misunderstood

Screenshot Day 9 Go Get The Sheep: 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 Go Get The Sheep!

The Questions

1) Who was the audience and what was their situation?

2) What is the significance of verse 13?

3) How did this passage affect the audience?

Jeremiah 29:11-14

11 For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place from which I deported you.”

Original Intent

1) Who was the audience and what was their situation?
This passage of Scripture is a portion of a letter written by Jeremiah to the Israelites who had been taken into Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah gave them the Lord’s instructions for this period of time away from their homeland. They were to be exiles in Babylon for approximately 70 years (see verse 10) and the Lord wanted to use this time to strengthen His relationship with them. In verses 4-7 He instructed the people – both the kingdoms of Judah and Israel – to build homes and families and to work to prosper the city, but most importantly to pray for Babylon. The prosperity of Babylon would mean that they, too, would prosper. Conversely, if the city suffered, so would the exiles (and all residents).
But God would not leave them forever in this foreign nation. In His grace, He even made it known to the exiles that He would bring them home again after a set number of years. The entire Israelite nation had become “the lost sheep”, but God sought them and would bring them back.

2) What is the significance of verse 13?
Prior to their exile to Babylon, the people of God had been prostituting themselves to other gods, primarily Baal (see 1 Kings 18:18-40; 2 Kings 10:18-28; 2 Kings 21:1-3). They also gave ear to false prophets, believing lies they were told. God reassured His people in verse 13 that He can be found, and He will be found…if they give their whole heart to Him. The Lord would not share His people with false prophets and false gods.

3) How did this passage affect the audience?
The exiled people of God knew, from this passage, that the Lord had not forgotten them. Even though they suffered captivity in a foreign land for their idolatry, God still loved them. He had a plan and a purpose for the Israelites even before the creation of the world, and this little speed-bump would not alter it. God’s reassurance to them allowed them to continue living, even inside of consequences, without being fearful of their circumstance.

Everyday Application

1) Who was the audience and what was their situation?
This passage, especially verse 11, is often plucked from its context and applied however someone wants to apply it. While modern-day Christians can certainly make good application, we must remember the original events and circumstances prompting the inclusion of this text in the body of Holy Scripture. Often, people read “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” and believe God will keep them from any and all pain and their whole life will be sunshine and roses. This is simply not true.
While we, in America, have not experienced foreign conquest and captivity, you may have been relocated for a job or to care for family. During that time, did you feel as though God had forgotten you? Maybe even that He had banished you? I do hope that you were able to take comfort, by reading Jeremiah 29, that the Lord sees your circumstances and uses them to grow you. God’s plans for us go far beyond physical comfort, to our spiritual development in relationship to Him!

2) What is the significance of verse 13?
God wants a relationship with each of us, and He wants us to give Him our whole heart. Let’s put this in perspective: for the married among us, you surely don’t talk to your husbands just one day a week. And surely you don’t share the same kind of intimacies with other men as you do your spouse.
The Lover of Our Souls is jealous for our time, attention, and devotion like our spouses, but even more so! He knows us significantly better than anyone (even a spouse), because He created us. He knows every thought, even if it isn’t verbalized. He knows our desires (even the secret ones), our fears (why do we still have those?), and our insecurities (Lord, help us!). He understands our pain and empathizes; He recognizes our needs and longs to provide. Why do we not go to Him?
Dear one, regardless of whatever you have given priority above Our Sweet Lord, please put it in its rightful place – under His control.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)

3) How did this passage affect the audience?
God does have a plan and a purpose for every single person…ultimately, that purpose is to bring glory to Himself (John 12:28). Practically, for Christ followers, we are to be salt and light, illuminating the Truth and making it desirable (Matthew 5:13-16). We are His tools, His craftsmanship, to find His “lost sheep” whether they were in the fold, but got lost and need to be returned, or have never experienced Him as Shepherd.
It is good to look to Scripture for guidance regarding your purpose, but don’t expect specific revelation on who to marry, what job to take, or where to live. Those decisions are expected to be made in the context of a living, vibrant, intimate relationship with Him. The more you spend time with the Lord, the more He tunes our hearts to understand His purposes. What you will find in Scripture, sweet sister, is that people from all backgrounds, in all circumstances, both rich and poor, have worshipped Our Lord, proclaimed His name, and lived their lives for Him. May we do the same as we pursue a relationship with Him, as He has already pursued after us, His lost sheep!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Go Get The Sheep!

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 Screenshot Week Two!
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.

