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Mission Day 11 Mission Focused

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Mission Day 11 Mission Focused

Michelle Brown

May 22, 2023

Freedom,Genuine,Heart,Holy Spirit,Jealous

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 5:20-6:4
Philippians 3:12-14
Luke 10:38-42
1 Peter 3:13-17
Proverbs 4:25-27

Mission comes from a root word meaning “sent,” a “vocation or calling of a religious organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its faith.” It encompasses the call of Christians to evangelism and discipleship (Matthew 28:16-20), loving one another (John 15:12-17), and caring for the least of us (Matthew 25:31-40). 

Missions require focus, even more so when given by God. 

As we unpack this Journey Study, we will consider three areas of introspection:
-What conditions distract us from our mission?
-What practical tips are available to combat a distracted heart and mind? 
-How does the Lord promise to restore our focus on Him and the mission?

Mission Distractions
Distractions entail shifting our attention from something of greater importance to something of lesser importance. The most dangerous distraction is idolatry, when we treasure something more than God. This prideful sin breeds frustration and heartache, and often looks like consuming aspects in life (job, relationships, achievement, or hobbies) which become more important than our relationship with God. 

Idolatry is a heart issue rooted in pride and begetting self-centeredness, greed, and a love of possession. Left unchecked, idolatry quickly distances us from God, but when we turn to Him in repentance we find in God’s gracious embrace, “where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more[.]” (Romans 5:20) In His forgiveness and through the work of His Spirit within us, we are freed from idolatry. “Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in the newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

Busyness also distracts us, as we are often tasked with child care, household duties, and job duties. A biblical example of busyness is found in Luke 10:38-42. As sisters Mary and Martha hosted Jesus and His disciples in their home, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening, while Martha became distracted by preparations. 

Be honest, sometimes we resemble Martha, rushing around to accomplish our own mission while missing out on learning from Jesus through the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, which equips us to fulfill His mission! To combat this, we can ask, “What is the real distraction? What do our hearts desire? What do our choices communicate about our priorities?”  Like Mary, we can intentionally slow down and refocus our hearts on Christ.

Finally, consider the distraction of suffering.
Even as we continue to pray for God to intervene in hard scenarios, we can become more focused on our circumstances than on God. We might expect God to fix our problems because we’ve tried to follow Him. 

When suffering becomes great, getting angry with God becomes easy, wondering if He is even still listening. Theologian Tim Keller, in Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, said, “Suffering is unbearable if you aren’t certain that God is for you and with you.” Suffering can be a huge distraction, keeping Christ’s mission, in our suffering, far from our thoughts. 

I certainly have been there, but like the apostle and preacher Peter, I came to understand God alone is my Refuge and Savior. “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68) 

Suffering changes us; it’s the impetus forcing us to move in one direction or the other. Either we can choose rebellion, anger, and walking away from faith, or submission to the goodness and love of the Lord, which increases our faith and hope. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3:17, “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” 

We can be encouraged because “since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding—because the one who suffers in the flesh is finished with sin— in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God’s will.” (1 Peter 4:1-2)

Distractions can cause us to lose sight of God, His Word, and His plan. 
Distractions can cause us to lose focus on our mission.

Yet, there are some practical tips that can help us combat a distracted heart and mind. 

First, look forward. Proverbs 4:25-27 tells us to fix our gaze straight ahead, not looking to the left or right. We can identify distractions that pull our gaze away from our mission, and seek God’s help in reclaiming our focus.

Secondly, press on. The time will come when it’s hard to pursue “the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14) Yet God will sustain us through our difficulties. (Isaiah 46:4)

Last and most important, keep our eyes on Jesus.
“Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)  

Though we can become distracted and drawn away from the mission, our Lord is patient, merciful and gracious. He never becomes faint or weary (Isaiah 40:28); He inclines unto us when we draw near to Him. When we acknowledge our sins, submit to God, and humble ourselves before the Lord, the Bible says He will exalt us. (James 4:4-10) 

Sisters, I urge us to pray in earnest as we seek God through His Word, so we can intentionally become focused, productive, mission-minded Christians.          

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distraction,focus,gospel,idols,perspective,share
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Mission Day 12
Digging Deeper

The daily circumstances of life can serve as a distraction from the things that God desires for us.

When we intentionally and with care consider where we are spending time and were we are establishing ourselves, it is evident that true life is found in Him.
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Steadfast Day 4 Not In Vain: Digging Deeper

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Steadfast Day 4 Not In Vain: Digging Deeper

Rachel Jones

March 30, 2023

Faith,Faithfulness,Glory,Kingdom,Obedience,Paul,Persevere

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 "Not In Vain"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 15:8-11

8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) What does Paul mean in reflecting that he was spiritually “born at the wrong time”? (verse 8)

Paul did not become an apostle while Jesus ministered on the earth like the other 12 apostles. (Matthew 10:1-4) Paul answered the call of Christ after Jesus’ death, when the resurrected, ascended Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus and chose him to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. (Acts 9:15)

Describing his place as the last apostle called, Paul wrote “Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, He also appeared to me” (verse 8) David Guzik explains how the phrase “born at the wrong time” comes from “the ancient Greek term ektroma meaning, ‘abortion, stillbirth, miscarriage’ – it speaks of an untimely birth with ‘freakish’ associations.”

