name

Training Day 1 In My Name

2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

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

Training, Day 1

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

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

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

So then, why do good works?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Word Week 1

Leave a Comment

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

Journal Prompts
1) What was the last thing you said aloud? What were you wanting to convey? Was your message received in the way you intended? What was the position of your heart as you said those words? Did your heart come across? We want our words to carry meaning. We want our hearers to know us, to really understand us, and not reject us in response. Hold onto these thoughts as you consider what God wants us to hear and know about Himself through His words. What does He really want us to know about Him? The Word of Scripture is replete with His message for us. He wants us to hear, to know Him, to really understand Him, and then walk in acceptance of His heart for us. Sit with a passage of God’s Word today, read it again and again, praying for Him to show you His heart. What does He want you to know about Him? (we recommend one of the references from Monday’s Journey Study, “Do You Believe?”)

2) Joyful surrender. Endlessly generous. Unconditional love. Total surrender for another. It sounds beautiful, doesn’t it? For someone to love us like this? Do we dare hope it’s true? Pause for a minute and think of the relationships that whisper of these riches. Who is in your life who loves you so well? Name them and draw up specific ways you’ve experienced their lavish love. Turn the page and allow the faces pass before you who have epitomized the direct opposite of extravagant love. Hurt. Wound. Stinging bitterness. Grief. Loss. Turn the page again; how do you see yourself? Name the scenarios where you’ve demonstrated rich love and then those scenes where you’ve been the self-seeking, self-protecting miser. It’s so hard to consider being endlessly loving, isn’t it? Parts of our heart recoil and justifications raise their hands with arguments as to why you can’t possibly love endlessly. Praise God, Jesus relied on none of those justifications, instead choosing total surrender for us. How does this shape the scenes playing out in your everyday life?

3) Jesus spoke the same language as Nicodemus as He waded into the familiar passages of the Old Testament that Nic had known since childhood. But Jesus added depth, shifted the lens to bring brilliant color and clarity and brought new focus to words that had become rote. The same Jesus who met a man full of questions that incessantly demanded answers under the cover of a starry night, is the same Jesus who seeks you out in this moment. Already know the Savior as your own? Never crossed the line of faith? Have a million doubts? Feel so irredeemably far from the One you once called Shepherd? It doesn’t matter. It’s the very same Jesus, and He is ready to bring newness. Fresh understanding. Depth and brilliant color to the words and traditions and Scripture passages and relationships and everyday rhythms your familiarity has rendered rote. Will you surrender your all to the totality of all He’s holding out? What’s keeping you back? Don’t breeze past the question, let it sink in to the corners of your heart. Meet Him under your own night sky and hold open your heart.

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 John 1:10-13 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, and yet the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

Prayer Journal
You came to Your own, but they did not receive You. You, the God who created, the God who humbled Himself and left the glories of Heaven to walk the sod You crafted and breathe with the lungs Your own hands had fashioned. You, the God who shaped and loved and breathed into humanity, it was You human hearts rejected. It was me. Me who rejected You. I chose sin. I still choose sin. But, oh Lord Jesus, how gracious, merciful, and kind that You would speak Your words of life over me! I praise You for Your Spirit opening my eyes to see the ways I spurn You. May Your words stir in me, sing over me, and speak light, life, and truth over my errant heart. Cut me with Your words, keeping me soft to listening and responding to Your voice, and Yours alone.

Worship Through Community

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

The GT Weekend! ~ He Week 1

Leave a Comment

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) Grab paper and pen, or open the notes on your phone, and quickly jot down what comes to mind when you think of God. What is it about His power? How far-reaching is His authority? Can you sneak under His radar? Are there people He does not care about or sins He does not see? Scriptures teach us God is the God above all other gods. No religion compares, there is no room for exception clauses, only the Lord God of the Bible holds all authority and sovereignty over, well, all. He alone is Elohim. What circumstance, or relationship, or person have you perhaps unwittingly put in a category of “beyond God’s reach or rule”? What might it look like if you began praying for that scenario or person based on the reality of God being God of all?!