Misunderstood Day 15 We’re All God’s Children

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 7:13-23
Luke 13:23-30
John 1:9-13

Misunderstood, Day 15

You’ve probably heard it said that “We’re all God’s children.”
While this phrase is meant to be all nice, fluffy, and inclusive,
I feel like I need to let you know that it’s a lie.

Even typing those words makes me a bit uncomfortable,
but I since we’re all friends here,
I have an obligation to tell you the truth.

Kind of like if you had something in your teeth, or the tag was showing on your shirt.
I don’t want you to be blindsided and confused as to why no one cared enough to tell you
one of the biggest misconceptions we face in our daily Christian walk.

Our culture today has become incredibly focused on our political correctness,
even to the point of misleading and misguiding our fellow believers and those who don’t believe in Jesus.

Now before I go any further, I do want to clear a few things up.

God both created and loves every single human being on planet Earth.
He wove us together in our mother’s womb, and numbered every hair on our head.
But, God the Father, has only one begotten Son, Jesus.
The rest of us, must be adopted into God’s family, as it is written,
He is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

In order to be a child of God, and in God’s family,
we must ask God, through Jesus, to adopt us.

We also can’t just believe in God.
James writes, “Even the demons believe—and they shudder.” (James 2:19
We have to accept Him and surrender to His lordship.
This means agreeing with God about our sin, recognizing that because of our sin we are eternally separated from the Holy God,
then truly want to repent, and turn away from our sin,
running towards the grace of Jesus.

Adoption isn’t about believing in God,
it’s about a relationship with God.

“But to all who did receive Him,
He gave them the right to be children of God,
to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12

Jesus is both tolerant and intolerant;
utterly exclusive and wholly inclusive.
He made it plain and simple in Scripture:
“No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
There are no other “gods” (Buddha, Gandhi, Muhammad..),
simply, only, Jesus.
Because He alone is able to save and stand in the gap and take our punishment for sin.
Jesus Christ lived the human life flawlessly in our place, being fully God, yet becoming fully human,
He alone could bear the full measure of God’s wrath upon Himself.

Yet, beautifully.
Gracefully.
This Truth of the gospel is for everyone!

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

The narrow gate to Heaven is wholly inclusive.

As I’ve prepared for this journey study I spent more hours than I’d like to admit diving into the teachings of pastors like Rob Bell and Joel Osteen. These men are widely known, and followed by masses, yet they continuously preach a false Gospel message of inclusivity.
“Universal Salvation”, they preach; claiming that “love” wins.

The idea that everyone ends up in heaven is false doctrine, Sisters.
And we need to be know the truth!

But is Rob Bell’s love…..really love?
A love that doesn’t insist on justice?
A love that says there is no consequence for sinning against the Holy One?
Is it love that declares Hitler innocent?
No, it isn’t.

Is it love that says everyone can go to Heaven?
Everyone who has sinned?
Everyone who has spit in the face of God?
Shunning His ways, rejecting His truth, stomping on His righteousness and boasting in ourselves instead?
No, it isn’t.

Praise Jesus for the gospel!!
Only in the gospel do we see the vast love of God married to the flawless justice of God,
overflowing in abundant invitation of adoption to all.

Our sin, which requires death, demands justice.
And because we could never pay the penalty, Christ did it for us in our place.
Justice.

It’s love that holds out nail-pierced hands, wounded for our transgression,
and invites with deep, unknowable love, “Come to me, all of you.”
Love.

Being a child of God means that we:
Love Jesus John 8:42
Believe that Jesus is the Savior 1 John 5:1
Love well John 13:34

Are His Own Galatians 4:6
Adoption.

Justice + Love = Adoption
THAT is how love wins!

Jesus warns, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers! (Matthew 7:21-23)

Charles Spurgeon says it like this:
“Many loud professions of faith will count for nothing in that day of judgment.
All of us must see to it that we have more than a mere profession of belonging Christ.
There is no hope for (the one whom Christ does not know).
To be unknown to Christ is to be devoid of hope forever and forever.” 

The good news here my sisters is that there is hope.
There is room for each of us in the family of God.
Are you His?

Want to chat more about this?
Comment here or send me an e-mail.
Let’s hold onto truth, as we wrap ourselves in grace!

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

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Misunderstood Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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

Misunderstood Day 13 On Death and Butterflies

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 1:18-25
Ecclesiastes 3:9-15
2 Corinthians 5:1-10
I Corinthians 15:35-49
John 3:16-21

Misunderstood, Day 13

Loss hits each of us in varying degrees.
Financial, emotional, relational, and of course, physical.