Paul’s salvation was atypical in comparison to the other leaders who had been hand-picked by Jesus. He did not live and work with Jesus on a daily basis in the same way as the other apostles who learned from Him and had grown in faith while ministering together. (Mark 4:34) Instead, Paul was on a mission to shut down Christianity after the death and resurrection of Jesus before God captivated his attention and changed the direction of his life. (1 Timothy 1:12-14)

Because of this early persecution and late calling, Paul considered his birth as an apostle to have come at the “wrong time.” David Lowery suggests “Paul considered himself abnormally born because he lacked the ‘gestation’ period of having been with Christ during His earthly ministry.” Though Paul didn’t spend three years walking with Jesus physically, he spent three years in Arabia before entering full time ministry to personally learn from the Lord and grow in his newfound faith. (Galatians 1:16-17)

No matter how or when we come to Christ, God has plans for us to know Him and to make Him known to those around us. (Acts 20:24)

The Everyday Application

1) What does Paul mean in reflecting that he was spiritually “born at the wrong time”? (verse 8)

Having come to Jesus late in life, Paul may have felt he missed out on being trained in the same way as the other apostles. I felt something similar as an older first time Mom. I was nearly 30 when my first child was born. I didn’t think my age was that uncommon until the labor room nurse asked why I’d waited so long to have a baby. I noticed the age difference throughout those early years whether on field trips, at ball games, or during dance lessons. Mommies my age were in the minority. I was tempted to feel bad about being a little older, but the joys and demands of motherhood left little time for regret. I had baths to run, lullabies to sing, and stories to read! There was no time for looking back when there was so much living to be done.

The apostle Paul realized this as well. He may have missed out on learning at the feet of Jesus, but he was dramatically chosen to share the story of Jesus with those who would listen. (Acts 22:14-15) Once he knew the truth, he began to learn, grow in his faith, and “immediately” shared the Gospel. (Acts 9:20)

I encourage each of us today to focus on the plans God has laid out for us (Psalm 32:8) without wasting time wishfully comparing our storyline with someone else’s. If the Lord has saved you, He’s not wasting time; He is intentionally using your surrender to point others to Himself and strengthen you in your faith if you continue your willful surrender!

Resist the temptation to linger on regrets over what lies behind (Romans 8:1); press onward to all you have been given in Christ! (Philippians 3:13-14)

The Original Intent

2) Why was God’s grace toward Paul shown to not be in vain? (verse 10)
The Apostle Paul wrote, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of [the other apostles], yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10) Paul was saved by God’s grace in an intense fashion, literally apprehended by the power of God on the road to Damascus en route to persecute Christ’s followers. (Acts 9:1-4)

By God’s grace he was shown the redemptive power of Jesus’ sacrifice, and from that moment forward he made it his highest purpose to share the Good News of Jesus and His saving grace. (Galatians 1:23) Still, all of this was not accomplished by Paul’s ability or strength, and he calls our attention directly to his power Source: God’s lavish grace. Paul needed to continually surrender his way to the Lord’s, but he also needed to rely on Christ’s work in and through him instead of his own grit and determination.

God’s grace toward Paul was not in vain because Paul shared God’s love with everyone he came in contact with while fueled by God’s loving grace, even though it often landed him in prison or resulted in persecution. (Acts 16:16-24, Acts 14:19) John Stevenson asserts that Paul “pictures the grace of God as a motivation for service. As he comes to see the wondrous and undeserving goodness that God has bestowed upon him, he is moved to labor even more greatly.”

Paul did not experience God’s grace and keep the Good News to himself; he was inspired to share the freedom and joy he found in Christ that God would be glorified through his willful surrender.

The Everyday Application

2) Why was God’s grace toward Paul shown to not be in vain? (verse 10)
One frustrating thing about teaching is that no matter how much help you provide, you can’t guarantee a child’s success. You can give everything necessary for high achievement, but you cannot force students to accept the help given. A teacher can offer after-school study sessions, provide notes and study aids, give practice tests and identify study partners, but these efforts are all in vain if the student decides to ignore the assistance. It is exasperating as a teacher to expend so much energy and get so little in return.

The Apostle Paul assured the Corinthians that the grace extended to him by His Savior was not given in vain. He wrote, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of [the other apostles], yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (verse 10). God extended incredible grace to Paul, a self-proclaimed “worst sinner” (1 Timothy 1:15), so His redemptive power would be beautifully displayed in Paul’s transformed life; Paul allowed Christ’s lavish grace to radically change everything. He became one of the most faithful Christians of all time, dedicating his life to sharing the Gospel.

Paul allowed God’s grace to empower his life, ensuring His grace was not given in vain. Author Tony Evans asserts, “Without the power of God’s grace working in us, our labor for Him would produce nothing of eternal value. Once you get your eyes on Christ alone for your assurance, your Christian life will soar, not crash.” This was the case for Paul, and so it is for any Christ follower who allows God to work through them to spread the Good News of Jesus’ offer of total forgiveness and new life.

The Original Intent

3) Why doesn’t it matter how the Corinthians came to believe on Jesus? (verse 11)

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he emphasized that the Gospel preached by the other apostles and by himself was one and the same. He wrote, “Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.” (verse 11) Paul pointed out that no matter how the Corinthians came to the saving knowledge of Christ, whether through Paul’s own preaching or through the message of another apostle or follower of Jesus, the important thing was that they heard the Truth and believed in Jesus.

