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Treasure Day 12 Treasure In The Mirror: 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 Treasure In The Mirror!

The Questions

1) How can a friendship with the world be hostility toward God?

2) How do I resist the devil?

3) What does it mean to humble myself before the Lord?

James 4:1-10

What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?  2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

4 You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God. 5 Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?

6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.

7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Original Intent

1) How can a friendship with the world be hostility toward God?
In Greek, “friendship” is the word “philia”, which means fondness and to have affection for.  In the Old Testament, the word had deep and special meaning.  “In fact, friendship was one of the aspects of being in covenant with someone (even as Abraham was in covenant with Jehovah) and thus implied a unity or oneness in thought and purpose.” (Preceptaustin.org.) Author Michael Andrus refers to friendship with the world, as described in James 4:4, as spiritual adultery. “This is, in fact, a term borrowed from the Old Testament. God had brought Israel into a covenant relationship with Himself, but they had been unfaithful to Him through idolatry, disobedience, and compromise with the pagan cultures around them. So, the prophets accused the people of being spiritual adulterers. James sees the same problem in the church of his day. There was too much fraternizing with the enemy.”  Author Steven Cole explains, “you can’t bring it [the world] into your marriage to Jesus Christ. He brooks no rivals. You are either friends with the world and an enemy of God, or friends with God and an enemy of the world.” There simply is no middle ground. No straddling the fence between having the world and following God.

2) How do I resist the devil?
James 1:7 tells us to “submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  The Greek word resist, Anthistemi, means “to arrange in battle against, which pictures a face to face confrontation. It was used to refer to an army arranging in battle against the enemy force and so to array against.” (Preceptaustin.org)  The contrast of submit and resist is explained by Thomas Manton this way, “You must submit to God, but not to Satan. The Scriptures, in order to speak distinctly and clearly, make contrasts of necessary duties like this. So in 1 Corinthians 14:20 we read, “In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.” Similarly, in Romans 16:19, “I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” These sayings match this one of the apostle: you must submit and yet resist.”  The Latin word for devil, diabolos, means “a false accuser, slanderer (one who utters false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation), backbiting . . .  or a calumniator (one who utters maliciously false statements, charges, or imputations about. (Preceptaustin.org)  When James writes that we must submit to God and resist the devil, he is imploring us to recognize God’s authority over us and use that covering to deflect the lies of our accuser.  Dr. Tony Evans encourages us that “acknowledging and remaining under Christ’s lordship and authority will protect you from Satan’s onslaught.”  When we resist the devil, he must flee!

3) What does it mean to humble myself before the Lord?
The Greek word for humble, tapeinoo, “literally means to level, to cause something to be lower or to make low. . . Most New Testament uses of tapeinoo are figurative and include the following meanings: To cause someone to lose prestige, to reduce to a meaner condition or lower rank, to abase. To be ranked below others.” (Preceptaustin.org) When God calls us to humble ourselves before Him, He is asking us to put ourselves under His authority and grace, willing to glorify Him and obey His commands.  When we choose His will over our own and recognize He is everything and we have nothing without Him, we are humbling ourselves.  When we humble ourselves, we are following not only the command of God, but also the example of Jesus who humbled Himself by leaving Heaven and coming to earth to take on our sin and shame. Philippians 2:8 says, “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.”  When we choose humility, not only are we becoming more like Jesus, but God promises to exalt us (James 4:10) and lift our head.  James 4:6 also tells us that God “resists the proud, but gives the humble more grace.”  Thinking of our wants and desires less, and glorifying God more, can be hard, but the benefits are worth the work.

