Eden Day 7 Entrusted Caretakers: Digging Deeper

April 26, 2022 by Lisa Marcelina 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 Entrusted Caretakers!

The Questions

1) What tree is God referencing? (verse 17)

2) What is the significance of the thorns and thistles? (verse 18)

3) What did God mean by, “you will eat bread by the sweat of your brow?” (verse 19)

Genesis 3:17-19

17 And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground,
since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”

Original Intent

1) What tree is God referencing? (verse 17)
God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to work within it and be its caretaker. (Genesis 2:15) The garden was a delightful place; I imagine lush green trees and plants with animals basking in their shade. Flowers in various colours and sizes with butterflies, birds and other insects flitting and buzzing among them, all at peace with one another and existing in perfect harmony. I hear the rush of the river flowing jubilantly through Eden, its waters glistening like jewels in the sun. In the middle of Eden stood two trees, the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Genesis 2:9) God told Adam he could eat from any tree in the garden, except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, or else he would die. (Genesis 2:17) Eve, being deceived by the serpent, chose sin over obedience to the Lord, and ate from the tree. Alongside her was Adam, who could have stopped her, but didn’t. She offered the fruit to her husband who willingly took it and ate, sinning with her. Death instantly became their earned consequence. Not only would they physically die one day, but the effects of spiritual death were already upon them as shame and fear slipped over them.

2) What is the significance of the thorns and thistles? (verse 18)
Because of Adam’s disobedience God cursed the ground, meaning food would no longer be easily available as it was in the garden. Adam and Eve would now need to labor painfully to cultivate their own food. The ground which Adam once ruled and yielded to him in gentle submission, would now resist his reign by producing weeds, thorns, and thistles. Work would be hard, laborious, and toil wouldn’t produce the fullness of results as was originally intended. Symbolic references to thorns and thistles are common in the Bible as they point to the struggle against sin. Proverbs 15:19 says, “A slacker’s way is like a thorny hedge, but the path of the upright is a highway,” which indicates that a lazy person makes his own life difficult by not working hard for what he wants, while the righteous man is willing to do what it takes to make his life work. Ezekiel 28:24 says, “The house of Israel will no longer be hurt by prickly briers or painful thorns from all their neighbors who treat them with contempt.” This means Israel’s enemies who oppressed them or lured them into sinful idolatry, would be freed by God when he restores his kingdom, and brought them into His Land of freedom from the thorns of sin. (Ezekiel 28:25-26)

3) What did God mean by, “you will eat bread by the sweat of your brow?” (verse 19)
Following verse 18 we see how Adam now needed to work hard to cultivate his own food. The Hebrew word for bread, ‘lehem’, is also translated as food in other passages like Proverbs 27:27 that describes God providing enough food for whole households. The work Adam did in the garden before his disobedience must have been pleasurable and fulfilling, and I’m guessing there were no such things as weeds. Now, he had to clear the land from all its weeds, till the soil and plant, all without the garden tools we are familiar with today. The work would have been grueling and he would do this for the rest of his life in order to survive. By his painful toil, he would labor just to eat.

Everyday Application

1) What tree is God referencing? (verse 17)
The NKJV MacArthur Study Bible suggests it was a test of obedience to see whether they would choose to love and follow themselves or God as supreme. Many years later, God gave Abraham a similar test, but Abraham acted in faith and obeyed the Lord. (Genesis 22:1-8) Adam & Eve’s disobedience resulted in death, spiritual and physical both for themselves and every human born after them. Sin had entered the world; spiritual death meant separation from God. Even today, every sinful choice against God’s character and His commands brings the same consequence. Proverbs 6:20-23 provides some benefits of obedience, “My son, keep your father’s command, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching. Always bind them to your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk here and there, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you. For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective discipline is the way to life.” If Adam and Eve had eaten of the Tree of Life, they would have experienced eternal life and been forever trapped in their sin. Today, through Jesus Christ, we can be reconciled to God and experience eternal life but without the consequence of sin and death! “Truly I tell you, (…) you do not have life in yourselves. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day (John 6:53-54)

2) What is the significance of the thorns and thistles? (verse 18)
In the Bible, thorns and thistles symbolized difficulty, pain, or suffering as a result of sin. In the New Testament, Jesus used thorns to represent the pull of sin in His famous parable about the Sower and the Seed. He warned that thorns (sin) had the power to choke out the freedom and forgiveness only found in Jesus when a person chooses worry and the deceitfulness of wealth over trusting Jesus. (Matthew 13:3-22) About a year ago, I had a situation at work where they hired an assistant for my office. She had an annoying habit of trying to do my work for me. I objected and complained to my boss, who was also new. He ignored my complaints and the assistant used this as leverage to continue disrespecting my desk and my office. This caused me many sleepless nights to the point I wanted to resign. But I decided to pray about it and the Lord told me, “Lisa, you work for Me.” (see Colossians 3:23-24) When the Lord shifted my heart, I was able to press against sin and its effects with God’s perspective and His help as I began working for the Lord! I dedicated my work to the Lord and I must say today, my boss recognizes my worth so much, he not only verbally praised me but gave high ratings on my performance appraisal. The Lord has shown favor when I submitted to Him, and now the assistant respects my office space and my work. Thorns are plentiful in life as sin lures us away from a close relationship with God, but we don’t need to let them win. We can take any problem to Jesus and He will help us overcome. (James 4:7)

