redeemer

Word Day 14 Chosen, Appointed, Loved, Persecuted: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Chosen, Appointed, Loved, Persecuted!

The Questions

1) How does having the joy of Jesus make our joy complete? (verse 11) 

2) What does Jesus mean in saying, “If they kept My word, they will also keep yours?” (verse 20)

3) To what passage is Jesus referring when He states, “They hated me for no reason.” (verse 25) 

John 15:9-25

9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.

18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they don’t know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.

Original Intent

1) How does having the joy of Jesus make our joy complete? (verse 11)
In John 15:9-10 Jesus tells His disciples to remain in His love and keep His commands. He says, “I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11) Having the joy only Jesus can give will makes their joy complete. This fullness of joy comes from following the commands Jesus gives to His followers. Jesus proclaims that obeying God is the same as loving God when He says, “If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love.” (John 15:10) Obedience to God causes us to remain in a close loving relationship with Him; this intimacy brings us the deep Joy of Christ. Remaining in God’s love is to dwell in His presence because God is love (1 John 4:16) When we remain in His loving presence, then we are enveloped in the fullness of His joy as a result. (Psalm 16:11)    Jesus calls this “complete” joy. (John 15:11) Author, Melissa Kruger, explains, “Jesus is the source of our joy, and He’s the sustainer of it. Apart from Him, our lives are empty, meaningless attempts to find satisfaction. (…) Our desire for joy is ultimately a desire for Jesus.” When we love God and keep His commands, we experience complete joy because our obedience brings us closer to Jesus, the source of our joy.

2) What does Jesus mean in saying, “If they kept My word, they will also keep yours?” (verse 20)
In John 15:20, Jesus reminds His disciples, “Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours.” The overall gist of the passage is clearly understood, the world will treat Jesus’ followers the same way it treated Him. But the phrase, “kept My word” causes some confusion. Some people see it as sarcasm. Author, John Knox, suggests Jesus is saying, ‘they will pay the same attention to your words as to mine; that is, none.”  John Gill notes that the remarks can be taken positively or negatively, “either they will attend to your doctrines, or they will make the same spiteful remarks, and put the same evil constructions on your words as on mine.” We learn from the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Scholars that “The phrase ‘keep the word (or words)’ of any one is frequent in this Gospel . . . [and] occurs in John’s writings only.” John chooses to emphasize the fact that, in the eyes of the world, the disciples’ words are the same as Jesus’ words. Choosing to obey Christ and share the Good News of the Gospel comes with the blessing of complete joy, but there is also a cost. The disciples saw Jesus persecuted and ultimately killed for the words He said, and they chose to love and obey God even though He warned the same would happen to them. The love and joy that comes from following Christ was a bigger blessing than the persecution was a deterrent. Let’s share Christ’s words today, praying God will use them to impact lives and bring life to those around us, no matter the opposition rising against us!

3) To what passage is Jesus referring when He states, “They hated me for no reason.” (verse 25) 
In John 15:25, Jesus describes people who hate Him and who hate His Father.  He says of them, “But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.” When He says, “written in their law,” He is referring to the Jewish religious leaders who purport to love God’s law, but who are, ironically, fulfilling it by hating God’s Son. Jesus explains their selfish motivation for hating Him in John 15:22 when He says, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin.” The law He refers to comes from Psalm 69:4, where David says that “Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head; my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me, are powerful.  Though I did not steal, I must repay.” This Psalm, along with Psalm 39:15 and Psalm 109:3, are among the Old Testament Messianic prophecies that Jesus ultimately fulfills. The Pulpit Commentary asserts that “Jesus knew . . . that He would have to complete and fulfill the solemn portraiture of the suffering, burden-bearing, and rejected Christ, as well as that of the triumphant Christ and King.”  Knowing He would be despised, rejected, and hated for no reason, Jesus still chose to be our Reconciler, bringing us into a right relationship with God the Father through His death and resurrection. He is our Redeemer and also our King, leading us into abundant life as we follow His Word and trust in His plan for our lives.

