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Surrender Day 1 Come & See

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Surrender Day 1 Come & See

Carol Graft

January 23, 2023

Discipleship,Faith,Follow,Journey,Obedience

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 8:29-30
John 1:35-50
John 4:28-30
Isaiah 55:1-5

If someone issued an invitation by simply saying, “Come and see,” would you be excited? Anxious? Not budging until you have all the details? Or a mix of reactions?

In John 1:35-50, several men are called to come and see Jesus.
Andrew and his brother Peter, Philip, and Nathanael are all invited.

When we meet Andrew, he is a follower of John the Baptist. We don’t know if Andrew was intentionally looking for the Messiah of whom John prophesied, but when Andrew encounters Jesus, he realizes He is Messiah. Upon his encounter, Andrew quickly found his brother, Simon (later called Peter) and encouraged him to come and see the Messiah. 

Philip and Nathanael are called next, and their different personalities are displayed in their responses. Upon hearing Jesus’ invitation, “Follow me,” Philip seems to join without hesitation. (John 1:43) Nathanael, upon hearing Jesus came from Nazareth, is skeptical. “Come and see,” Philip insists, and Nathanael complies. (John 1:46) When he meets Jesus face-to-face, Jesus shows Nathanael he is truly seen and known, and Nathanael declares, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!” (John 1:44-50)

Each man had his own reason to follow Christ. None of them knew what would be in store for them. They simply followed, not knowing what lay ahead.

Come and see, Jesus invited them.

So they came with Jesus, surrendering their lives, families, and livelihoods. 

And they began to see miracles, such as the multiplying of the loaves and fishes. (Matthew 14:13-21,  Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:12-17, and John 6:1-14) 

Everyone present was astounded at the miracle. Truly, from three fish and two loaves of bread (in those days a “loaf” was probably not much larger circumferentially than a tortilla), Christ multiplied baskets upon baskets of leftover food. Definitely a miracle!

But were those present just as astounded by Jesus?

Jesus wanted His followers to see past the miracle of the food. He wanted them to understand that abundant life wasn’t found in a barley loaf and dried fish. Rather, abundant life was found in Him, the Bread of Life, the Living Water. (John 6:35-40; John 4:7-26)

“Jesus answered, ‘Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.’
‘What can we do to perform the works of God?’ they asked.
Jesus replied, ‘This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.’”
(John 6:26-29)

Jesus’ words to His followers echo the prophet Isaiah’s call, who prophesied about Jesus generations earlier, “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat!” (Isaiah 55:1)

Jesus’ followers needed to hunger for more than paltry fish and crumbs. 

He wanted them to hunger and thirst for Him.

This invitation to abundance is for you as well, dear sister.

As when He called Andrew and Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael, Jesus’ invitation to us includes an underlying caveat: total surrender.  

The call to come and see
doesn’t explain every detail,
doesn’t assure safety,
doesn’t put us in control of plans or the future.

To follow Jesus means completely surrendering ourselves to Him and His plans for our lives. 

Surrender and spiritual thirst are also found in John 4:28-30 where Jesus intentionally engages in conversation with a Samaritan woman. This time it isn’t Jesus who extends a come and see invitation, but the Samaritan woman. After encountering the Messiah, who knows everything about her as an outcast and loves her anyway, she ran back to her village saying, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Messiah?” (John 4:29)  

She risked everything to tell her people. She knew surrendering to Jesus was worth risking public ridicule to communicate truth. Speaking to Jesus, she discovered her worth again. She surrendered her past, her guilt and shame because of Jesus.
Her invitation started the first recorded revival in Scripture.

Those whom Jesus called then, with their faults, dark pasts, and sinful ways, weren’t very different from those He calls today. Yet, they surrendered everything to follow Christ.

What have you already surrendered for Jesus?
What is He calling you to surrender more deeply today?

What has Jesus shown you with His invitation to come and see? 

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disciple,follow,offering,real life,surrender
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The God who foreknew us before we were born also perfectly knows every aspect of our current and future circumstances. In the verse prior, Paul described believers as people who are called according to God’s purpose. Our calling goes way back to “before”; God foreknew all those who are now, and will be, brothers and sisters in Christ. “He chose us in Him (Christ), before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before Him.” (Ephesians 1:4)
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Worship IX Day 2 The Great Experience: 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 The Great Experience!