The ache of physical loss is so deep, we naturally long for something more.
Something to wrap us up, assuring us that everything will be okay, that death wasn’t the end.
We ache for hope.

When I lost my son, the brokenness was like waves, rising and falling, each crashing mercilessly on my unspeakable hurt. I found myself repeating,
“This is the new normal. I will always carry this loss. There is no “going back” to before now.”  

How to breath.
How to keep living.
Loss intensified my need for hope.

I am not alone, am I, sister?
You’ve been there, too.
Different stories, but the same need.
We each share it, this desperation for hope.

Someone I love was walking through loss, and one afternoon, she pointed to a butterfly and whispered through tears, “There she is”.
She wasn’t referring to the butterfly, but rather the loved one she’d lost.
She longed for hope.

Maybe you’ve wondered the same thing at some point.
A beautiful, fluttering butterfly. The soul of the one we love?
The coin on the street. Sent from Heaven with love from those gone before us?
The feather whispering through the air. A sign sent to us from above?

This life with all of its obvious brokenness and ugly,
gut-ripping hurt,
creates an ache for something
to staunch the flow of throbbing agony.

Butterflies are an amazing design.
Feathers hold stunning intricacies.
Money holds value.
But these created things were never meant to be an end,
they were intended to point us to the Creator. 

As I began my research for writing, pulling up website after website of what it meant to
“find a feather” or “see a butterfly” after loss,
the most blaring discovery wasn’t found in what was said, but rather what wasn’t.
Every website was full of emotional statements worded as facts, but none of them gave reasons for why they believed what they did.
Folklore, tradition, emotional feelings, these were the basis for their beliefs.

The questions hounded me as I read more stories,
“Wouldn’t you want to know? For sure?
Wouldn’t whatever truth you uncovered be better than a feel-good falsehood?”
Lies, no matter how wonderful they feel,
hold nothing more than a vanishing morning mist.
Life can’t be built on mist.

I’ve had questions about life and faith countless times.
What if life after death is a fantasy?
What if Christianity was just created to make us feel better?
I wanted the truth.

What we believe matters,
but what the truth is matters even more,
because it doesn’t change,
whether we believe it or not.

Through a lengthy process of investigation, I came to a place where I could solidly stand on the claims of the Bible.
The deeper I studied, the more I came to know the Bible was real,
not because I wanted it to be,
not because I was raised that way,
or because it made me feel good,
but because it was true.

And Sisters?
The Bible doesn’t sugar-coat our pain.
In fact, our pain has an explanation.
And so does our longing for hope.

Loss happens because we live in a world broken by sin and death.
It was a choice Adam and Eve made in the Garden of Eden when they chose to trust their own desires over God’s design. The sickness of Sin travels to each and every one of us from the babe whose heart stopped beating before he even took a breath, to the eyes of those who have seen 100 years pass before them.
Sin affects us all; always bringing death, brokenness, pain, and heartache.

So, yes, we all hunger for hope.
Because we are all irreversibly broken.

But God…
God in His love,
God in His goodness,
God in His mercy,
brought Hope.

Hope that says the grave is not the end.
Hope that says broken can be healed.
Hope that says our sinful hearts can be bought back.
Hope that says Love Wins.

What does the Bible say about Death and Souls?
It says that souls are eternal and life after death is real.
The Bible says that when we die, we will either spend our eternity
delighting in relationship with God,
dancing out the life we were always intended to live in real, physical bodies,
with significant purpose and meaning,
OR
we will forever be bound in Hell.

Hell, where real people live in real, physical, broken bodies experiencing eternal separation from the Creator. It’s a physical place of forever heartache, suffering, and pain.

Heaven and Hell.
Both are eternal.
Both are real.
Our destination is our choosing.

Rather than returning as a soul embodying a butterfly,
God designed our souls to be made perfect,
to indwell perfect bodies, free from sickness and pain.
He designed us for a full life!

For those left alive on earth, He brings us comfort.
Not from butterflies, feathers, or random coins,
but from the sure and certain, solid truth of His word.
Comfort much more satisfying than glossy butterfly wings.

The next time you stand amazed at a monarch, look past the creation, and see the Creator. Know He loves you.
Know He has a plan for life after death.
Know that in Him is found Hope.
Hope for those who admit their sin-filled hearts and accept the free gift of Righteous Life held out through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as He took the punishment for our sin on Himself.
Know that this Hope is solid and sure,
able to stand up under the heartache and joy of our everyday life
because Jesus Christ is our Hope!