3) What did God mean by, “you will eat bread by the sweat of your brow?” (verse 19)
Before ‘the Fall’ from perfect relationship into sinful brokenness, Adam and Eve had everything provided for them directly from the Lord. All they needed to do was just pick their favorite fruit or vegetable and eat. This didn’t mean they didn’t work, as they had been entrusted with caring for the whole land and living things! The difference was ease and enjoyment without sin, and struggle and pain with sin. Because of disobedience, work became difficult and reduced in glory to merely providing food to survive. This consequence continues as our reality today as we must work hard and diligently to earn a living. My work days are usually long, with a two-hour commute to work, eight hours at work, and then another two-hour commute home. I’ve been doing this for over thirty years. By the end of the day I’m exhausted, but I must say looking back, God has blessed me. I want for nothing and have come to a point in my life where material things are no longer important. What’s important is living for Jesus. In Him, even the curse of toilsome work is lessened. He tells us, “So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” (Matthew 6:31-33) God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed in the Garden of Eden, and while we understand that life is not easy and there will be thorns to overcome, He promises care for us if we seek His kingdom and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)

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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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Sacrifice Day 6 The Blood Path

April 4, 2022 by Lesley Crawford 1 Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 15:1-21
Mark 14:22-24
Romans 4:13-25
Hebrews 6:13-20

Sacrifice, Day 6

As Abram gathered the animals for the sacrifice, he must have done so with trepidation.

This would be no ordinary sacrifice. He was preparing to enter into a covenant, a binding agreement, with the Almighty God. This was a serious matter.

Abram knew he was unworthy. He had always been unworthy. His life had been spent worshipping idols until his encounter with the true, living God changed everything, prompting him to step out in faith and obedience leave his homeland, Ur, to travel to Canaan. (Genesis 12:1-4)

Since then, Abram had seen God’s faithfulness. God had led him to Canaan, blessed him, and promised him an abundance of descendants. His words to Abram had always been full of grace and encouragement, and Abram believed God, despite the seeming impossibility of the promise.

Even so, Abram felt uneasy. He knew he was far from perfect. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked God for reassurance about His promise. (Genesis 15:2-3, 8) As he gathered the cow, the female goat, the ram, the turtledove, and the pigeon God required, he was all too aware of their fate, and he began to ponder his own fate for failing the covenant.
Who was he to make a covenant with God?

Then came the part he was dreading the most, cutting the animals in half. As the blood of the animals was splattered and spilled and he arranged half of each animal to line either side of a small ditch, allowing the blood to pool, Abram reflected on the covenant into which God was directing him to enter. To seal a covenant, both parties would walk the path of blood, symbolising how, if they broke the terms of the covenant, they too could be slaughtered like the animals.

Here was the cause of his fear: Abram doubted his ability to keep the covenant. What would happen to him if his choices failed to honour God? Deep down, he knew that it wasn’t so much a matter of “if” he would fail, but “when.” At some point, it was inevitable.

God, however, was fully aware of Abram’s unworthiness, still He also knew his faith, and it pleased Him. (Hebrews 11:6) He had seen Abram’s faith in action as Abram responded to the call to leave his home and step into the unknown. God knew that despite his imperfection, Abram trusted His promises, and God had a plan. Faith would save where works could not. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)

God knew that Abram would never be able to keep the terms of the covenant. If it depended on Abram’s goodness and his ability to keep the moral law, it would certainly fail. God knew that the only way to preserve Abram’s family line and this covenant promise was for Him to walk the blood path for both of them.

So, as darkness fell, God put Abram into a deep rest while allowing him to see the vision of what He was about to do on Abram’s behalf. The silence of night surrounded Abram and the ground where blood gathered became sacred as a smoking fire pot and flaming torch passed between the pieces of the animals; God secured His promise by His own faithfulness. Smoke and fire are common symbols of God’s presence in the Bible, e.g. the smoke on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:17-19) and the burning bush where God met with Moses (Exodus 3:1-2). Here, they represent God walking the path of blood. God alone.

