pursuit

Advent Day 8 The Suffering Servant

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 42:1-9
Isaiah 53
Luke 2:41-48
Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23

Advent, Day 8

It is easy to misunderstand the personality of Jesus when we view His life on earth from a human perspective.

Though God, He came in human form and was born as any other child. His birth was the lowliest, born in a manger, where animals were kept. (Luke 2:1-7) He grew up as any other child, running errands for His earthly parents in the streets of Galilee. Scripture simply referred to Him as the “boy Jesus.” (Luke 2:43) After losing track of young Jesus for several days while traveling, his mother talked to Him as any frightened mother would speak to her child, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” (Luke 2:48)

For today’s Journey Study, we continue to move backward in time, centuries before Jesus’ birth, to learn how the prophet Isaiah foretold His character and mission. Isaiah described Him as a young plant growing up in dry ground (Isaiah 53:2), symbolizing His humble life in a corrupt and sinful world.
The fallen world is a seemingly impossible place to thrive in righteousness for Satan tempted Christ with the allure of sin just as he does any human being. (Hebrews 4:15)
Jewish religious leaders continually sought ways to find fault in Him, to justify
their plan of killing Him. (Luke 20:20-26)
He was despised, relegated, and treated with contempt.
Offended by Jesus’ teaching and seeking to discredit Him, His own people said, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary?” (Matthew 13:55)

Despite the corruption of sin around Him, Scripture testifies how Jesus “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.” (Luke 2:52) His environment did not deter His physical, emotional growth or His divine righteousness. In the face of adversity, He found favor with God and people.

How did it happen?
God the Father said of God the Son, Jesus,
“This is my servant; I strengthen him, this is my chosen one; I delight in him. I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1)

Jesus Himself also testified, speaking of His divine unity with the Father, “Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things.” (John 5:19)
The “stony ground” of the human heart condition that naturally rebels against God, did not stop Jesus from thriving, because He drew His nourishment from the Father.

Scripture makes it clear that Jesus is fully God, but He chose to be born as human in order to fulfil the mission of God the Father for mankind. He humbled Himself to a servant’s position by submitting to the will of His Father through suffering.
Death became His portion, so that we might have life in Him. 

In his prophecy, Isaiah relayed clearly the suffering Jesus would undergo. Isaiah 53:4-6 describes the nature of His sufferings and the benefits to us. He bore our sicknesses and carried our pains, was pierced and crushed because of our rebellion and iniquities, was punished for our peace, and by His wounds we are healed.

But we did not identify with Him in His suffering;
we “regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4)

What seemed as a harsh punishment turned out to be gracious, for through the Servant’s suffering came the justification of many. The Servant’s pain, suffering, and death serve as a restitution offering, covering our sins and bringing us back into relationship with God.
We believe, from the Scriptures, Jesus underwent such suffering for us.

But how does this redemption echo in our lives?
Jesus redeemed us so our relationship with God might be restored;
how committed are we to that relationship?

He sacrificed His life for us.
What have we sacrificed for His sake?

Our faith in Him should not be limited to His blessings only,
but must also cost us our comfort.
Are we identifying with Him in His suffering as the Apostle Paul,
confidently agreeing, “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”? (Philippians 1:21)

If we have repented of our sins and sought the forgiveness, grace, and mercy of God, we have been redeemed through the Servant’s suffering;
now, we are called to “produce fruit consistent with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8)
We must make holiness our end goal; He said, “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)

Do not misunderstand, sisters–this is NOT a legalistic directive to muster up perfection or put on a “good Christian performance.” Rather, true pursuit of the Holy involves total surrender of every part of us to the Spirit; we give Him unfettered access to every corner of ourselves . . . even when it involves sacrifice, or suffering. Anything less is compromise, the lie of pretty words, the hallmark of hypocrisy; as Jesus warned,

“‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.’” (Matthew 7:21)

In gratitude for our redemption brought by the Servant’s suffering, in total surrender to our Father’s will, I believe we will find the Kingdom is worth our sacrifice.

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Fruitful Day 13 The Gentleness Of Jesus

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Mark 5:25-43
Matthew 11:28-30
John 13:12-17
Galatians 5:22-23

Fruitful, Day 13

The crowds were gathering, pressing relentlessly on all sides.
With His power to heal illness and drive away demons, word was spreading quickly. People from all walks of life, with all manner of brokenness, flocked in masses in pursuit of Jesus, the Christ.