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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 Misunderstood 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 Misunderstood!

Misunderstood Day 12 Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness: 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 Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness!

The Questions

1) Why is important that Mary sat as Jesus’ feet?  

2) How was Martha distracted with “much serving”? 

3) What is the “right choice” mentioned in verse 42 and how can it be taken away?

Luke 10:38-42

While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So, tell her to give me a hand.”
41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Original Intent

1) Why is important that Mary sat as Jesus’ feet?
When Jesus entered the city of Bethany, He was needing a place to rest. Mary was enthralled with the truth of Scripture being shared and wanted to learn more. Her position at Jesus’ feet displayed a posture of eager anticipation. As a servant sits at the master’s feet, hungry to learn every last detail of the trade, so Mary was ready to grab onto every nugget of truth being shared.

2) How was Martha distracted with “much serving”?
Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus were friends of Jesus’ and He frequently stayed at their home when traveling through Bethany. Martha was quite concerned about the business of her house; she had a standard to uphold and was consumed with having it done well. Martha knew the house needed cleaned and food needed prepared, but instead of completing the tasks and being satisfied, she “was distracted with much serving.” She was striving to go above and beyond her call of duty and as a result missed a chance to sit with the Son of God.  

3) What is the “right choice” mentioned in verse 42 and how can it be taken away?
Where Martha saw laziness and poor use of time, Mary saw a golden moment of deepening her relationship with the Almighty God in the flesh. The choice was open for both sisters to either sit with the Lord or be busy, but only 1 was the “right choice” for relational growth. Martha directly asked Jesus to “tell Mary” to help her, but here, Jesus says no. He refused to tell Mary to get busy “doing” rather than sit still “being”.  Jesus would not take away her choice to be with Him. Mary chose as the psalmist did, “The Lord is my chosen portion.” (Psalm 16:5) and she was protected by the Lord as He guarded and honored her decision to put their relationship above her busyness.  

Everyday Application

1) Why is important that Mary sat as Jesus’ feet?
When we spend time with the Lord, we are choosing to sit at His feet. He longs for relationship with us and hurrying through our devotional time compromises our ability to commune with the Living God. Sitting in a posture that shows our readiness to receive His word is important. We show that receiving the Word, being obedient to the Word, and submitting to the Word is a natural progression of our interactions with the Most High. The more we filled with the fruitful knowledge of God’s Word, the more deeply we will walk in intimate relationship with the Savior. If your spiritual life is feeling “lacking”, consider asking yourself how your time with the Lord is? Are you devouring His Word, hungry for more of Him? Or are distractions around you pulling you away, convincing you that time with God is boring and pointless?   

2) How was Martha distracted with “much serving”? 
Many earthly cultures value the habit of being busy, of doing good things because it’s expected. Heavenly Kingdom culture, on the other hand, says going slow, meeting the needs of others around us, and spending time with the Father are more important. Our commitment to spending time daily with God is a mirror of what our heart holds most valuable. Take a moment to assess what is distracting you by enticing you to serve beyond what the Lord has asked you to do. Ask the Holy Spirit to draw you back to the throne of God; sit and linger with Him today!  

3) What is the “right choice” mentioned in verse 42 and how can it be taken away?
While Jesus protected her choice, Mary could have felt unnecessarily guilty and chose to hop up and help her sister, but she didn’t. Neither Jesus nor Mary “took away” her choice to stay in communion with the Lord. How often do we “take away” our own choice to sit with God because of self-imposed guilt or a mis-prioritization on what is truly important?! Finding balance in life feels like an elusive fish to catch, but if we are to function well as healthy Christ-followers, feasting on the bread of life is absolutely critical! Jesus says, “Don’t work for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you…” (John 6:27) The temptation to emphasize “busy, but important, stuff” over consistent, regular, lengthy time with Jesus is strong, which is why over the ages, time with God has fallen under the category of “spiritual disciplines”. It’s not easy to choose Jesus first, but denying our self-importance and learning to truly see Christ and our relationship with Him as supreme, will create a beautiful rhythmic dance for your life and ministry! Don’t take away the “good choice”, guard it just as Jesus did for Mary! 

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness!

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 Misunderstood 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.

Misunderstood Day 11 Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 10:38-42
Matthew 25:35-46
Hebrews 13:1-2  

Misunderstood, Day 11

“I have a gift for your girls! Are you home?” 
“Yes! Come over any time.” 
“Wonderful. I’ll be there soon. And Kendra? Do not clean a thing!”  