Dr. Thomas Constable explains, “Even though Paul had a different background from the other apostles, he heralded the same message they did. Consequently, his original readers did not need to fear that what they had heard from him was some cultic perversion of the truth. It was the true gospel, and they should continue to believe it.” What mattered to Paul, and what should matter to us, is that the Gospel be shared with everyone, regardless of who shares it. (Matthew 28:19-20)

The importance should be placed on whether it’s the True Gospel and whether we are believing the True Jesus as recorded in Scripture rather than a “Jesus” of our own desires or imaginations. Paul’s goal was that the truth of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection be shared by everyone who hears and accepts the message of Jesus. (Colossians 1:25-29)

May we each fulfill our mission from the Lord with the same focus on Jesus and the same dedication to sharing God’s love as Paul had.

The Everyday Application

3) Why doesn’t it matter how the Corinthians came to believe on Jesus? (verse 11)

Most students have strong feelings about getting a group assignment where everyone does part of the work and gets the same grade as everyone else. Some students want to coast by on the work of their classmates, and those classmates dread doing extra work to make up for the group’s slackers.

One group project I had in high school was to research, write, and perform a historical play that included a dinner scene where we served dishes made from vintage recipes we had compiled. My approach was a factual, academic treatment of the subject matter, but my partners wanted to add some fun, whimsical details. Eventually I agreed, against my better judgment. I was shocked to discover that our teacher loved the facts and recipes I had voted to keep out of the presentation. I learned to be more open to other people’s ideas and that a strong team working together can accomplish much.

The apostle Paul addressed the team effort of evangelism in 1 Corinthians 15:11 when he wrote, “Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.” Paul wanted to assure his readers that the Gospel he preached was the same Gospel preached by the other apostles and had the same effect on those who heard and believed.

It did not matter to Paul who did the work or who got the credit, so long as Christ was proclaimed and converts were made. (2 Corinthians 2:14) Each apostle had a different style and manner of presentation, but they all experienced Jesus and shared His love and His truth with others.

It was the same information, shared in different ways, to the same effect: salvation from sin (Romans 3:23) and freedom from chains. (John 8:36)

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Steadfast Day 3
Journey Study

Often, progress in the Christian life can seem slow. Sometimes it can feel as if we’re pushing forward, trying to do the right thing day by day, without really getting anywhere.

It can be tempting to look at the lives of Jesus’ followers in the Bible and think the process of spiritual growth was different for them, especially when it comes to someone like Paul.
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Surrender Day 10 True Joy

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Surrender Day 10 True Joy

Sara Cissell

February 3, 2023

Faith,Future,Giving,Greed

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 9:19-27
Matthew 6:16-24
Hebrews 12:1-3
Daniel 1:8-21
Psalm 16:7-11

At my daughter’s baby shower, we received a pink ceramic piggy bank inscribed with the word joy. A crisp two-dollar bill flared from the slit in the top, the first investment deposited. 

As I write this Journey Study, the significance of that piece of pottery, and its message resonate with me. 

In our western culture (and likely in many others as well), an emphasis is placed on money and the future from an early age. How many commercials or ads are there for financial planners, banks, money-saving apps, ways to make money, or ways to save money? 

At the same time, we are bombarded with messages encouraging us to indulge ourselves, to spend that money on what brings us pleasure. 

Yet the Bible challenges us, “Don’t store up treasures for yourself on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.” (Matthew 6:19-20)

What exactly does that mean? 
The Lord calls us to invest intentionally with our eyes towards heaven and our hearts bent on joy, rather than pleasure. 

But what does this look like in ordinary life? 

Let’s start with the reality we will not live on this earth forever. (Thankfully!) We are here for an appointed time and our lives are like vanishing vapors (James 4:14) in the timeline of this planet. 

The common phrase regarding material possessions, “you can’t take it with you”, is acutely accurate! In the piggy bank analogy, investing solely for the sake of storing up money on earth will result in a full piggy bank, but it will be left behind when I pass away. 

Alternatively, suppose I take Jesus’ words to heart and spend my time on earth intentionally investing in the eternal life still to come? The guaranteed result is true joy now and unimaginable rewards later!

…But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart (read: deepest joy and delight) will also be.”

Joy is a naturally produced “fruit” of the Holy Spirit living, working, and breathing inside our surrendered souls. (Galatians 5:22-23) Therefore, true joy is a result of an ever-deepening walk with the Lord, one which grows over time with dedicated discipline to focus or hearts on the unseen and eternal. 

Conversely, what enemy deadens our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s voice?
A heart and mind satiated with the pleasures of this world.

How quickly our hearts are cut with this realization!

Pleasure is not inherently negative but putting it before our relationship with the Lord is a pattern for destruction of true joy. 

One of my pleasures is reading and watching movies. Being caught up in a storyline and learning from the characters is one of my favorite ways to relax. However, I allow this pleasure to hinder my walk with the Lord when I use it to avoid processing my emotions with Him. Rather than taking my thoughts to the Lord in prayer, I sometimes pick up a book or hit play on a movie in order to disconnect, effectively barricading my passageway to true joy. 

Surrendering earthly pleasure to the Lord in those moments would enable me to gain the Lord’s wisdom, comfort, and perspective. Additionally, I may gain time to further His kingdom because I am more aware of my surroundings, rather than lost in the midst of a good story. Regardless of our individual lusts to satisfy ourselves with personal pleasure, the clarion call remains for every heart to draw near to the Lord, finding Him to be our fullest Sustainer and Satisfier!            

Daniel knew the value of looking to the Lord to fulfill him in the face of pleasures. Instead of eating the rich food the king provided, Daniel ate what the Lord had outlined as valuable. (Daniel 1) His surrender of fleeting, vapor-like pleasures resulted in far weightier benefits and favor from the Lord God. 