How relieved Abram must have been to find that he was not required to walk the path, to discover that the covenant did not depend on his own faithfulness but on God’s, and therefore, it could not fail. (2 Timothy 2:13)

Abram would have a child, and, despite enduring 400 years of slavery, his descendants would return to possess the land. (Joshua 1:1-9)

All of this pointed ahead to a day when an even greater sacrifice would be made; when, in Jesus, God sacrificed Himself. (John 19) As blood dripped from His thorn-crowned head and poured from the nail-wounds piercing His hands and feet, He sealed His promise forever

And He secured the hope for all who trust in Him that we, like Abram’s descendants, would one day be brought home, not simply to Canaan, but to the Promised Land of eternity where God and man would dwell together, free from sin’s entanglement. (Revelation 21:1-4)

For us, as for Abram, the good news is that this does not depend on our goodness, our ability, or our faithfulness. As He walked the blood path of incredible sacrifice, Jesus did all that was necessary.

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The GT Weekend! ~ Relentless Week 1

September 14, 2019 by Rebecca 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

1) Sometimes reading the Bible is hard, Amen?! All those stories in the Old Testament can leave a picture of a ruthless God full of anger and spite if we read the stories through our own lenses of our own culture and time. In what ways do you wrestle with how the Bible depicts God? At what points would you agree or disagree that the Bible is written about humanity rather than written to you as an individual? How does that belief color the way you read and understand both the Bible and God? If God is relentless in His pursuit of you just as He was for Israel, what rises up inside you to push against that? Why?

2) What does it take for you to trust the Lord’s instruction and obey with a whole heart? Some obediences are easier than others, right? Take a minute to journal briefly about those things you’ve learned to obey quickly and habitually in. Can you identify some sore spots where you struggle in following? Where do you pull back from following through and why do you think you do? Consider whether this willingness to go forward in following is tied to how you view God or how much you’re willing to trust Him. Be honest before the Lord of your hear; He is always present to hear you!

3) Take a few minutes to journal through how you view the relationship between love and discipline. What qualities do you see as being necessary components of a relationship for discipline to be effective? Do you see those same qualities in your relationship with the Lord? When has the Lord lovingly disciplined you to bring you deeper into a relationship with Him? What has He strategically removed from your life in order for you to more clearly see Him and His love for you? Is there something currently receiving more love, affection, and focus than the Lord?

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 46:7-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah
Come, see the works of the Lord…

Prayer Journal
You are the With Us God. The ever-present Help. The always-able Almighty. Ever listening to our cries, You love us without end, pursuing our hearts to know You in more beautiful ways. Lord, God, hold my face, tip it up to You, and let me see Your radiant glory. Just a glimpse of Your majesty transforms and renews!
And as You do, make my heart overflow with urgency to invite all, “Come! See the works of the Lord my great and mighty God who loves to love!” Declare Your goodness through me, Lord, as You keep drawing me close. Tell Your story as you fight for me!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Relentless Day 2 Relentless Pursuit: Digging Deeper

September 10, 2019 by Rebecca 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 Relentless Pursuit!

The Questions

1) Who is this angel of the Lord and why would he bring such bad news to Israel, God’s chosen people? (verses 1-5)

2) If Israel was such a faithful nation during Joshua’s lifetime (verse 7) and then got stuck in a cycle of sin, what was the key changing factor for them as a nation? (verses 9-11)

3) How does the Lord’s “burning anger” reflect relentless love?

Judges 2:1-23

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your fathers. I also said: I will never break my covenant with you. 2 You are not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You are to tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed me. What is this you have done? 3 Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a trap for you.” 4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. 5 So they named that place Bochim and offered sacrifices there to the Lord.

6 Previously, when Joshua had sent the people away, the Israelites had gone to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. 7 The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had seen all the Lord’s great works he had done for Israel.

8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. 9 They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel.

11 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. They worshiped the Baals 12 and abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods from the surrounding peoples and bowed down to them. They angered the Lord, 13 for they abandoned him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.

14 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold them to the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies. 15 Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord was against them and brought disaster on them, just as he had promised and sworn to them. So they suffered greatly.

16 The Lord raised up judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, 17 but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. They did not do as their fathers did. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The Lord was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them. 19 Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly than their fathers, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate ways.

20 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he declared, “Because this nation has violated my covenant that I made with their fathers and disobeyed me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I did this to test Israel and to see whether or not they would keep the Lord’s way by walking in it, as their fathers had.” 23 The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.