I sighed with relief as I looked around at my lived-in home. There was always laundry to be done, diapers I forgot to throw away lying around, and toys scattered about. It used to bother me much more, but when company comes over my stomach still turns a bit when they see… 
This is what my “real life” actually looks like.  

 That sweet friend came, armed with presents for my girls, and conversation about her days of young motherhood. With her son in college, her days of picking up toys are long gone.  

As I showed her my twin toddlers’ infamously messy room, with books and dolls strewn about, she laughed and told me something I will remember for the rest of my life. 
My friend is known for her immaculate house.
Her Christmas presents are wrapped in October with large, gold bows tied with precision.
So, I was stunned to hear her tell me this.  

“Kendra, if I had it to do over again,
I would spend less time worrying about how clean my house was,
and more time with the people who came to visit.
I can see now that I may have made family members and friends uncomfortable with my constant running around and picking up.
I wish I hadn’t cared so much about how clean my son’s room was.
I wish I would have just spent more time playing with him.”  

I smiled as I let her words run over me,
knowing I would return later to process what she’d shared.  

I began to think of Martha and Mary, the sister duo who welcomed Jesus into their home when He came to visit.  

Imagine that! 
Imagine Jesus literally knocking on your door.
What would you do?!  

I would probably pass out, which is totally biblical so that reaction would be justified. 🙂
Then, I would honestly welcome Him in,
while apologizing for my house being such a mess. 
I would excuse the clothes in the foyer, still needing to go into storage.
I would laugh off the toys on the stairs.
I would explain how I still needed to paint the top of the wainscoting we added.
Then I would invite Him to sit on my couch, while laughing about the fact that I was actually going to clean the cover tonight, so that’s why it was dirty.  

How do I know how I would respond? 
Because that is literally what I say any time anyone comes over. 
But sisters… Jesus doesn’t even care!  

How do I know?
Martha’s story. She began serving Jesus as soon as He stepped in the door.
Which sounds totally acceptable!
Except… she spent so much time serving Him, she wasn’t actually being with Him.

She offered Him coffee (Or chai or whatever they drank… Wine?)
She asked Him if He was hungry.
She swept up after Him, hurriedly cleaning,
and getting herself in a tizzy.
Soon, as it usually does, that tizzy turned into frustration. 
“Jesus! Don’t you care that I’m working so hard to make You comfortable? 
I’m working hard and Mary just sits there!”  

Jesus turned compassionate eyes on her, telling her she was getting herself in a tizzy.
He said she was anxious and worried and frantic and none of it even mattered.
He just wanted her to sit and to be.
THAT was her best service.  

There’s an age-old saying (which, incidentally, is not in the Bible!), that became popular thanks   to Martin Luther:
“Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”  

But is it?  

A pure heart, washed in forgiveness by the God of all righteousness?
Absolutely; that IS godliness!  

Having a clean home? Being a clean person?
Not. A. Chance. 

Honestly? Jesus was probably a pretty filthy man, physically speaking.
Barely bathing and walking everywhere, mixing sweat with dust will do that to a person.
(And you can’t get more Godly than Jesus because He IS God…so…) 

I digress… 

Having a clean home says nothing about your godliness.
Only the status of your soul determines that.
We will NOT get to Heaven and be drilled for those seven loads of laundry we didn’t do.
God will not ask why we didn’t put away that bin of clothes before our guest arrived.  

Instead, His Spirit is ready to prompt us now, just as He did with Martha….
Why are we spending so much time cleaning, serving, running, and doing
that we have a hard time slowing enough to listen to our guest?
Why not take the time to pray with them or show them HOPE?
Why work ourselves into an anxious tizzy (I’m clearly loving that word today)
by expecting perfection in our own appearance,
when the Lord has always cared only about the contents of our heart. 
God cares about our hospitality, NOT our house. 
Whether brick and mortar or skin and bones. 

I am so guilty of this, guys!
If Jesus came today, I would be Martha.
Trying to prove my worth by the appearance of my home and my ability to serve Him.
I would completely miss the opportunity to actually be enthralled with Him.  

Cleanliness is NOT next to Godliness. 
Cleanliness can get in the way of Godliness. 

The need to clean, the urge to perform, it can fill our minds, consuming our actions,
even becoming our idol. 
And that isn’t godly at all.

Don’t let pressure and performance hinder you 
from investing in people and being at peace with Jesus.  

