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Steadfast Day 10 What’s It Like?

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Steadfast Day 10 What’s It Like?

Rebecca Adams

April 7, 2023

Alive,Clothed,Future,Glory,Heaven,Holy Spirit,Restored,Resurrection

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 15:35-44
Isaiah 64:1-7
1 Corinthians 2:1-15

“Every stage of parenting is precious.”
My mom told me that when I had her first grandbaby.
What she didn’t tell me is that each stage of parenting is also progressively harder.
That’s right, mamas of toddlers, moms of pre-teen angst, and moms who are wiping away tears while planning senior graduations, it’s still going to get harder.

Because there is nothing.
Just nothing.
Like launching adult children.

Sure, there are successes and wins and many “almost wins”, but there are those crazy shaky decisions when you want to grab their shoulders saying, “Why Are You Doing This?!”

The apostle Paul never married nor prepared adult children for the real world, but I think if we had shared coffee in a little café along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, we would have had many of the same experiences and emotions.

Paul was a missionary who birthed new churches and “parented” new Jesus followers. The work was arduous and often, it didn’t seem worth it. He would spend months teaching and training, then move to the next town only to catch word the previous church had wandered away from truth.

Paul was combatting heresy after heresy in the Corinthian church as well as other churches he had birthed like those gathering in Colossae and Galatia.

Paul’s passion pervades his letters as he punctuates solid truth while tearing down nonsensical arguments. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

In his second letter to the church gathering in Corinth, Paul continues going toe-to-toe with false teaching and, like the dad of a young adult, provides warning after warning while his insides groan with the ache of knowing “his kids” are just “missing it”.

Note, however, the undergirding power source of Paul’s words; he isn’t in this parenting-a-fledgling-new-church thing alone.

“For although we live in the flesh,
we do not wage war according to the flesh,
since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh,
but are powerful through God
for the demolition of strongholds.

We demolish arguments and every proud thing
that is raised up against the knowledge of God,
and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Paul’s words are inextricably tied to the power of God through Christ, who was raised from the dead, proving His power, divinity, and authority over all.

None surpasses the knowledge and power of God,
and He has made Himself both accessible through the sacrifice of Jesus
and knowable through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

On the heels of painstakingly proving the resurrection of Christ, and God’s promise for our own resurrection, Paul fields questions on what this resurrection will be like.

I can imagine the new Christians gathering together, thinking about eternity and collectively wondering, “What about my body? Will I still have my freckles? Will I still be a mom? Will I be an angel? A spirit singing in a choir? Perhaps a chubby cherub on a cloud? Paul, tell us! What will eternity be like?!”

“But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised?
What kind of body will they have when they come?”
“You fool! […].”
(1 Corinthians 15:35-36)

Sounds like Paul is getting a little frustrated with his “spiritual children”! If we keep reading, however, we find his discourse points to the complete authority and wisdom of God. Read verses 35-49 to see how Paul uses the wisdom of God in creation to point to His infinite wisdom in preparing the life yet to come.

The issue wasn’t their query, it was the lens through which they questioned.
If you start with the premise that God isn’t strong enough to raise you from the dead, everything else will be out of alignment.

The problem wasn’t their questions.
The problem was their understanding of God.

There’s no need to worry about whether our bodies can be raised if you start with the knowledge that God raised His own Son from the grave. (Ephesians 1:20-21)

We need not fear boredom in Heaven or if our bodies will suit our new realm, for the Lord who crafted each molecule of our present reality (Colossians 1:16-17), will surely usher in a new Heaven and a new Earth where Death will have no dominion. (Revelation 22:1-5)

If you start with a poor understanding of God,
you end up with crazy ideas.
Like becoming chubby cherubs on clouds.

Perhaps, this tool Paul handed the Corinthians was meant for more than just calming queries about eternity. Maybe good theology and a right understanding of God and His character can color the other heavy things we carry around in life.

Perhaps we need to renew our minds, shifting our lens to see more clearly.

Wouldn’t you like to give that gift to your child, friend, spouse, or coworker?
Your Heavenly Father would, too, for you.

“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God”.
Romans 12:2

Start being renewed by honestly bringing your questions, beliefs, and pre-conceived ideas to the Lord in prayer. Write a list, speak them out loud to God Himself, then open His Word and see what His authoritative Spirit will say as you decide to listen to His voice.

Let His Word grip your shoulders saying,
“Daughter, walk in my ways; I’ll show you what it’s like to know Me!”

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Easter,eternity,Heaven,hope,new,resurrection
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Steadfast Day 10
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We will die a very real physical death. When Christ returns our human bodies will be fully resurrected bodies. We have hope that this life is not the end. With Christ, we have a promise of a future where all wrongs are made right and in that New Heaven and New Earth, we will reside in perfect harmony no longer with an eye that wanders from the one true God.
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Wilderness Day 14 Bitter Places: Digging Deeper

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Wilderness Day 14 Bitter Places: Digging Deeper

Shannon Vicker

March 24, 2022

Alive,Christ,church,Clothed,Creation,Digging Deeper,Faith,Preparing,Security

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Bitter Places"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Revelation 21:1-5

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) What is the new heaven and the new earth? (verse 1)

The idea of a “new heaven and a new earth” sounds like a foreign concept to our ears. However, John’s readers would have had context for these words from Jesus. In 2 Peter 3:7-13, Peter presents a very clear description that the currently known world will someday come to an end. The Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven, returning to His place at the right hand of Father God, but He promised to return (Matthew 16:27, Acts 1:11) and Peter likens His return to a “thief in the night” telling his readers the return will be when least expected.

John points to good news; when the earth as we know it ends, there is the promise of a new one! God has promised to deliver this perfection of things to come to His bride, the Church. (1 Corinthians 15:52-55) The letter of John’s Revelation provides details about this new heaven and new earth using the best words and imagery John could possibly use to convey what the Lord Jesus revealed to him in a vision of what would one day become reality.

The Everyday Application

1) What is the new heaven and the new earth? (verse 1)

This world can be difficult to live in with its brokenness and grief. If I have learned anything over the last two years of facing the pandemic of Covid, it’s that life isn’t perfect or easy and challenges will come. Sin runs rampant and we are faced with the consequences of it everywhere we turn. However, as believers in Jesus, we hold a promise that this is not how things will be forever. You and I live in a world that will someday end.