Original Intent

1) Who is this angel of the Lord and why would he bring such bad news to Israel, God’s chosen people? (verses 1-5)
The phrase “angel of the Lord” is used to refer not to a created angel, but rather God Himself, appearing in the likeness of an angel. Students of Scripture call these magnificent appearances “theophanies” meaning literally, “an appearing of Deity to humankind”. Because Jesus Christ has always existed for eternity as God the Son within the triune godhead of Father, Son, and Spirit, it would only make sense for Jesus, who would one day walk the earth in human flesh, to appear also to the Old Testament people as the same exact representation of God (Colossians 1:15) that He would later make in the New Testament. The Angel of the Lord appeared at crucial, pivotal points in Israel’s history; moments when the nation had an important decision to make whether they would follow the ways of the Lord God or not. The Lord’s message to the nation of Israel was first a reminder of His own faithfulness. “I said I will never break my covenant with you.” (verse 1) Regardless of what Israel chose, God would not be unfaithful. He would ensure to keep covenant with them by making them His chosen ones, crafting through them a great nation through whom would come salvation for all. The Lord also gave a serious declaration, “I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a trap for you.” (verse 3) The Lord did not look down and suddenly decide to bring grief to Israel. They had chosen to abandon the covenant, they had decided to leave the Lord God and worship other false deities instead. They turned away from their Rescuing God, choosing to worship idols human hands had created instead of the Creator God Himself. (Isaiah 44:9-20, Romans 1:22-23)

2) If Israel was such a faithful nation during Joshua’s lifetime (verse 7) and then got stuck in a cycle of sin, what was the key changing factor for them as a nation? (verses 9-11)
Tragic words are recorded in verses 10-11, “After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel. The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.” God knew that if a generation failed to speak of His Holy Name, if they failed to teach their children who the Lord God was and of His glory, they would stop honoring Him. This is why He commanded parents to “teach them (His Word) diligently to your children”. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) Without this diligent training, Israel would follow their sinful, human desires and set up for themselves other gods to worship. Within the span of a single generation, this is exactly what happened. Israel forgot who God was to them and what He had done for them, and gradually, over time, like taking one small step off course after another, an entire generation had drifted so far from the Lord, they didn’t even know Him. Moses was an incredible leader who followed God’s heart and spoke with the Lord as a friend. After him, Joshua walked closely with God, leaning on Him alone for courage and wisdom as He led Israel into the Promised Land. After Joshua’s death, however, they had no leader who followed God as Moses and Joshua had done, and little by little, they let go of what had once been so important and, almost imperceptibly, Israel slipped into apathy.

3) How does the Lord’s “burning anger” reflect relentless love?
Three times in this passage we read of the Lord’s anger (verse 12, 14, 20). Twice His anger is described as “burning”. Some people imagine God to be high above, waiting for us to mess up so He can smite us with His anger. But this is not the God of the Bible, either in the New Testament or even in the Old. His tender mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) and His love endures forever (Psalm 136). So how can both of these extremes be true of God? Because the Lord God is a righteously jealous God. On the heels of His second commandment (make no graven images), God states, “for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:4-5) He even says one of His names is “Jealous God”. (Exodus 34:14) He is jealous for our hearts and our sole devotion.

Everyday Application

1) Who is this angel of the Lord and why would he bring such bad news to Israel, God’s chosen people? (verses 1-5)
Can you imagine being visited by Christ Himself as you gathered with fellow worshippers at your local church one Sunday? What message might He declare over your congregation?! We don’t have to wonder because the Lord God did indeed appear in the flesh on earth! When Jesus came from Heaven as an infant who grew up to preach of the coming Kingdom of Heaven, He spoke a very similar message to the one He spoke to ancient Israel in Judges 2. Jesus was the embodiment of the Promise from Old Testament times. As the Lord spoke “I will never break covenant with you”, Jesus came to prove that saying true. The life He lived perfectly in our human flesh was proof that He would never, and had never, broken covenant. In fact, He came to fulfill that Old Covenant and usher in a New Covenant, one that is still to come for us! The New Covenant says that all who believe in the Lord Jesus will be saved for eternity (Romans 10:9), which brings up part two of the Lord’s message. The Lord’s appearance to His Beloved Israel was for their benefit and their reproof. He clearly told Israel how they had broken His covenant, how they had worshipped other gods over Him. They had sinned irreparably. This is the same message for every one of us living today: we have sinned and are beyond repair. But God, who is perfectly faithful, has not and will not, break covenant. If we simply trust in His sacrifice on our behalf, believing that He is exactly who He says He is and that His righteousness was given in exchange for our wretched sinfulness, then “He who is faithful and just will cleanse us from all unrighteousness” and give us eternal life. (1 John 1:9)

2) If Israel was such a faithful nation during Joshua’s lifetime (verse 7) and then got stuck in a cycle of sin, what was the key changing factor for them as a nation? (verses 9-11)
No one directionally decides they are going to head towards apathy. It is a slow fade, one small change after another. Laying aside something we once did and exchanging it for another, easier thing. Becoming apathetic is not difficult, following the Lord diligently takes intentional practice and daily discipline. Because don’t we all want a “god” we can manipulate and craft and fit into a box of our choosing? A “god” who doesn’t demand anything of us, only giving us whatever we want like a genie in a bottle?! This is our heart serving ourselves; this is pride, the root of all sin. It was not by random chance that God’s very first commandment is “Have No Other gods Before Me”. (Exodus 20:3) These few words in the opening of Judges call us to seriously examine our daily life and our loves. Where are we falling off course when it comes to following Jesus fully? Where are we substituting “gods” of our making for the real God who insists we give Him total surrender? Take note, pray, and ask the Lord who loves to love us, to return our hearts and our ways back towards Him!