Everyday Application

1) How does having the joy of Jesus make our joy complete? (verse 11)
It happens to every parent or teacher, regardless of their skill or acumen. A child in their care will purposefully disobey some clearly stated rule. When caught, they might deny their guilt (though the case against them is air-tight) or, when they see there is no way out, they pour on the apologies and “I love you” professions. They are likely trying to soften their consequences, but they also seem to understand that disobedience puts us outside of a close and loving relationship we would otherwise enjoy. This is the same idea Jesus conveys to us in John 15:10 when He declares, “If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love.” Jesus presents it as a simple equation, obedience equals love. Author, Leon Morris, points out, “This is not some mystical experience. It is simple obedience. It is when a man keeps Christ’s commandments that he abides in Christ’s love.” When we obey God and abide in His love, Jesus promises our joy will be complete, not lacking anything. (John 15:11) Without the joy of communion and intimacy with God, which we experience by obeying Him through loving Him and others, our joy is not full. We may have moments of joy, but we lack the sustaining joy that only comes with abiding in Christ. Author Scotty Smith explains it was Jesus’ obedience “that earned the fullness of God’s love for us, and it’s our obedience that frees us to enjoy every good thing we have in [Christ.]” My desire is to love and obey God and live in freedom to enjoy all the good things He has in store for me. My heart’s cry is to love and obey God at every turn and experience the full joy of life in Jesus!

2) What does Jesus mean in saying, “If they kept My word, they will also keep yours?” (verse 20)
Jesus is very clear to His disciples in John 15:20 that they would be persecuted for following Him. While the wording at the end of the passage can be difficult to understand (“If they kept My word, they will also keep yours,”) the meaning is clear. According to the Expositor’s Greek Testament, “In so far as they are identified with Him, their experience will be identical with His. The attitude of the world does not alter.” Jesus is transparent with His followers. He doesn’t promise all the good stuff up front and then spring the persecution part of it on us when we sign on the dotted line. Christ’s sacrifice is the very heart of the Gospel. 1 Peter 2:24 tells us Jesus died on the cross so we could live as a result of His death and ultimate victory over the grave. His invitation to live as Jesus did includes the invitation to love like He loves, sacrificially. Jesus says in John 15:12-13, “This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” If you don’t know Jesus’ love or the freedom He gives for yourself, this call to be like Jesus might not seem very appealing at first glance. Why risk the pain of persecution? Hebrews 12:2 tells us Jesus endured the pain of the cross for the joy set before Him. To Jesus, it was pure joy to reconcile all people to God. In like manner, He promises us complete joy if we love Him and obey His commands. (John 15:11) Abiding in Christ and living in fullness of joy are part of the benefits of obeying God, along with the many other blessings that come from living life with Christ. May everyone who reads about His love today embrace Him and reach out to others with His love!

3) To what passage is Jesus referring when He states, “They hated me for no reason.” (verse 25) 
When I was little, my parents broke some news to me about my friend, Missy, they thought would upset me. Missy’s parents were divorcing. My ugly response shocked my parents, “Good! I don’t like Missy. She thinks she is so perfect.” My parents explained that my jealousy of Missy’s “perfections” did not reflect poorly on Missy. She was just living her best life, with her long hair, pretty penmanship and gentle, sweet spirit. Since I didn’t have the patience to grow out my hair, or practice my handwriting, or hold my tongue when angry, I hated those characteristics in Missy. In a way, my attitude was like that of the Pharisees and Sadducees who hated Jesus without reason. (John 15:25) Jesus said their hatred stemmed from the fact that He showed them sin in their lives, and they did not appreciate it. (John 15:22) They should have pleaded for Him to change them when Jesus revealed sin in their lives, but instead of repentance, they hated Jesus and plotted to kill Him. (Matthew 26:3) Sometimes my response is still ugly when Jesus reveals sin in my life. I ignore that twinge of conscience when I watch certain programs. I pretend not to notice the person God keeps asking me to help. Instead of turning from my sin and embracing His ways, I resist. I don’t want to see my sin clearly, because then I will need to either decide to change my ways or go against God. I have no good reason to hate God by continuing in my sin except for my own selfishness. If you also struggle with choosing your own will over God’s, join me today in declaring His ways are better and higher than our ways. (Isaiah 55:9) We can rejoice that He is working in us to help us want to do His will. (Philippians 2:13)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Chosen, Appointed, Loved, Persecuted!