One day, Jesus will return and we will all face judgment. (Matthew 25:31-46) For those who have trusted their lives and souls to Jesus, we are assured we will forever be safe with the Lord, welcomed home to be with Him. (1 Peter 1:3-4) We cling to the hope that God will fulfill His promise of newness, and when He does, He will establish a new heaven and a new earth. This newness will be more than we can imagine; its perfection guarantees God will dwell with us and nothing will remain in the former brokenness.

God has proven Himself trustworthy over and over again throughout the Bible. (2 Timothy 2:13) We can rest assured that God will fulfill this promise right along with every other one. (2 Corinthians 1:20) Jesus will return, defeating sin and Satan once and for all and establishing a new earth without even a hint of sin’s destruction or our enemy, Satan. (1 Corinthians 15:54-56)

The Original Intent

2) How is God dwelling with humanity? (verse 3)

God created Adam and Eve in His image (Genesis 1:27), and ultimately, the rest of mankind are created as image bearers of the Almighty God. While we do not know the extent of Adam and Eve’s dwelling together in the Garden of Eden, we do know God came to them and they hid from Him in shame of their sin. (Genesis 3:8)

Genesis also makes it clear that Adam and God spent time together in some fashion as Adam named all the animals and God told Adam He would make a “helper suitable for him” while on earth. (Genesis 2:15-23) The Bible is also clear that Jesus, the Son of God, came and dwelt on earth as God in the flesh. (John 1:14)

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) detail Jesus’ time dwelling with humanity as a human. John’s audience would have been familiar with Jesus’ dwelling on earth, some had likely even been a first-hand eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry. However, John now tells of a new kind of dwelling. John sees God physically dwelling with humanity for eternity. Up until this point, this has always been impossible due to sin.

There are times in the Bible where God talks to His creation but doesn’t dwell with them. God is now able to live among His creation still as God, but now in a perfected relationship.

The Everyday Application

2) How is God dwelling with humanity? (verse 3)

Though we have a “down payment”, a mere inkling of what is to come, through the Holy Spirit living within us (Ephesians 1:14), God dwelling with His people is something we have only read about. We know Jesus walked on earth as a man with humanity and was God’s Son in the flesh. However, we have no concept of what the coming glory will be like to experience the full glory of the triune God dwelling with us. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

We were born thousands of years after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. However, Jesus came to rescue you and I from the consequences of our sin, which is death (Romans 6:23), just as He came to rescue those who physically walked beside him while He was on earth. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was as much for my sins and yours as they were for those who watched Him suffer.

The best news is His resurrection and defeat of death is also mine to share when I accept His sacrifice. The good news doesn’t end! Jesus promised to return and defeat Satan once and for all, and when that happens, sin will be no more. Jesus’ blood has paid the penalty for sin and we will be able to dwell in the holy presence of God. What a joyful day that will be!

The Original Intent

3) Why is God making everything new? (verse 5)

John is writing his Revelation letter to churches who were being persecuted for their faith. It wasn’t an easy time to be alive and follow Jesus; believers faced harsh penalties for believing in Jesus. However, these believers knew the promises of God and knew that someday all things would be made new. Jesus would return and establish a new heaven and a new earth and what they knew as reality would cease, even if they never saw the fruition of the promise while they lived earthly lives. Because of Jesus, their coming Hope of all things being made new, was incorruptible.

God provided John with the exact words of hope and promise that Christ’s followers needed to hear in the midst of deadly persecution. Someday, all would be made new and the present sufferings wouldn’t even compare to the coming glory! (Romans 8:18)

Just as when a person is in Christ, leaving their old way of sinful living behind, they become a new creation for the old has passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17), so God will do the same with all of creation when Jesus returns. God is providing a hope for these believers, and all believers, to hold onto in the midst of trial.

The Everyday Application

3) Why is God making everything new? (verse 5)

The earth is full of sin, death, pain, grief, and so much more. There are days when all hope seems lost and the pains of this world seem more than we can bear. We have all experienced some of this by living through a global pandemic, some of us bearing the toll in deeper ways than others.

All true believers experience persecution for their faith in varying degrees, for many around the world this means their very lives and families are constantly threatened for their faith. This persecution we experience, like our brothers and sisters to whom John’s letter was written, is not unexpected, but this is not the experience God originally intended. The Garden of Eden was perfect before Adam and Eve chose sin and, just as the Bible starts with a perfect creation in Genesis, it ends with a perfect creation in Revelation. God absolutely will make all things new in ways that are beyond our wildest imaginings. (Isaiah 64:4)

He will establish His perfect creation where we can dwell with Him and all the pains of this world will cease. (2 Corinthians 6:16) John closes these verses with a promise from God that His words are “faithful and true”. (verse 5) We don’t need to doubt or wonder in insecurity because we can KNOW God will do what He has promised and we have the promise of perfection in eternity with our perfect Creator. I don’t know about you, but that brings joy that can’t be stolen even in the midst of sorrow!

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Wilderness Day 13
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The last couple of years have brought so much loss for us all due to the pandemic. We’ve grieved the loss of celebrations with family and friends, cancellations of long-anticipated plans, the loss of “normal” in gathering and traveling, all of which we once took for granted.

Sometimes, even “smaller” losses hit us hard.

In Naomi’s case, the devastating losses were so overwhelming they affected her whole sense of identity. As her old friends greeted her on her return to Bethlehem, her bitterness poured out.
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The GT Weekend! ~ Alive Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Legacy. Inheritance. Privileges. Generation. What things stir in your heart as you read those words? Perhaps your upbringing was difficult, and painful memories push their way in before you back away as you’ve long practiced. Maybe, when you consider the legacy your parents left you, whether financially, relationally, or spiritually, you’re left holding brokenness and emptiness instead of fullness. For others, you enjoyed a rich closeness with your parents, imperfect though they were, and you see your life, and the lives of those around you, benefiting in extremely positive ways because of the investment of the generation before you. When it comes to “sonship” in the Bible, it’s imperative we understand the all-inclusive nature of its original intention in the first-audience culture. In a patriarchal society, sons inherited everything. There was nothing left for a beloved slave, or a second-cousin, unless the son was deceased. Regardless of your own upbringing, what are your gut reactions as you consider the rights and privileges of being called a “son” of God (even though we are women J). What worries can you release? What relationships or situations can you stop trying to control? What truths need to settle into your heart? If you’ve surrendered to Christ, everything is yours, the most important being God Himself!