When the Lord asks us to trust Him and forego pleasure, His benefits always outweigh the cost, even if we don’t see immediate results. 

With stunning beauty, Jesus demonstrated this as He surrendered Himself to death in our place. He denied Himself the pleasure of commanding His authority in the situation and allowed Himself to be crucified because of the joy set before Him: eternity with us. 

Mind blown. 

Jesus knew the value of investing in what was eternal, in what would bring true joy.
And it was anchored in His humble surrender. 

May we each be quick to surrender temporary pleasure for enduring joy! 

“You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.” (Psalm 16:11)

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eternal,hope,invest,patience,perspective,wait
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Surrender Day 10
Digging Deeper

It is okay to spend your money on earthly treasures like antiques and vacations, but it is not okay to make them your heart’s treasure. Can you live without them? How much would it hurt your heart if you couldn’t have those things anymore? Our hearts should treasure heavenly things, that which impacts the Kingdom of God, the most.
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The GT Weekend! ~ Sacrifice Week 1

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The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) As Michelle reflected on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for her own sin, she was bold enough to share some personal examples from her own recent life. There is nothing that brings the sacrifice of Jesus into sharper perspective than spending time in prayer, asking the Spirit to show us our own sin. It’s for these sins, these offenses against a holy God, that Christ was crucified, scorned, and rejected both by the ones He came to save and the Father who sent Him to the cross. There is no greater loss. When was the last time your prayer life reflected confession of your very specific sins? When did you last feel gut-reaching sorrow for your sin because you knew the weight of how it mocked the God who came to rescue you? As you go into this weekend, be mindful of the cross and the Savior who was slain there. Ponder your sin and ask the Lord to show you kindness in bringing you to repentance. Perhaps you’ll even follow Michelle’s example and confess some sins to a friend as well.

2) We don’t normally include Jesus’ story of a tax collector and a Pharisee praying in our reflections on Easter, but the idea of Christ “flipping tables” on our world view perfectly marries with absolutely everything about Easter. The eternal God of the Universe dying on a manmade cross of wood? The infinite Creator submitting to the constraints of human flesh for the purpose of dying in place of sinful man? The only perfectly righteous, all-powerful Being choosing to die a gruesome death instead of the ones who slaughtered and mocked Him? The righteous for the unrighteous. The eternal for the finite. The sovereign for the impotent. The holy for the wretched. Still, we foolishly think we can somehow attain a good enough status before this God! How quickly we minimize the Almighty! How much easier might it be to choose to surrender in the small things of our everyday lives, as well as the big things, if we remember to glimpse even a sliver of the majestic vastness of the God who chose to sacrifice Himself in our place! Accepting this reality, taking it into our souls, brings true, humble worship from contrite hearts.

3) We might read the narrative of Noah’s ark, see the mass destruction of land, animals, and especially humanity, and naturally ask how God could be so cruel. Obliterate humanity? Decimate the land? Drown land animals? How do these statements reconcile with the Bible’s authoritative declaration that God is good and gracious? Shifting the lens, where can you ask similar questions about your life? Loss of income, illness, death, broken relationships, children gone astray, abusive past, mental or emotional instability, divorce, and pain of all types assault the premise that God is good. Oh, how our perspective is narrow! How the “God” in our mind is so small and confined! Mankind was so horribly sinful that God sent the flood as an act of mercy to halt the onslaught of evil. I don’t pretend to know the answers to the deep pains we experience, but still, we can each either choose to cling to the truth of Scripture and God’s view point, or we can stubbornly insist our perspective is accurate and complete. In my pain, I’ve found that God becomes all the more precious and beautiful as I study His word and hold out my hands to accept His mercy, even if it doesn’t look as I expect. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to His mercies this weekend and choose to worship the God of all Goodness!

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 Joal 2:12-13 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Even now–
This is the Lord’s declaration–
Turn to me with all your heart,
With fasting, weeping, and mourning.
Tear your hearts,
and not just your clothes,
And return to the Lord your God.
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in faithful love,
And He relents from sending disaster.

Prayer Journal
Lord God, I confess that I do not choose to worship You as the good, gracious God You constantly are towards me. I have become angry with You. I have doubted You. I have insisted on my views instead of Yours. Lord, I know You are gracious, and I know You stand ready to forgive this even now. Teach my heart to hold more tightly to truth than to lies. Root out the lie that I can somehow earn Your favor, win Your smile of approval, or worse, that You “owe me” because of what I’ve done for You.

Remind me of my sin, Lord Jesus, keep it before me. Not to shame or mock me, as I know that is not Your heart, but to remind me I too was once enslaved by worldly passions, by jealousy, anger, and yes, self-righteous success.

How I praise You for coming near to me! How I praise You for choosing the cross of crucifixion and the pain of bearing the weight of the world’s sin that I might come near to You! Give me opportunity to share this glorious gift with others, and make my words bold and my actions loving as I share!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Sacrifice Day 5 Don’t Miss The Boat

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 6
Genesis 9
Joel 2:12-13
John 3:16-17
Revelation 21:3-5

Sacrifice, Day 5

Noah and his ark are infamous from infancy onward in American culture, from infants sleeping in rainbow-decorated nurseries to preschoolers scribbling pictures of the ark.

The rainbow reminds, “God keeps His promises.”

We focus on Noah and family safe in the ark, and feel warm and cozy.

We don’t want to consider people being washed away as waters sprang up from the earth while rains rushed down.

So, we make jokes like, “Need a boat? I NOAH guy.”