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

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

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Word Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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 :-))

Memorize It!

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Redeemed Week 3

3 Comments

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) On Monday, Stacy asked, “What do we do in our uncertainty? How will we handle the waiting?”. Naomi experienced seasons of loss and emptiness, of heartache and even anger, all the while, she was waiting. In the midst of the waiting, she truly didn’t know if she would ever see redemption with her eyes in this world. I know I’ve been there too. This is the stuff deep faith is made of, my friends. As the Lord strips us of familiarity and comfort, He allows us to see our need for Him, in whom exists unending delight and satisfaction. It is here in the waiting for Him, in the dearth of sweet, happy feelings, we learn the rhythm of His faithful heartbeat of love. Not feeling close to the Lord is completely expected during seasons of waiting, but take heart! He is growing your faith!

2) Boaz had seemingly nothing to gain in marrying Ruth. He incurred Naomi’s debt and the responsibility of caring for two women. Yet, he still chose to take on the role of kinsman-redeemer. Have you ever experienced a similar set of circumstances as Ruth and Naomi? Perhaps you felt as you had nothing to offer. Maybe you struggle with being “not enough”, or even “too much”. Maybe you feel as if you’re abilities aren’t valuable, or that your contribution and investment isn’t seen or noticed because it’s too small. Tightly embrace this truth, “The Lord Loves Your Weakness”, for in your weakness, His strength brilliantly shines as YOUR redeemer! In the face of our nothing, He brings His everything to lavishly love and make new whatever we surrender in fullness to Him.

3) Often, a phrase my husband will repeat when we are in conflict, is, “I just don’t understand you.” My heart response is a quick, “You’re right! You don’t understand me!”. Similarly, on a broader scope, I look around at where I’ve landed in life, what I’ve accomplished (and what I haven’t), I see my losses, I wish for what I feel should have been, and I call out, “God, I just don’t understand!” You could have fixed this, or healed her, or rescued him, or given this, but You didn’t, Lord! It’s times like this, where the Spirit reminds me that, “You’re right! You don’t understand!”, but that’s okay. I am not called to understand, only to obey, and as I obey, the Lord God of the Universe will strengthen my eyes of faith and give courage to my heart to trust Him, and Him alone instead of me! The next time you feel yourself crying out your exasperation to the heavens, remember it’s okay that you don’t get it, or see all the pieces woven together. Choose trust.

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 John 16:33 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Prayer Journal
Father, thank You for teaching me recently of the constant presence of peace You faithfully provide. Like Peter walking on the water as long as he kept his eyes on you, so can I experience peace in the middle of the swirling, loud tumbling of life. Your presence did not leave Peter as he sank into the water, but he had chosen fear over faith. Lift my eyes again and again to Yours, my Father. Remind me on repeat that Your peace is always available. Teach my heart to worship, keep me humble, and increase my faith!

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

Redeemed Day 14 Paid In Full: Digging Deeper

2 Comments

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 Paid In Full!

The Questions

1) What is meant by “kinsman redeemer”? (Ruth 4:1-3)

2) Were women truly considered commodities to be bought? (Ruth 4:5-6)

3) Why is the genealogy at the end of Ruth so important? (Ruth 4:18-22)

Ruth 4

Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So, Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So, they sat down. 3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

Original Intent

1) What is meant by “kinsman redeemer”? (Ruth 4:1-3)
Naomi and Ruth were in a bit of a predicament. They moved back to Naomi’s town, but with no money, and no place to live, as her deceased husband had sold their land before fleeing due to the famine, they were destitute. Naomi knew of a redeemer, some translations say, “kinsman redeemer”, which means a near relative who is in a position of stepping in to “redeem” her current situation. (Ruth 2:20) In the original language, the root word for redeemer is ‘ga al’, meaning “to redeem, or buy back”. The Lord had designed the role of kinsman redeemer as means of protecting a woman and her family, or sometimes giving provision for a slave. (Exodus 21:8) Outside of Ruth and Naomi’s story, there are several other instances of kinsman redeemers in the Old Testament. Job also knew he had a kinsmen redeemer, however, he wasn’t referring to a human redeemer to save him from his circumstances. Rather, by God’s all-knowing Spirit, Job pointed forward to a coming Messiah who would offer redemption for all peoples. (Job 19:25) The prophet Isaiah confirms Job’s words hundreds of years later in Isaiah 43:14, “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel…”. Regardless of the reference in Scripture, the role of the redeemer always carries the idea of “buying back as a gift of grace”, meant to elevate the status of the one being redeemed.