3) How does the Lord’s “burning anger” reflect relentless love?
Why would God call Himself Jealous? Does He need our adoration like a narcissistic being intent on loving Himself? Does He simply want more conceited glory for Himself? Not in the slightest! This would be a gross description of the God of the Bible! Before God ever created “creation”, humanity included, He was fully delighted within Himself, enjoying the fullness of giving and receiving holy love as a community within the triune godhead as Father, Son, and Spirit. He did not need us to love Him to make Him feel whole. He was, and is, love. (1 John 4:8) No, He is a jealous God because He loves us. He knows when we chase lesser loves, we end up broken, scarred, and wounded. He knows no one will bring satisfaction like a relationship with Him will do. He knows that only when we are knit to our Creator do we find our purpose (Acts 17:28). We were made for relationship with Him! We were designed to be worshippers. It’s just that, because of sin, we wreck that beautiful design and, instead of worshipping our Creator, we worship the created. (Romans 1:25) We worship ourselves and our own sinful desires. We break God’s design, and this breaks God’s heart. And so, He chooses to pursue us. A pursuit that cost His life and His unity within the godhead for the sake of bringing us back into a relationship with Him. He died to bring us back. This is why He is a jealous God. This is why He relentlessly pursues: because He loves us. (Isaiah 43:3-4)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Relentless Pursuit!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

Digging Deeper Community

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

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This is Relentless 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

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The GT Weekend! ~ Focus Week 1

August 24, 2019 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

Worship Through Journaling

1) Brianna noted on Monday, “God’s wisdom, while promoting His peace, does not promote a pain free life.” So we are left with the lingering question over our hearts, “do we really want to follow Jesus?”. This isn’t a one-time answer and finished for life. When the relationships get complicated and messy, will we follow? When it’s much easier to twist the truth and save ourselves, will we still follow? What are you walking through right now where you are need to ask, “Do I really want to follow Jesus?”. Remember, Sister, what’s at stake is for eternity. There is only One sure-footed place to walk the ups and downs of this life, and that’s following Jesus! Saying yes to Him will always be worth it, guaranteed.

2) Quick, Slow, Slow. Three wise words waving like a white flag on repeat in my mind when I find myself in a scenario where my relational temperature is quickly on the rise. God’s wisdom, intended for everyday life application in big ways and small ones, will always bring life that causes flourishing. Quick to listen. Slow to speak. Slow to become angry. Listening brings life. Speaking should be only a small percentage of our relationships and anger…well, James says our anger does not accomplish the righteous purposes of God. Plain. Simple. Straight up wisdom. Practice raising the white flag in your relationships with those three words. Quick. Slow. Slow. Begin this weekend! As you slow, take those seconds, or minutes, to pray for the one you’re in conflict with.

3) We all have difficult seasons of our lives where we feel like the ground beneath us is swaying, shaking, and we aren’t sure we will make it to the other side. Pause for a few minutes and recall one or two of those times for you. What were the feelings you wrestled with? What sustained you? When we feel like we are drowning, we need an anchor we can trust, no matter what. Relationships are amazing gifts, but they will always let us down in one fashion or another. What are your anchors? How do you know they will sustain you in your storms?

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 James 1:22-25 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Prayer Journal
Lord, Your presence is everywhere at every moment, just as You are incessantly pursuing each of us that we might turn to You and discover the love we’ve longed for. In the same way, Your wisdom never ceases, and You urgently desire for us to walk in it. Not because You’re a dictator, but because You are love and You know we will have the richest, most fulfilling life when we walk wisely.
As we study You, Lord, make us wise. May we not just accumulate good sayings and nice thoughts, but teach us to live out Your wisdom daily. Spirit, this is impossible without Your power. May we surrender more of ourselves to You every day!