In the midst of this particular crowd was a well-respected Jewish man, high-ranking with authority and political clout as a synagogue official, for he too was desperate. Jairus was familiar with Jesus’ growing fame and His divine ability, as he had likely witnessed Jesus healing a man’s hand in the synagogue in the weeks prior. (Luke 6:6-11) None could do what Jesus did. While Jairus was surely intrigued, he entered the crushing crowd that day out of pure desperation.

His daughter’s life hung in the balance.

It’s easy to step back and critically analyze. One can afford to be curious at a distance, but when it’s your desperation, nothing matters but the pursuit of wholeness.

Jesus immediately responded to Jairus’ urgent pleas to come to his house and slowly they moved in that direction.

Again, the crowds followed.

Can you imagine being Jairus? Desperation met reality as faces swam in front of both men. The mob was filled with shoving and jostling, loud noises, body odor, and incessant pressing of desperate bodies running rickshaw over one another as one little girl’s life hovered between life and death.

I’m not really comfortable with crowds like that, but if I wanted to be near Jesus, I am certain I would have set aside my discomfort to join the throng in pursuit of Christ that day.

Which is exactly what one woman did. Like Jairus, her desperation drove her into the tangled mass of people. She’d endured twelve long years of uterine bleeding, living as a shamed outcast from her community (Leviticus 15:25-27), taken advantage of by doctors who promised cures but worsened her condition. (Mark 5:26) Ironically, she, who had lived over a decade in isolation, was now driven by desperation into a crowd of hundreds with one goal in mind. Wholeness.

Twenty-nine years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like this suffering woman, I’ve experienced isolation from friends and even family because of disease. People are uncomfortable with such ravaging illness and don’t know what to say, so they stay away. They fear “catching” cancer themselves, and in their attempt to self-protect, they left me alone. I imagine this woman and I had many common experiences. Fear. Shame. Abandonment. Loss. Grief. Add to those woes the fact that her condition was neither diagnosable nor curable, despite the costly search for answers, and her desperation becomes nearly palpable.

Unrelated to cancer, five years ago I experienced intestinal disorders that no test or exam could identify. I too was neither diagnosable nor curable, and after six months of constant appointments, pokes, and prods, I was exhausted. I can only imagine twelve years of such! I can hear her heart’s cry, “What could it hurt to find Jesus? I’ve tried everything else. I have nothing more to lose.”

Jairus, desperate for his little daughter’s life.
This woman, desperate for her own.

Both were met with a radical gift surpassing their expectations.
Gentleness.

I’m sure the woman planned to press through the crowds, likely on her knees, to touch just the hem of His garment and then slip away unnoticed. But at her touch, despite many hands pressed against Him, Jesus’ voice of authority pierced the cacophony, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:30)

My reaction would have been the same as the disciples’. “You see this crowd pressing in on you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” (Mark 5:31) Jesus knew the difference between the touch of physical nearness and the hope of desperate faith.

In His divinity, Jesus knew who had touched Him.
In His gentleness, He asked His question of invitation.

Tightness grips my chest as I think of her “being caught,” and then I relax, remembering Jesus’ gentleness has invited this woman to step out. I can envision His calm eyes searching the crowd for the woman’s face, fixing His gaze of compassionate love upon her. Scripture records the woman coming with “fear and trembling.” Aware of her healing, she came to Jesus, fell down before Him, and told the whole truth. (Mark 5:33)

Christ’s gentleness drew her to Himself, invited her to unpack the entirety of her brokenness, then responded by publicly calling her His own, “Daughter.” He made her whole.

Not just her body, but her soul.
“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” (Mark 5:34)

Amid a stunned crowd, a messenger for Jairus arrives with the tragic news his daughter has died. In the span of time it took Jesus to call one woman out of brokenness and into wholeness, another’s life passed away.

Yet, the gentle Jesus turns unhurried, peace-filled eyes to meet Jairus’ red-rimmed ones, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.”  (Mark 5:36)

The nameless woman fades away into the crowd, no longer hiding nor walking with head bowed low. She dances in grace, for the gentleness of Jesus has called her His own, healing her body, heart, and soul.

As for Jairus’ daughter, the Gentle Christ takes her slim, cold hand in His as His divine voice awakens her from death to life. (Mark 5:41-42)

Our desperation, no matter how dire, is no match for the Gentle Christ.
So bring your exhaustion, your desperation, and your faith, and find wholeness in the gentle touch of our Savior.