2) When God created the world, He declared everything very good. But today, each one of us is keenly aware this world is full of hardships and struggles that are decidedly not good. The brokenness that entered the world through the sinful rebellion of the first man and woman touches each of us. From our very first breath, we have all been subject to pain and brokenness. For our whole lives, we long for something more. Here lies our great hope: that one day we will be face-to-face with the God who makes all things new. He will make us new, and He will make the whole world new and unbroken. All creation groans, waiting for this glorious day. It’s easy to focus on our own groaning, especially in difficult seasons. Today, consider how your neighbor may be experiencing brokenness and how you can extend hope’s love to them. Maybe a friend is struggling with infertility, and you can send her a card or flowers. Maybe your family member is sick or struggling financially. Is there something tangible you can do to alleviate their suffering, if only for a moment? Pray for the Spirit’s guidance as you reach out, and meditate on the hope that is yours in Christ Jesus.

3) Like putting money away in savings, a future inheritance we might receive from a parent isn’t something we think about every day. We know the money is there, but we don’t draw on it, plan for it, or give it much consideration from day to day, let alone year to year. But God intends something much different for the coming inheritance meant for all who trust in Him. The more we think about our perfect future where we will dwell with God and other believers in exquisite harmony, the more urgently we desire to live well today and tell others of this beautiful hope we have. In fact, our coming rich inheritance causes us to become even more disenchanted with the temporary things of this world and the lusts of sin. There’s no sweeter way to set our eyes on the inheritance that is coming than to read the testimonies of believers who have gone before us. Their example of love for Christ above all else, encourages us to stay focused on this coming hope in the middle of our everyday lives. Take time today to read Hebrews 11. Once silently. Once aloud. Then, on the 3rd time through, pick a few names and put yourself in their shoes. Consider what it would have been like for them to put on the “glasses” of eternal, certain hope in spite of their circumstance. How might you do the same?!

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 Psalm 42:1-4 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so I long for you, God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while all day long people say to me,
“Where is your God?”
I remember this as I pour out my heart:
how I walked with many,
leading the festive procession to the house of God,
with joyful and thankful shouts.

Prayer Journal
Father God, defender of the helpless, father to the fatherless, You make all things new! You, oh Lord, have prepared an inheritance for us far greater than both the good and the painful things we experience in this life. We rejoice, knowing You have a plan to redeem and renew all things in Your time. Thank you for your grace. You have welcomed in those who are poor and underserving, adopting all who call on You as full sons into Your holy family. May we never forget, or take for granted, this vast and unsearchable gift! Forgive us when we grow short-sighted, caught up in our daily cares, and forgetting Your great goodness. Forgive us when we sin against our neighbor and against You. Help us persevere in times of trouble and prosperity, living for the coming kingdom rather than for our own fleshly longings and desires. Sustain us in Your faithfulness. You, oh Lord, are our only hope and joy!

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Terrain Day 15 Life’s Landscape

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Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Peter 3:8-18
Matthew 10:1-15
Luke 22:35-42
Psalm 23

Terrain, Day 15

Most of our “lasts” go unnoticed, slipping slowly from one season to the next like a gradually fading sunset. One day, we simply notice how the last has come and gone.

As a mama, l know there has been a singular finality for many precious things, whether I recognized it or not.
The last time I changed a diaper, danced with a toddler, had baby fingers in my hair, played hide ‘n seek, sat someone in “time out”, or firmly said, “One minute, please. Mama is talking.” As I send my oldest off to university, there are a few “lasts” that stand out.
Our last Saturday with all 9 of us living under one roof.
Our final family meal before a new season.
Her last night in her childhood bedroom, and many more.

But, I also know, there will be new terrain to explore.
I just don’t know what it looks like yet.

While a million unknowns tug at the corners of my heart, one steadfast constancy takes my hand and leads me beside still waters.

My Shepherd knows my terrain.
He always has, and He always will.

In this Journey Theme, we’ve walked beside Abraham as he left his idol worship, following God for decades until God led him to the perfect place to fulfill His promise.

We’ve stood shaking with wonder at Mount Sinai,
marched around Jericho’s walls,
been invited to wash in the Jordan River,
nearly missed the forgotten fork in the road of Bethlehem and Nazareth,
and scaled the Mount of Olives to hear Jesus teach and watch Him pray.
We’ve dipped toes in the Sea of Galilee and tied our sandals to match Jesus stride for stride down dusty roads, and we’ve explored the caverns and sunrises of Patmos.
All along the way, we’ve witnessed the Creator of Life enter Creation to shepherd His people. Every step was a new opportunity to see His heart with deeper brilliancy.

The same God who marked off pathways on the Mount of Olives, also summoned Abraham to follow Him and Moses to meet with Him. The same God who filled Joshua with divine courage, humbly walked the seashore of Galilee. The same God who came as a Babe in Bethlehem, gave up His Body as the Bread of Life on Calvary’s hill while the weight of our sin crushed Him. The God who conquered Sin and Death by rising victorious from His grave, filled John with visions of a coming Beautiful City where one day, God would dwell with His beloved people forever.

Because He is a God who has been present on every hill, valley, and sandy seashore from eternity past to eternity present, this is the God who can be trusted with my journey.

Early in Jesus’ ministry, He gave His disciples an opportunity to practice what He’d taught them. He gave them authority to heal disease, preach, and raise the dead. He sent them to their own people, the Jews, telling them they wouldn’t need anything extra for He would provide for them through His people.

“Don’t take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don’t enter any Samaritan town. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Don’t acquire gold, silver, or copper for your money-belts. Don’t take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a staff, for the worker is worthy of his food. (Matthew 10:5-10)

Was it scary? Surely!
Was it exciting? Definitely!
But this was also a season; just another pathway on their journey.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, with His disciples gathered on the moonlit pathways of the Mount of Olives and the sound of soldier’s feet in the distance, the Lord reminded them of that initial opportunity to practice following Him.

“When I sent you out without money-bag, traveling bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Not a thing,” they said. (Luke 22:35)

Here they were, the ‘Eve of Last’ with Jesus, and He was reminding them of their journey.
Never had He left them alone. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
This time was no different. (John 14:16-17)

Though His body would soon be mutilated, and their time of walking the shores together was over, His Spirit would come and live within them.
Their journey would continue for a new season.

When that glorious moment came and the Spirit’s rushing wind whirled around them, His fire licking their souls, truth resonated afresh. This God was trustworthy to lead, love, and never abandon, for now He lived within them.

