kindness

Whole Day 11 Whole Story Messengers

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Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Matthew 18:21-35
Mark 2:1-12
Micah 7:18-19

Whole, Day 11

It was a warm, sunny day in Mali, West Africa.

I’d jumped at the chance to lead a missions work team to the local artisan market to shop for souvenirs before their departure.

We headed to one of my favorite sections with wooden carvings and other cultural gems. I was immediately greeted in French by a shopkeeper. When my team decided on their purchases, the shopkeeper quoted a ridiculous tourist price, his response curt and full of animosity. He made it known, in no uncertain terms, that he would never sell anything to the French, who had taken advantage of his country, for a fair price.

I was taken aback. He’d clearly assumed my nationality based on hurts from his past and the color of my skin. So, I switched from French to his heart language of Bambara.

“Sir, I think you have it wrong. I am not French. I am American and have lived here for 18 years. My parents & grandparents have lived in your country for many years as well. We love your people and your country. I am sorry for how the French treated your people. It was not right.”

Surprised, his demeanor and tone began to soften. I reassured him we shared a common hope for his people, and we were supporting his community through building schools, medical clinics, and literacy programs. After discussing the beautiful people in his country, which I considered home, we agreed on a fair price and off we went with our carved wooden treasures.

As I look back on that moment, I am reminded that reconciliation isn’t just a one-time event that is wrapped up in a tidy bow. The continuum of reconciliation is ongoing. It requires us to understand the past and properly assess the situation in front of us. This step of obedience will lay a foundation of empathy and trust, paving the way for us to make connections with the messiness of this world.

Our message is full of hope because of Jesus, and our world needs all the hope it can get. Reconciliation requires us to find a commonality with the person next to us and use that as a connection point before we launch into the heart of the matter.

Just as with my shopkeeper friend, it can often involve some uncomfortable moments where emotions run high. I wasn’t able to fix the hurt in his heart from the French people, but I was able to remind him there are people who DO care and want to help. For all of us, this conversation can serve as a helpful reminder that jumping to conclusions can lead to judgment. Instead of judgment, reconciliation involves communication and asking questions.  

Why do we engage in this messy work of reconciliation?
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 urges,
“Everything is from God, who has reconciled Himself to us through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’ He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Because the blood of Jesus has reconciled our separation from God and secured a right relationship for us with the Father, we are now tasked with sharing this message with the world.

Notice Scripture doesn’t say, “If you want, you can be part of the ministry of reconciliation.”
No, Scripture states, “He gave us this ministry.”
God’s commission implies action on our part. (Matthew 18:21-35)

If we truly want to embrace the way of Jesus,
then we are called to step into the lifelong work of reconciliation.

Often, we think of reconciliation as a single, turning-point moment, and while it can certainly be that, I’d challenge us to see small opportunities to pursue reconciliation in everyday situations. They are like stepping stones, leading people to know Jesus and the forgiveness and hope He offers. (Mark 2:1-12) Each stepping stone is key in building trust as we encounter the world.

When we love people who are different from us, we are offering them the chance to be seen by a God who loves them.

When we offer our kindness in the grocery store to a Muslim woman who is wearing her hijab and speaking another language, we are reflecting the kindness and grace Jesus has shown us.

When we build a friendship with our coworker and demonstrate that we can listen without jumping to a rash conclusion, we model the way Jesus listened and truly cared.

These seemingly mundane moments walk people closer to reconciliation with a God who loves them and desperately wants them to know Him.

Questions for reflection…
*What assumptions have you made about people? How might you stop yourself from making those same assumptions in the future?
*How can you engage with someone who is different from you, to show them you are listening?
*How can you reflect the message of hope in the messy parts of your day?

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Worship X Day 11 From Eternity To Eternity

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 103
Deuteronomy 6:10-12
Deuteronomy 8:11-20
Psalm 25:8-11
Isaiah 40:28-31

Worship X, Day 11

Day 1
As I sit to write today’s Journey Study, physical and emotional tiredness are my companions. Thankfully, tomorrow is a new day and His mercies are new every morning.