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Sketched IX Day 10 Peter’s Pursuit

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 10:1-43
Galatians 2:11-14
John 14:1-31

Sketched IX, Day 10

I did it again, Lord. Why can’t I seem to get this? Why do I so desperately want to follow You, only to fail miserably?

Over and over, You have loved me when I have passionately succeeded at the wrong thing. Instead of lashing out at me when I cut off that servant’s ear, You healed him and let them lead you away. All I wanted to do was serve and protect You. But that wasn’t Your plan. (John 18:10-11)

It was never part of Your plan.
It all makes more sense now. Well, most of the time.
I still think about all You spoke to us while You walked with us. You told us over and over You were showing us the Father. (John 14:1-11) You told us You would be going to the Father, but the Holy Spirit would be coming in Your place.

At the time, I subconsciously categorized Your words into my mental folder tagged, “Sure, Jesus.” That folder held Your teachings I partially understood, but weren’t urgent for me to completely figure out. You would always be with us. You were the Christ. Er, You are the Christ. I assumed You would be walking with us into victory, instead of into what felt like such a depressing defeat.

After You died and reappeared to us in your resurrected body, I understood an entirely different level of victory. You had defeated death! Not even Lazarus did that permanently.
When You ascended, You were lifted up, fulfilling Your words about going to the Father.

I miss You, Jesus.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the gift of the Holy Spirit and am so thankful for His presence. I just wish, sometimes, I could see Him. I could watch You love the unlovable and understand how I could do the same. I could sense the tone of Your words and feel the peace emanating from You.

Now I need to navigate each day without You physically beside me. I know the Holy Spirit guides me, but sometimes He’s not easy to understand.

Like when I had the vision about the sheet of unclean animals and was told to eat them. It was repeated three times and a voice told me to kill and eat. When I replied that I would not eat anything unclean, the voice responded, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.” (Acts 10:15)

Lord, that was very confusing. Yet, as soon as those men came to the gate of the house where I was staying, I knew it was the Holy Spirit telling me to go with them. When we arrived at our destination and I found myself being honored in the midst of God-fearing Gentiles, the words from the vision came back to me.

Who was I to call these people impure? If God orchestrated this meeting, He had a purpose, a clean one. A holy one.

Lord, You showed up when I began to speak. I shared of Your love for them and then You unleashed the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, You. Poured. Out.  (Acts 10:44-46)

We were all dumbfounded. I thought for sure I would never forget the lesson I’d learned over those few days. You came for anyone and everyone. Jews and Gentiles alike, You welcome us all.

Yet, here I am again, Lord. I feel the same sinking feeling I had when I began to flounder out on the waves. I so valiantly tried to serve You, and I am once again in need of rescuing. (Matthew 14:22-33)

Paul called me out. Paul, the one who previously persecuted Christians and never physically walked with You the way I did. He reminded me of the truth I preached to Cornelius on the day I thought I’d never forget.

Well, I forgot.

It became easier to add a few conditions to the truth of Your love to make it more palatable for my Jewish brothers to embrace the Gentiles. I know You never loved us with contingencies, Lord, but it felt easier for me to keep the peace.

But Paul is bolder than I. He declared the expectation of circumcision was not part of Your criteria for entry into the Kingdom. As Paul likes to remind us, we are saved by grace, through faith. How did I forget this important truth? (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Oh Lord, forgive me. Once again I ask You to catch me, helping me find my solid ground again. Help me live and love as You did, Jesus. Help me know the Father as You do.
Holy Spirit, guide and lead me on.

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

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

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Beloved Day 12 Seasons Of Love: 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!
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The Questions

1) Why might the woman have paused before opening the door to her loved one (verse 3)?

2) Why did the man not continue to wait for her to open the door (verse 6)?

3) Verse 7 seems to indicate abuse of the woman. What might be the significance of this being included in the passage?

4) How does the woman express her disappointment of not finding her loved one? (verse 8)

Song of Solomon 5:3-8

3 I have taken off my clothing. How can I put it back on? I have washed my feet. How can I get them dirty? 4 My love thrust his hand through the opening, and my feelings were stirred for him. 5 I rose to open for my love. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolt. 6 I opened to my love, but my love had turned and gone away. My heart sank because he had left. I sought him, but did not find him. I called him, but he did not answer.

7 The guards who go about the city found me. They beat and wounded me; they took my cloak from me—the guardians of the walls. 8 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you, if you find my love, tell him that I am lovesick.