What happened in Genesis 6-9 is no laughing matter, and though it’s uncomfortable to discuss, I encourage you to stick this out. I pray as we study together today, we will marvel at the gracious faithfulness of God.

Let’s view this story from a VERY different perspective, GOD’s.

“When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved.” (Genesis 6:5-6)

If we’ve ever loved someone deeply, we may understand how God felt. As a mother, my heart breaks when I see one of my children make a bad decision resulting in pain.

One of my favorite books is the Jesus Storybook Bible; I’m often moved to tears as I read to my kids. Lloyd-Jones does an EXCELLENT job of helping us see God’s heart overflowing with a “never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love” for each and every one of us.

From the moment sin first entered the world, God’s LOVE moved Him to act. Yes, He made Adam and Eve leave the garden, but not before He promised one day He would make right all that was wrong.

And from that day forward, God has been at work to restore His broken creation and redeem all that has been lost.

Noah’s cultural setting was grim, and ripe for redemption.

“God saw how corrupt the earth was, for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth. Then God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them[.]” (Genesis 6: 12-13)

God’s pain-filled heart knew His people would destroy themselves by their own wicked ways. Out of love, He stepped in to stop them.

Mercifully, BEFORE He carried out His just consequence of destruction, He told Noah of His rescue plan, and invited Noah to preach rescue to those around him. (2 Peter 2:5)

In the book of Joel, the prophet describes God’s unrelenting desire for His people to RETURN to Him.

“Even now–
This is the Lord’s declaration–
Turn to me with all your heart,
With fasting, weeping, and mourning.
Tear your hearts,
and not just your clothes,
And return to the Lord your God.
For he is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in faithful love,
And he relents from sending disaster.” (Joel 2:12-13)

God WANTS us to choose Him.
But He never forces us to do so.
As Noah obediently built the ark, those around him continued to reject God’s call to return.
It’s as if we watch Psalm 14:1 unfold before our eyes:

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There’s no God.’
They are corrupt; they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.” 

Noah received God’s instruction to build a never-before-known ark, and he and his family spent years completing the project. (Genesis 6:14-22)

Perhaps God was giving the people more time to repent.

But no one did.

Finally, in the fullness of time, God’s final instructions came to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation.” (Genesis 7:1)

Still, for seven more days, God waited. (Genesis 7:10)

Was He aching for someone, even one, to return to Him?

Just as we cannot plumb the depths of God’s love, we cannot know the expanse of His pain at our rejection. The time had come, the Lord’s hand closed the door to the ark, and the floodgates unleashed their justice. (Genesis 7:11-16)

Amidst the destruction, the prophet Joel reminds us God always longs for restoration.

We see evidence of this as finally, the waters recede, and Noah and his family, along with allllll the animals, set foot on dry land. (Genesis 8:15-19)

NOW comes the rainbow, and God’s promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood. (Genesis 9:12-17) Each time we see a rainbow, we can remember God is faithful.

We see His faithfulness and longing for restoration again when God Himself carried out the Ultimate Rescue Plan, sending Jesus to bear the penalty for OUR sins, dying so we could live. (John 3:16-17) He then rose from the dead, conquering sin and death forever!

Jesus has provided the way of salvation, extending His grace freely to all who will accept.

The choice is ours.

Noah’s story ended with a fresh earth and a rainbow, testifying to God’s faithfulness.

For all believers, our story on earth transitions to eternity, to a new heaven and earth where Christ Himself is enthroned with an un-ending rainbow. (Revelation 4:3)

From His throne, Christ declares, “Look, I am making everything new.” (Revelation 21:5)

If you haven’t trusted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, please don’t miss the boat (pun intended). Reach out to someone TODAY and ask how you can be certain of spending eternity in God’s glorious presence.

I can’t wait to feel the warmth of His embrace!

More than anything, I would love for you to spend eternity with me, with JESUS!

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Ready Day 12 Unlikely Abundance: Digging Deeper

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Ready Day 12 Unlikely Abundance: Digging Deeper

Patty Scott

June 15, 2021

Broken,Character,Digging Deeper,Faithfulness,God,Jesus,Redemption,Suffering

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 "Unlikely Abundance"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 5:2-5

We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.

5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) According to this passage, what should our attitude be during suffering?

Shockingly, believers in Jesus are encouraged to rejoice during suffering.

In Romans 5:2-5 Paul declares two unshakeable things in which we can continually rejoice. The first is the hope of the glory of God. (verse 2) The second is our suffering. (verse 3)

When Paul writes about rejoicing, he uses the Greek word, kauchaomai, which means to “elevate” or “boast”. We are literally boasting, or bragging, that God will be “shown off” through our suffering.

His glory being revealed within our suffering is the first aspect of our rejoicing. Then we “rejoice” or, “elevate” our mindset by putting our hope beyond the sufferings themselves and onto Hope in the person of Jesus Christ.

This is not to say, however, we rejoice in the actual suffering. For example, a woman diagnosed with cancer doesn’t rejoice that she has a disease. Her rejoicing, or the shifting of her perspective to orient to a biblical viewpoint, would reflect viewing her cancer as the means by which God will be glorified and she will build endurance.

In turn, this endurance will be used by God to develop her character, which will strengthen her confident expectation of the goodness to come both in her present reality and in eternity with Jesus.

We rejoice that our suffering will show off God’s goodness, and we rejoice, or look beyond our suffering, to know the purposes it will achieve as God works through every detail.

The Everyday Application

1) According to this passage, what should our attitude be during suffering?