“[Your mercies] are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:23)
His promise allows me to let the events of the day drain away while focusing on the truth found in His Word.

The truth in Psalm 103 is a solid reminder while my body is ready for rest and a new day, His mercies for today are still active.

“My soul, bless the LORD,
and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
My soul, bless the LORD,
and do not forget all His benefits.” (Psalm 103:1-2)
Tiredness begins to melt away as my focus shifts from myself to the truth of the Lord. The tension in my shoulders eases as I ponder His benefits.

“The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.” (Psalm 103:8)
Thank You, Lord, for Your compassion, grace, and slowness to anger. I am so undeserving of those, especially today when I failed to extend the same to my husband. Please forgive me.

“He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve
or repaid us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:10)
Thank You for Your forgiveness, for not repaying me according to what I deserve.

“He satisfies you with good things;
Your youth is renewed like the eagle.” (Psalm 103:5)
Thank You for renewing my youth and my strength, so I can “run and not become weary [. . .] walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31) when I wait on You. This, too, is one of Your mercies for today. Help me wait on You and experience Your energizing presence.

Lord, You have poured out so many benefits, yet how often do we fail to thank You for all the ways You demonstrate Your love towards us?

I’m not sure I actually want to answer that question.
But I can choose to make tomorrow and each subsequent day different.

Day 2
I set alarms today on my phone. Four of them.
When they sounded throughout my day, I intended to pause and focus on the Lord and the truth of Psalm 103.

When the first alarm rang, I remembered my conviction, paused to say a quick thank You for my current blessings, and continued on with my day.

A short while later I snapped at my husband in conversation and the words of Psalm 103:2 wafted through my mind, “do not forget all His benefits.”

Ugh. My fleshly heart rebelled at the gentle conviction of the Lord through His Word.

My study of this verse revealed connections to Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 6:12 reminded the Israelites, in the midst of their materiel bounty,
“[B]e careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.”

Two chapters later, Deuteronomy 8:11 reiterates,
“Be careful that you don’t forget the LORD your God by failing to keep his commands, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today.”

Understanding began to dawn. I’d said thank you to the Lord for His benefits to me with the first alarm, but quickly forgot Him by failing to follow His commands to show His mercies to others.

With the next alarm, my heart posture stretched a bit deeper.

Thank You, God, for forgiving me. Please help me to demonstrate my love for my husband and respect him with my words and tone.

This encounter with the Lord didn’t fade into the background of my day. Much like the eased tension of the previous night, my emotional and physical reactions softened. I sensed the Holy Spirit within me, helping me as I surrendered more fully to Him.

The third alarm was set for late afternoon. Reflecting on the impactful second alarm, I felt anticipation growing. What would You speak to me during this moment of encounter, Lord?

As I waited for late afternoon to arrive, the words of Psalm 103:17 lovingly wrapped themselves around my heart.
“But from eternity to eternity
The LORD’s faithful love is toward those who fear Him[.]”

Psalm 25:10 echoes,
“All the LORD’s ways show faithful love and truth
To those who keep his covenant and decrees.”
He is faithful to us now, and promises His faithfulness will extend to eternity.

This brought such hope to my heart; no matter the circumstances awaiting us in this lifetime,
if we seek the Lord, He will faithfully walk with us.

We can thank Him for the hard times with confidence.
We can rejoice in today.
We can praise Him for all of His benefits.

In the Lord’s divine multiplication, when we praise Him
from the depths of who we are
for who He is, He is honored and we are helped.
He is worthy of worship now and for eternity!

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Wilderness Day 11 Lost, Alone, Forgotten

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 37:1-11
Genesis 39:21-23
Genesis 50:21-23
Psalm 94:17-19
Matthew 28:16-20

Wilderness, Day 11

Lost, alone, and forgotten.
Discouraged, hurt, and betrayed.
We all experience these along our journeys.