Everyday Application

1) How can a friendship with the world be hostility toward God?
I would never think of myself as an enemy of God.  Why would I be hostile toward God?   I love Him!  But do I love Him more than anything?  I want to say yes, but sometimes my actions and choices say otherwise.  There is a Keith Green song (anyone else a child of the 1980s?) that addresses this issue of friendship with the world.  The song “You Love the World,” states:
My word sits there upon your desk.
But you love your books and magazines the best.
You prefer the light of your TV.
You love the world, and you’re avoiding me.
I think of this song anytime I neglect my Bible reading and quiet time, but manage to waste time on social media, video games, or binge watching my favorite TV shows.  These things are not bad in and of themselves, but they become a problem when they keep me from my relationship with God.  When I discover most of my time, money, thoughts and energy are going to things other than the Lord, then it’s time to take a look at my heart and attitudes and remember my first love (Revelation 2:4).  Philippians 3:7-9 tells us, “But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him. . .”  When I remember the love of Christ and His sacrifice for me, it becomes obvious where I should concentrate my energy and attention.  I can enjoy the things of this world, but my heart belongs to Jesus!

2) How do I resist the devil?
I rarely think of them as attacks from the devil. Those accusing, demeaning thoughts that creep in and slowly take root in my mind.  But that is what they are.  These are lies attacking my identity and keeping me from seeing myself as God sees me. Sometimes they grow and even flourish, nurtured by my constant worry, “I do not fit in here.  I have never fit in anywhere.  No wonder I don’t have any close friends.  I have nothing of value to offer.”  Dr. Tony Evans explains Satan “knows if he can get you to ignore the authority and rule of Christ in your day-to- day activities and decisions, he can deceive, trick and harm you however he chooses.”  The key to resisting those attacks is recognizing who we are in Christ and submitting to His authority in our lives.  Author Marian Jordan Ellis writes of a time she believed the lie of the enemy that no one loved her.  She asserts that “Truth defeats deception.  Worship sends the Enemy running.  Declaring the truth of my identity in Christ broke the power of the Evil One over my mind.”  She further states that, “Victory is found in Christ alone. He fights for us.  Our job is to stand firm, proclaim His praise and wait for the deliverance.”  Prayer is another key in resisting the devil.  John Piper reminds us, “Jesus commanded us to pray, ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,’—that is, deliver us from the successful temptation of the evil one. Meet the designs of the devil with the determined power of prayer.”  Satan attacks everyone, young and old, right where they are weakest and most vulnerable.  To resist him, we can worship God, pray, and declare the truth of God’s Word and His authority in our lives.  We can become “more than conquerors” through Christ!

3) What does it mean to humble myself before the Lord?
For someone who makes as many mistakes as I do daily, you would think humility would come easily for me.  Not so!  I often think my plans are superior to everyone else’s.  I might say it nice-as-you-please, but I still feel I’m right most of the time.  This creates problems for me, as you might expect, but especially when I value my own schemes above the will of the Lord.  So often His timing, His will, and His ways just don’t make sense to me, and I reason with Him to see things my way.  My plans are tidy and neat, timely and easy.  Surely my plans and His should align.  Sometimes His plans are inconvenient and even positively painful.  How could His way be right when it causes me such heartache?  Even though it is hard for me to humble myself and accept His will, I have learned that submission and obedience to the Lord are the only way to go.  Author Andrew Murray points out, “The command is clear: humble yourself. That doesn’t mean you have the ability to conquer and cast out the pride of your heart and to form within yourself the lowliness of the Holy Jesus. No, that’s God’s work. When He says He will ‘honor you’ and ‘lift you up,’ He means that He will form that character of Jesus in you. Your part in the process is to take every opportunity of humbling yourself before God and man.”  If I do my part to resist pride and submit to God, He will do His part to make me more like Him.  Even Jesus prayed to do the will of the Father.  In Mark 14:36, Jesus said, “ . . . Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.”  My prayer is to be like Jesus and choose the will of the Father over my own.

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

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Treasure Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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!

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

Treasure Day 11 Treasure In The Mirror

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Deuteronomy 26:16-19
1 Peter 5:1-11
Ephesians 2:1-10
James 4:1-10
Hebrews 12:1-13

Treasure, Day 11

We are God’s most treasured possession.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God Himself. And yet, we find ourselves struggling to believe this truth.