*In my struggle to spend more time with people rather than focus on performance, I’ve found the app “The Fly Lady” to be a helpful reset. Give it a try! 

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

Misunderstood Day 9 Who You CAN Judge: 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 Who You CAN Judge!

The Questions

1) Who is speaking in this passage? 
 
2) What is the greater context? 
 
3) What is the progression of behavior we are to have towards one another according to this passage? 

Luke 17:3-4

3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” 

Original Intent

1) Who is speaking in this passage?
In this passage Jesus is speaking to the disciples. You have to go back to chapter 14 of Luke to find where Jesus begins this section of teaching and is called by name, where in subsequent chapters Jesus is referred to simply as “He”. In the first verse, there are two pronouns used, “He” and “His”, both of which are referring to Jesus.  

2) What is the greater context?
Jesus, in the past several chapters, has been teaching all around the region and mingling with people of various stations in society, including the sinners and the sick. Just before these verses, He used a parable to illustrate a story about a rich and a poor man with the intention of creatively explaining the earthly temptation of riches.  Following His story, He turns to His disciples and discusses stumbling blocks to the faith, explaining and urging them to be on guard and keep each other accountable for righteous living.  

3) What is the progression of behavior we are to have towards one another according to this passage?
There is a clear progression and intention that Jesus gives in these verses about rebuking someone. He establishes that we are to be on guard with our own behavior and then we can keep our brothers accountable by rebuking their sinful behavior with repentance as the goal. If they repent, then forgive and continually forgive, when repentance is at the heart of the situation.  

Everyday Application

1) Who is speaking in this passage?
In three years of ministry, Jesus taught His disciples and other followers as much as He could. His intention was to set an example that could be followed while calling people to Himself. He ate with sinners, He sought after the lost, and He continually used moments in His everyday existence to teach about who He was as He pointed people to the Father. Today, He does that in so many ways, but especially through His Word and other believers.  

2) What is the greater context?
This is not an isolated teaching moment for Jesus. He taught with the purpose of bringing about redemption often. He seeks after the lost to save them. He seeks the blind to bring them sight. He seeks the hurting to heal them, not just emotionally, but spiritually. At the heart of Scripture, we must recognize the greater story, which is the Gospel. It is the good news that we aren’t alone and can be redeemed! As Christians, we have a community of believers God has given us to hold us accountable, to love us as He loves, and to be His hands and feet here on Earth. Be aware, sisters! There are stumbling blocks all around…find your support, root yourself in His Word, and bathe your heart in His eternal truth! Allow the Holy Spirit to work as He was intended to work.   

3) What is the progression of behavior we are to have towards one another according to this passage?
Rebuking is hard to do and forgiveness is even harder sometimes. Notice that in this passage we must first look at ourselves and guard our own heart before we act to rebuke someone. If you are rebuking someone’s behavior, the heart must be love and the goal to bring about restoration and redemption. Then, forgiveness is offered. Extending grace, just as grace was extended to us, is the goal of keeping each other accountable. Our desire should be to help not to harm, to point others to Christ, not beat them down with their own sin.  

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Who You CAN Judge!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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Our Current Study Theme!

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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Misunderstood Day 8 Who You CAN Judge

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 7:1-5
Luke 6:37-42
Luke 17:3-4
Galatians 6:1-10
James 5:19-10  

Misunderstood, Day 8

I was sick. You know when you’re “I just want to lay on the couch and watch movies all day” sick. Yeah, I was that sick.  

Nothing soothes me more than a good Lord of The Rings marathon on days like those. I wasn’t even 30 minutes into the film when God showed me something I had overlooked that pierced my soul and shook me up.  

If you aren’t familiar with LOTR by J. R. R. Tolkien, it is a fictional tale of how the future of civilization in Middle Earth rests in the fate of one ring. A wizard named Gandalf (representing good) discovers a hobbit, named Bilbo, has the ring. This is a ring of power that has consumed the lives of countless men, the ring that could destroy the world. A ring which Tolkien, the writer, uses as a metaphor for sin.

Gandalf begins to see how much this ring has entangled Bilbo. Bilbo, exposed of his obsession and intoxication by this ring, gets angry at Gandalf and falsely accuses him of wanting the ring of power for himself. 

Gandalf (in what I would describe as a righteous anger) yells back,
“BILBO BAGGINS! Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks! I’m not trying to rob you!”  

Gandalf then softens.
“…I am trying to help you.” 

I spoke those same six words to a young woman of God that had just turned 21.  