These feelings were all too familiar to another wilderness wanderer, Joseph. Great-grandson of the Hebrew patriarch, Abraham, Joseph was one of 12 sons. More specifically, Joseph was his father’s favorite son, a fact which did little to endear him to his brothers.

Joseph was further divided against his brothers by his special gift of dreams.
Dreams centering on his older brothers, and even parents, serving him. (Genesis 37:1-11) Dreams he enthusiastically shared with his family, without forethought, wisdom, or humility. You see, Joseph wasn’t perfect. Today, we would call him immature or even a brat. Finally, the family dysfunction reached a point where, embittered with hatred against Joseph, his brothers sold him as a slave. (Genesis 37:12-36)

Purchased by a rich Egyptian, Joseph was betrayed, alone, and forgotten. I’m sure Joseph wondered, “Why?” Why the dreams? Why the hatred? Why the pain? Similarly, when we are in our own wilderness, we may ask God, “Why?”

Sometimes, there may be an obvious answer, and we can use that understanding to help us learn, or navigate our way through the trial.

Other times, however, our “why”s are met with silence.
Wrestling with the unknown becomes a part of our wilderness story.

For Joseph, no clear answer was forthcoming.
Yet he continued to cling to God.

In Egypt, “The Lord was with Joseph [. . . and] Joseph found favor with his master.” (Genesis 39:2-4) Unfortunately, this same master would ultimately imprison Joseph for a crime he didn’t commit. (Genesis 39:3-20)

Even in prison, “the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor with the prison warden” (Genesis 39:21), and soon, all prisoners were under Joseph’s authority. Still, this wasn’t enough to earn his release; he was trapped, with no way out.

Ironically, the same supernatural gift that first thrust Joseph into the wilderness would be the means of his freedom. While in prison, a series of God-empowered dream interpretations took Joseph from the lowest position in Egypt to second-in-command. (Genesis 40, 41) In his new role, Joseph was tasked with storing enough crops to feed the entire country during a subsequent famine. (Genesis 41:46-57)

The famine was the final step in the fulfillment of Joseph’s boyhood dreams, as his brothers found themselves bowing before him with requests for food to sustain their families. (Genesis 42:5-6)

In this moment, possessing all the power to exact revenge and presented with the perfect opportunity to wield it, we see the work of wilderness time in Joseph’s heart.

He extended forgiveness to his family.

“But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result–the salvation of many people. Therefore, don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (Genesis 50:19-21)

At last, Joseph understood the answer to all the “why”s.

Why the dreams?
Why the slavery?
Why the prison?
So Joseph would be in the right place, at the appointed time. God crafted every step to position Joseph in Egypt, at the palace, before the famine, to save many lives.

The nice thing about Joseph’s story is we already know the ending. But, when Joseph was bound to other slaves, stumbling through desert sands on the way to Egypt, he didn’t understand what was happening, or why. He was deep in the wilderness of the unknown.

Our future is unknown to us. We will have wilderness seasons like Joseph. We may not be sold into slavery or tossed in prison, but we will feel lost, alone, and forgotten.
Yet Joseph’s story reminds us God has not forgotten us.

Psalm 94:17-19 declares God’s love is unfailing and He brings us joy. Our circumstances do not define us. We are God’s, and He has not left us alone.

In Matthew 28:20, Jesus concludes the Great Commission by promising, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We may feel left alone in this world by those around us, but the Lord is always with us.

We are not lost; He is leading us.
We are not alone; He is with us.
We are not forgotten; He is working in us and through us.

Wilderness Wanderer, though we may not understand all the “why”s right now, we can hear Joseph’s heart echo across the generations . . . cling to faith . . . find joy . . . embrace hope . . . for God is with us, and He is working out His plan. Even in the wilderness.