The enemy whispers “unworthy” in our ears. He tells us we are no good and pulls us down into the depths of depression.

It’s a fight, my friend. Satan goes about the earth like a lion seeking whom he can devour. We must resist him with all our strength.

He uses any tool he can find to defeat us.
It could be society telling us we are worthless,
our bathroom mirrors,
or what we read or watch (like social media).

It’s a spiritual battle and must be fought daily, hourly, or even by the minute.

This fight is nothing new. The Bible is full of men and women wrestling to discover their true worth.

Moses fought when God called him to rescue the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 3:7-4:13). He told God he just couldn’t do obey because he was too flawed.

Oh, the excuses!
His failures of his murderous past.
His faltering speech and slow tongue.

Been there, sister?

God can’t possibly mean me.
My past can’t be overcome.
My failures define me.
My flaws are too big and too public.

Truth?
God can use anyone.
Together with his brother, Aaron, and empowered by God Himself, Moses confronted Pharaoh and eventually led the Israelites to their freedom.

Even our spiritual leaders might tell us we aren’t good enough, or overlook us because others are better looking, or smarter, or________ (fill in the blank). For example, when the prophet Samuel was tasked with anointing a new king, he looked at a family of strong and ruddy men and assumed one of them would be the obvious choice.

Yet, God highlighted a shepherd boy, the most unlikely of candidates, reminding Samuel people look at outward appearance, but He sees our hearts. (1 Samuel 16:1-13)

In the New Testament, we meet Timothy, who was also disparaged because of his appearance, specifically because he was young. The Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy not to be deterred, or discouraged, by society claiming he was too young to lead and teach.

Like a father, Paul urged Timothy to be an example to all believers through his speech, lifestyle, and godly love for others. He encouraged Timothy to stay strong in his faith and steadfast in his purity (1 Timothy 4:12-16), so God’s character would be made evident within Timothy.

Similarly, God calls each of us, setting us apart with a purpose, to mirror His glory by reflecting His attributes to those around us.

Mirrors.
For many years, I lived in a virtual house of mirrors.
These carnival-style mirrors distorted the truth,
leaving me trapped in a maze of lies.

I struggled to grasp the treasure God had placed within me through His own Holy Spirit when He freed me from sin, shame, and chains of condemnation. Though God had gifted me with many talents and was growing His character in me, I could only see my weakness and incapability.

I did all the negative self-talk, embracing and repeating Satan’s lies to myself instead of the beautiful truths Christ had died to wrap around me like a royal robe. The evil one tries to beat us down and destroy us. He wants to keep our eyes turned away from our gifts and abilities and onto our weaknesses.

But God works through our weaknesses
to make us strong
and bring glory to Him.

So how do we fight the good fight? How do we defeat the enemy Satan, who is constantly whispering in our ears that we are no good?

We follow Paul’s instruction to Timothy.
We train ourselves for the fight.
We focus on reading the Scriptures,
and on stewarding the gifts God HAS INDEED given us.
We put on the full armor of God as defense against enemy attacks.

Begin listening to what God says about you. When negative thoughts come, and they will, resist them, rather than dwelling on them.

Look to the Lord (your wonderful and perfect mirror).
Let His likeness shine on you (Psalm 105:4-11).
Think on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure and lovely, and admirable.
Think on His words, which are excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8-9).

Make a list of Scriptures that remind you of your righteousness in Jesus Christ,
which He purchased for you when He shed His blood and paid for your sin.
Write them out with your name inserted in them.
Stick them wherever you will see them every day.
On your bathroom mirror. Your fridge. In your pocket.
Set them as reminders on your phone.

Recite these Scriptures over and over, especially when the enemy attacks. You’ve got this, friend. You can renew your mind just as God has transformed your heart!

 Here’s a short profession to help you get started:
I look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. He created me in His perfect image. I am His masterpiece. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, His treasured possession.