Worship Through Community

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The GT Weekend! ~ Open Week 1

August 3, 2019 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

Worship Through Journaling

1) Sit still, Bible open, pen ready. This could be harder, and more convicting, than we’d like to admit. Open to Luke 19:6-7. Read these two verses over and over, slowly, quickly, again. Pray over them as you read, asking the Spirit to stir your heart. The rejected, hated, outcast man was downright giddy to be welcomed in. The ‘righteous’ crowds? The despised Jesus’ actions. Disgusted. Angry. Who sits at your table? Who is on your ‘to invite over’ list? Who do you spend time, talent, and treasure loving on? Write down those names, they are important and Jesus loves them and how you invest! But is anyone offended by your willingness to love the ugly, outcast, hated, rejected? Beg the Holy Spirit to bring to mind those faces, because maybe you don’t know their names, who you could invite in, but very intentionally haven’t. Write down those names, they are important and Jesus loves them; He’s calling you to invest!

2) Radical, generous hospitality finds its roots in obedience. But not blind obedience to a cosmic being dictating morally good acts. Rather, truly loving hospitality stems from obedience grown from the bedrock of deep, abiding faith. The knowing who God is and trusting His heart. Is your openness towards generosity feeling a little rusty or maybe even stingy? How’s your faith? Who do you say God is? Is He faithful and trustworthy enough to provide for you? How stingy do you view Him?

3) Yesterday, Parker challenged us to ask the Lord a question when we begin to interact with someone we find challenging to love, let alone like. “Jesus, show me what you love about them.” Challenge yourself to take this question to the next level this weekend by journaling out the names of the people in your closest circle. Maybe your closest friends, your spouse and children, or parents and siblings. One by one, pray over these names and ask the Lord this question, writing down what the Spirit brings to mind. Remember these aren’t qualities you admire, rather you’re asking the Lord for His vantage point. Then, take the opportunity when presented to share these small treasures with each person you named!

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 Matthew 25:40 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Prayer Journal
Lord, in brokenness I come to You. My total inability to love like You is so evident as I live out this precious life You’ve given me. I mis-prioritize, I choose my comfort over going beyond myself, I choose my schedule over loving intentionally because it’s costly, it’s difficult, and mostly because I am selfish. Lord, make me new. Not once, but over and over and over. Remind me that You are always on the horizon, arms spread wide celebrating when I return and ask You to fill me again. I want to love like you, Abba. Remind me that only when I sit here with You, like father and child, can I love others well and, in so doing, show You love. May my life declare Your love, Lord!

Worship Through Community

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Captivating Day 11 Love For The Nations

July 22, 2019 by Sara Cissell 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 28:18-20
Psalm 96:1-13
1 Kings 8:41-43
1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

Captivating, Day 11

“Even for the foreigner who is not your people Israel, but has come from a distant land
because of Your name — for they will hear
of Your great name, strong hand, and outstretched arm,
and will come and pray towards this temple.
May You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all the foreigner asks.
Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name,
to fear You as Your people Israel do.”
1 Kings 8:41-43

King Solomon prayed these words at the dedication of the Temple. The words are nestled solidly in the Old Testament, many generations before Jesus spoke the words of the Great Commission. In the Great Commission, the Lord challenges us to “go and make disciples of all nations.”
King Solomon’s words prove that the concept of all nations knowing the Lord is not a new one.

However, as I read the words prayed by King Solomon, I sensed my “You Are Here” pin on my mental map shifting. Had I been living in the time of King Solomon, I would be the foreigner. I would be the one coming from afar to learn of the Lord. With that reality sinking in, I found a new humility washing my perspective on the Great Commission and my role within it. Instead of looking out my door and searching for people to tell the good news to (which is not a bad perspective to have in general), I sensed my heart shifting to focus on the Lord first. From that starting line, I simply engage those I encounter, trusting He is the one who has put them in my path. The entire process became far less about me and much more about Him.

It was with this renewed mindset I began reflecting on previous mission trip experiences and my interactions with the missionaries ministering in those locations. I have had the opportunity to travel to countries with extreme poverty and visiting homes for eight people made from cardboard. I’ve also walked the streets of first world countries where taxi after taxi were all high-end cars. In each scenario, the same truth proved true of those serving there. These missionaries had allowed themselves to be rooted in their respective ministries, and moved with the flow of the Lord in their land, because they had locked their eyes on the Lord first and followed where He led.

As you read the words of the Great Commission, may your gaze on the Lord guide you into all that He has prepared for you. If you feel the call to physically go abroad, keep your eyes on Him and obey with all you have. You will be astounded at the places He sets your feet. If you do not feel called right now to serve overseas, you are still vitally important to missions. Yes, you can help financially by sending others and have a tangible impact, however, there are other avenues as well.

For the last few years, the Lord has opened the door for me to travel to Estonia on short term mission trips. The team from my church visits the same location every year in effort to invest in and encourage those serving full-time. On our last trip, I asked what impact our trips and presence have. The lead pastor, who is originally from England, said our visits bring needed encouragement and support in a variety of ways. Sometimes that looks like manual help at the church or homes, other times it looks like a listening ear and prayer for those serving. Still other times, it is simply allowing those serving full-time to rest in the presence of other believers, especially in locations that aren’t open to the Gospel.