The Great I Am, the Timeless One (2 Peter 3:8), would now lead them to see with fresh eyes the Terrain around them as He breathed within them. They saw fields ripe for harvesting souls. They saw opportunities to heal. They knew they had been called to pray deeply for one another. They became His Body, His Bride, the Church.

And so we are, Sisters.
His Body living, walking, and breathing in our very own landscape of life.

Grip the Shepherd’s hand, dear friend, and choose to follow the God who, though existing outside of time and terrain, chose to dwell within it, that we may journey together into every unknown.

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Terrain Day 6 The Jordan River

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Joshua 3:1-17
2 Kings 5:1-14
Matthew 3:13-17
Ephesians 2:1-10

Terrain, Day 6

I don’t like dirt. I know it’s necessary for gardening, farming, and supplying life nutrients, but in my home or on my person, no thanks. Dirt equals unclean and impure. So, one could imagine how my mind struggles with a dirty river making anyone clean, cured, or blessed. But that’s exactly the role of the Jordan River in Biblical times.

The Jordan River starts at the base of Mount Herman and descends, flowing through the Sea of Galilee and ending in the south at the Dead Sea. It twists and turns through steep-walled valleys; the Jordan Valley contains reeds, tamarisks, willows, white poplar, and dense bushes, also known as thickets. Perhaps because it’s a floodplain, vegetation is so lush it concealed lions within those thickets in biblical times! And finally, Joshua and the Israelites found themselves on Jordan’s flooded banks as they traveled to the Promised Land. (Joshua 3:1-17)

After God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egpyt, they crossed the Red Sea on dry land (Exodus 13:17-14:31), and camped at the foot of Mount Sinai. Terrified and refusing to enter the Promised Land, they wandered the desert for 40 years. At last, Joshua was tasked with leading them into the Promised Land, but how would they cross the Jordan at flood stage, a half mile wide by 10 feet deep with swift currents?

God instructed, “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water, stand in the Jordan.” (Joshua 3:8)

Stand. In water 10 feet deep.

This could have evoked the same fear that kept them wandering in the desert, but God was gracious to share His plan. “When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.” (Joshua 3:13) They obeyed, which allowed the people to cross over to Jericho on dry land.

For a generation, the Israelites had been confined within the boundaries of their fear and disobedience. But now, like the Jordan River overflowing the boundaries of the riverbanks, their obedience allowed them to break through their boundaries. They crossed over from their old life of wandering to a new life of the blessings of God’s fulfilled promises.

Now let’s imagine you have a skin disease. You’re told the cure is washing seven times in a particular, dirty river. Would you do it? Personally, I would protest first and then speed to the river.

Far from hypothetical, this is Naaman’s story (2 Kings 5:1-14). The prophet Elisha told Naaman, a leper and the commander of the Syrian army, to wash in the Jordan River seven times to be healed. But Naaman was prideful and resisted. Why couldn’t he wash in the Abana or Pharpar rivers, which were clear and always abundant, unlike the Jordan, which was swampy, muddy, and shallow in places?

Thankfully for Naaman, his servants convinced him to follow Elisha’s instructions. So there amongst the thickets, also known as ga’on, or pride, he washed seven times and God healed his skin immediately. Naaman became renewed by leaving his pride in the pride. Who would think a little dirt could cure what ails you?

Naaman wasn’t the only one who took a “dip” in the Jordan. Journey with me to the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee, where John the Baptist performed baptisms, an outward act of obedience that reflected inward purification by God. Baptism by John affirmed belief in the coming Messiah and repentance of sin. One day, Jesus came to be baptized in the Jordan; not for repentance, because He was sinless and holy, but to consecrate Himself for His earthly ministry.

Again, this dirty river served as a source of purification. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, identifying Him as the Son of God through God the Father’s voice. The dirt and mud did not, and do not, diminish the Jordan River’s significance to Christians. Jesus’ Jordan River experience led Him into ministry for three years before He shed His red blood to pay for “our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Ephesians 2:1-4 tells us, “you were dead in your trespasses and sins,” “walked according to the ways of this world,” and we lived in “our fleshly desires.” But
God…”made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses.”
God takes us from old to new, from death to life.
In the same way, He took the Israelites from the desert to the Promised Land,
Naaman from diseased to cured,
and Jesus from unknown to known so we could be cleansed.

Looking at our spiritual lives, how has God taken us from old to new, from diseased to healed, from abandoned to loved? Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” We might get a little dirt on us, or have to tread floodwaters from our own “Jordan River,” but God will faithfully see us through these challenges into newness and fullness of life!

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Sketched IX Day 3 A New Work

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 5:1-11
Matthew 17:1-13
Isaiah 42:1-4
Galatians 2:18-21

Sketched IX, Day 3

It’s been nearly a week since Jesus taught us in detail about the cost of following Him, but the words still roll in my head, keeping me awake at night and popping up unbidden as we move through crowds ministering to them.

“Take up your cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34)

Death.
That’s all I can think about.

A cross signifies one thing, cruel death.
There is no way to escape torture when a cross is involved.
None.

Cross victims press against nail-pierced feet to slide their raw back upwards against shredded wood attempting to catch a breath as their wrists are nailed on either side, outstretched in agony. Eventually, exhaustion overtakes the condemned man and their futile exercise for oxygen is over, resulting in suffocation. It’s cruel, but it is the price to pay for those who dare break Roman law. I’ve seen it before, the crucifixion parade outside the city as thieves and murderers are led away for gruesome justice. It’s bloody and agonizing, the screams of men as naked flesh is grotesquely pierced, but it is effective in making its point: don’t run against Rome.

I shook my head again, attempting to clear the horrific scenes playing out in my mind. I just don’t understand! Why did Jesus tie these two ideas together, following Him and taking up a cross. It makes no sense! To follow, I must be alive. So, why must I also die? And not simply die, but die a cruel death.

Why does following Him cost so much?!

The turmoil inside me continues churning, never lessening, and I grab a fistful of olive branches in my frustration as I take one more step forward up the narrow, well-worn path on the side of Mount Tabor.

“Hey! Come on, Peter!” James’ indignant voice complains behind me as the olive branch swipes his face. “What’s wrong with you lately, man?”