Even before I was born, He knew me. He died on the cross and rose again to redeem my life. I will seek His face and His strength, always. I will live as a daughter of the King.
Daughter of the King. Wow!
If you aren’t 100% sure you are a true Daughter of the King, having been washed and forgiven and freed from all those chains of condemnation, will you please reach out to someone who knows and lives that truth deeply? Email the Sisters at Gracefully Truthful or drop a comment here. Choosing to become the King’s Daughter is the single most important decision you will ever make; it will last for eternity!

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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 Treasure 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 Treasure!

Treasure Day 4 Mirror Of Her: 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 Mirror Of Her!

The Questions

1) What is the significance of calling out “one clay pot among many”? (verse 9)

2) What is the Lord’s “work of my (His) hands” He says to ask Him about? (verse 11)

3) What does this passage reveal about the authority of the Lord over His work?

Isaiah 45:9-13

“Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.
Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’
Or does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to the one who says to his father,
‘What are you fathering?’
or to his mother,
‘What are you giving birth to?’”
11 This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and its Maker, says:
“Ask me what is to happen to my sons,
and instruct me about the work of my hands.
12 I made the earth,
and created humans on it.
It was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded everything in them.
13 I have stirred him up in righteousness,
and will level all roads for him.
He will rebuild my city,
and set my exiles free,
not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord of Armies.

Original Intent

1) What is the significance of calling out “one clay pot among many”? (verse 9)
The clay pots here are intended to represent nations, just as they are in a similar visual given by the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 18:6-10). In Jeremiah’s case, the Lord was specifically referring to the nation of Israel, however in Isaiah’s passage there were two nations noted in Isaiah 45. In Isaiah’s time, there were numerous different nations, most of which were stronger and more powerful than Israel, this was particularly frustrating for Israel because she was held in captivity under Babylonian ruler, Cyrus the Great, and had been for decades. The “one pot among many” refers to Israel among many other nations, nations who had more power, nations of which Israel would be jealous of. This would easily cause Israel to question to God as they sat year after year in exile under foreign rule. Some of this angst is seen in the question, “Does clay say to the one forming it, ‘What are you making?’ Or does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?” (verse 9) Regardless of their exiling situation, the Lord still graciously called Israel “one clay pot among many.” He focused great attention care over that “one clay pot”.

2) What is the Lord’s “work of my (His) hands” He says to ask Him about? (verse 11)
The Lord’s question here in verse 11 is a hyperbole to emphasize the point that no one has the authority to question or instruct the Lord God in what He is making or doing in the nations, in history, or in the heart of a human soul. It is similar in style to Job’s many questions of the Lord following his significant losses of family, wealth, and health. Finally, after Job has ranted on and on and complained, the Lord answered Him with the same hyperbole, “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know!” (Job 38:3-5) The Lord has no obligation to answer questions of why and what purpose and how, we are only called to trust Him as the Almighty Wise Potter. (verse 12)What is different about Isaiah’s prophecy in comparison to Job’s is the Lord does declare what He will do for Israel, the one clay pot among many. His glory will be made known as He uses a foreign ruler, Cyrus the Great, to set His people Israel free to return to their land. Cyrus would “rebuild… and set exiles free.” (verse 13)

3) What does this passage reveal about the authority of the Lord over His work?The Lord who created the earth and filled it (verse 12), and holds authority over every aspect of creation (verse 12, Colossians 1:17), did not need to bribe or coerce even a foreign ruler to free Israel from exile. (verse 13) He simply said it would be, and so it was. His sovereign authority knows no limit. All the Lord does is good and results in blessing and His glory being made known, so more people may be drawn near to Him by experiencing Him. Earlier in Isaiah 29, the Lord declares that regardless of dire circumstances for Israel, one day they would understand, “For when he sees his children, the work of My hands within his nation, they will honor My name, they will honor the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who are confused will gain understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction.” One day, it would be made clear how God used Israel’s exile for His glory. One day Israel would see how God brought about redemption for all of mankind through His chosen people. One day.