Our rejoicing attitude reflects a perspective shift in our minds. (Romans 12:2) In Colossians 3:1-4, God tells us to lift our eyes above the things of this world because our “real life” is hidden with Christ Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 4:17, Paul reminds us our trials are “light and momentary”.

They don’t feel light and momentary, so how can he say this? Paul suffered more than most. He had physical ailments, imprisonment, threats of death, beatings, shipwreck, opposition, rejection, betrayal, and more. Like Paul, we can say our troubles are light and momentary when we gain an eternal perspective.

What if I choose to look at each situation with a magnifying glass, bent down near to the problems? In that stance, I only see the difficulty and pain I am experiencing. In contrast, when I take an eternal perspective, it’s like I toss aside the magnifying glass and stand up so my problem is seen in the context of a much bigger picture.

Even though I don’t rejoice in having the problems I face and the pain they cause, I can see the purpose they are being used for in my life and rejoice in that. In a similar way, I don’t rejoice when my personal trainer tells me to do ten more repetitions of a difficult exercise while my whole body screams out during that exertion. But I do rejoice in the fruit of that suffering and can look past the pain to see the reason I’m enduring. I know the more I exercise, the stronger I will be and the more fit to live the life I desire.

Suffering is like exercise that pains us, but in the long run, makes us stronger and more prepared to enjoy the rich presence of God in heaven.

The Original Intent

2) What gifts does suffering bring?

Paul lays out three specific gifts in Romans 5:2-5 regarding suffering. The first is endurance, which is the ability to withstand, persevere, and “hang in” when things are hard.

This unique blessing is received as we walk through suffering. We don’t gain endurance when life is easy and comfortable. Only suffering redeemed by a loving God can deliver the gift of endurance.

The second gift of suffering is character. This may be an even greater gift than endurance because the person I become is one who is more like Jesus, and more like the person He created me to be before I was marred by sin. Through hardship, God not only redeems our suffering through endurance, He reveals who we were designed to be in Him.

Suffering is the refining fire that burns off the un-useful and sin-wrecked harmful habits in me so our character becomes more Christlike.

Thirdly, we receive the blessing of hope, which is a gift like no other. Like a crowning jewel, God uses suffering to produce His unshakeable hope within us. Hope that will not disappoint because it isn’t placed on an event or a set of circumstances, but on the unchanging person of God Himself.

As we surrender our suffering to Jesus, He is faithful to redeem our brokenness, reveal our true identity, and then crown us with “real life” through incorruptible hope.

The Everyday Application

2) What gifts does suffering bring?

The famous author and student of Scripture, C. S. Lewis, said, “We want not so much a Father but a grandfather in heaven, a God who said of anything we happened to like doing, ‘What does it matter so long as they are contented?” And yet, (according to C. S. Lewis again) we have a God who does not, “love us because we are good, but a God who will make us good because He loves us.”

The way He often makes us good, re-shaping us into His image, is through what we consider suffering. As a constantly good and gracious Father God, He allows hardship and suffering to come into our lives and then uses it for His divinely good purposes, “producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

In a fallen world where selfishness and sin abound, both around us and in us, suffering is an inevitable byproduct. However, we can be confident our good God uses that suffering, and the endurance He builds in us, to bring about the growth needed to make us more like Himself.

Amazingly, here in the heartache of suffering that is surrendered to Jesus, we become free people, alive with radical love which He has lavished upon us. (1 John 3:1-3)

The Original Intent

3) What does it truly mean to have biblical hope?

The original Greek word Paul used here that is translated “hope” in English means “confident assurance”. These days, if we use the term hope, we are often implying we “wish” for something we aren’t at all certain we will obtain. This definition doesn’t help us at all when we consider biblical hope!

Paul’s Greek word, “ἐλπίς”, isn’t pie-in-the sky wishful thinking like, “I hope I get to go to Europe someday,” or, “I hope I win the giveaway I entered.” Hope, from a biblical perspective, is absolutely certain.

When people in Jesus’ time spoke of hope, they meant something you could count on and build upon without doubt. Suffering gives us the capacity to hope deeply.

As we suffer, enduring through trial, our character matures, and we develop the kind of trust in God that is absolutely certain of His love and our future with Him. If we choose to walk through the storms of life with Jesus, we come out personally knowing His goodness more fully than we did before we ever encountered difficulty.

This is a work only God can accomplish even in the most difficult of sufferings! The blessings He provides through suffering are gifts we could never gain any other way. 

The Everyday Application

3) What does it truly mean to have biblical hope?

As Christians, we always have hope amidst our suffering because we know our suffering will absolutely lead to fruit within our character. Not because we are amazing at self-perseverance, but because our good God is powerful enough to build our endurance in us, even in the midst of suffering.

We know our sufferings are light and momentary when we hold them up to the measuring stick of eternity; this perspective is the gift of faith. When we have biblical hope, we are putting our trust in God, knowing for certain He is with us through even the darkest valley. He will not leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

He will use each and every drop of what we endure to bless us and to show Himself off. As we think on these things, lifting our eyes above the things of the world and placing them where our real life is hidden with Jesus, we gain a broader perspective which helps us remain patiently still while we allow suffering to have its way with us.

God is always at work during trials. Remembering this gives us the greatest hope of all.

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abundance,attitude,Biblical Hope,endurance,followers,Glorified,glory,goodness,perspective,ready,rejoice,Unlikely
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What is a bit shocking, perhaps, are Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 1 regarding these sufferings.