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Training Day 1 In My Name

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 58
Galatians 5:13-14
Philippians 2:1-11

Training, Day 1

I’ve been working out my salvation for years now. (Philippians 2:12)
I have been a follower of Jesus since the fourth grade. I received salvation in that moment and have been slowly transformed by the Holy Spirit for decades since. Praise God for His slow, steady work, even when I am stubborn-headed!

Throughout my journey, I have continuously struggled with legalism. I erroneously believed salvation was by faith, through grace, but held by my good works. In reality, we see over and over in Scripture that salvation is by faith through grace, held by the Holy Spirit as a deposit for our eternal reward. (Ephesians 1:13-14) Unpacking this reality has been transformative in my life.

In Scripture, we see humility is required in this proper understanding of salvation and our good works. (Philippians 2:1-3) Nothing I’m doing is obliging God to love me any more than He already does. In fact, there’s nothing I could do to have Him love me more. Or less. He loves me perfectly and has offered new life through Jesus. (John 3:16-17) It’s not about me, it’s about Him.

So then, why do good works?

“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14)

In Christ, we have so many freedoms. It is comfortable to think freedom means we can focus on ourselves, making our lives better and easier. However, we see here Paul charges us to not just focus on ourselves, but to love and serve others. This is often contradictory to the values of the cultures in which we live. We might experience tension when we choose to put aside our rights and freedoms for the benefit of the Body of Christ.

Lean into these tensions, Sister. The Lord is leading you and I into these spaces. 

Our God was kind to give us examples for what He calls us to do. We see, in Philippians 2:1-11, a call to a task that feels impossible. Let’s look at verses 3-4:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.” 

How in the world could we do this? Serve others in this way? Impossible.

But God, in His kindness, leads by example. He didn’t just call us to this high task, He did it first. Christ in us allows us to love others in this way. Let’s look at verses 5-11 to see our model:

“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth— and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

In humility, Jesus humbled Himself to the Father’s will, even to death on a cross. God’s name was glorified in that act. “For this reason,” God then highly exalts Jesus and we see His name is the one by which we receive salvation.

Our big takeaway is that to love others, we must serve them. When we submit our desires to a lower position and elevate their needs over ours, we are ultimately giving God the glory.

In my life, I put this into practice by serving my husband in the department of food. We grew up on different continents and have very different comfort foods. I don’t love some of the things he loves and vice versa (although I’m not sure why…what’s not to love about hamburgers?!). I choose to cook what he likes after a rough day to bless him. I cook his foods for our kids, so they grow to love what he loves. When it is my turn to choose the restaurant, I often choose a place I know he prefers, even if it’s not my favorite. I love him. I want him to know that. I want to serve him, so he knows I value him. We are a unit; I pray we can act as one, serving each other and glorifying the name of our God.

Whom could you serve today? Maybe the Lord is calling you to love someone you don’t really like to love. Ask for His grace to step up to the task. Love and serve through His power. Receive His joy, and bring Him glory!

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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!

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Fruitful Day 15 Sweet Self Control

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 6:1-22
Genesis 8:15-22
Daniel 1:1-21
John 13:34-35
Galatians 5:22-23

Fruitful, Day 15

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control. The law is not against such things.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

These are two amazingly profound verses, subtle in their power and fierce in content. The first eight fruits all make logical sense. Who wouldn’t want more of those qualities?

Then there’s self-control.

It’s like a beautiful, soothing piece of music playing in the background for the first eight fruits, which suddenly comes to a screeching halt when self-control is presented and viewed through worldly understanding.

However, over the years, I have come to appreciate the inclusion of self-control as a fruit of the Spirit, and how it bookends the list with love. I am also grateful self-control is a result of the Holy Spirit working within me.

Self-control is defined as “the ability to control behaviors in order to avoid temptations and to achieve goals. The ability to delay gratification and resist unwanted behaviors or urges. A limited resource that can be depleted.”