Everyday Application

1) What is the significance of calling out “one clay pot among many”? (verse 9)
From the beginning of creation, God intended His glory to be made known and enjoyed in deep intimacy between the people He had created and Himself. This theme became ever more prominent the farther forward into the timeline of history we move. Abraham was called away from his homeland and worship of false gods, Isaac was the promised seed through whom would come the Great Deliverer, and Jacob was called into God’s plan before he was even born to continue building God’s nation. And on it goes from Jacob’s descendants, the Hebrews, being called out of slavery in Egypt, then made into the nation Israel, then given a land, and called God’s own people and possession to declare Him to the nations around them. One clay pot among many. Only the author gets to decide how He will use the clay pot to declare His goodness to the world, not the other way around with the pot dictating instruction to the Potter. In the New Testament, the one clay pot among many takes on a new, fuller form as the chosen ones become the Church, the Bride of Christ. We are still called to make God and His glory known to all people and all nations, but it is by His Spirit, His direction, not ours. In our own lives, we submit to His hands and His teaching and His leading as He guides us and makes our hearts new. He is the Potter, we are the clay pot!

2) What is the Lord’s “work of my (His) hands” He says to ask Him about? (verse 11)
While God certainly doesn’t need our help to rule, and He doesn’t need to consult us before acting, He is gracious in revealing His work to us and His purposes. We may still wrestle with why and we may grieve and feel anger towards Him when circumstances don’t fall into place as we would have planned, and hear this, that is okay to wrestle with! The Lord was exceptionally patient with Job as he walked through his grievous pain of deep loss. The Lord never once abandoned Job or mocked him for his honest wrestling. How the Lord did respond is important for each of us to note and take comfort in. He responded by reminding Job, and Israel through Isaiah’s prophecy, that He alone was God, and all authority was held by Him. There is nothing God “missed” or “overlooked” or “made a mistake” in His actions. The psalmist reminds us the Lord “never abandons the work of His hands.” (Psalm 138:8) Whether it’s on the national level, the coming return of Christ, His glory worked out through the tension of your relationship, or His comfort being made known to you as you walk through your own loss, He will never abandon the work of His hands! After the Lord responded to Job for 3 long chapters, Job, in humility answers with genuine understanding and peace, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2) Trust His hand, Sister!

3) What does this passage reveal about the authority of the Lord over His work?
God is not afraid of our questions and wrestling, He allows it, more so, welcomes us when we come to Him with why. What He wants us to be absolutely certain of though, as we wrestle and weep and grievously ache, is that He is to be trusted. His authority and power are not working against us. If that were so, Christ would not have humbled Himself to die for us, in our place, though He Himself deserved no death, no punishment, and no painful separation from God the Father. He is working for our good and His glory, all the time, but because we are finite, we simply do not always understand. But we do always have a choice of trusting His heart. The more we study Scripture, and seek His face, the more we realize how good He is, how much He is for us, and how deeply He loves us. Just as there was a prophesied One Day for Israel, so there is for us as well. One day, every tear will be wiped away. One day, we will finally understand the deep goodness of our God. (Revelation 21:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) One day, redemption will cover every loss, every wound, and every sadness no matter how deep. One Day.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Mirror Of Her!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Treasure Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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!

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

Treasure Day 3 Mirror Of Her

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Jeremiah 29:1-14
Isaiah 45:9-13
Psalm 139
Ephesians 1:3-19

Treasure, Day 3

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

I’ve read Jeremiah 29:11 more times that I can remember, and I’ve heard it more times than I’ve read it. I bet many of you can say the same. We all want to claim God has good plans for us, plans for a good future and hope. The deep application of Jeremiah 29:11 is richly rooted in our inheritance from Christ, who Himself is our Hope and Future, but do we really walk in that truth in our everyday lives? For me, I know I’m quick to skip over the eternal riches of Christ, instead wishing for a right-now-fix of “I deserve….”.