One of the most significant statements, however, came from a young Estonian woman who serves in the church. She explained that the team consistently returning and some members coming back year after year sent the message to everyone that they are significant and the investment is genuine. She noted how our consistency and intentionality conveyed that we care about her and her relationship with the Lord as our promises to return proved to be more than lip service.

You may not be called to leave your zip code to physically serve in another country or location; however, you can impact the nations regardless. Is there a missionary you know who could use consistent encouragement? Would a note, email, or care package remind them they are not forgotten and provide some empowerment to carry on? Why not ask how you can pray for them specifically?

The Lord’s heart is for the nations and the individuals within those nations to know Him. This concept is woven throughout the Word in both Old and New Testaments.
Lock your gaze on Him and tune your ears to His voice.
Through your obedience, you will help advance the Great Commission!

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The GT Weekend ~ Seeds Week 1

May 11, 2019 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

Worship Through Journaling

1) When have you experienced a season of waiting and feeling empty? What did it look like as those areas were filled and redeemed by the Lord? Our empty places aren’t always filled the way we envision them, but every situation we give over to the Lord is transformed by His filling. When we relinquish control of our everyday moments, we open them up to being filled by the Spirit and used by Him. Decide to look intentionally for where the Spirit is leading and filling instead of rushing by these moments and filling them with our agendas. Consider writing “filled” somewhere in your home, car, or even your wrist as a reminder to give over control to the Lord, waiting for Him to fill.

2) It’s one to thing to say yes to the Lord when He asks you to specifically do something, but it’s a different heart attitude to be willfully submissive to whatever he calls us into. Jesus doesn’t call us into ‘categorized obedience’ where we can control the outcome and the game plays, He asks for total submission. When we do, Real Life breaks through and lives are transformed for eternity! How will you begin practicing saying “yes” as part of your everyday?

3) In what ways does the “easy lie” of “striving is required to please God” pop up in your life? Look for ways you seek to control, or ways you feel burdened or weighed down, or consider the expectations (and their source) you spend time, energy, and emotion working to meet. Hidden inside life with Christ, peace buoys and joy comes and freedom is unleashed, even in the maddening moments of everyday life precisely because striving has ceased. The Lord cannot love you more than He does in this moment, and He will never love you less! What physical markers can you put around you to remind yourself of this truth? Consider setting an alarm on your phone with a helpful label to keep you focused

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 Colossians 3:1-4 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Prayer Journal
Your thoughts, my plans. Your power, my weakness. Your infinite knowledge, my narrow-minded and limited perspective. How could you consider using me to expand Your Kingdom and do Your work? Yet, You do. All of those weak limitations are altogether transformed in the light of Your offer of redemption.

Remind me, Spirit, constantly, to seek the things above; the things of Christ. Train my heart to focus on You and the life You give and the obedience You call me to as I move through my day, interact with my kids, spend money, and chat with friends. Prepare me to be ready to say yes to You at any moment regardless of what it could cost me. How I love You, Lord! Thank You for hiding my life in Yours!

Worship Through Community

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Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

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Seeds Day 2 Unstoppable Overflow: Digging Deeper

May 7, 2019 by Rebecca 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 Unstoppable Overflow!

The Questions

1) If all believers have the Holy Spirit, why doesn’t everyone speak in different tongues? (verse 4)

2) Why did “some sneer and say, ‘they’re drunk on new wine’”? (verse 13)

3) What common result occurs when believers are obedient to the Holy Spirit?

Acts 2:1-16

When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place.2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. 6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” 12 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”

14 Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them: “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let me explain this to you and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning. 16 On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

Original Intent

1) If all believers have the Holy Spirit, why doesn’t everyone speak in different tongues? (verse 4)
First, it’s important to note and define what “languages” mean in the original context. Verse 6 and following point out that each one in the crowd were hearing the message of the gospel in “their own language”. The languages here are not “secret prayer languages” as Paul speaks of in Corinthians, rather they are the languages of the time and culture (Parthians, Medes, Elamites, etc as noted in verses 9-11). Also, note that as the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples, represented by the visual of flaming tongues, the Flame “separated and rested on each of them”. The Lord God is a diverse God and the Holy Spirit reflects that character. There is no evidence in the remainder of Scripture that the disciples were always able to speak in countless different languages, but Scripture does not specifically say they didn’t either. The point is not the gift and ability the disciples had at this time, the focus is on the power of the Spirit who enabled them to do what they previously were completely incapable of doing. This is precisely what the Spirit does!