Original Intent

1) Why might the woman have paused before opening the door to her loved one (verse 3)?
Since this book is not a chronological account of the events between Solomon and his beloved, there are some difficult passages to unravel. This one is no exception. In verse 2 of the chapter, we read the bride’s words, “I was sleeping, but my heart was awake.” As in chapter 3 verse 1, we are left with questions about the sequence and the reality of the couple’s actions in this scene. Is the young woman dreaming, or is she at the drowsy verge of being awakened? Since many Bible commentators have come to different conclusions, it seems unnecessary to dwell too long in a discussion about this. More importantly is the big picture. In these verses we encounter a scenario of a real-life relationship which included human responses. The young woman knows her loved one is at the door, but she is either too tired or too lazy to get up, get dressed, and open the door for him. David Guzik says, “her problem was not that she didn’t go to the door; but that she did it so slowly and reluctantly, making excuses all along the way. [This reveals she was] thinking only about her comfort and not at all about Solomon’s desires or her relationship with him.” (enduringword.com)

2) Why did the man not continue to wait for her to open the door (verse 6)?
The woman’s lover reminded her that he was standing on the outside waiting. “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. For my head is drenched with dew, my hair with droplets of the night.” (verse 2) Whether or not the terms in verse 4 are explicit references regarding sexual intimacy, the scene certainly portrays an active pursuit of one lover desiring to be with the other, but being met with rejection. I think the best interpretation is to read this within the framework Guzik describes as a “missed connection” between the bride and groom, and therefore we should apply it literally rather than symbolically. (enduringword.com) The groom has been waiting patiently outside the door of the bride’s room. As he was leaving, he likely placed myrrh on the door handle as was customary in ancient settings. We are not given the reasons why the woman paused, but the delay causes her beloved to leave. It does not appear he was angry with her, and the emphasis again seems to be on the passion of the bride once she realizes his loving gesture. The bride’s emotions are awakened and she has legitimate feelings of despair because her loved one can’t be found.

3) Verse 7 seems to indicate abuse of the woman. What might be the significance of this being included in the passage?
In chapter 3 we read how the watchmen were helpful to the woman as she frantically sought her beloved. But now verse 7 seems so out of place. What is happening? In then-current day, there were two sorts of watchmen in a city. One guarded from the inside of a city wall to ensure all those within were safe and secure. The others were placed on the walls themselves to watch and give notice of an enemy approaching. (Bible Study Tools, David Gill) The watchmen on the wall would be aware that the only women who would be on the streets at night were prostitutes. Not realizing who she is, they treat her with inappropriate disregard, even abusing her. Whether a dream or reality, we surely feel the stab to our hearts as we read what the bride endured as she runs out into the night. She so desires to find the one she loves that she risks her wellbeing to search for him. Nothing is mentioned about her response to what she experiences, but we share her anguish over not finding her groom. These verses are communicating unrelenting passion and desire between a bride and her groom at all costs.

4) How does the woman express her disappointment of not finding her loved one? (verse 8)
We have read in the previous chapters how the couple speaks to one another with words describing their longing for, and their satisfaction in, one another. Here in verse 8, the bride begins to plead with the women of the town to help her find her groom. It appears she has deep regret over her rejection of his advances, and she now wants to let him know how much she longs for him.  In Song of Solomon 2:4-6, the bride expresses her soul’s desire toward her new groom in those pleasant moments of marital intimacy and passion. She was overwhelmed by the presence of love and the joy of lovemaking. Here in chapter 5, the young woman aches over the distance she has created with her beloved. She has become physically and emotionally ill due to her yearning love for him. She asks the city’s women to “tell him that I am lovesick.” The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT) uses the verb titrosko which means inflicted with a wound, injured, damaged. The Shulamite woman is emotionally and physically overwrought. (preceptaustin.org) Within the context, we can surmise she is craving more moments with the groom. She grieves the way she let him slip away due to her unwillingness to respond when he came to her.