2) Rights. What comes to your mind as you consider this word? Maybe you begin thinking of the rights you have as a person or in your various relationships. What thought have you given to God having lordship rights? He is Adonai of adonai. He is Lord of all lords. None has a right to rule and authority as He does. Adonai has the right to declare what is holy, and what is not. Amazingly, though He holds all power and authority as Elohim and Adonai, He still offers us the freedom to choose to follow Him and be rescued for eternity. Adonai does not force Himself upon you, insisting you follow His rule. Rather, He invites with love. In the matters of your everyday life, are you consistently leaning in to Him as Adonai or are you struggling to pull away and hold life together on your own?

3) The Lord God is the self-naming God. He looked to no one else to define Him. Beautifully, as He reveled Himself to us, He chose a name that encompassed the entirety of His all-consuming presence. I Am. Yahweh. Across all of time, in every scenario, in every relationship, in every celebration, in every grievous loss, Yahweh is I Am, the fully present, deeply intimate God. He is Yahweh, Elohim, Adonai. Take a brief couple of minutes to write down as many scenes of your life as you come to mind. The broken ones. The happy ones. The peace-filled ones. The tragic ones. Slowly, breathe each of these in and prayerfully remember, Yahweh is I AM in each of them. His presence is near. Draw near to this powerful, mighty, invitational God!

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

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Prayer Journal
Sovereign rule. Almighty reign. Nothing is beyond Your scope, Your power, Your knowledge, or Your ability. I tremble at the thought of such sheer magnificence. I am like dust in comparison to You, oh Elohim. Yet, because of Your unfathomable kindness, You have extended love to me, inviting me to dwell with You, to be one with You. Lord, this is too marvelous! As I submit to Your rule in my life, You become my Adonai, the Lord of myself. With glad surrender, I turn over all to You. But Lord, I confess how quickly I defy Your lordship as Adonai, how swiftly I push myself ahead of You as Sovereign. Be present here, oh Yahweh, tenderly call me back to walk in tandem with Your Holy Spirit. What a gracious, kind God You are!

Worship Through Community

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Neighbor Day 6 Seeing Beyond The Service

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 7:36-50
Colossians 3:23-24
Isaiah 43:1-4

Neighbor, Day 6

I currently spend my working hours at the front desk of a doctor’s office. I am the voice answering the phone and seeking to assist the person on the other end. I am the one who schedules the next appointment and wishes individuals a good day as they leave. I am the face welcoming them to the office as they arrive for appointments.

For the most part, I love my job, because I am able to serve patients and my fellow staff members from my role at the front desk. The position enables me to be a blessing in a scenario where anxiety may be high and tensions may be mounting. My ability to multitask, function in a fast-paced environment, and think quickly on my feet increases the effectiveness of my service.

I prayed a great deal during the interview process for this job. Was this the job for me? It was not a logical choice in light of my degrees or the jobs I had previously held, but I knew I wanted a place where I could serve the Lord and those around me while also healing from the previous toxic work environment I had left.

Repeatedly, I sensed the Lord confirming this job choice. Several years later, I have discovered multiple reasons for my presence in the office, including the chance to write this Journey Study on loving the neighbor who provides a service!

For clarification, everyone, regardless of job title, provides a service: the stay-at-home mom, the CEO, the custodian. We all have the invitation to serve wherever we are with a mindset of working unto the Lord.

In the last several months, I have heard Beth Moore and Christine Caine reference the story in Luke 7 of Jesus asking Simon if he sees the woman before Him. Both highlighted the reality of Simon not truly seeing the woman, in contrast to the Lord seeing her, knowing her, and loving her.

The Lord demonstrated an intentionality Simon sorely lacked. Simon was blinded by the woman’s reputation and (in his eyes) inappropriate display of wastefulness. Yet, the Lord saw her as His precious child, looking past her sordid history and culturally unacceptable display of worship to the heart behind them.

We are invited to do the same.
To pursue intention.
To truly see the people before us and invite Christ’s love to guide our interactions.