The Questions

1) What does it mean to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice”? How is this “true worship”? (verse 1)

2) What is the difference between being conformed and being transformed? (verse 2)

3) Why is it important to understand God’s will; is it even possible? (verse 2)

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 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.

Original Intent

1) What does it mean to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice”? How is this “true worship”? (verse 1)
It’s important to keep a couple of things in mind as we work our way through this passage. First, the book of Romans is a letter written by the apostle Paul to house churches in Rome. Paul is teaching these new believers how to live out their daily lives following Jesus. In saying, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice”, Paul’s meaning is to “worship God with all you’ve got – head to toe”. Worshiping just one God was a relatively new thing for Roman citizens as it was common to worship many gods. (Acts 17:22-23) There are a couple of clues in the first verse that can help us dig a little deeper. The first word is “Therefore” meaning that what follows is referring back to what was already stated. Hint: Anytime you read therefore in Scripture, it should prompt you to read the previous section to pick up the author’s meaning. If we go back a few verses to Romans 11:33-36, we read a short hymn of praise where Paul is reflecting on God’s greatness. He sings in verse 33 “Oh, the depth of the riches of both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”. Paul is leading these readers to think about what they have learned about Jesus and worship Him with their entire lives. It’s also important to remember that “whole life worship” wasn’t a new idea; numerous references in the Old Testament speak of the call to all-consuming worship. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) God designed us to love and worship Him with that we’ve got!

2) What is the difference between being conformed and being transformed? (verse 2)
Let’s look at the original language and its definitions for these two words to help our outstanding. First, “conformed” in Greek is “syschematizo’‘ meaning “to fashion or shape one thing like another”. In this context, Paul chose syschematizo to convey living in such a way as “to be or act like everyone else”. The Greek word for “transformed” is “metamorphoo”, which literally means to “change forms, or undergo a complete change under the power of God in character or conduct”. This leads us right back to the idea of “whole life worship” that Paul is pressing upon his readers. These believers’ lives should look radically different than the everyday lives of Roman citizens who didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. Paul wrote a very similar instruction to the church in Ephesus, “take off your former way of life” and “be renewed in the Spirit in your minds”. (Ephesians 4:20-23) Paul is encouraging the early church in Rome to confidently know they are on the right track of following Jesus when their everyday lives didn’t match with non-believers’ lives.

3) Why is it important to understand God’s will; is it even possible? (verse 2)
Once we give our lives to Jesus, we’ve relinquished our desires to Christ. Our lives now exist in Jesus and His will for us. (Colossians 3:3) Abandoning ourselves to Christ requires denial of self and daily surrender to His will above our own. This was just as true and important for the original readers of this letter as it is for us today. Paul urges his readers to give their entire lives including body, mind, and soul, over to God. The Lord intends us to follow Him while holding nothing back but instead fully surrendering our all to Him. Paul calls this “true worship” which means that part of worshiping Jesus is trusting Him with our everything. For the original readers, knowing and understanding God’s will for their lives would have been a new concept. They didn’t grow up hearing or being taught to live by God’s will. They likely worshiped many gods and their worship was primarily centered on offering the right sacrifices to the right god at the right time. Now Paul instructs them to give themselves as an act of worship by surrendering the entirety of their common, everyday moments to the One True God. Worshiping God wholeheartedly naturally positions us to not only be discerning of God’s will for our lives, but also leads us to increasingly desire the Lord’s ways while His Spirit equips us with courage to obey Christ as Lord.

