
Proverbs 3:1-12
Proverbs 1:1-9

Esther, Day 10

“Oh Lord, please give me wisdom and discernment!
I know Your plans for me are far greater than any I could imagine.
I recognize how I need to know Your thoughts in this scenario.
Are You leading me to this?
What does it look like to walk this out?

Lord, I sense the outcome of this present possibility has the potential to impact the rest of my life, so the need to hear from You weighs heavy on my mind today.
Guide my feet, steady my heart, tune my ears to hear Your voice.”

The sound of my pen moving across my journal pages filled the air around me as I wrote these words and poured out my heart before the Lord. While an element of me felt somewhat overdramatic at my thoughts, another part resonated so fiercely with the significance of this season I knew not to take my journaling lightly.

When I no longer sensed any more words to pour out before Him, I set my journal aside and opened my laptop to begin working on this Journey Study. Have you ever had one of those moments in which the Lord heard and answered you before you even prayed?
This particular assignment has been in my hands for several months and it is today I opened my Bible to truly soak in the verses.

There, nestled in the middle of the Old Testament, I found another brave soul navigating the journey placed before her, a journey where literal life and death hung in the balance. Had Esther kept a journal, our words may have paralleled one another in unique ways.

In the three short chapters leading up to where we find ourselves in chapter four, Esther has lost the only family she’s known, won the longest version of the Bachelor ever, become queen of a nation and wife to a very powerful man ruled by the law of the land, and successfully kept her true heritage a secret from all in the palace. While that is enough fodder for multiple full-length movies, the plot thickens. Haman, an Agagite, who has a serious vendetta against the Jewish population in Susa and has been aggravated by one specific Jew (Mordecai) who refuses to cower before him, has gained the ear of the King. Enjoying his position, and fueled by his hatred for Jews, manages to convince King Ahaseurus to send out an edict stating all Jews to be attacked on a specific day. In essence, a mass genocide has just been approved and declared to the entire country. Esther, who is a Jew, and all of her kinsmen suddenly have targets strapped to them as the day draws closer.

This is where we find ourselves as the curtain opens on Esther 4:12. Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, sends her a message that sums up her past while prophesying her future without an altered course of action. “If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for a such a time as this.” Esther 4:14

Esther responded by fasting and praying for three days before going to the king. She knew the law stated that anyone who approached the king without being summoned, would likely be killed.  Rather than dismiss Mordecai’s pleading message, her immediate response to his message spoke of a beauty that went more than skin deep.
Esther understood the value of wisdom and sought it earnestly.

It was her first beauty treatment in preparation to go before the king.
When was the last time that we thought of seeking wisdom
as an element of beauty?

In Proverbs, listening to father’s instruction and a mother’s teaching is referred to as “a garland of favor on your head and pendants around your neck.”  (Proverbs 1:9)
Seeking wisdom and instruction brings beauty and leads to beautiful outcomes
when applied to a life.

In Esther’s story, she followed Mordecai’s instruction and sought the wisdom of the Lord. Through that process, the Lord poured out a courage and discernment that granted her favor with the king. Her interactions with the king and Haman resulted in an edict giving Jews permission to defend themselves on the day of their would-be-massacre.

Esther’s beauty was a key piece of the puzzle in finding herself living in the palace and married to the king. However, it was not her outward beauty that enabled her to advocate for her people; it was the beauty of her wisdom. Her time spent in the presence of the Lord, seeking His guidance, made all the difference.

The Lord’s wisdom comes through reading His Word, spending time talking with Him, and seeking the direction of mature Christians to name a few key resources. Proverbs 3 tells us to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways and He will make our paths straight.
Isn’t that a beautiful promise and thought?

Do you find yourself in a similar season of needing the wisdom of the Lord?
Seek His wisdom and submit yourself to His direction.
Be astounded at the beauty He brings forth and wear His wisdom well!


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

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Esther Week Two! 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 Esther!

Focus Day 14 Me Or You?: 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 Me Or You?!

The Questions

1) Who is speaking in this passage and to whom are they speaking?

2) What is the purpose of this message?

3) What is the main theme of this passage?

John 15:9-17

 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Original Intent

1) Who is speaking in this passage and to whom are they speaking?
Jesus is speaking to the disciples in this passage. They have eaten the Passover meal and Jesus is preparing them for what is about to happen, His crucifixion on the cross. He has broken bread with them, washed their feet, and He is giving them His last words of encouragement and instruction before delivering Himself over to the Romans guards.

2) What is the purpose of this message?
Jesus is preparing the disciples to be in this world without Him. For three years, they have traveled with Him and listened to His teachings, but now it is time for them to become the ambassadors and spread His message without Him physically by their side. He does tell them He is not leaving them alone, but rather is providing them “a Helper”, the Holy Spirit. (John 14:15-20)

3) What is the main theme of this passage?
There are two words that stand out in this passage “abide” and “love”. Jesus is taking time in His last moments with His disciples to remind them of what they already know and have been taught over the last three years, but He is preparing them for what is to come. They must both abide in Him and love one another.

Everyday Application

1) Who is speaking in this passage and to whom are they speaking?
The disciples were Jesus’ closest followers. They left their homes, their families, and their lives to follow Him in His teaching. In these last moments, He is giving them one final message of hope with His last instructions being abide in me and love one another. As believers today, we are called to be Christ followers; we are His disciples in our time in history. We are to take His instruction to abide in Him and love others as the standard for the how to live out everyday lives. The Son of God knew His time on Earth had come to an end, and He left behind Holy Spirit empowered disciples to proclaim His truths until His return. We are these empowered and equipped disciples! Are we abiding? Are we loving well? Not sure what abiding looks like in real life? Check out our 3-week Journey Theme: Dwell!

2) What is the purpose of this message?
Have you ever been so wrapped up in a book or movie, you didn’t want it to end? Maybe the story was just that good or the characters were relatable, and you found yourself entrenched in their lives. Purely conjecture on my part, but I wonder if the disciples felt that way. They didn’t want their time with Jesus to end. They were scared (terrified really) and could see that things with Jesus were different; things were coming to an end. The things He spoke about seemed final and His once-coded messages about leaving began to unfold right before them. In all of that, Jesus wanted to offer hope, direction, and assurance. He wanted to put their mind at ease about coming events and, most importantly, wanted to give them instructions about things to come. He wanted to assure them this was God’s plan all along and in Him they were capable of carrying on. So Are We! You and I didn’t walk with Jesus while He was in the flesh, but when the ends of our lives are unraveling, the same assurance is for us. He sees, He knows, He is still the “with us” God!

3) What is the main theme of this passage?
Jesus’ instructions to the disciples were clear: abide in me and love one another. As followers of Him, that is our evaluation standard before I post on social media, before I speak to a friend who has hurt me, before I speak to my disobedient child, before I confront a co-worker about their choices, before—- you can fill in the blank. My focused questions should be am I abiding in Him? And am I loving that other person? John, the writer of this book, says “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) The love we have for our neighbor that comes from our knowing Christ deeply through studying His word and growing in biblical community is the most powerful testimony to a world who does not know Him.

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Catch up with Me Or You?!

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!

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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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