2) Why did “some sneer and say, ‘they’re drunk on new wine’”? (verse 13)
An absolutely incredible miracle, never before witnessed, was occurring right before their eyes, yet some in the crowd of eyewitnesses outright rejected it by mocking the miracle and its validity. These mockers “wrote off” what God was doing by publicly defaming the disciples saying they were “drunk on new wine”, making it seem like the whole miracle was a mass of confusion instigated by a group of drunkards. In reality, the Spirit of the Living God was being poured out for the purpose of calling sinners, all humanity, even these mockers, into the fullness of life offered through the forgiveness and redemption of Christ.

3) What common result occurs when believers are obedient to the Holy Spirit?
In this passage we see several specific results from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit enabled the disciples to do what was previously impossible (verse 4) and what isn’t stated, is the obvious, the disciples obeyed. The Spirit does not force any believer to do anything, but each of the disciples moved and followed through on what the Spirit was leading them to do.
The people were astounded and amazed (verse 7). God’s work will always be incredible, it is our choice to either recognize His moving or discount it as a “weird phenomenon” or “coincidence.” Ask the Spirit to give you eyes to see where He is actively working!
Where God’s Spirit moves people are drawn in to Him. Sometimes this shows up as questions, seeking to know Him more. Sometimes it results in saving faith or a deeper faith, but always there is fruit. As believers, we should take great encouragement from this! Whenever we step out in obedience, the Lord will work!
Notice that the disciples were not doing anything special for the Spirit to fill them and use them. They were simply waiting, praying, and ready. May we assume those same postures as we move through each moment of our day, waiting expectantly for God to move, praying in sweet connection with Him, and ready to be obedient, even if it looks different than we expect.

Everyday Application

1) If all believers have the Holy Spirit, why doesn’t everyone speak in different tongues? (verse 4)
Sometimes when reading Scripture, we become so focused on the details we lose sight of the big picture being painted. We then try to make direct application to our lives centuries later based on details recorded in a different time and culture and directed towards a different audience. If we aren’t careful, we can do precisely that in this passage and throughout the book of Acts. Much of Acts is descriptive rather than prescriptive, meaning it tells the story of the work of the Holy Spirit in very specific ways to point to the awesome power being unleashed through Christ-followers who submit the Spirit’s leading. When reading Scripture, it’s important to ask good questions in order to arrive at good application. Some questions to ask are: What does this say about God? What does this say about people? How should I respond?
Here in Acts, we see the Holy Spirit as the one who moves, acts, and enables believers to bring about God’s glory in various ways dependent on circumstance, our willingness to be obedient, and God’s sovereign will. This description is still accurate today! While not all believers walk around speaking in numerous languages, there are hundreds of modern day accounts where missionaries have been able to speak a foreign language for the purpose of communicating the gospel, even though they did not know the language. The power of the Holy Spirit is not limited to only a set number of evidences!

2) Why did “some sneer and say, ‘they’re drunk on new wine’”? (verse 13)
When we step back to look at this scene, it seems ridiculous! How could these in the crowd that day have missed out on all God was doing, the power He was obviously displaying as He broke down language barriers by His Spirit, and the redemption He was offering to all? But they did miss out; completely, at the expense of their own eternity. We don’t know if they ever realized the truth of total forgiveness Jesus was offering, but we can take a few applications from this encounter.
First, it’s one thing to explore the claims of Christ and genuinely question the validity of His claim to be God and Savior. It’s another thing entirely to outright mock Him when given the plain opportunity to accept His gift of life and witness the demonstration of His power. The latter is nothing to play around with. Each of us are like vanishing mists, never knowing when our final breath will be; by then it will be too late to ask Jesus to rescue our souls.
Second, Paul makes it clear in his letter to the Corinthians that, though this mocking response seems outlandish, it is expected. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Again in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he writes, “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” This opposition and mockery of truth is expected, but it is also a reminder for believers to constantly be praying as Paul did for the “eyes of your hearts to be opened that you may know the hope to which He has called you.” (Ephesians 1:18)

3) What common result occurs when believers are obedient to the Holy Spirit?
Remember that in Scripture passages that are descriptive, we can look for key aspects of the big picture scene described to root us in truth for everyday living and application. Just because we have the Holy Spirit within us doesn’t mean we will constantly have the opportunity to preach a sermon like Peter did and have outstanding results of 3,000 people rescued from sin. (Acts 2:41) What we can rely on is that the Spirit will give us opportunity to share the gospel. It’s our job to be prayerful until the Lord gives that platform. We can also trust that when God provides the opportunity to share, results will occur. Those results are often unseen as we obediently sow the seed of the gospel with every opportunity we are given. Some seed will indeed fall on hard soil, like the mockers in the crowd, but even in that, the Lord is working, even if it is the work of growing our own obedience and trust in Him. It is never our job to ascertain results, only to be “ready to share the reason for the hope within us with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

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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.

Memorize It!

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