Everyday Application

1) What does it mean to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice”? How is this “true worship”? (verse 1)
Our application today is much the same as it was for the churches in Rome; we are to be “all in” for Jesus every single day. The same head-to-toe whole life worship is how we, as Jesus followers, are urged to live. There is another word in this verse we should carefully consider as we study the idea of “whole life worship”; sacrifice. We may not be as familiar with this concept today as the Romans were, so let’s return to its original language and meaning. The Greek word for sacrifice is “thusia”, primarily meaning “an offering”. Interestingly, this is the same word used to describe when Jesus “sacrificed” Himself on the cross. This way of life that Paul urges us to choose is one of complete offering, and total surrender of ourselves to Jesus. In a way when we choose to live this way, we are saying “Here is my entire life, Jesus; all my hopes, dreams, desires, successes, failures, and my physical life itself. I’m giving it all to You to do with as you please and direct.” It’s easy to see why Paul calls this “true worship”. Sacrificial living isn’t something we can, or should, do on a whim, for it takes determination, humility, and prayer to be successful. Living “all in” for Jesus will not be easy. Jesus says it Himself in Matthew 7:14, “…difficult is the road that leads to life, few will find it.” But, if we are willing, Jesus will take our meager sacrifice of whole life worship and accomplish His amazing work through us! (2 Corinthians 12:9)

2) What is the difference between being conformed and being transformed? (verse 2)
Being conformed and transformed are two completely different ways of living. Let’s go back and take another look at Ephesians 4:20-32 for practical applications on how to live transformed. I love Paul’s wording here, he makes it so easy to understand and I’ve added my own paraphrase as well. “Put away (just get rid of it) lying, don’t give the devil an opportunity, don’t steal, but do honest work, watch your language, encourage and build others up. Let go (I imagine singing “let it go” from Frozen when I read these words!) of anger, bitterness, shouting and slander. Forgive others just like Jesus forgave you.” (my paraphrase) I’ll be honest enough to admit that conforming is much easier many times. Not many people today want to stand out or be different, especially when doing so makes you unpopular and, in some cases, an easy target for ridicule. Living a life transformed by Jesus however, is fueled by a strength that is not from ourselves but from His Spirit living inside us. Jesus says in John 14:18 and 26, “I will not leave you as orphans, I am coming to you” and “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit will be sent to you and will teach you everything in my name.” We are called to live transformed lives, but we are NOT called to do it on our own; we have God’s own Spirit living within us! What new ground will you confidently take in your life as you press against being conformed to the world and transformed by Christ?!

3) Why is it important to understand God’s will; is it even possible? (verse 2)
Understanding God’s will is one of those things we often make harder than God designed. From the very beginning of Genesis in the Bible, we learn that God created man to be dependent on Him. Full of pride, however, mankind chose independence over dependence and we’ve been fighting that same battle over and over again ever since the Garden of Eden. God’s will for each of us is that we live completely surrendered and fully dependent on Him while enjoying Him forever. Remember earlier when we talked about how truly worshipping God means entrusting our entire lives to Him? This means we don’t need to know or understand the details. Yes, I get how hard this is, especially for those of us who like to have a well-thought-out plan with bullet points for tracking and checking stuff off as we finish. Being really honest, I’d also like to have a backup plan, just in case, but this isn’t how God works. He gives us exactly what we need, precisely when we need it. When teaching His disciples how to pray, Jesus says, “give us today our daily bread”. (Matthew 6:11) He doesn’t tell us to ask Him for everything we need for next month while showing us where and how to get it. He instructs us to simply ask, then trust Him to provide. Yes, we need to pray and seek God’s will and direction for our lives, but we can’t allow ourselves to get bogged down in needing all the details. Our primary job is to honor Him with whole life worship.

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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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If Day 9 Easy Life: Digging Deeper

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If Day 9 Easy Life: Digging Deeper

Lisa Marcelina

July 22, 2021

Called,Digging Deeper,Fellowship,God,Obedience,Relationship,Sacrifice,Worship

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 "Easy Life"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 1:11-19

11 “What are all your sacrifices to me?” asks the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I have no desire for the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats. 12 When you come to appear before me, who requires this from you— this trampling of my courts? 13 Stop bringing useless offerings. Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons and Sabbaths, and the calling of solemn assemblies—I cannot stand iniquity with a festival. 14 I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals. They have become a burden to me; I am tired of putting up with them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look at you; even if you offer countless prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16 “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from my sight. Stop doing evil. 17 Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause. 18 “Come, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) Even though God had instituted sacrifices and festivals, why was He now tired of them? (verses 11-14)

In the Old Testament, sacrifices were offered for the atonement of unintended sin; to show devotion to God; recognition for God’s goodness; thanksgiving and fellowship; cleansing from defilement, and to make restitution.