Everyday Application

1) Why might the woman have paused before opening the door to her loved one (verse 3)?
We don’t know all the motives behind why the bride doesn’t go to the door. She expresses it would be somewhat of a hassle since she has already changed clothes, whether it is weariness or laziness, we are not sure. What we discover as we read further in the passage, though, is that she regrets her inaction to open the door to her beloved. While there will be times in marriage that one person lacks a desire to make much effort toward intimacy (due to fatigue or distress), we should not make it a habit to neglect our spouse’s need for sexual and physical closeness. This will likely require ongoing conversation and work in our relationships as we strive for a healthy marriage. As we think about this in spiritual terms, we can also pray for our hearts to be receptive to our Beloved Savior. Bible teacher Harry Ironside says this is a great picture of our own callousness toward Divine Love. “When [Christ] comes to the heart’s door we practically say, ‘No; it is inconvenient. I do not want to drop things right now.’” What an even greater tragedy to reject God’s perfect love. (John 3:16-19)

2) Why did the man not continue to wait for her to open the door (verse 6)?
The bottom line of this verse is how the groom was demonstrating his desire for his bride. He was patient. He did not force his way in, nor did he demand her to meet his expectations. Instead, he waited and then quietly slipped away, but not before leaving a symbol of his love. What beautiful restraint and gentleness was shown by this man. Although his loved one did not receive him in the way he expected, he chose kindness. Putting a fragrance on the bolt handles would have been akin to leaving flowers by the door. Sometimes in marriage we don’t feel the emotional attachment to our husband. When that happens, we can begin by praying for God to stir passion in us. Years ago, I heard a woman Bible teacher talk about how she prayed for her marriage. She said one of her prayers was that she would “always thrill to her husband’s touch.” That is a good start! Whether we are the initiator or the one waiting, our goal should be to demonstrate unrelenting love. Friend, maybe you feel that any sign of promising light is so far in the distance you are unable to see it. I pray you will not lose hope. God will be faithful as you pursue a passionate and lasting marriage.

3) Verse 7 seems to indicate abuse of the woman. What might be the significance of this being included in the passage?
The picture of the beloved bride of the king being assaulted by his own watchmen is appalling! Whether she is dreaming or is in fact walking around at night like a prostitute, she is a desperate woman in search of the one her heart longs to be near. She has felt the pangs of dismissing her lover’s kind and patient pursuit. It has been said that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” I doubt that is always true as I have seen absence push people apart. But one of the ways we can create a healthy kind of distance that inspires desire is to rehearse the benefits of being married to our husband. When marriages are struggling, it is hard to find the good in the other person. Our human tendency is to rehearse our weariness with it all. As we do, we only add to our growing list of reasons not to make efforts. However, when alone with our thoughts, considering the good things of our marriage and the positive characteristics of our husbands helps stir our emotions toward desire. As the bride longed to find her beloved groom, God can restore our passions as we pray and work to bridge the gap we may or may not have caused.

4) How does the woman express her disappointment of not finding her loved one? (verse 8)
The Shulamite woman had gone from being “too tired” to being “lovesick.” She desperately went searching for the one her heart so deeply loved. She called those around her to join her in her search. Sister, enlist your own army of women to support you in your marriage. No, I’m not asking you to find friends to whom you can badmouth your husband. I am encouraging you to gather those around you who will remind you to “love your husbands … so God’s word will not be slandered.” (Titus 2:4) It is not an easy journey, this thing called marriage. But with God’s help, and with friends pointing us to Christ, we can pursue the kind of passionate relationship we read of in Song of Solomon!

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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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Beloved Day 5 Beloved’s Pursuit

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 3:1-5
Proverbs 15:3-10
1 Timothy 6:6-14
Philippians 1:25-30
Ephesians 5:22-33

Beloved, day 5

Pursuit.

The mere word evokes images of a hunt, doesn’t it? It brings to mind words like… desiring, chasing, overtaking, capturing, conquering. 

There’s a reason such great emphasis is placed on “playing hard to get” in current culture. The human race has placed immense value on being the individual who is sought after, regardless of the situation or relationship dynamic. Whether we are interviewing for a new job, foraying into a new friendship, floating a corporate merger, or attempting to infuse “life” into our marriage, we have bought into the belief that the individual who is not easy to “win” holds a loftier, more powerful status.

But what if that narrative doesn’t exactly line up with what our Father shows us?

Song of Solomon is a beautiful portrayal of the joy, desire, and intimacy God has given the human race in the form of sex. We witness the intense desire, breathless longing, and yes, pursuit, of each party, laced across every page of the book. Physical pleasure aside, what do we see here?

I see a woman who longed for intimacy with her lover, but she didn’t merely pine away for him; she pursued him. She roamed city streets, looking for her love. She asked passing guards if they had seen him. When they told her they hadn’t, she kept looking. She didn’t give up until she’d found him. 

And when she found him, she did not let go.