I glance back, ruefully apologizing for the errant branch thrashing. Does James understand? I lift my eyes forward to catch John following closely to Jesus on the path ahead; the two are conversing, and then I hear John’s laughter ripple out. I grin in spite of my war inside, as John’s laughter invites everyone into its embrace. I can’t stop myself from wondering, does John understand? I furrow my brow and increase my pace, ignoring James’ question. Chest heaving and brow sweating, I catch up to John and Jesus at Tabor’s summit. A quip about my meaty muscles weighing me down compared to John’s lean, young frame is on my lips, but it dies instantly as I follow John’s aghast gaze.

Jesus! Jesus! He’s…

Suddenly, the brilliance of light envelopes everything in sight. The radiance is utterly beyond description as Jesus’ face shines like He swallowed the sun, His ordinary garments now aglow with uncanny light. James gasps and I follow his finger, seeing the unbelievable!

Moses and Elijah are here as well! I may not have everything figured out, but as Moses representing Law and Elijah representing Prophets stand here with Jesus, it’s all becoming clear! They are all the same! Law, Prophet, and Jesus!

Bursting with my revelation, I run unhindered towards the three men bathed in light. “Jesus! Jesus!” I shout. “Lord! It’s so good for us to be here! I’ve got it figured out! We will build three tents for you all and honor you all equally!” (Matthew 17:3-4, paraphrase)

Instantly, a thick, heavy cloud overshadows all of us, striking deep fear into our hearts. Moses and Elijah vanish. Terror-stricken, James, John, and myself are rendered immovable and speechless as a voice boomed, “This is my Son, the Chosen One, listen to Him.” (Luke 9:35)

Cowering and mute, the three of us fall face down in the heart-stopping glory of Yahweh’s voice. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the cloud of glory vanished, replaced by natural Judean sunlight that makes me sweat again. Stuttering as I examine the common dirt clinging to Jesus’ feet and toenails before me, I realize I haven’t been breathing and gulp in air as Jesus reaches down to touch my shoulder. His voice, astounding in its common, ordinary sound, tenderly speaks, “Get up; don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 17:7)

With lightning-fast clarity, Jesus’ words prompt a memory of the very first time I followed Him. He had looked at me then too, my nets bursting with an enormous catch of fish flopping everywhere. Crowds had gathered and men were agape at the plunder I’d caught, but Jesus had His eyes fixed on mine, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching people.” (Luke 5:10)
And so my following began.

Death.
Don’t be afraid.
Follow.

Though it would cost me everything, even my very life and all the pleasures and materials I had once loved, I was to crucify those daily, torturously even, and be left in the wake of the life of Yahweh so I could follow Him freely, without any hindrance.

He knew.
He knew of my internal battle, and He was making me new in the midst of it.
He was showing me Who He was, as God of all.

For Him, no, in Him, I will crucify my old self, and live to follow Him daily in the newness of abundant life. Jesus, the Great I Am, was worth it.
He is the Beloved Son, the Only One worthy of my life.

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

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

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Beloved Day 14 Catching Foxes: 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 Catching Foxes!

The Questions

1) How do you catch the foxes?

2) How do the little foxes ruin the vineyards?

3) Why does it matter if the vineyards are in bloom or not? Wouldn’t foxes always be a concern?

Song of Solomon 2:!5

Catch the foxes for us—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.

Original Intent

1) How do you catch the foxes?
Writing this study might be my most difficult writing assignment, easily requiring more research than any other. True confession, Song of Solomon isn’t a book I typically spend much time reading, I’m not even sure I had read the entire book until this study! While its imagery is difficult to understand and interpret, my husband says that telling stories allows difficult concepts to be more easily understood because suddenly, they become relatable.
At the moment, I’m on a plane traveling with a friend to a women’s retreat. Using these few uninterrupted hours to bang this out has been my intention for a couple of weeks. The problem is my traveling companion is watching the Chiefs game on her phone and I keep glancing over to check the score. Let’s be honest, watching Patrick Mahomes make amazing plays is more intriguing (and easier!) than working to unpack a hard passage of Scripture! This is when I realized this football game is a fox! Before you can catch a fox, you need to understand they are lurking about. In his song, Solomon uses a relevant example, a story if you will, his readers would understand. Vineyards were prevalent, and readers would understand the care and attention needed to keep these little creatures out of their just-blooming grapes. The comparison between foxes that destroy fruit and distractions that destroy relationships with our spouse and with God would make sense. The best way to catch a fox is first to realize they will come prowling! Next, is to develop safeguards or boundaries to keep them at bay.

2) How do the little foxes ruin the vineyards?
Song of Solomon graphically depicts the love shared between a husband and wife, providing an example for celebrating love within marriage from God’s perspective. Its poetic song would have stuck out to its original audience as missing some then-common components like manipulation, false-god worship and sacrifice, and using sex as a means of achieving something else. Song of Solomon celebrates marriage, celebrates committed love for spouses, and celebrates shared love that stays between a husband and wife. To safeguard such a beautiful rarity, the Lord included some warnings within this amazing love song like this one about catching foxes that ruin the vineyard. While the Song was originally written to celebrate, and give wise counsel for, a marriage relationship, we can make some connections to our relationship with God from the Song. In the Old Testament, God often used marriage to illustrate His divine relationship with His people. Check out the book of Hosea and our accompanying Journey Theme, Bride, for some amazing insights! The foxes in Solomon’s song smell the blossoming grapes and are hungry, they are looking for food. More than likely the foxes aren’t sitting back thinking, “I can’t wait to get in there and destroy that vineyard.” No, they are simply looking to satisfy their hunger. Being aware of sabotages, and setting up safeguards, boundaries, or traps for these sly foxes would have been familiar to the first readers. Given the context, they would have made the correlation between vineyards and their hearts.

3) Why does it matter if the vineyards are in bloom or not? Wouldn’t foxes always be a concern?
When something is in bloom, it’s fresh and new. I would imagine there may be a different scent to fresh blossoming grapes that could be more attractive to hungry little foxes. Vines which are just beginning to grow, are naturally weaker and more susceptible to harm. Foxes would always be a concern, but more attention would be taken at the beginning to ensure vines received the best care in order to develop into maturity. The same reality translates into the dynamics of a new, blossoming relationship as described in Song of Solomon. When love is fresh and new, you are naturally more aware of potential distractions or enemies. This would have been a reminder for both of the lovers to keep their eyes open and hearts focused on developing a strong, enduring love with one another.