There were five sacrifices: the burnt offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, sin offering, and guilt offering. The burnt, grain, and fellowship (sometimes called peace) offerings were voluntary, while the sin and guilt offerings were compulsory.

God could not allow sin because of His holiness and therefore sin must be punished. The sacrifices were a means of maintaining worship and fellowship with Him so Israelites could enjoy relationship with Yahweh. On the other hand, there were intentional sins that had no sacrifice available. Intentional sins were pre-meditated sins such as adultery or murder or even lying.

Check out Proverbs 6:16-19 for a list of these sins the Lord hates. Sacrifices could not atone for deliberate sins of arrogance that insisted on their way over God’s clear path of righteousness. This highlights the seriousness of sin against God! 

People who sinned intentionally were at the mercy of God. While there are a few instances in Scripture (Numbers 5:5-10, Leviticus 19:20-22) where a clear intentional sin could be covered by a guilt offering, these were rare exceptions. In general, the Law did not provide for forgiveness for premeditated, intentional sin. The only available option was God’s grace. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, God removed all sins, intentional or otherwise with a sacrifice. 

Take King David for example. After Nathan confronted David about his sin of adultery and murder, David lamented in Psalm 51:16-17, “You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.” David’s sins were deliberate, and he knew offering a sacrifice would be futile. David knew God wanted a truly repentant heart. Even in all other sacrifices within the system God had set up for Israel, He most wanted their hearts of repentance and worship. He designed the system to provide a visual representation of the high price tag associated with sin, which is always death. (Romans 6:23)

The Everyday Application

1) Even though God had instituted sacrifices and festivals, why was He now tired of them? (verses 11-14)

The sacrifices and festivals in the Old Testament were God’s design for His chosen people, despite their sinful ways, to approach Him in worship and maintain the covenant relationship. However, the people missed the heart of God and His desire for relationship with them, which led them to performing sacrifices as mere ceremonies completed out of duty rather than from a heart broken over sin.

This is why God said, “I have no desire for the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats. (…) Stop bringing useless offerings. Your incense is detestable to Me.” (verses 11-13)

It is not much different today. Many people attend church out of duty, but few practice true heart surrender to the Holy Spirit in everyday life. God wants our worship to be pure, true, and from our hearts. 

I remember having a conversation with a close relative who told me their church had a special collection to purchase a television for their pastor. The way my relative spoke about this pastor gave the impression they actually worship him more than God. While there is nothing wrong with parishioners showing appreciation to their pastors, they must be careful not to idolize and worship them. Our loyalty lies with Jesus, not man.

Jesus told us we must remain in Him because we cannot do anything without Him. (John 15:4-5) He desires our whole hearts. In similar verbiage to what Isaiah recorded in verses 11-13, Jesus cleared the temple of Jews who appeared to be worshipping God, but their hearts were actually far from God. “He (Jesus) went into the temple and began to throw out those who were selling, and He said, “It is written, my house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves!”” (Luke 19:46-47)

The Original Intent

2) Why does the prophet Isaiah call Israel to pursue justice and look after the vulnerable in society? (verse 17)

God explicitly commanded His people to treat the fatherless, the widow, and the foreigner justly (Deuteronomy 24:17) God calls Himself “a father to the fatherless, and a defender of widows.” (Psalm 68:5) 

Widows and orphans were particularly vulnerable in ancient culture. Without the husband or father present, supporting themselves became difficult. Widows and their families became essentially homeless. Sometimes widows were even abused. (NIV Cultural Background Study Bible).

Judah’s disobedience to God included neglect of the vulnerable and God, through the prophet Isaiah as His mouthpiece, implored them to once again heed God’s covenant law and do right by these members of society.

The Everyday Application

2) Why does the prophet Isaiah call Israel to pursue justice and look after the vulnerable in society? (verse 17)

True religion is about caring for the poor and helpless and living a godly life. (James 1:27) I am currently caring for my aging mother who has dementia, as well as an autistic brother. My mother depends on me and trusts me to do what is right for her and my brother. There is no way I can take advantage of their disabilities for my gain. If I do so, I will be sinning against God, who is their Defender. (Psalm 68:5) 

There are times I must put my life on hold for them, but it is not about me. John 15:13-14 states, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do what I command you”. 