The words are stirring, because we each long to be pursued like that, don’t we? We long to be so passionately pursued, so sought after, so desired, so wanted.

Before marriage, pursuit is mainly surface-deep. We show our beloved we are interested in all kinds of little ways. We learn more about the things they are interested in. We communicate many times, each day. Sometimes we choose clothing, or makeup, or jewelry, or hairstyles we know are appealing to them. We pursue their interests and desires, and in that pursuit, we assist them in pursuing us.

When we enter into marriage, the dynamic shifts. The “newness” begins to fade, and it’s easy for us to believe the pursuit actually ended with marriage.

Beloved, this isn’t so! Throughout the New Testament, marriage is repeatedly held up as the embodiment of Christ and His Church. Husbands and wives are exhorted to mirror Christ in the way we love one another. To submit to each other in love, not so one can lord their power over the other, rather, in this loving deference, Christ alone is glorified.

But what does this look like, five, ten, fifty years in? What does it look like beyond spontaneous romantic encounters and flowers for no reason?

Sometimes, it looks like waking up early to make him coffee.
Sometimes, it looks like showing up for his parents in their time of need.
Sometimes, it looks like slipping a hand in his when his voice wavers.
Sometimes, it looks like reminding him who he is when it seems he’s forgotten.
Sometimes, it looks like going to marriage counseling.
Sometimes, it looks like driving him to every treatment.
Sometimes, it looks like being silent when you want to scream.
Sometimes, it looks like recounting all the times the Lord has seen you both through, when it feels like all is lost.
Sometimes, it looks like following him down a dark road you never expected, taking him by the hand, and walking back into the light together.

Sometimes, it looks like staying when you want to leave.

Beloved, how many times has your Shepherd Bridegroom carried you back when you’ve wandered far? Has He found you, when you’ve tangled yourself in all the places you never belonged? Has His voice been gentle as He quieted your fears and brought you back to His fold?

He invites us to love our husbands this way, too. To pursue them, gently, completely, guilelessly.

Marriage is not an end to an exciting pursuit; it’s an open invitation into the lifelong adventure in the pursuit of our lover, and to being pursued in return!

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

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The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched VIII 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) When justice seems to have vanished. When anger, hurt, betrayal, and an overwhelming sense of being utterly alone sweep over you. When you are there, you can relate to Hagar. Her story is one of the greatest outcast narratives in the Bible, and the glorious encounter she experienced with the Lord Himself is all the more beautiful because of her place of defeat. He met her in the desert places of her heart with an oasis of love, tender care, and deep knowing that embraced her brokenness and hurt in a way no one else could. Where do you recognize parts of your story intersecting with Hagar’s? What part of the Lord’s encounter with her do you long for in your own life? Take this to God in prayer, share it with a trusted, believing friend, and trust the Lord sees and knows you and your scenario as deeply as He did for Hagar!

2) What Zacchaeus lacked in stature and integrity, he compensated for in passionate pursuit. He was hungry, and He knew it. He had heard of Jesus and He wanted more. Life wasn’t fulfilling despite his best attempts to satisfy his palate for wealth and prosperity. Jesus, however, already knew Zach’s story. He already knew every detail, every sin, and every lonely place in Zacchaeus’ heart. He was wooing Zacchaeus’ heart long before Zacchaeus climbed that Sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of the Lord. It’s easy for us to think we are the ones who need to chase Jesus, capture His attention, and be close to Him. But this isn’t the heart of God revealed in Scripture. He is already near to each of us. Perhaps you’ve been running and you’re feeling wearied by the chase. Take to heart that Christ Jesus already knows your story and loves you!

3) Yesterday, Carol led us beautifully into one woman’s story of responding to Jesus’ majesty, kindness, and gentle love. Being near Him carried a cost for this woman as she was outcast of all outcasts. Simply being present near Him carried the risk of being shoved aside and trampled. This woman went farther still though, she dared to touch His skin and wipe His feet with a love she had first felt extended to her through His divine grace. There at the feet of Jesus, the woman gave her gift that had cost her everything, yet she left full, whole, and satisfied for an eternity to come. Emptying everything had resulted in all-surpassing fullness. Forgiven. Shameless. Whole. Don’t let the idea of surrendering to the God who loves you completely keep you from experiencing the abundance He offers to all who come to Him.