Now, if you are like me, you could use some examples of what intentionality might look like. Below are a few suggestions of ways to truly see those providing a service.

Names are significant.

More often than not, people in the service industry wear name tags. While this is a useful tool in getting their attention, it is also an excellent reminder they are unique individuals. Throughout Scripture, the Lord highlights the importance of names. (Genesis 17:3-16) Therefore, when possible, use the name of the person with whom you are interacting.

We can honor individuals with our awareness of their dignity as human beings, rather than simply valuing them for the service they are providing. I am always surprised when people use my name when interacting with me, and I feel the interchange took place between two people, rather than simply patient to staff.

Express gratitude.

Regardless of the service being rendered, express gratitude to the individual providing it. This creates value for that role and honors the person at the same time.

Let’s remember in order to complete their jobs, even people performing what might be considered the most menial of tasks still carry a level of authority and access higher than our own. For example, a server at a restaurant has access to the kitchen. Let’s recognize and acknowledge, with gratitude, workers are walking in the authority granted to them in order to meet our needs.

Learn from examples of excellence.

For a season of life, the Lord consistently drew my attention to examples of excellence. More often than not, these demonstrations were observed in the service industry. I observed people doing their jobs with high levels of integrity, attention to detail, and positive, uplifting attitudes. Each person challenged me to do the same. I remember truly seeing those individuals in a deeper way as they taught me to live my life better.

The Lord created us to fellowship with others. While it may be easy to do this with those with whom we have a deep connection, we also may fellowship with those who provide a service when we truly see them.

The Lord is a good author, and our neighbors in the service industry are living His beautiful stories.
Let’s celebrate them and love them well! 

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

Esther Day 2 Known & Loved: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 Known & Loved!

The Questions

1) How does this passage reflect the idea of being “known and loved” from Esther’s story?

2) What is implied by giving specific location directions in verses 5-6?

3) How are those who “bear (His) name” different from those who don’t? Are there people who aren’t created for His glory? (verse 7)

Isaiah 43:1-7

Now this is what the Lord says—
the one who created you, Jacob,
and the one who formed you, Israel—
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are mine.
2 I will be with you
when you pass through the waters,
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you.
You will not be scorched
when you walk through the fire,
and the flame will not burn you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.
I have given Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.
4 Because you are precious in my sight
and honored, and I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’
Bring my sons from far away,
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who bears my name
and is created for my glory.
I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”

Original Intent

1) How does this passage reflect the idea of being “known and loved” from Esther’s story?
This passage is precious to many believers, including me, because it clearly spells out God’s dramatic love for His children. While it was originally intended for a strictly Jewish audience, we know from the New Testament that God’s special, redeeming love extends to all who call on His Name, whether Jew or Gentile. (Romans 10:12-13) Context is everything when studying Scripture, and when we back up into the previous chapter, this message of love becomes even more radical. The Lord calls out Israel’s intentional deafness towards God’s call to repentance. God calls them blind, as they stubbornly refuse to see Him as their only God. The refuse to acknowledge Him or His righteousness, clinging instead to their own love of idols, self, and sin. A poor trade indeed! Chapter 42 closes out with God pouring out His just, righteous anger on Israel for their prideful sin, but still they refused to change. Immediately following that dramatic scene of outright, face-slapping rebellion, the Lord God astoundingly speaks, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine”. (verse 1) Truly unfathomable!! God not only loves Israel with unrelenting love, He knows them intimately, sees every hateful sin, and still chooses to love.

2) What is implied by giving specific location directions in verses 5-6?
After King Solomon (King David’s son) died and his son, King Rehoboam, took the throne, Israel split into Northern Kingdom (Israel) and Southern Kingdom (Judah). Everything went gradually downhill from there. At the time of Isaiah’s prophetic book, Assyria had already destroyed Israel (Northern Kingdom) in 722BC and all of its inhabitants had been scattered to various regions. No semblance of Israel remained. Isaiah prophesied, and warned, the remaining Jews living in Judah to return to the Lord before they too were obliterated. His warning and prophesies, however, fell on deaf ears (just as noted in our passage today!), and Babylon destroyed Jerusalem (located in Judah) in 586BC and carried off the majority of Jews into exile. Long story short, Jews were scattered in all directions because of their love affair with sinful rebellion. Even so, God speaks tenderly and lovingly to them, letting them know they are His. Isaiah’s prophecy points forward to day when God will bring all exiles back home from wherever they have been scattered. Jews from all directions will be brought home.