He asserts our hardships are “clear evidence of God’s righteous judgement that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you are also suffering.” (verse 5)

Did you catch that? Our trials, tribulations, persecutions, and sufferings in this life are direct evidence of the righteous judgment of God.

They are evidence He is considering us worthy of the kingdom of God! That’s a big deal!
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Follow Day 15 Lydia, Spaghetti, and Waffles

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 16:6-15, 40
Romans 12:1-21
Mark 8:34-38

Follow, Day 15

Men’s brains work like waffles; women’s work like spaghetti.

Have you heard this analogy? While I’ve never read the book in which it’s presented, I am very aware of the concept. Men are able to compartmentalize their thinking (waffles), whereas women have several thoughts moving at once that may be under, over, in-between, wrapped around, tied in knots, etc (spaghetti).

For example, when my husband asks what I’m thinking, I need to follow one specific noodle in my mind to figure out how it connected with what we were originally talking about. In other scenarios, I will bring up a topic from a previous conversation and he will acknowledge he hasn’t considered it since because he “tucked that thought in its waffle square.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure if my brain truly existed in the “waffle-sphere,” things would end badly. I’d tuck something away safely in a square and promptly forget about it forever. Or I would ineffectively label my squares and end up with a massive, jumbled laundry pile of sorts, one with random thoughts falling away like errant socks rolling down the sides and disappearing (is this where all the missing socks go?).

The more I imagined life with a waffle-mind, my thankfulness for how the Lord wired my brain grew. With these thoughts, I began writing this Journey Study and was surprised to encounter an entirely new and challenging perspective on our dear sister in the Bible, Lydia.

Lydia’s story graces only a few verses in Scripture, but a great deal about her can be inferred from those lines. If you already read the Acts passages at the start of this study, excellent! If not, take a minute to read now. (Acts 16:6-15, 40)

Paul encountered Lydia outside the city gates of Philippi, yet Lydia was introduced as being from the city of Thyatira. Looking at the map of Paul’s missionary journeys in the back of my Bible, I discovered Thyatira and Phillippi are not neighboring towns; Lydia was a traveler. 

Additionally, she was a seller of purple cloth, for which Thyatira was famous. Note the verse does not say she was married to a seller of purple cloth; no, Lydia was a business woman, defying social norms by actively working.

She is also described as God-fearing. Paul found Lydia and other women gathered in prayer outside of the city gates. These women were humble and determined enough to step outside the boundaries of the city (most definitely the physical ones, but perhaps the societal, economic, and emotional boundaries as well) in order to seek the Lord. Lydia’s presence was intentional as she denied her own convenient comfort. (Mark 8:34)

After Lydia is introduced, we are immediately told what she was doing: listening. Because she was actively engaged with Paul’s words, “the Lord opened her heart to respond.” (Acts 16:14) If I were to envision this scenario occurring today, it might look like a woman intentionally moving to a place where she can encounter the Lord. For me, that would mean leaving my phone in the other room, having my journal and a pen ready to write thoughts to and from the Lord, and time enough to be still and truly listen.

Lydia followed through on the Lord’s nudge to respond. Holding nothing back from the Lord, she and her household were baptized. Then, she served as hostess to Paul and his traveling companions on multiple occasions. She demonstrated hospitality, generosity, humility, focus, and faithfulness. (Romans 12:6)

Now, in a perfect example of my brain’s spaghetti-like wiring, let’s jump back to how Lydia’s example showed me two ways in which I am asking the Lord to help my “spaghetti-ness.” First, like Lydia, I’m learning I must carve out time to be with the Lord and listen. The compartments of church and my personal time with Him cannot be replaced by other things. Failing to prioritize those will be detrimental to myself and those the Lord is entrusting to me.

Second, I do compartmentalize some areas that I shouldn’t. The phrase “separation between church and state” is not a biblical concept, yet it aptly describes a pattern of distinct boundaries between Jesus and the rest of my life. Rather than existing in separate compartments, what I learn in church and during my quiet times MUST bleed over into the other facets of my life. I must blend my heart for the Lord with my work environment and ethic, my home life, and my time in community. This does not mean I have a “Honk if you love Jesus” bumper sticker on my cubicle, but it does mean that I live to be a light to those around me. 

Lydia took all she had and used it for the glory of the Lord.
As a result, her entire household met Jesus.

Paul and his companions were blessed, ministered to, and energized for their journeys.
The kingdom gained a hard-working evangelist with a broad sphere of influence.

Beloved, as we consider our lives, where might God be calling us to use what He’s already given us for His glory?

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The GT Weekend! ~ Neighbor 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) Sara helps us view our work through the perspective that we each provide a service of one kind of another. Whether grandmother, neighborhood quilt lady, school bus driver, or nail salon technician, we all provide a service to others. Consider the roles you actively serve in your everyday life. When was the last time someone noticed your work and encouraged you in it? Think back through those feelings and that scenario. What made it impactful for you? Now consider who are those providing a common service around you who you may have a tendency to overlook? The trash removers? The cashier? The bank teller? The postal worker? Your spouse? Your boss? Pray over these people!! Ask the Lord to give you a heart to love them as neighbors!

2) Rebekah identifies isolation and busyness as the culprits working against her when it comes to intentionally recognizing the people who are so close to her. While she regularly sees these people, she admits to knowing very little about them. Good intentions of offers to connect and build relationship slam hard against Isolation and Busyness. Closing the garage door is easier than crossing the street. What if we decided to re-arrange our schedules to allow space to engage our neighbors, the ones we “see”, but decide aren’t worth the investment? Suppose we, collectively, chose to take off the glasses that insist our plans must be prioritized over that text message to a neighbor or the decision to walk across the lawn and ask how we can pray for someone, or maybe even ask what they are having for dinner. Pray over who the Lord wants you to connect with, then step out and fight against Isolation and Busyness for the sake of the gospel!