Recently, someone I know received several opportunities I had been eyeing for a while. Let me tell you, the richness I have in Christ was the furthest thing from my mind. All I could think about was “Why not me?”  Yep, the cloud of comparison infiltrated my heart and mind. I started to believe poisonous questions and lies over deep truth.

You might be familiar with some of those untruths.

What did she do to deserve this over me?
I must not be as good as her.
Now my chance is ruined.
Maybe I need to do (insert action) more (or less).

But let’s not just talk about the times where we knock ourselves. Let’s chat about the times we compare “in reverse”.  This type of comparison is equally as untrue and poisonous. Trust me, I know this from personal experience, sadly. We may get to do some great things or receive some incredible blessings and comparison sets in again. I’ve said things like:

I’m finally on her level (or above her).
This is an even better opportunity than she had.
I’m going to exceed what she did.

Ladies, do you know what we do when we compare, whether positively or negatively? We’re telling God how to do His job.  Isaiah 45:9 illustrates how the created should not be questioning its Creator.
“Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’”

Neither should we say, “God, you should have made it possible for me to do that” nor “God, thank you for giving me more talent than her.” Instead, with humility, we should be looking at ourselves and at our sisters, especially our “her” as God does.
He sees us as wonderfully crafted treasures.

Psalm 139 beautifully reminds us whose we are.
We belong to God.
Not just me, or you, or even her.
All of us.
We are all His treasures, and we’re fully known by Him.

He created our inward parts and knit us together (verse 13).
It is God who knows and understands our every thought and word (verses 2-5).
We have been “remarkably and wondrously made” (verse 14); we are His “wondrous work”! Not better or worse than anyone. But wondrous!

When comparison begins rearing its head in my life, I remind myself,
“Mari, God made her, therefore she is wondrous. And guess what? He made you too, so that makes you equally wondrous. You are both wonderful treasures!”. You should try this with your “her”. Real truth changes our heart perspective!

Yes! We are wondrously made and intricately crafted as His treasure! For a full picture of how God sees us, let’s consider who we are. In exploring Ephesians 1, we discover all we are chosen to BE. It’s an outstanding list: holy, blameless, adopted, redeemed and forgiven. We’re chosen to receive an incorruptible inheritance, have wisdom and understanding, receive the seal of the Holy Spirit, hear the truth, and receive spiritual blessings and grace. We are chosen to belong to Christ, know God, praise Him, and believe Him at His Word!

This is who we are. This is who she is too.

Let’s make this practical, because it’s easy to say we will view others as God’s treasure when comparison isn’t lurking. But once it arrives, we need readily available tools to help us hold onto God’s unchanging truths over the all-too-sweet lies of comparison.

In case you were wondering, I’m not telling you to do something I haven’t done.
I take the list from the previous paragraph and write it out. (Mine is in the margin of my journaling Bible). When I need to renew my mind about me or her, I go to this list. I first insert my name in each statement (i.e. Mari is chosen to belong to God). Then I start over and insert her name. Friends, there is no way you can do this and not see how we are all priceless treasures of God!

By digging into truth, I realize my friend, and every other “her” in my life has been blessed by God with good opportunities, but He has also blessed me with different opportunities. He treasures her gifts and gives her chances to use them, but this in no way prevents Him from treasuring and blessing me. She is not my competition. She is my sister in Christ. We can shine for the kingdom in our individual, different ways. And we do.

So sisters, let’s all embrace this truth and walk in the freedom of being His handcrafted Treasures!

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Relentless Day 4 Arise And See The Glory: 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 Arise And See The Glory

The Questions

1) What is the significance of “unveiled faces” in this passage?

2) How can we be transformed into the image of the Lord?

3) What does “from glory to glory” mean in this verse?