Can you imagine a world without any self-control?

I realize a few of the posts I’ve seen on my social media feed over the past year may not have been created if a greater measure of self-control had been employed. So maybe a lack of self-control isn’t too hard to imagine.

Thankfully, the Lord knew the vital need for self-control and gave us the Holy Spirit to help grow and implement self-control within us.

Additionally, He is a faithful Father who demonstrates self-control perfectly. He also gave us His Word, in which we see examples of other imperfect humans learning and expressing self-control.

One of the first examples that came to my mind of the Lord’s self-control being modeled in Scripture is the flood. (Genesis 6:5-22) Yes, I do mean the story of the Lord sending the flood to wipe mankind from the face of the earth with the exception of Noah and his family.

This story might seem like a strange choice, but I see two distinct ways in which He showed self-control.
1) Sparing Noah’s family
2) His promise to never flood the earth again
The Lord did not completely destroy all of mankind. He displayed self-control by sparing the race and graciously selected Noah and his family for the journey.

He also promised to never flood the earth again, giving us the rainbow as a symbol and reminder of His covenant vow. (Genesis 9:11-17) Scripture doesn’t provide great detail regarding the people’s wickedness in Noah’s day, but I have observed a few things in my lifetime making me wonder how closely our behavior mirrors theirs.

Still, the Lord displays self-control every single time it rains, by not flooding the world.

The Lord perfectly demonstrates self-control and Scripture is full of people who loved the Lord and, as a result, their lives reflected His self-control in their own stories. I am a visual learner and observing how others have practiced self-control helps me immensely.

Daniel and his diet, for example. (Daniel 1:8-16)
I admit I am nibbling on a cookie — timing is everything — as I imagine what it must have been like for the selected Jewish exiles to eat from the royal table. The decadence offered, and daily encouraged, must have rivaled any all-you-can-eat buffet.

However, Daniel and three others training with him chose to eat only what would honor the Lord, as the “rich food” had been offered to idols.

Their choice required self-control in surrender to the Lord. Not only were they bypassing the choicest food, they were risking displeasing the king, and likely suffered ridicule from their peers at the table. Multiple forms of self-control were required to honor the Lord through their food commitment.

Like Daniel, we are called to reflect God’s character of self-control in our own lives through surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s work in us. At times, I have successfully displayed Spirit-driven self-control. I’ve also failed more times than I care to consider.

For several years, I worked at a college with fraternities and sororities. Within that role, I was called into all sorts of scenarios at all hours. So often, especially during the middle-of-the-night, high-stress situations, I sensed the Holy Spirit fueling self-control within me. Many students I worked with didn’t know the Lord, but most knew I did. How I responded in those situations reflected on the work the Lord had been doing in my own heart. I will never know the full impact of how His self-control changed situations, but I pray those students were positively influenced.

Self-control is challenging to implement in real life if we are relying solely on ourselves. I love how the definition describes self-control as a resource that can be depleted. We cannot walk this life alone, relying on our own self-control reservoir. It will run out.

Therefore, we desperately need to allow the Holy Spirit to bear fruit in our lives. He can pour out self-control, not only refueling our dwindling resources, but supply self-control that can only come from God.

Self-control is a sweet gift from the Lord.
Holy Spirit, please pour out more. Make my heart a tender place of surrender as You work out this fruit in me! For Your glory, our benefit, and the benefit of those around us!

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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!

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The GT Weekend! ~ Fruitful 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) The fruit of the Spirit is not “good works” that people force themselves to accomplish, rather they are evidences of the Spirit’s work in the lives of His people, empowering them for the good works He has called them to do. Often, we desire the feeling of patience rather than the action of patience. We want to feel patient before we act patient. Like with many disciplines, we can still choose to live out patience even if we don’t feel it. I have heard people joke that you shouldn’t pray for patience, because then God will send you opportunities and circumstances to practice patience. In what areas of your life do you most need the Spirit’s help in practicing the action of patience? What person (or group of people) draws out your impatient attitudes and behaviors? Is there a circumstance you can think of recently where you acted on your impatience and damaged (no matter how slight) your relationship with another person? Consider moving toward that person in repentance. What impact would it have on your relationship if you sincerely apologized and took steps to grow in active patience? Ask God to empower you by the Holy Spirit to walk in obedience, even when you don’t feel patient.