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 Luke 19:8-10 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.” “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

Prayer Journal
True repentance always brings about life change. Father, the more I follow You, the more I see how there are highs and lows in the genuine following of my everyday life. Sometimes, I feel so close to You, while there are entire seasons where I wonder if You have forgotten me. Lord, teach me in all seasons to hold unswervingly to the truth that You are always fully present, always taking me deeper with You, and always making me new. Teach my heart to dwell in a state of humble repentance towards Your Spirit, so I am ready to keep following You.

Worship Through Community

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched VI 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) God loves you fully! This was a stunning realization for Rhonda as she found herself on the backside of an abortion. Shame weighed her down like a wet cloak, reeking of heavy grief everywhere she went. Surely, God had rejected her and written her off! But His loving pursuit finally won her over. As she surrendered to Him, He prompted her to transparently share of her own tragic experience; she came face to face with her shame and the Lord transformed it into a tool to reach others with His love and encourage them to leave the heavy load of shame with Jesus. Where are you carrying shame, regret, and guilt? Don’t shy away! Identify them clearly and take the bold move to share part of your story with someone this week, even if it’s a close friend. The Lord wants to us our stories to point others to Himself and the hope He offers!

2)  In Pat’s sharing of her story, we see deep heartache and tragic wounds, which could have (and should have) left her bitter, hurt, angry, and on the sidelines for the rest of her life as she despised other’s happiness. So much was stolen away from Pat! Rather than bitterness and anger, Pat’s life reflects beauty, grace, tenderness, and mercy. As she attests, the only difference is Christ, His salvation, and His continuous comfort meeting her where she was and moving her into a sweet relationship with Him. Where have anger and hurt felt justified for you in your story? How has Jesus made a difference for you? If you’ve never surrendered those hurts to Him, what might it be like to be free from those old chains or anger and resentment? Speak with the Lord about these!

3)  Paula described how she would follow the Lord, then stall out and wander slowly away from Him over time. Each time, despite Paula’s unfaithfulness (like all of us!), the Lord was faithful in His love to her as He pursued her and showed her His relentless, never-giving-up love. Paula’s faith journey grew every time, and her faith in Christ grew stronger, the more she embraced living within biblical community, serving in her local church, and leaning in to God’s true character over her own ideas. In what ways do you see some of Paula’s story in your own? Where are your own cycles of walking away and being drawn back?

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 46:1-3 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though hits waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Prayer Journal
You are the God who offers continual refuge, strength, and help, yet in my foolishness, I often try to manage my trouble on my own. How good You are to me as you remind me of Your character and Your faithful love! Lord, I confess that from my limited perspective, I don’t recognize You drawing me back to you, instead I only see situations which frustrate me. Remind me, Spirit, that You have plans far above my own, that Your heart is for me to know You and walk in daily trust with You. Keep drawing me back to Your side, Abba!

Worship Through Community

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

The GT Weekend! ~ Relentless 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) “If the Lord is for us, then why has all of this happened to us?!” Gideon’s question hits all of us. If we are willing to be honest, then you know as well as I do, I’ve pleaded with the Lord over this query. I’m challenging you and me to be bold before the Lord and write out what our fill-in-the-blanks are for this question in relation to our own lives. “If the Lord is for me, why did my friend commit suicide? Why is my marriage so difficult? Why am I so weary?” Pray these to the Lord from a place of transparency and seek His solace and His answers over your own. Connect with a trusted, believing, friend in the next few days and share your thoughts, asking her to pray with you.

2)  Amy shared on Wednesday of times she had questioned God’s love for her, run from Him in anger, and have failed to follow Him. Take some time to write down, even if it’s on your phone’s notes, times when you have done the same. There is something powerful that happens in our hearts when we verbalize reality. As you take steps to be transparent with yourself, pray over these and bring them to the Lord. Tell Him honestly what you have questioned, why you were (or are) angry, and why you have run. Pray. Seek His Word, studying it as you pray for His Spirit to free you and show you His relentless love!

3)  We all like winning, don’t we? Reaching the goal, checking off that list, knowing we hit the target square on, we crave that win! Kendra reminded us yesterday that God always wins, meaning that His purposes cannot be thwarted and what He intends to accomplish, He will do. What would it look like if we abandoned our ideas of winning, and instead picked up the Lord’s? What if He became our source for strength and we shifted our eyes to see His win instead of our own? What radical difference might it make if we knew that whenever we aligned ourselves with His ways over ours, we would be assured His victory in His way and in His time?

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 Lamentations 3:22-24 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!
24 I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in him.”