2 Corinthians 3:18

We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Original Intent

1) What is the significance of “unveiled faces” in this passage?
In the Old Testament book of Exodus, Moses went up to Mount Sinai to speak with the Lord and relay His commandments to the people of Israel.  When Moses came down from the mountain, his face shone brightly and it frightened the people, so he put a veil over his face. (Exodus 34:29-35)  Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that Christians do not have veiled faces because they have an intimate relationship shared with Christ.  They have no need to fear His glory or His presence.  Author John Piper explains, “the true meaning of the law is veiled to the minds of the Jewish people (and Gentiles!)—until they turn to the Messiah.”  Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible states, “All Christians, not just one man, as in the case of Moses, behold the glory of the Lord, and no veil is required.”  Living under the New Covenant of Jesus brings open access to the Lord and relationship with the Lord to all believers.  If your heart trusts in Jesus, you have instant access to His grace and provision!

2) How can we be transformed into the image of the Lord?
The apostle Paul wrote the book of 2 Corinthians as a letter to the church in Corinth around A.D. 55.  (John Macarthur)  The church was having plenty of difficulties with false prophets who were attempting to discredit Paul and promote their own teachings.  Paul wrote to the Corinthians, asserting his authority in Christ, but also teaching about Christian ministry and the power of the Holy Spirit.  In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul referenced Moses and his physical transformation after being in the Lord’s presence. Moses’ face shone brightly after being with the Lord on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34:29-35) and Paul compared it to the transformation the Christian has when seeing God’s glory. As author Richard L. Pratt, Jr. points out, “the transformation that takes place in followers of Christ has ever-increasing glory, unlike Moses’ fading glory. This expanding glory comes from the Lord, that is the Spirit.”  Paul asserted that being in the presence of God’s glory would create an ongoing, transforming work in the life of a believer.  He exhorted us to surrender to the Spirit’s work in our lives in this transformation.

3) What does “from glory to glory” mean in this verse?
The word glory comes to us from the Greek term Doxa, and it means “to give a proper opinion or estimate of something.”   In terms of the glory of the lord, author John Piper explains glory as “the infinite beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfections.”  For one to go from “glory to glory,” as Paul states in 2 Corinthians 3:18, one will start becoming more and more like the beautiful and perfect Jesus.  Author J.R. Miller describes the phrase from glory to glory as going from “one degree of glory to another, the bondservant gradually becoming more and more like the Master.”  John Gill describes it similarly as going “from glory begun here to glory perfect hereafter; when this image [of Christ] will be completed, both in soul and body; and the saints will be as perfectly like to Christ, as they are capable of, and see him as he is.”  When Paul writes how the Holy Spirit’s power is transforming us into the image of Christ from glory to glory, (2 Corinthians 3:18), we can trust He will continue changing us to be more like Christ from the time we first trust in Him until we see Him face to face.

Everyday Application

1) What is the significance of “unveiled faces” in this passage?
I often ignore things I fear, hoping they will disappear.  That is almost never how things work out, of course.  I think the Israelites had a similar reaction when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments. They couldn’t comprehend the intense joy Moses had experienced in the Lord’s presence.  They didn’t even want to hear God’s message to them, they were so caught up by fear of this glory that was beyond their control.  They just wanted Moses to hide his face so they wouldn’t have to confront the awesome, transfiguring glory of God.  My response to God is sometimes similar. I don’t want to consider that what scares me about the Lord or His plans may be the very thing God will use to make me more like Him.  I have the amazing privilege of direct communion with God through His Spirit living within me, but fear causes me to veil my face and settle for a secondhand version of His glory. I know this fear does not come from the Lord.  I praise God He has given me a spirit of power, love, and sound judgment instead. (2 Timothy 1:7)  Whenever I am afraid, I can trust in Him and give all my worries to Him. (Psalm 56:3, Psalm 55:22) If apprehension also keeps you from embracing God’s will and entering into His presence, join me in praying that the Lord will calm our fears as His peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)  May we enjoy sweeter communion with God than we have ever known before!