We sat at my dining room table with two other ladies that made up our small discipleship group.  “…I say these things because if I don’t, I’d be hurting you more than helping you”, I concluded.

She had just shared the details of her 21st birthday celebration and, as a spiritual leader in her life, with firmness and love, I shared how better choices could have been made.

The room was quiet, she nodded her head and said,
“I know. Thanks.”

We embraced as she left and days later, she texted, thanking me for that confrontation.  

On the other hand, I prayed and asked God to reveal to me if I was at all in the wrong for being so straightforward and rebuking her behavior. 

See, I’m convinced we have this idea of rebuking and judging others so twisted up that we fear rightfully correcting fellow believers when in the wrong so much that we even cringe at the sound of the words “I rebuke you”.  

But God revealed to me that while we don’t have the right to judge the ungodly, we have the right and the responsibility to keep our fellow believers accountable. 
And we must. 

As Gandalf was urgently compelled to question Bilbo about the ring of power that began to consume him with darkness, we too need to have that urgency. 

But our intent, as Gandalf’s, must be pure and out of love and care for the person.  

“Only God can judge me.” 

A phrase many have uttered. Even believers utter this from time to time, convinced they don’t need accountability.

True, God alone will be the one to rightfully judge us all in the end. But while here on earth, we as believers are called to keep each other accountable to the holy living instructed to us through God’s Word.  

Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 7 and Luke 6 are where we find the phrase “judge not”. But sisters, we’ve got to pull back the lenses to consider the fact that Jesus says these words in connection to the famous question, “Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye?”. In these verses Jesus is addressing the fact that we aren’t to go judge others if we have sin in our hearts we haven’t confessed.  

If Tolkien’s symbolism of sin is a ring, consider splinters and wood beams to be Jesus’s. What’s never questioned is whether or not the splinters or beam of woods need removing.

Because bottom line, 
Jesus wants to free us all 
from our splinters and beams of wood!

Jesus reminds us to check our hearts and check ourselves before we confront another. Matter of fact, if we pull the lenses back even further, we’d see that in the entire Sermon on The Mount (Matthew 5 – 7) Jesus is addressing our hearts, not just our outward, religious acts.   

When we approach a sister in Christ let’s ask ourselves:
How is my heart?
What is my motive? 
Am I aware of my own sin?
Have I repented?  

If so, by all means, hold that dear sister accountable as we are commanded to! “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” (Luke 17:3)  “Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle﷟HYPERLINK “https://biblia.com/books/csb/Ga6.1-10” spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.  Carry one another’s burdens; in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1-2) 

Be someone’s Gandalf.
Be a 21-year-old’s mentor. 
Confront, hold accountable,
encourage, warn, admonish,
rebuke if you must! 

Always remembering this, “whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” 

Perhaps you’ve seen the clip below, but re-watch it from the perspective of sin and its desire to control us, just as God tells Cain in Genesis 4:7. See the necessity of having accountability in our lives if we are to overcome sin’s powerful pull.

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

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

Misunderstood Day 6 No More Than I Can Handle

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 10:1-13
2 Corinthians 1:8-11
Psalm 118
Psalm 73:26 

Misunderstood, Day 6

I remember the moments like they were yesterday as we walked in the mall on a Saturday.  The scene played out regularly.  Inevitably, someone would stop the one of us pushing our twins in our stroller…. 

Stranger:  Oh my goodness, they’re so cute!  But wow, that’s a lot of work.
Me: Thank you.  And yes, it is.
Stranger:  I’m glad it’s you and not me, I could never do that.
Me:  (polite laugh and a smile…) 

And then, the real fun started.  The other one of us would roll up with stroller number 2, occupied by a 3 and 5 year old.  

Stranger:  Ooooohh.  Wow.  You guys have your hands full, don’t you?
Me:  Yes, we do. 
Stranger: (super chipper!) Well, remember God won’t give you more than you can handle.
Me:  (polite laugh and smile #2 as I found the exit as quickly as possible) 

It wasn’t just strangers at the mall.  It happened everywhere.  The grocery store.  With friends.  At church.  In those moments, I just wanted to cry and yell a little: 

Really?  Are you kidding me?
Why do I feel like such a mess?
I have no idea what I’m doing.
Why do I get upset sometimes?
Why do I get angry? 

The list could go on…
In those moments, I knew those people were 100% wrong. 
They thought I could handle it.
They thought God believed I could handle it.  

But 4 preschoolers was WAY more than I could handle.  So why did people keep telling me that?  Was I even cut out to be a mom?  The tears would come and I would think, everyone keeps saying I can handle this because it’s what God gave me, so why am I having a hard time? 