2) The very first time God declared something “not good” in creation was when Adam was alone. God created humanity to live in community with one another. As we experience the life-changing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, it is natural for us to share this life change with our biblical community. Consider a time when you felt loved and cared for by the kindness of others. How did that moment affect you? When we show kindness to others, we reflect the very nature of our great God. Stop right now and ask God to give you an opportunity to show His kindness to another person. Be still for a moment and wait for God to bring someone to your mind. Be open to Him leading you in an unexpected way. He may bring someone to mind who is not in your regular friend group, someone who may need extra kindness in their life. Take a step toward showing them kindness. (There were a number of examples in Wednesday’s Journey Study if you need ideas!) Be creative and generous, lavishing them with kindness to the glory of God, our Father.

3) “God is good!” “All the time!” This is a common call and response transcending the centuries of Church history because of its simple, but powerful truth. However, it’s one thing to say the words, and quite another to carry them into every situation. We often become caught up when we don’t feel like a truly “good” God could allow excruciating circumstances. Where is the goodness of God when death steals our loved ones? When disease eats away at our bodies? When poor choices and rebellion bring distance in relationship? Can God actually still be good and be an onlooker to our suffering? Wouldn’t He want to end our pain? Wouldn’t He want to wipe away our grief? YES! He does. God didn’t want to end pain for a moment, He wanted complete restoration where there would be zero chance of sin and its grievous pain ever causing suffering again. Which is why He gave His life. There, at the cross is a Very Good God. Tragedy, loss, and heartache are the painful results of a world ensnared by sin, but one day, these will vanish like the morning mist because Christ paid the penalty of Death and Sin to be banished forever. The pain of our everyday moments needs this kind of eternal truth!

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

For the one who wants to love life
and to see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit,
and let him turn away from evil
and do what is good.
Let him seek peace and pursue it,
because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against
those who do what is evil.

Prayer Journal
Our Father in heaven, You, oh Lord, are patient and kind and good. Your holiness is beyond our understanding. Lord, we long for the day when all things will be made right, when we will live in community with our neighbor in Your presence with perfected patience, kindness, and goodness. Help your people to live out these values as we wait expectantly for Your coming Kingdom. Forgive me, oh patient God, for my impatience. I seek my own timeline and comfort over the needs of those around me. Forgive me, in Your kindness for my lack of care for others. I become so focused on my own needs and desires that I fail to show kindness to my neighbor. Forgive me, out of Your goodness, for my inability to see the goodness You have lavished upon me.  I focus on my limited view, rather than trusting You with the big picture. Help me to live by the Spirit so that I can rightly reflect Your character to the people around me. Protect me from my tendencies to rely on my own strength, and remind me of my dependence on You for all things. Amen and amen.

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Fruitful Day 8 Kind Beauty

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Galatians 5:22-23
Galatians 5:16-18
Romans 2:1-5
Hosea 2:14-20

Fruitful, Day 8

I have become incredibly passionate about proclaiming – and living out in my own life! – the vital importance of walking by the Spirit’s power to experience victorious Christian living.

Still, so often we forget to surrender to the Holy Spirit’s leadership when we seek to grow in Christlikeness and sanctification. We have the mistaken idea that the fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23), will somehow be cultivated in us and lived out when we strive for it.
This is impossible!