2) How can we be transformed into the image of the Lord?
Have you noticed you can tell a lot about a student’s social circle by their appearance and behavior?  They tend to dress and talk like their cultural heroes and other kids they hang out with.  This tendency has given us the terms goth, greaser, preppy, jock, and geek, among others.  The same phenomenon can be said of those who spend time with the Lord.  The more time we spend with God, the more we become like Him.  Author John Piper says, “we are transformed into His image by looking at His glory. You become like what you constantly behold.”  Author David Guzik concurs with, “As we behold the glory of God, we will be transformed. God will change our lives and change us from the inside out.”  To be transformed by Christ’s glory, we can spend time reading and praying Scriptures and studying the life of Jesus.  We can submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, allowing Him to empower us to fulfill the good works Christ has for us. (Ephesians 2:10) To be transformed into Christ’s image, we can pursue the course Andrew Murray proposes and “gaze on and adore the glory of God in Christ; you will be changed with Divine power from glory to glory; in the power of the Holy Ghost the mighty transformation will be wrought by which your desires will be fulfilled, and like Christ will be the blessed God-given experience of your life.”  The more time I spend with Him, the more I will be called “like Christ!”

3) What does “from glory to glory” mean in this verse?
When I was a little girl, there was a popular song called “He’s Still Working On Me.” (Check out the video link to see just how old I am.)  The chorus proclaimed:
He’s still working on me
To make me what I ought to be…
How loving and patient He must be
‘Cause He’s still workin’ on me.
This idea informs my concept of what “from glory to glory” means in 2 Corinthians 3:18. At the very beginning of my relationship with Jesus, around the same time I learned this song, He started to reveal His plans for my life through His Word (Psalm 119:105) and through the input of godly parents and teachers (Hebrews 13:7.) As I grew, He guided and corrected me as I made choices to obey Him or disregard His instructions. (Proverbs 3:12) I have the promise of Philippians 1:6 that God will complete the good work He began in me from now until Christ returns.  To quote another old song from way back when:
Changed into His image by the Spirit of God…
From glory to glory He is making us more holy
As we’re changed into His image by the Spirit of God.
I am so grateful for how far along He has brought me, and more thankful still that He won’t leave me where I am The Lord will continue to grow, stretch, and change me until He takes me home to be with Him!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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This is Relentless Week One!
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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

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The GT Weekend – Beauty 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!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) On the days you judge yourself so harshly on appearance, on your “fat” days, your “use extra makeup to cover up that giant pimple” days, your “wear big sunglasses to hide the bags” days, what is one truth from Scripture you can declare to be encouraged?
Ex. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Ps. 139:14)
I am made in the likeness of God. (Genesis 1:27)
I am worth Jesus dying for. (Romans 5:8)

2) What attributes do you dress yourself with? Take an honest minute to jot down how your attitude, countenance, and demeanor could be described. Which of these would you like to change out if you could? Write down a truth you can cling to instead! Comment back here and let us know which truth you are choosing instead of the lie?

3) How are you allowing the word of Christ to dwell in you richly? Ask one friend this week to keep you accountable to being in the word every day this week. We desperately need each other, Sisters, because we all struggle with beauty! 

Worship In Song

Music Video: Christy Nockels’s “For Your Splendor”

Pour Out Your Heart

Lord as I think of the ways I dress myself, let it be a reflection of who I am in You. Father I praise you for saving me and redeeming me back to Yourself! You have pursued me and drawn me to Your side, thank you for Your love. Pour out Your compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience and love into my life. Give me confidence to wear those boldly that I might proclaim Your love to others.

God, I offer my life to You and Your word. I give you access to every part of who I am. Let my soul be a dwelling place for You and Your word. I choose to allow Your living and active word dwell richly in me as I continue following hard after You. Draw me ever closer to You as I seek Your face daily in Your word.

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In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
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