3) How are those who “bear (His) name” different from those who don’t? Are there people who aren’t created for His glory? (verse 7)
To get a fuller understanding of this idea of “bearing His name”, we look into the next chapter of Isaiah. Again, the Lord is speaking to His people, telling them not to fear because He has chosen them to be His own people. Isaiah shares the prophecy of a coming time when offspring and descendants will abundantly spring up. The interesting note is how this prophecy for offspring is worded, “This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s,’ another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel.” There is a clear choice involved. Though God has already called and chosen the offspring, a choice remains. That choice is ours. God had planned in advance that Christ will come and offer Himself as a sacrifice in our place. He has planned in advance that through Jesus, all will have access to God. God planned in advance that the way of salvation and peace with God would be made available for Jews and Gentiles alike. He also knew the decision to follow Him would be a choice we would each need to make.

Everyday Application

1) How does this passage reflect the idea of being “known and loved” from Esther’s story?
Queen Vashti was superficially loved for her beauty, but her husband neither knew nor valued her heart, so she remained unloved for who she really was. We all like to think we are pretty good people, not flawless, of course, but we do the best we can and make pretty good choices most of the time, right? That would be okay if we were judged on a sliding scale of sin, but we aren’t. One sin is all it takes for us to be declared wholly un-righteous. (James 2:10) This sounds like terrible news until we put it in context of what we learn about God in the passage from Isaiah. He knew Israel’s dirtiest sins from the inside out. There was no sin that escaped the sight of His Holy eyes. Though He knew them, He still loved them. And so, we are safe when we are inside the love of our Holy God. Once we acknowledge our own damming sin, and surrender all of ourselves to the love and forgiveness of God, who died in our place to make just payment for our sin, He loves us with the kind of love outlined here in Isaiah. A love that will not relinquish us to eternal condemnation and separation even though we sin and rebel against Him. Where sin has increased, so God has given grace to increase all the more! (Romans 5:20) Where Vashti was unloved by her husband, she would find complete and perfect love inside the heart of God. So it is with each of us. Where relationships fail, God’s love remains. Where friends or spouse or co-worker or children abandon, wound, or leave us unknown and unloved, God’s love remains constant!

2) What is implied by giving specific location directions in verses 5-6?
As we learn in the New Testament, God’s heart is for all people, not just the Jewish nation. He intentionally grafted in the Gentiles, so all would have a place in His kingdom as His special, dearly loved people. As Isaiah notes, “everyone who bears My name is created for My glory.” “Everyone” literally means “everyone”. Not all choose to live for His glory, not all will surrender to His love for them, and not all will be rescued and brought back home to dwell with Him, but it doesn’t change how that is His heart’s desire. He longs for all people to be saved. (1 Timothy 2:3-4) Those who have heard and answered the call of the Lord to be fully His, will one day be called all together and nothing will hold them back. When Christ returns, all who have trusted in Jesus for salvation through faith alone will be fully redeemed!

3) How are those who “bear (His) name” different from those who don’t? Are there people who aren’t created for His glory? (verse 7)
Though God invites everyone to participate in His kingdom and receive His love, not all will receive that gift. All were created with a specific purpose of reflecting His glory and participating in specific callings and roles inside the Body of Christ, not all will accept that gracious invitation. Because He is a sovereign God, He will never waste a life and will use all people to further His purposes, even if they rebel against Him. In Israel’s case, God used the Assyrian Empire to enact rightly deserved punishment on the Northern Kingdom, even though they hadn’t submitted to God and His ways. For the Southern Kingdom, God used the foreign Babylonian Empire to bring Judah into exile. Farther back in Jewish history, when they were only Hebrews enslaved in Egypt, God used Pharaohs’ hard heart as a platform to display His magnificent power of deliverance for the captives. His purposes will always prevail, but whether we choose to accept His invitation to actively be part of His gracious love towards us is up to us. He will give us the faith needed to say yes, He will supply the grace to give us access to Him, but will we say, “I am the Lord’s”?