Everyday Application

1) How do you catch the foxes?
You should also know this particular football game was originally scheduled for Thursday, but had been postponed to Monday during my flight due to Covid-19. Additionally, our flight was originally scheduled for earlier that Monday, but the airline changed the departure time. All the while, I was completely oblivious to how these small, seemingly insignificant, distractions would eventually keep me from focusing on writing. I was not looking for, or mentally putting up any safeguards, for foxes (distractions) that might creep in, overtaking my study time. Notice how the Scripture says “little” foxes. This is often how distractions work! Little things here and there that, when all added together, are enough to create a big distraction stealing away our focus. Relationships are hard! Not only those with our spouses, but also with God. They both take time, energy, and attention. If we don’t make a conscious effort to be aware of what is happening, and understand that distractions (often seemingly good ones) will come, we will be overrun by little foxes sooner than later. Without preparing for the already-present foxes, we’re already losing the battle to safeguard our precious relationships. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us of this same thing, “Be alert. Your adversary, the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion”. We must pay attention not only to what is happening around us, but also to potential places in which distractions might sneak in and rob us of spending time with God or our loves.

2) How do the little foxes ruin the vineyards?
The easy answer is they ruin the vineyards of our hearts by stealing our focus and attention. Recognizing these “little foxes” is half the battle. We all are well aware of how easy it is to turn our eyes away for just one minute only to realize much later that our relationship is in trouble. This holds true both in our human relationships as well as our relationship with God. Distractions don’t need to be big, or even bad, to do significant damage. When talking about the relationship with our spouse, distractions come in many shapes and sizes like kids, finances, jobs, keeping the house clean and laundry caught up, etc.. All good things, but when we allow them to overtake our focus, our spouse receives the leftovers and the vineyards of our marriage and our hearts are in danger. Our marriages must be a priority for us! This means scheduling date nights, time away, and constant courtship. We must not slip into taking our spouse for granted and assuming we will “catch up” one day when the kids are gone and life is less stressful. That kind of thinking is just plain dangerous! The same is true for our relationship with God. We must prioritize spending time alone with just Him as our number one priority! How easy is it to miss one quiet time and then another, or one Sunday at church, and then struggle to find our way back to a place of depth with God? Sure, life happens, kids get sick, friends need help, groceries need to be purchased, but God is the necessary foundation for keeping our lives on solid footing. God loved us so much He sent Jesus to save us, He will absolutely help you find the time to spend with Him if you ask! Be aware of those foxes, then make a plan to trap them!

3) Why does it matter if the vineyards are in bloom or not? Wouldn’t foxes always be a concern?
Young love is fragile. It’s new, unsure, and hasn’t yet developed strong roots that only grow over time. New marriages haven’t yet endured hard seasons of suffering or learned that true love endures through intense struggle. New couples haven’t yet half-walked, half-dragged one another through those seasons when all we want to do is take a nap! Young lovers can’t imagine anything or anyone becoming an obstacle to their love. Of course, long-term marriages can face abrupt endings and even young love has the potential to grow cold, however, new marriages are indeed particularly fragile. Like new fruit in the vineyard, they deserve special, guarded attention. The same is true for our relationship with God. New Christians are on fire for Jesus, and rightly so. Just like with young love, a new relationship with God is fresh and exciting. You feel more alive than ever and are eager to boldly save the world for Jesus! Life and circumstances, however, don’t always cooperate with our passionate dreams. Trials come, temptations wrap around us, sin entangles us, and we have yet to learn the benefit of daily meeting with the Lord, feasting on His word, and surrendering ourselves to His hand more every single day. Steadfast endurance in our relationship with the Lord God is built one day at a time over the long haul. Watch for the distractions leading you away from what can feel like a tedious, daily investment in your walk with Christ. Flee the temptation to chase the foxes, instead, choose each day to live in hope of all Christ has for us! Revelation 21:5 says, “I am making ALL things new.” If we allow Him to grow the vineyards of our hearts, and we are willing to invest time and energy into our relationships, He is faithful to mature our love into one that endures all things! (1 Corinthians 13:7)

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Catch up with Catching Foxes!

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!

This is Beloved Week Three!
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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

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Calling Day 14 One To Another: 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 One To Another!

The Questions

1) What is the Lord’s will and how does it connect with the straight-forward commands given in these passages? (verse 17)

2) Submission feels like a command that chains us up and makes us a doormat; how does Paul want us to see it from God’s perspective?

3) What connection is Paul making in verses 28-33 between marriage and the Church?

4) Why does Paul specifically call out the roles of wives, husbands, children, and slaves?

Ephesians 5:15-6:9

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. 4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ. 6 Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. 7 Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people, 8 knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. 9 And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Original Intent

1) What is the Lord’s will and how does it connect with the straight-forward commands given in these passages? (verse 17)
At a high-level view based on what we’ve already studied in Ephesians, particularly Ephesians 1:3-14 and especially verse 9, the Lord’s will is for us to know Him and understand Him not only regarding the means of salvation, but all the vast riches believers have access to through Christ. This knowing Him is the fullness of His will for a relationship with us, because through this gateway, our lives our transformed in greater and greater facets. Through knowing the Savior, His Spirit makes us new, shaping us into the image of the Son, Jesus Christ, who perfectly represents God the Father. We are drawn in deeply as a child of God. We are given new DNA, a new birth, a new life, a new purpose, and as we study His Word and learn the rhythms of the heart of God, our everyday lives take on new life and purpose. Everything is made new! Knowing the God of the universe in deep intimacy is the crown jewel of our existence; it’s what we were created for!

2) Submission feels like a command that chains us up and makes us a doormat; how does Paul want us to see it from God’s perspective?
In a society where women actually didn’t carry value and were often viewed as being property owned by men, Jesus radically turns their worldview upside down. To the original audience, it was impossible to read these words and get the idea Jesus didn’t value women. In fact, He elevated them! They were partners together in marriage with men. Wives were to submit to their husbands’ leadership, as husbands were called to love and honor wives as their own bodies! (Ephesians 5:25, 28) Husbands were called out to stop viewing women as property, but as partners having equal value as men. In this context, a woman’s passion should be valued just as highly as a man’s passion. A wife’s voice was to receive the same value as a husband’s voice. Co-equal. Co-valued. Yet still, like two beautiful dancers, there can not be two leaders. In a stalemate, one must submit to the other’s lead or the dance ceases to be beautiful and the two, intended to act and love and live as one cohesive unit, split up and walk away in opposition. This is not God’s heart because it isn’t how God operates within Himself. Jesus only spoke what the Father told Him to say. (John 12:49-50) The Spirit only moved between Father and Son in blessed unity. (John 15:26-27) There was never discord, only mutual love and submission. As we hold onto this view of God, we can more clearly understand how God lovingly designed wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives. Marriage is intended as a beautiful dance of mutual love and submission!