None of those people meant any harm, but I know the words were harmful.
They made me question why I was overwhelmed and struggling,
and they were patently untrue. 

Why do people use that phrase?
Where does it come from?   

 It’s a misapplied use of 1 Corinthians 10:13 that says,
“No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it.”

God will allow us to be tempted,
but never to the point that we cannot resist,
if we choose to obey and follow the way out that He will provide. 

The reference has been taken out of context and applied to any and every situation,
not just temptation.
That is where the danger comes in.

What does that say to….
The parents who just lost a child?
The addict who just hit rock bottom?
The man overwhelmed by the pressure of work who is considering suicide?
Those taking care of kids, parents, and grandkids all at the same time?
The abandoned and abused?
Lonely spouses who cry themselves to sleep? 

When we hear someone tell us that we’ll be okay because God won’t give us more than we can handle, we walk away thinking,
I can handle it…I should handle it….
that’s what God expects me to do.

Then in our struggles, we end up feeling like there’s something wrong with ME.
It’s MY problem.
Do more.
Get better.
Cowboy up.
Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. 

The lie of the enemy is that I’m on my own,
meant to handle it by myself. 
“You got this…” he whispers in a loud scream. 

With that thought process, why is there a need for God at all?
Why do I need grace?  

I just need to do more, be more, try harder, and handle it better.  

But the truth of the gospel is that God WILL ALWAYS  give me more than I can handle,
but NEVER more than He expects Jesus to handle for me.  

The apostle Paul grasped the truth and reality of the gospel.  He writes to the church in Corinth about some of the difficulties he and Timothy encountered (2 Corinthians 1:8-11).  He admits that they were pushed to the point of despair
so much that they would have chosen death in the moment.

However, Paul knew that God pushed them to force them to
put their trust in Him over their own strength.
Paul understood the truth and the power of the gospel;
he didn’t have to handle it, because Jesus would handle it for him. 

Now that my preschoolers have become teenagers, the “Oh’s”, laced with pity and thankfulness it’s not them, have returned once again.
But now, I process the comments differently.
Parenting is more than I can handle.
So is being a wife, much less a pastor’s wife, writer, employee, or friend.

When I am allowing Him to handle it for me, the most overwhelming of circumstances is laced with a peace and rest in the strength that comes through someone bigger than me (Philippians 4:7).  And when I do feel overwhelmed, it becomes a sign that I am relying on myself, not allowing Him to be my strength, song and salvation (Psalm 118:14).   

With the truth of the gospel, and the strength that I receive in Christ, 
He promises to handle everything He asks me to do.  
I listen and obey, and He carries the burden. 

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

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

The GT Weekend! Misunderstood Week 1

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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) Money is necessary to live life. People that have money are commanded to steward it well. How do you balance between living with what God has given you and the pursuit of money? Where are you still needing to transfer your dependency to God’s supreme power rather than on your ability to make ends meet?  

2) In thinking through things that make us happy, write out a list of things that bring happiness. Go back through your list and try to tie each item to Scripture. If you are unable to tie it back, pray about releasing that item from your list. Search for lasting truths from Scripture to cling to in bringing happiness.

Example
-being with friends and family—Psalm 127:3-5 John 15:13 
-eating pizza—no Biblical connection, hold loosely to measure happiness
-walking in nature—tie back to Psalm 19:1-6 

3) Our human nature takes effort to fight against it. The devil wants us to believe we are doing enough on our own; that our good works are sufficient and we don’t need Jesus. Being firmly rooted in Scripture is the best defense in moments like these. What have you been memorizing recently? How can you add to your memory bank of verses to call on when you feel tempted to do it on your own?  

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 Revelation 1:5b-8  back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.
Even so. Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” 

Prayer Journal
Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come, how can I go about thinking I can do anything on my own? It’s ridiculous to think of; I have nothing without You. All I have, You’ve prepared it for me. I know that in my head, but somehow I let untruth sneak into my heart. I’m sorry for that Lord. Accept my offer of repentance.

This week, Father, bring Scripture that I’ve memorized back before me. I’m thankful I was able to hide so many verses in my heart as a child. As I’m tempted to ignore God’s leading and lean on my own skills, bring those verses to mind that I might remember the depth of my lostness and be obedient to their teachings. Encourage my heart, Lord, to commit to memory a new verse every day of this week. For your glory, Lord!  

Worship Through Community

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Share how God spoke to you today!
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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music