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Known & Loved!

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 Esther 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.

Seeds Day 6 Never Alone

2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Galatians 1:6-17
Acts 5:17-42
Daniel 3:1-30

Seeds, Day 6

It’s Wednesday night, and as I’m pondering this Journey Study, scenes from the movie Mean Girls play in my mind. For any of you who haven’t seen it, the plot centers on a female transfer student who grew up in remote Africa with her parents and now is trying to navigate the strange cultures within the friend groups found in her new high school. One key group, stereotypically dubbed “the Plastics” due to their emphasis on perfect appearance and desire to be superior to everyone, impacts her world as she conforms to their image to be included. They have rather, um, unique rules for their group. For instance, on Wednesdays they wear pink.

Today being Wednesday is one reason the movie is on my mind tonight, but the far more serious reason resides in the truth depicted within the movie. The main character discovered that finding her identity in her new surroundings would require intentional choices regarding her circle of friends.

A famous quote from the movie is shared when one of the characters asks if “anyone has been personally victimized by (insert name of character I will not share to avoid any spoilers).” In a scene dripping with teenage angst, hands around the room fill the air. As I pictured that, I imagined other scenarios in which that question could be asked in my life and I could raise my hand as having been personally victimized. Names of people that could fill that blank went through my mind. Then I considered times my name could fill that blank and others could raise their hands. (If any of you are reading this, please forgive me.)

Then God’s name came to mind to fill in the blank.
I realized I could not raise my hand.

I could recall times where my expectations of what God should do did not match reality or moments when my flesh angrily protested at the outcome, but I can honestly say I have never been victimized by the Lord. The more I pondered that realization the more something shifted inside my heart.

I have never been victimized by the Lord.

Yet I will make choices to please the people around me to the detriment of my relationship with Him. Just as the main character in Mean Girls made choices to align herself with the Plastics, I know I have chosen others over Jesus.

Sometimes it was to avoid standing out or to keep conflict from ruining a friendship.  Regardless of the reason, I found myself seeing a line in the sand and stepping to the side that provided safety in the moment.

However, did it really provide lasting safety or peace?
This question resounds in my mind, especially after my hand raising realization from the Mean Girls movie.

The Lord has never caused me harm,
so why do I second guess following His leading?

In Acts 5 a few disciples have been imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. An angel of the Lord sets them free, telling them to return to doing exactly what got them put into jail in the first place. They obeyed and quickly found themselves, again, before the church leaders who originally ordered their imprisonment. These disciples boldly aligned themselves with the Lord and experienced the provision of the Lord, choosing faith in Jesus over fear of people, and were eventually set free.

In the process of being detained the second time, Scripture notes the disciples were taken to the church leaders unharmed for fear that the people listening to the disciples would turn on those hindering their speaking.
Fear of man is a powerful force regardless
of a person’s station, authority, or any other aspect of life.
Fear of man is a very human reality; one we need not fall into!

So, tonight I acknowledge my humanity and admit I want to be braver and bolder.
I long to be like the disciples who confidently obey the Lord,
regardless of pressures around me.
I want to be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who walked into the fire
trusting His goodness.
I want to run the race He has for me,
because He is for me.

And I recognize that in order to do this, I must cling to the truth I discovered in my Wednesday night ponderings. The Lord has never let me down and He will not start now.
I will never be able to raise my hand saying I am a victim of the hand of God.

Instead I choose to hide in the shadow of His wings and live for His glory.
And, sometimes, on Wednesdays, I’ll wear pink just for the fun of it. J

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

Prayer Day 3 What’s In A Name?

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 3:1-22
Exodus 20:1-20
Matthew 6:9-13
Job 38:1-42:6 

Prayer, Day 3

Hello. It’s nice to meet you. My name is ___________. 
How many times have you experienced some variation of this conversation?