2) Were women truly considered commodities to be bought? (Ruth 4:5-6)
From reading Ruth’s story, it may seem like women had little worth and they truly were commodities for sale, which is largely true. The ancient eastern culture was patriarchal, meaning men held sole power and authority. Whether it was over a nation, a large city, the synagogue, or a home, the voice of a man was the only voice that mattered. Women were allotted the role of homemaking, and even more critically important, childbearing, especially bearing a son who would carry on the male lineage. The father selected a suitable husband for his daughter and, when it came to slaves, women were sold at a lower price. In Ruth’s case, the true prize in the near relative’s view, was foremost Elimelech’s land, and secondary, Ruth. When we read Ruth’s story, we must put on these cultural glasses so we can properly see how God’s perspective of women was vastly different. He elevated women to be equal with men in importance and value. He esteemed women so highly He ensured their inclusion, by name, in the lineage of Jesus, God’s Son. Even the concept of “kinsman redeemer” was put in place by God in order to elevate and safeguard women in a patriarchal society. These laws were given by the Lord in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. (Deuteronomy 25:5-6 and Leviticus 25:23-28) The relative who was first in line to carry out the duties of kinsman redeemer, didn’t want Ruth; he was only interested in the land. When he discovered that Ruth came along with it, he turned down his duty because it would jeopardize his inheritance. This could have meant he was married with other children or it could be another reason entirely. Thankfully, Boaz stepped in and was willing to pay the price for Ruth.  Throughout the book of Ruth, we see Boaz elevating Ruth; He didn’t view women as simply a commodity, but as people worthy of honor and respect.

3) Why is the genealogy at the end of Ruth so important? (Ruth 4:18-22)
In Old Testament times, family lineage was an important piece of Jewish and Hebrew culture. Who you came from, who your people married, and how far back you could trace Jewish bloodlines carried significant importance. Extreme value, and whole identities, stemmed from one’s heritage. The ideal lineage could be traced all the way back to the fathers of the faith, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In fact, this supreme importance of clear lineage is why the Samaritans were such outcasts in Jesus’ day as Jews had intermarried with Samaritans, creating a mixed race. Great care was taken to ensure people with distasteful lifestyle choices or poor reputations were avoided, even cut off from Israel, as to be certain of a “clean bloodline”.  For this same reason, women were rarely, if ever, included in a genealogical listing; they were viewed as non-entities and were typically ignored. God, however, radically upends these ideas by including both women and persons of ill-repute in His human family tree! The genealogy at the end of Ruth is a small snippet of the full one found in the New Testament, preserved in both Luke and Matthew. Luke takes the genealogy found in Ruth 4 and begins with Jesus Christ working backwards until arriving at the first man made in God’s image, Adam. It is important to note that some of this family tree was foretold by prophets thousands of years before Jesus was born.  Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would come from the family lineage of Jesse. (Isaiah 11:1-2)