3) What connection is Paul making in verses 28-33 between marriage and the Church?
God designed marriage for many purposes, but one of the most important was to illustrate, like a breathtaking painting, the relationship between God and the Church, His chosen Bride. Verse 25 is power-packed with breathless, ardent, unconditional love from a God whose love for us will literally take an eternity for us to comprehend. Read these words slowly, pausing after each word for amplified understanding, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her…” Each. Word. Slowly. God chose people to be His own priceless inheritance. He has chosen us to be included in His Bride, the Church. Oh, how He loves each of us as individuals and as a whole as we join together with other believers to make up the Bride! (verse 30) He loved her (the Church) so lavishly, He gave Himself entirely up for her. This is unfathomable! Marriage was always intended to be the public, on-live-display reflection of what it looks like for God to love His people. As husbands sacrificially love their wives, the wife responds with trust, honor, and a love that follows whole-heartedly. Christ sacrificed Himself for every believer as individuals, which composes the whole of His Bride, the Church. Because of this incredible demonstration of radical love, the Church responds by following Him, honoring His sacrifice, and, in turn, radically loving Jesus and all those around us.

4) Why does Paul specifically call out the roles of wives, husbands, children, and slaves?
It’s important not to follow our natural tendency and section off these roles as teachings separate from the main emphasis of the text as a whole. These role distinctions are meant to each be woven in connection with the thick, life-giving cord of living out the calling of following Jesus holistically. Spouses, children, slaves, whatever your role in life, heed this imperative calling from the Lord Jesus Christ, “walk worthy of the calling you have received.” (Ephesians 4:1) We have each been called to love the Lord and one another, so let’s walk it out! “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3) Live it out with humility and utmost love for one another, regardless of your role in family relationships or in societal rank. “From Him (Christ), the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.” (Ephesians 4:16) Just as each one has a role in life, so do each of us have a role in the Body of Christ. We are called to live it out by “walking in love, as Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.” (Ephesians 5:2) Whether we answer to mama, sister, daughter, friend, wife, boss, or coworker, each role is uniquely and critically woven to our highest calling, “walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8) and “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)

Everyday Application

1) What is the Lord’s will and how does it connect with the straight-forward commands given in these passages? (verse 17)
Often, Christians want an “easy answer” button to the specifics of their life choices, so we concoct a mysterious pursuit of “finding the will of God”. Which job opportunity? Which spouse? Do we adopt a child? Which house should we buy? We are tempted to elevate this “finding God’s will” in specificity far above focusing on the relationship we have with God in our ordinary day-to-day lives. He intends for us to follow Him one small step at a time. He will make the specifics clear to us, but first and foremost we are to seek His face, know Him deeply, and study His Word to understand who this God is we follow. It’s in the unpacking, not the pursuing, of the God who is right here with us. He is not far off and we are left trying to chase after Him. Our pursuit should not be a mysterious “God’s will”, but rather God Himself! As we seek Him, we will find not only the most precious jewel of all, the fullness of God, but we will slowly, over time, find that we are being faithfully, gently, graciously, being led step by step in small and big decisions. Follow Him by studying Him, then allow that knowing of Him to color everything else. When we know Him, we want to be like Him. This means we won’t choose to live foolishly like the world. We won’t make rash decisions, because our God is not rash. We won’t enable others because God calls out our own sin with His gracious truth. We won’t speak with rudeness, because God is not rude to us. When it comes to major life-decisions like where to move, which job to take, and who to marry, the Lord will faithfully lead us through those decisions, just as He has faithfully led us before. However, if we don’t make a habit of knowing Him, of choosing His will (which is to know Him), then the big decisions will continue to be a wrestling match of uncertainty. What God wants most is not our decision to move to city A instead of city B, it’s to know Him. If we refuse to prioritize this “will of God”, nothing else will fit.

2) Submission feels like a command that chains us up and makes us a doormat; how does Paul want us to see it from God’s perspective?
There are many passages in Scripture that have tragically been manipulated to assert someone’s twisted perception of reality and justify their own sinful actions. Sadly, this beautiful passage in Ephesians 5 has been used to press women down, especially regarding their role in marriage. Even in Christian marriages where the husband genuinely loves the Lord, these verses on submission are often taken out of context to assert the wife has no voice or value. Sisters, let’s be so clear here, this is not the heart of God! Jesus stopped everything on a busy day of ministry to call out an outcast woman, elevate her, value her, heal her, and esteem her by publicly declaring her His Daughter. (Mark 5:25-34) As we read these verses in Ephesians, it is imperative we study through the correct lens of lavish love God has for women and all people regardless of race, gender, or role in life! (Galatians 3:27-28) Each human being was created on purpose by the handiwork of God. (Jeremiah 1:5) Each was made in His image. (Genesis 1:27) He knit together every bone and marrow, every patch of skin, and artfully crafted every hue of eye color. (Psalm 139:13-16) There are no “cookie cutter molds” in God’s craftsmanship; He intimately loves every person as an individual with the exact same value and worth. It is simply not in His character to show favoritism. (Ephesians 6:9)

3) What connection is Paul making in verses 28-33 between marriage and the Church?
A husband is meant to love his wife so deeply and unconditionally that there are no boundaries on his faithful, sacrificial love for her. He is to forever be willing to sacrifice himself for her because he loves her. She, in turn, is to respond to this love by trusting her husband and following his lead, respecting and honoring him as the God-ordained leader in her home. This colors how wives speak to their husbands, spend their money, raise their children, have disagreements with him, and even sleep with their husbands. Radical love is intended to foster trust and respect because this is the picture of how Jesus loves us and designed us for deep, intimate relationship with Him! I know what you might be thinking… ‘If I had a husband who loved me like that, it would be easy for me to respect him and follow him. But I don’t.’ I know, Sister, I know. God, however, does not call us to lovingly submit to our husbands only when we are in a phenomenal marriage and all our needs are being met. He calls us to live out love and gentleness and respectful submission even when we aren’t being loved the way we were created to receive love. God is not a selfish God. When we do not follow Him, when we love ourselves and our ways better than His, He does not withhold His love from us. He continues to be present, offer love, tenderness, and forgiveness! We cannot love our husbands like this on our own! Even in great marriages, this kind of love requires supernatural help! When we fix our eyes on knowing God first and foremost, investing daily and intentionally into our relationship with Him, we will be given the strength and ability to love and honor our husbands. Whether it’s a marriage relationship or your relationship with Christ, honor the Lord by loving Jesus first and most. This always translates to loving others sacrificially and unconditionally just as we are loved by God Himself!