Prayer Journal
Because of Your love….I am here tonight to praise You, I held my babies tight today, I slept peacefully last night, I saw the sun this morning, and breathed in Your new morning mercies. Because of Your love, gracious, good Father! Your love is better than life itself! (Psalm 63:3) Teach me, on repeat, to view my days and moments and relationships and circumstances through the lens of “because of Your love” just like the psalmist wrote. Teach my lips to sing it, my hands to love with Your love, and my eyes to see with Your love. You alone are my portion, Oh God; how great is Your faithfulness!

Worship Through Community

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Relentless Day 8 Relentless Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Judges 6:19-7:1
Matthew 26:69-75
John 21:15-18
Jonah 3:10-4:11

Relentless, Day 8

Determined. Unstoppable. Persistent. Relentless.

Those words describe God’s love towards us.
He is determined. He is unstoppable. He is persistent. He is relentless.

In our weakness, He is still relentless.
In our doubt, He still pursues.
In our failings, our running away, and our questions, He still gives chase.

I’ve often questioned God’s love. 
“Maybe this has happened because I messed up and God is punishing me.”
“God is proving to me that I don’t measure up.”

I’ve run from Him in anger. 
I felt God failed me, so I went the other way.

I have failed to follow Him. 
In my pain, I’ve focused on my hurt and my situation, choosing to ignore the truth about God.

Yet.
He still relentlessly loves.

How do I know?
The easy answer is “The Bible tells me so.”
It does say how much God loves us, but even better,
it tells stories of those who questioned, failed, and ran.

Of whom, Gideon is one.
His story is full of adventure as a “nothing” became one of God’s great warriors. One weak man is lavishly loved as a result of God’s relentless pursuit!

Gideon’s story unfolds while his people were being punished for their continued rebellion against God. False gods and lies were everywhere. His own father had built idols to the pagan god Baal. He had grown up hearing about this all-powerful God, but had never seen Him do much, if anything, in his own lifetime.

As Gideon was working, doing his ordinary low-honor job of threshing wheat, an angel appeared telling him he would save Israel from their oppressive enemy.
Gideon started asking a bunch of questions, kind of like we do sometimes.

How?
Why me?

Then Gideon asks for a sign.
To which, God responds with three signs, proving He is God and His word is trustworthy.

I’ve heard the debates.
Gideon shouldn’t have questioned God.
He shouldn’t have asked Him to prove Himself with the fleece (again!).

But see our God?!
Did God walk away from Gideon saying, “Oh forget it, I’ll get someone else.”
Or
“You are too weak for this, never mind.”
No.
He answered the questions, He gave the sign.
God met Gideon where he was!

Today, His sign is His Word and His confirmation the transformed lives of ordinary people who have taken Him at His word, trusted His faithfulness, and seen the incredible!

Many times, I’ve questioned God.
Recently, I was at a loss, confused and questioning everything, but I knew His Word was the medium He used to speak.  I randomly opened my Bible to Psalm 94 and His voice faithfully spoke:
“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheers my soul.” (verse 19)
“But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.”  (verse 22)

Did God get mad and turn His back?
No, He reminded me Who He is.

Gideon had never heard God speak or seen His miraculous works.
His faith was weak.

The Lord called Gideon to do two jobs, tear down his father’s idols and save Israel. God miraculously showed Himself to Gideon by burning up Gideon’s offering sitting on a rock and covered in broth. He experienced God firsthand, so he obeyed and tore down the idols.

Again, God proved Himself with Gideon’s fleece, once being wet and once being dry.
Gideon’s encounter with the Almighty, gave him the faith he needed to go off to war and defeat his enemies in the face of insurmountable odds stacked high against him.
Each time God showed Himself, the stronger Gideon’s faith grew.
The easier it became to follow without question.

I am like Gideon, my faith grows as I see God working in the living testimonies around me and speaking actively through His Word.
The more I choose to trust Him, the easier I follow without hesitation.

I’ve questioned.
I’ve run.
I’ve failed.
Holding onto lies, believing God has failed me, I might decide not to open my Bible or worship as I could.  I isolate myself from others because of the hurt I believe God caused.

But His grace found me in in the pit!
“He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.”
(Psalm 40:2)

God did not let Gideon go, desert him, or turn His back in anger, neither will He do for us! His unending love will never end, always giving chase.

He is Determined.
He is Unstoppable.
He is Persistent.
He is Relentless Love!

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

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