Everyday Application

1) What is meant by “kinsman redeemer”? (Ruth 4:1-3)
Your life doesn’t need to be destroyed and your children tragically killed like Job, or be impoverished like Ruth and Naomi, to be in need of a kinsman redeemer. Just being you is qualifier enough! We are all broken, whether we like to admit it or not.  We need rescuing! Maybe you’ve had a friend jump start your car, or maybe you’ve received a warning instead of a speeding ticket, or perhaps your “rescue” was not being marked late for work or class.  These everyday rescues are common graces the Lord kindly gives, but our greatest need for rescue runs much deeper to the core of our nature as human beings. We are, each of us, tragically cut off from a relationship with the God of the Universe because of our sin. This sin earns us the penalty of eternal death, forever separating us from God, from love, from life, and from forgiveness. (Romans 6:23) Our need for this kind of rescue is found only the pure, holy God who willingly sacrificed Himself on our behalf that we might be restored. With His blood, Jesus redeems those who trust in Him; He “buys us back” from the kingdom of Sin and Death. (Ephesians 1:7) He “redeems our life from the grave” that we might enjoy His lavish “love and mercy”. (Psalm 103:4) This Jesus is the same Redeemer the prophets foretold would come in the Old Testament and He is the same Redeemer Paul wrote about to the churches in Corinth and Galatia. (1 Corinthians 1:30, Galatians 4:5) Jesus is our Eternal Redeemer, adopting us as God’s sons and daughters if we turn to Him in faith, repent of our sin, and surrender our lives to Him. (Ephesians 1:5)

2) Were women truly considered commodities to be bought? (Ruth 4:5-6)
Just as the Lord God placed value on women in the Old Testament in many ways, including the law of the kinsman redeemer, so did Jesus exemplify this same valuing of women when during His earthly ministry. Rather than viewing women as a commodity to be bought, sold, or traded, He esteemed women. In John 4 Jesus went out of His way to travel to Samaria, intentionally stopping at a Samaritan well at midday where He met a woman who was an outcast.  His chat with her set in motion a revival in a city with mixed races who were considered pariah by traditional Jews! Following her encounter with Jesus, Mary Magdalene traveled with the disciples, serving where needed in Jesus’ earthly ministry. (Luke 8:1-3) Talk about a coveted position! Additionally, she was one of the last to leave the scene of Christ’s crucifixion (John 19:25, Luke 23:49) and the first to see Jesus resurrected in the garden (John 20:15-16)! Jesus was also friends with Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha. He even protected Mary’s position of sitting at His feet to learn from Him as His student, a position traditionally only permitted for males. (Luke 10:39-43) Jesus shepherded these sisters, both reprimanding them and loving them deeply. (Luke 10:38-42, Luke 11:17-33)  Be assured that, to Christ, you are not simply a commodity! You are so valued that Christ your Redeemer purchased you with the greatest price. The Savior shed His blood so you might have eternal life with Him! In Christ, there is no sliding scale of value between male and female. (Galatians 3:28)

3) Why is the genealogy at the end of Ruth so important? (Ruth 4:18-22)
Matthew’s record of Jesus’ lineage hides nothing, boldly listing women and people with tarnished character. Because we’ve first put on the necessary “cultural glasses”, we are encouraged and pleasantly surprised to realize how much value God places on women, despite the cultural norms. Ruth, a non-Jew, is listed as well as Tamar, who was manipulated and abused (Matthew 1:3), and Rahab, a Gentile prostitute (Matthew 1:5). Have you ever been shamed or taken advantage of?  Perhaps you’ve dabbled in promiscuity or adultery. By including these women, God was declaring that no one is too far gone to be esteemed and valued for His kingdom work! Guess who Rahab gave birth to? Boaz! The women listed in Jesus’ genealogy were broken, used, and carried deep shame, and most weren’t even Jews! But, they turned to Jehovah, the One True God, and HE redeemed them, using each of their stories in radical ways. Because God is gracious and loving, He saw fit to redeem them and give them a place of honor. God loves you with the same grace and love! He knows where you have been, the shame you carry, and He knows the good kingdom work He has for you in the future if you surrender to Him. He paid the highest price for you, and because of this, we can each call on His name and repent for our past, seeking forgiveness for our sin and freedom from our shame. Jesus doesn’t see us as beyond repair. Be encouraged by these seeming random names at the end of Ruth’s story, they shout of God’s inclusive love and value! God wants you to know you beloved and chosen!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Paid In Full!

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

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

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Redeemed Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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 :-))

Memorize It!

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

Redeemed Day 13 Paid In Full

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ruth 4
Deuteronomy 25:5-6
Leviticus 25:23-28
2 Corinthians 8:7-9

Redeemed, Day 13

High up on a mountain, where two rivers meet and men fought for the freedom of slaves, my then-fiance asked for my hand in marriage.