I am doing what the Lord commanded me to do by showing love to Him, my mother, and my brother, in doing what is necessary for them despite the challenges and inconveniences to me.

All who claim to follow Christ have an obligation to pursue justice and care for the vulnerable around us because this is God’s heart.

The Original Intent

3) After all of Israel’s iniquities, why would God still want to settle things with them? (verse 18)

From the time God created mankind, He intended to have a relationship with him. When sin came into the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, this separated man from God. However, God immediately began work on restoring that relationship. (see Genesis 3:15) 

The Lord set apart Israel to be His people (Leviticus 20:26), to be different. They were to be an example, by not engaging in the horrendous rituals and practices of the nations around them. They were to mirror God’s righteousness and holiness by living as an example of His heart and character in the world.

Unfortunately, Israel sinned against the Lord repeatedly; they could not keep themselves righteous. However, God, because he loved Israel so much, sent prophets like Isaiah to speak to them in the hopes they would repent. Once they repented, He would forgive their sins and restore their relationship.

Israel’s constant disobedience helps us see that, on our own strength, we absolutely cannot be holy like God. We need God to be holy for us and then offer His righteousness to us in exchange for our sin. This is why Jesus came, to do exactly this!

The Everyday Application

3) After all of Israel’s iniquities, why would God still want to settle things with them? (verse 18)

The Bible tells us, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16) This divine love is why God wants reconciliation between us, who are sinful, and Himself, who is holy. He wants to restore the relationship broken by sin so we can be with Him in eternity and connected to Him through His Spirit in this life.

Jesus became sin for us in taking on our punishment (death and separation from God) so that, in Him, we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

Let us love Jesus and commit to having a true relationship with Him. It is only through Jesus we can live a purposeful life. It may not always be an easy life, but one well worth it in the end.

Tags :
Easy Life,hearts,If,Israelites,justice,offering,pursue,repentance,righteousness,Yahweh
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What if God gave Christians an easy life? A life free from pain and sorrow; everything went as desired without any discernible problems. Life would be sweet, right?

This may seem appealing, but if it were so, we would feel we earned an easy life through salvation. Salvation would be like a business transaction; a contract initiated between two parties, and consummated; chapter closed. In other words, once we pray to Jesus for salvation and receive an easy life, the whole deal is completed. Let each party continue on; no need for any abiding relationship with Him; we have what we wanted.
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The GT Weekend! ~ Redeemed 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) Have you ever felt like God was dead set against you? Maybe like God is ignoring you, finds you annoying, or is angry with you? Sometimes, it’s a lot easier, and sweeter, to believe lies over truth, just as was the case for Naomi. She allowed her feelings and her circumstances to override what she knew to be true of the character of Yahweh. Where have you done the same? The truth was, God was in her corner, actively engaged in what was going on in Naomi’s heart, her world, and the greater Kingdom good of His plan to bring redemption for humanity. This is entirely true for every single true believer of Christ. He knows our struggles, is always present with us, and is constantly working for our good and for the growth of His kingdom. Take this truth and extinguish the lies you hold onto!

2) Naomi returned to Bethlehem empty, but the Lord was ready to fill her in more ways than one. His kindness towards her was lavish! He immediately provided for Ruth and Naomi by satisfying their pressing physical needs of empty bellies and cabinets. Where are you facing physical emptiness? Are you trusting the Lord sees and knows these needs and will fill them in His perfect timing? How would it change the posture of your heart if you knew He was ready and willing to provide in His way and time? As you look around your community, where might the Lord be asking you to step up and be His hands and feet to fulfill someone else’s physical need just as He used Boaz to fill Ruth and Naomi’s needs? Pray and then act in obedience, knowing He will bless the offering of your heart and hands!