How many times have you walked away from an introduction and panicked when you couldn’t remember that person’s name?
Why is that a cringe worthy scenario to be in?  

Names are significant.

Names create identity.
From birth we have carried our names.
Parents-to-be ponder names and inscribe them on birth certificates.
Sometimes those names have been chosen for years, while others are game-day decisions after holding that precious bundle in their arms for the first time.
 

Names communicate intimacy.
Nicknames, pet names, and family names convey the close relationship people have with one another. For instance, the person who says only his or her mother could get away with calling them that name or the office environment where names are shortened to informal nicknames among the staff members both acknowledge the connections names create. Terms of endearment in dating and married couples highlight the relationships between those individuals.
 

Names carry value and power.
Take a look at the fashion parading past you everyday.
How many brand names do you see?
Do dollar signs and quality levels come to mind when seeing those?
What about the influential people around the world?
Does a quote by Abraham Lincoln have a more significant impact than one from your third-grade teacher?

For Romeo and Juliet, names set boundary lines they dared to cross. The entire tragedy balanced precariously on the importance of a name. Throughout that work, Shakespeare highlighted the various important aspects of a name. He knew the value of a name and wrote a play demonstrating it that is still studied today.
 

Shakespeare, however, was not the first person to weave names into the very fiber of a masterpiece. The Lord had the Word written down far before Shakespeare even received his own name, and throughout Scripture, God emphasizes the use of names.

In Genesis, He directed Adam to name all the animals.
Can you imagine a world with no names for any of the creatures?
Throughout the following chapters, the Lord changes Abram’s, Sarai’s, and Jacob’s names to more accurately communicate their identities and the promises He had for them.

In Exodus, Moses asks the question, “Who shall I say sent me?”
In other words, Moses was asking Who it was with enough power to engulf a bush in flames yet not consume it. He wanted the name of the individual with enough strength to take on the Egyptian empire. What name held enough confidence in its person to empower Moses to step out in faith?  

The Lord’s answer was “I AM.”

If I were Moses, I think I would have wanted a name with a little more street credibility or shudder factor in the Egyptian throne room.
However, the Lord did not pigeonhole Himself into any category.
He provided the all-encompassing answer, and highlighted various aspects of His identity through the names expressed throughout the Word.

El Roi: The God who sees
Jehovah Shalom: God is my peace
El Shaddai: God Almighty

So many more names are found throughout Scripture that highlight God’s character and identity.
He is the great “I AM” and He is worthy of all reverence.

While this is a realization I wish I would come to on my own far more often than I do, the Lord has graciously and astutely set some parameters regarding His name.  

In the Old Testament, the Lord literally carved in stone His expectation regarding His name as part of the Ten Commandments.
“You shall not misuse the NAME of the Lord your God.” (Exodus 20:7)

In the New Testament, it is nestled in the Lord’s Prayer.
Both the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer are well known enough
that I sometimes fail to grasp the significance of their words.

“Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God.”
When was the last time you heard Jesus’ name used as a cuss word? 
This is the first thought that comes to mind as a misuse, but it is not the last.
Are there ways we can misrepresent our thoughts as His, or pray for what we want using His name as the reason we should receive it?
Questions like these cause me to slow down and reflect on the status of my heart before Him.

“Our Father in heaven, Your NAME be honored as holy.”
Hallowed be thy name is the New King James version of this verse and one that many would quickly recognize as the start of the Lord’s Prayer.
What does it mean to honor His name as holy?
Through Christ paying the price for our sins, He made a way for us to interact with God the Father directly. It is a privilege I pray I do not take lightly.
Do I approach Him with respect, dignity, humble submission, and genuine love?
Do I acknowledge His thoughts are above mine?
Every now and then I read the last few chapters of Job and quickly remember
just how holy the Lord is.

Slow down with me, Sisters.
Think on the holiness of the Name of the Lord God.
Come before Him, longing to know Him better through His character and identity, then gloriously find your own identity within His! 

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

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