When we pay attention to context, and back up to verse 16, Paul shows us exactly how these fruits will grow in our lives, “I say, then, walk by the Spirit, and you will certainly not carry out the desires of the flesh.” Walking by His Spirit is to closely abide in relationship with Him through studying His Word, prayer, and living in biblical community. As we surrender to Him, He cultivates His fruit within us, and we begin living it out.
Here’s the key: the Holy Spirit.
Apart from His work in our lives, we can produce no good fruit.

So far, we’ve studied Love, Joy, Peace, and Patience in our Journey Theme.
Today, we’re studying Kindness.
What a beautiful realization to know that if kindness is a fruit of the Spirit,
then it’s proof our God is kind.
Kindness characterizes His Spirit.

Isn’t that encouraging?
We do not serve a harsh, unfeeling, mean, rude, uncaring God.
We serve a kind One.

One of my favorite passages revealing His kindness also comes from the pen of Preacher Paul in his letter to the Romans.
“Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4)

I love this beautiful passage because it so clearly shows us the loving, compassionate, caring, tender kindness of God. He doesn’t beat us over the head with our sin, as if cruelty and condemnation would somehow spur us to repentance. Instead, He showers upon us His kindness, He shows us His long-lasting forbearance and patience as His tender love draws us to Him.

We see this so clearly throughout the Old Testament.
Again and again, we read of the Israelites, God’s chosen people, forsaking Him and turning to do their own thing instead. Yet repeatedly, the Lord reaches out to them, sends prophets to tell of His love, rescues them, and reveals Himself to be incredibly compassionate and patient. His love for them never ends, therefore He is kind and forgiving as He seeks to woo them back. (Hosea 2:14-20)

I have experienced this kindness of God myself when His Spirit gently and lovingly convicts me of sin, inspires repentance in my heart, then compassionately clarifies to me all is well between us and has been forgiven. Then, this fruit of kindness begins flowing outward to touch other’s lives with the kindness of God as He draws them ever closer to Him.
What a beautiful thing! 

This is one reason biblical community and church fellowship are emphasized throughout Scripture. We need each other, and we need each other’s kindness flowing from the Spirit within us. I have experienced this kindness firsthand from God’s people in countless ways, including phone calls and texts to check on me, meals delivered after I’ve had a baby, birthday and book launch parties thrown for me, prayers when I’m going through a hard season, a meal train set up in preparation for my husband’s upcoming deployment, offers to mow my yard and tend to other things around our home while my husband is away, babysitting my children so I can have some moments to myself, impromptu money showing up in my PayPal account with a note saying, “Go get yourself some coffee,” and more.

Each time I have been shown the kindness of God through the actions of His people, it has comforted my heart, brought me joy, and drawn me ever closer to the God Who inspired these Christian sisters of mine to bless me.

Never underestimate, dear reader, the impact of your Spirit-led kindness on others! It is no small thing to live out the fruit of the Spirit known as kindness.
It changes lives, friends.
It has changed mine.

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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!

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Worship VII Day 15 What’s So Amazing About Grace?

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 2:1-9
Lamentations 3:22-24
Titus 2:11-14
2 Timothy 1:9-10
Revelation 20:4-6

Worship VII, Day 15

We often think of those who write hymns, especially famous ones, as being faultless. Yet, each writer was human, and therefore deeply flawed, none more so than John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace.”

John Newton’s mother was a believer and instilled learning Scripture in John as a young boy. Motherless at 7, he joined his father, a ship captain, at sea for several voyages. As a young teen, he often found himself in trouble aboardship, and eventually, a moment of free time away from the ship put him into the path of a press gang. John was kidnapped to serve in the British Navy for several years, but all the hard work requirements didn’t stop him from creating havoc aboard the ships.

“Amazing grace,
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I am found,
Was blind, but now I see.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us the grace and salvation John Newton wrote about do not come at our own hand. Instead, like the apostle Paul, we can only see the truth of our sin and God’s grace when the scales fall from our eyes. Paul’s temporary blindness was physical, but it also represented his spiritual blindness to Who God truly was. We, like Saul, are blinded to Who He is, and to the ugliness of our sin, when we are mired in our self-serving sin and lifestyles dishonoring to God.