3) Following in faith the God who cannot see can prove to be an intense time of stretching for our hearts! As we study Scripture, and follow Jesus more closely, the more our hearts learn that He is indeed good and completely trustworthy, every single time. Create a short list of things you have learned about God since you’ve been studying Him. Apply those learned truths to your own set of challenging circumstances. Where you feel need, He is supplier. Where you feel alone, He is present. Where you feel grieved, He not only knows exactly how you feel, He also provides certain and sure hope. Ruth stepped out and obeyed, but it wasn’t blind faith, she knew the heart of God. Where is God asking you to 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 Ephesians 3:20-21 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer Journal
In a world where seeing is believing, I confess, Lord God, that I fall into the trap of feeling, and then believing, that You are a stingy God. I might not say those words with my lips, but I certainly prove them by my actions and my thoughts. When I see relationships crumbling, I’m quick to feel defeated and like You do not care. I am quick to write the end of the story with defeat rather than admit the truth that I’m only in the middle of a story, and You hold the pen to its conclusion. Anchor the feet of my heart into truth. Let me persist in clinging to what is real over what are lies. Help me to receive all the fullness of beauty and truth You have for me; teach me to trust even when I cannot see!

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Repurposed Day 1
Whole Sacrifice

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 12:1-8
Ezekiel 36:22-30
Hebrews 10:1-18

With seven treasures spanning a few months old to 13 years, managing and leading the relationships in our family is quite a load. Seven kids interacting with one another (plus their own view of themselves) makes for 49 different relationships; add in mom and dad and we now have 63 different relationships going on all at the same time, every single day. Everything from squabbles over who has what toy, to who had the phone charger last, to whose turn it is to feed the dog or which team is in charge of trash day. (yes, we have teams of children :-)) We are constantly working on our relationships with each other and pointing our kids forward towards all the relationships they will one day be involved in as adults. From our perspective as parents, it’s important to keep the visual idea of one single, family unit all working together rather than focusing solely on individuals. This helps us keep the “boat” of our family going in the right direction. We talk to our kids about teamwork, about protecting everyone in the family, and how when we hurt one sibling, it affects the whole family. Even if everyone is having a great day, one child’s attitude (or one parent’s…) can act like a plague, gradually pulling others along with them. But some, incredible nights, the love and unity is so palpable, it’s like you can touch it and wrap yourself up in its sweetness.

A family dinner where everyone shares and laughs, cleanup where each person actually does their specific job, while my husband provides the music for it all as his fingers fly over the piano keys, leading us in the familiar melodies we love.
It’s priceless.
Those moments, when no one is fighting, and all are loving on each other, are the ones I will carry with me forever, tucked away deep inside my heart. These are the nights where my tender-hearted oldest son will come up to me and whisper with a twinkle in his eye and his arms wrapped tightly around me, “I’ve got that good, good feeling, Mom!”

He’s right, it does feel deeply satisfying. The feeling of love and unity is bliss.
More than that, it’s exactly what Christ longs for within His Bride, the Church.
Unity and a deep seeded love that overflows naturally with radiant joy.

In Romans 12:1, we hear God’s heart for His church in the pleading words of Paul, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Multiple bodies, each of us fulfilling our personal responsibility to live a life of love, but only one sacrifice. It only makes sense in the context of unity within the church Body. It’s not about individual performance, rather the massive, overarching focus is unity in the body. The “sacrifice” isn’t carried out by individuals, rather the sacrifice is one, singular gift, given by the Body as a WHOLE. Far from performance driven, with the weight of sacrifice being carried on your shoulders or mine, the sacrifice is offered up by the whole Body, as a gift to the bridegroom.

The image of my family living out love together on those precious evenings is one, collective sacrifice of fragrant love being lifted to God. Are we each sacrificing? Sure, playing with Legos is likely preferable to wiping the table, but the pure joy of working together, of being together, of working out our specific tasks for the betterment of everyone as a whole far outweighs any self-focused pleasure one might find in playing Legos by themselves.

And so it is with following Jesus.

When Christ remade us, He also repurposed us, giving us a new directive to live out the passions He had already crafted inside of us. Compassion for others, generous living, teaching, writing, hospitality, preaching, leading, building….whatever your passion, Jesus meant it for a new purpose. With His Spirit inside of us, and a new heart beating with His passions, He repurposes us to work together within the Body in order that we might offer a sacrifice to Him as His Bride.

As He remakes you, catch the vision of all that He has for you as He repurposes you for much within His kingdom!

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

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