3) We all have a story. We all know this is true. Every person we meet, at the store, in our neighborhood, driving down the road, standing next to in the parent pick-up-line at school, or sitting beside at church. Heavy baggage. Wounds. Heartache. Triumphs. Victories won. Loss experienced. And every story matters to the Lord. He saw the bleeding woman in the crowd (who didn’t want to be seen), and wanted her to feel known and loved. This was Christ’s mission, for all to be known and accept His precious gift of love for them. It’s one thing to say we love people. It’s another to sit with someone who aches, listen to their story, and reflect the love of the Savior in that present moment. Maybe it’s your child, or your spouse, or a friend you’ve lost touch with, or maybe it’s a perfect stranger, but the Lord is calling you to lean in and love well. Who will you be a neighbor to this week?!

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 Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

Prayer Journal
I don’t mean to indifferent, Lord. I just truly don’t see them. All the people around me; I don’t really see them. I certainly don’t see them the way You do. It’s too easy to think about my problems, my relationship dynamics, the ways I feel I’m walking in circles, my losses, or the ways my needs aren’t being met. I confess, Lord, I often don’t see those around me as being real people. Broken people. People with just as many hurts and needs and broken stuff in their lives as I do. Father, I plead with You to break my heart for them. Open my eyes, Lord Jesus. Refuse to let me stay blinded to them, because You see every person uniquely and with tender love. You know their stories; they matter to You, just as my own stories, struggles, and triumphs do. Teach my tongue to speak Your truth and love over them. I know You’re already giving me opportunity to love them, help me to step out in obedience to share hope!

Worship Through Community

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Sketched V Day 2 Saul, The Pharisee: 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 Saul, The Pharisee!

The Questions

1) What is the context of this passage?

2) Why is Paul explaining his heritage? What does it have to do with his point?

3) What contrast is Paul trying to explain in this passage?

Philippians 3:4-6

“Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”

Original Intent

1) What is the context of this passage?
In this passage, Paul writes a letter to the Philippian church to encouraging them to live in the truth of the gospel and let nothing stand in the way of a life fully devoted to the Lord. As Paul brings his letter to a close, he gives a personal story of his own walk with the Lord in his conversion from Saul to Paul explaining where he has come from and what he now knows to be true. He gives warnings about lies to watch for and encouragement to stand firm in truth.

2) Why is Paul explaining his heritage? What does it have to do with his point?
Paul gives an account of his pedigree because he was among the elite within the Jewish religious leaders. He was considered by the average person someone who was closer to God because of his status and his outward appearance of merit. But in this passage, Paul details his lengthy list of qualifications that humans would point to and elevate him for the purpose of discounting all of it because he knew that when it comes to the gospel, pedigree and accomplishments mean nothing.

3) What contrast is Paul trying to explain in this passage?
These verses are one snippet of Paul’s argument in this letter. The point he makes is, despite all of his education and religious fortitude, in light of the gospel, true salvation is the most important thing. True salvation recognizes that no “thing” or personal “goodness” is fit to award us merit for salvation. We can only be saved through Jesus’ work on our behalf. Nothing we do matters to gain salvation. Saul was the “perfect” Pharisee, but was spiritually lost and separated from the one true God. He is warning the Philippians to not put trust in the things of the flesh and the world, because those things are irrelevant in the Kingdom of God. The contrast comes in understanding the things of God and pursing His ways versus pursuing the things of this world and relying on ourselves. Don’t be confused by religious labels but seek true salvation!

Everyday Application

1) What is the context of this passage?
As any good pastoral leader would, Paul is warning this congregation against trappings of this world and recounting where he put his trust before he encountered Christ. He was worldly, a murder of Christians, and outspoken zealot against Christianity, but he came to truth and realized there is no eternal value in status or degree. He understood those things would fade away and earned no favor in the sight of God. Paul is the perfect example of a religious leader whose was fearful of the truth of Christianity until he encountered it. God changed his life and his perspective on worldly pursuits and ambitions. Paul’s filter for his entire life changed. As he says later in the passage, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” (Philippians 3:7)

2) Why is Paul explaining his heritage? What does it have to do with his point?
There were times in my life where relying on the fact that my parents were Christians seemed okay. I have a heritage of Christianity in my family, which somehow made me feel okay before God. Paul, in this passage, is clearly saying your pedigree, your degrees, your status, even your family history does not matter in the light of the gospel’s truth. The world then and now gives the message that obtaining things and status are the most important goals to pursue and Paul is reminding us those things mean nothing to God. Being labeled religious means nothing if there is no heart change to back that up.  Knowing Christ and having a relationship with Him is the foundation from which everything should flow. Faith in Him should matter most in our life.

3) What contrast is Paul trying to explain in this passage?
The battle for our eyes and heart to stay true to God and not be distracted by worldly pursuits is not new to the 21st century, rather as we see here, this deception has been going on for 2000 years. Be encouraged! Paul, the “perfect” religious Pharisee, encountered the one true God and became one of the most prolific missionaries in starting the New Testament church as we know it. Things of this world offer no hope, no real truth, and no consistency or foundation, but as Paul encourages us with his words, “ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ.” (Philippians 3:8-9a)

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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!

Digging Deeper Community

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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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