When John was free from the Navy, he was given the opportunity to assist a plantation owner and slave trader on an island off the African coast. Though slave trading was a legal business and he had success, John discovered himself chained in spiritual bondage, just as the slaves he traded were locked in physical chains.

“’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.”

Rescued from life on the island, John joined another trade vessel. A fierce storm arose, causing the ship to take on water and begin falling apart. After helping to bail water, he was assigned to the helm. It was in this moment, facing almost certain death, John remembered the faith of his upbringing and started praying.

Three hours later, the storm abated. John spent several more hours at the helm, giving him plenty of time to pray and reflect on his life. He began to realize God was very real and did, indeed, still hold him. Titus 2:11-13 aptly describes the call of God, which settled on John’s spirit, although he did not yet fully grasp it yet:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come,
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.”

Eventually, John became captain of his own vessel, making several voyages to Africa and back. Over the course of these trips, he made time for prayer and devotions with his crew. Before one trip, John was overcome with a fever and forced to remain behind; later, tragic news came that the ship sank. Once again, he was reminded of God’s divine protection over his life.

John retired as captain and eventually chose to go into ministry. He became active in the abolitionist movement, denouncing, and working to end, slave trade. God had continued to make John’s heart new and increasingly more like Christ’s!

“The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures,
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.”

As he penned these verses, John put into his own words the declarations of God’s faithfulness found in Psalm 28:7, Psalm 91:4, and Lamentations 3:22-24.

“Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.”

John spent many years writing sermons and poems, often collaborating with fellow poet William Cowper. “Amazing Grace” is one of the many poems produced by Newton. His past became the focus of many of the verses, but he concluded this famous work with his gaze fixed on eternity:

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.”

Grace was the theme of a wretched man like John, who gave himself over again and again to the Amazing God who died to free him from his chains of slavery to sin. Our sin gives us each the moniker “wretch,” and yet, when we turn to Him in repentance, even the most wretched heart is transformed by His amazing grace! Come, be amazed at the gracious kindness of a God who sacrificed Himself for you!

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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 Worship VII Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Pause IV Day 14 Quiet

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Pause IV, Day 14

I’ve always been captivated by the word “quiet” in the Bible. Being still and silent is not something I do well, or often. When my watch reminds me to breathe for one whole minutes, I feel like it’s an eternity!

Being quiet before the Lord, submitting to the discipline of waiting for Him, takes intentional practice over time. The more we practice, the better our hearts become at willingly waiting and silently being still.

When we are silent, the Lord speaks most clearly.
While we wait, the Lord acts.
As we sit still, God trains our hearts to trust Him, instead of ourselves.

Habakkuk has heard the unequivocal word of the Lord to bring about His justice on His people, Israel. He has reminded himself of the Lord’s sovereignty, His kindness, His righteousness, His deliverance, and protection of His people.

Where Habakkuk has wrestled with tongue and spirit against the Lord,
he now sits quietly waiting.

Tomorrow, a beautiful unveiling of Habakkuk’s changed heart is poetically revealed, but first, quiet.

Hush, be still, wait quietly for what the Lord will 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 all of Habakkuk 3:16 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).

2) Take time to wander through these Scripture passages on being quiet before the Lord, letting His Spirit teach you. Copy down 1 or 2 verses onto notecards and place in prominent spots in your home so you can memorize them in the coming days. Share them with a friend and ask her to memorize them with you!
Exodus 14:14, Psalm 46:10, Psalm 37:7, Job 6:24, 1 Peter 3:4, Lamentations 3:26, Zephaniah 3:17, Isaiah 26:3, Mark 1:35, Isaiah 30:15, Habakkuk 2:20

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Habakkuk 3:16

I hear, and my body trembles;
my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
to come upon people who invade us.

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 IV 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 IV!