4) Why does Paul specifically call out the roles of wives, husbands, children, and slaves?
The specific roles in chapters 5 and 6 are not additional, new concepts, but rather they are a pinnacle demonstration of all Paul has been teaching regarding what it looks like to live out Jesus’ calling in real life. These truths Paul wrote of are not mere doctrines to study or pious words to memorize, but they are the very fabric of the life we are to live in Jesus! No true Christ-follower is exempt from this high calling, regardless of their role in life! Paul didn’t call out these specific roles so we would isolate them from the rest of his teachings, but would view them, and every role, through the stunningly beautiful lens of submission, love, respect, and honor for others. When the whole Body of Christ, every single believer, follows this pattern of living, we truly are exhibiting what it means to live a life worthy of the calling we have received in Jesus! Imagine the difference it would make if you took this high calling seriously and began thinking through your everyday actions through the lens of loving submission, charged with the aim of honoring others before yourself? How would meal times feel different around the table as you encouraged others? How would your relationship with your spouse deepen as you intentionally chose to lay aside the weapon of offense and instead pick up the grace gifts of humility and tender love? What transformations might happen as you choose loving respect and submission at the workplace instead of gossip and self-promotion? Live out this rich love Christ has called us to as we love one another!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

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Blessed Day 6 Blessed Are The Hungry And Thirsty

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 5:6
John 7:37-39
Psalm 42
Isaiah 55:1-3

Blessed, Day 6

Tacos.
I pretty much need tacos in my life.
My daughter asked me if a Mother’s Day lunch of tacos was too casual.
Um, NO!
Bring the tacos, guac, and all the salsa!

Water, mixed with magical beans, is basically essential in my everyday life.
My rough mornings are dramatically improved by the promised hope of brewing coffee.
I jokingly need tacos and coffee for a happy life.

I’ve been hungry and thirsty, but never impoverished.
I haven’t gone days with only morsels of bread or only sips of water, wondering if I would live or die.

But the Israelites had.
Freed from Egyptian slavery and led into the desert by the very presence of God, they were utterly dependent on the kindness of God for food and drink.

The Jews, suffering under oppressive Roman rule, were also familiar with agonizing hunger and thirst. Would there be enough food for toddling babes to sleep without crying? Would there be enough grain for Jewish families after the Romans took their taxes and lined their pockets with Jewish harvested produce? Suppose the Romans took possession of their wells. Where would they get water?

Unlike my hunger for fried tortillas and cumin infused pork, these people knew exactly what it felt like to go to bed hungry and wake up again with a deeper gnawing of not enough.

The Jews longed to be filled; it was an ache so heavy it consumed their everyday moments of waking and sleeping.

It was set against this ragtag gathering of the impoverished, the overlooked, the diseased, the protruding bellies of malnourishment, the hungry and the thirsty that Jesus, in His gentle, commanding voice cried out with words that resonated deep into hearts,

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink!”. (John 7:37)

While I haven’t experienced a groaning hunger for food, my soul has been wrecked for other desires.

When the kind-hearted, God-honoring son of a friend of mine was bullied to the point of death threats at his high school because of his skin color, my angry, broken heart begged and pleaded for justice.

When my little boy was whisked to the arms of Jesus far too soon and grief and loss etched themselves permanently across my heart, I agonized with the Lord through tears to please, please return. “I just want to go Home with you, Abba,” I pleaded.

When another marital conflict exploded, leaving its shrapnel deep in the hearts of our children and each other, my wounded heart begged and pleaded for our world to be set right.

To be set right.
I hungered for righteousness.

It was like going to bed hungry and waking up with the same, unsatisfied gnawing of not enough.

Jesus saw the crowds quickly gathering as He and His twelve disciples drew near the familiar rocky terrain of the Mount of Olives. He ascended with intentionality, knowing His disciples and the gathering crowd would hear His life-giving words as the sound of His voice carried to the valley.

Midway through His teaching on The Blessed Life, Christ declared with authoritative boldness, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

Everything Jesus did or said was cocooned with purpose. As the Son of God chose human Greek words to descend on the ears of His hearers, He used “peinao” meaning “intensely painful hunger”, and “dispaso”, meaning “painful thirst”. There were other words Jesus could have used, but He specifically chose ones associated with a longing so deep it inflicted pain.

As He spoke, the attention of the audience intensified, as if with one collective sigh, they all deeply related to Jesus’ point.
They knew the pain of bellies from lack of food and of throbbing heads from dehydration.
Deeper still, they knew the gut-wrenching agony of watching unrighteousness play out around them in their relationships, their families, and their nation.

Pain-filled hunger and thirst was palpable.
They could feel it.

Can’t each of us?!.
How we hunger for the wholeness only ushered in by pure righteousness!

In fact, righteousness poured out over our hearts, churches, families, and world would feel akin to standing beneath a powerful waterfall in the dry, dusty heat of a wilderness desert, wouldn’t it?

Fresh.
New.
Alive.
Thriving.

Four words flooded with promise closed out Jesus’ statement on hungering and thirsting for righteousness. “They will be filled.”

We are the empty, the broken, the completely unrighteous.
He is the righteous filler.

As God the Son hung naked and dying on a Roman tool of torture, His flesh beaten to a literal pulp, gasping for His final breaths as the weight of the world’s sin pressed down upon Him, He became separated from the goodness of God.
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?!” (Matthew 27:46)

In His separation from the righteous holiness of God as He carried my sin and yours, Jesus cried out, “I thirst!”. The water of Life had been cut off from its Source rooted in the goodness of Father God’s heart.

He took on our thirst for righteousness and paid for our sin in full, in order to lavish us with the flood of His own abundance so we can stand before the Almighty God spotless, holy, and blameless.

In the closing words of all of Scripture we hear this wide invitation,
“The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”
And let the one who hears say, “Come.”
And let the one who is thirsty come;
let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” (Revelation 22:17)

His full righteousness is here for the taking.
In the middle of our broken, our pain, our ache for wholeness,
Jesus cries out, “Come! Be filled!”.

Trust Him with the weight of your life, and let Him fill you to overflowing with His righteousness!

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

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Blessed!