Harper’s Ferry, October 27, 2001.

There are plenty more details to my engagement story, and don’t you want to hear them all? Who doesn’t love a romantic proposal?

Did you know Ruth 3 is a proposal story? But as we read on to Ruth 4, we see it’s not a romance novel, but a legal thriller!

When we read Scripture, it’s important to first grasp the cultural context. So to begin this study, let’s learn why land, and therefore redeemers, were pivotal to Ruth’s story.

As we’ve discussed previously, Elimelech and his family left their home of origin, Bethlehem, because of famine. Notably, when Elimelech left Bethlehem, he most likely sold his land; this is a safe assumption based on what happens later in the book, and also a significant detail.

For the Israelites, land was vital. While land was ultimately owned by God, parcels of land were assigned to specific tribes, clans, and families from which an Israelite knew his identity and experienced the provision and kindness of God.

When her husband and sons died in Moab, Naomi was in a desperate situation. She was in a foreign land without a provider. According to Torah law, she couldn’t buy back her family’s land in Bethlehem because she was a woman and a widow. She needed a kinsman redeemer.

Naomi knew Boaz could fill the redeemer role, but it was entirely his choice, and a huge responsibility. It’s important to understand Boaz had much to lose in stepping forward as redeemer. Boaz would have to purchase the land from his own wealth, and his first son from marriage to Ruth would be considered Elimelech and Naomi’s heir:

“The women said to Naomi:
Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today [ . . . ]
Indeed, your daughter-in-law [ . . . ] has given birth to him.
Then Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became his nanny.
The neighbor women said, ‘A son has been born to Naomi!’” (Ruth 4:14-17, emphasis mine)

NAOMI is recognized as this child’s mother, not Ruth! And this hours-old baby is recognized as the kinsman redeemer, NOT Boaz.

As a mother of three children whom I carried for nine months, labored with for hours upon hours, and delivered under great distress, this stood out to me greatly. I wanted to scream, “That’s not fair!”

But understanding what was required of Boaz as kinsman redeemer in Jewish culture allows us to see the goodness of God in sending His Son, Jesus, as our kinsman redeemer, in a clearer, more beautiful light.

Just as Boaz had everything to lose and only relationship with the woman he loved to gain, Jesus had everything to lose and only relationship with us to gain in becoming our kinsman redeemer.

Jesus not only gave up His life; He gave up perfect communion with His Father in Heaven.
He gave up sole claim on His inheritance to share it with us.
He gave up His righteousness to take on our sin.
He gave up His divinity to take on human flesh.
And then, He gave up that flesh to a shameful death through cruel crucifixion.
All He had to gain was us, who, like Naomi, brought nothing but our desperate need.

Ruth is a book screaming of the upside-down nature of God’s ways. Truly, it’s not actually about Ruth; Naomi is more prominent than Ruth. We could even make a case for Boaz being a more central character than Ruth!

Yet, the book is named “Ruth,” and the genealogy of Jesus outlined in Matthew includes Ruth intentionally.

I surmise this is a signpost, reminding us of the inclusive nature of our God. He not only longs for all to know Him; He wants all to play a part in His redemptive story!

Don’t miss the prophetic nature of Ruth, either. Dire circumstances bring Naomi and Ruth back to Bethlehem, the same town where Mary and Joseph would one day travel under dire circumstances, and the same town where it was prophesied the Messiah would be born.

At the time of loss, Naomi and Ruth didn’t comprehend their place in God’s amazing redemption story; all they knew was their need.

At the time of their journey, Joseph and Mary could not have grasped the full scope of their roles in His redemptive story. All they knew was their need to get to Bethlehem and possibly deliver an illegitimate child along the way.

Could it be all we know right now is our need and yet, within that need, God is working out His master plan, amazing and redemptive and full of His glory?

The story of Ruth shows us how God preserved an entire family line
and how God preserved and provided for ONE person—one woman—within that lineage, Ruth.

God does not forsake the individual for the good of the group, nor does He sacrifice His ultimate redemptive plan to care for the needs of one. He, unlike us, accomplishes it all simultaneously, making a way where there appears to be none.

In God’s desire and plan to redeem people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, He does not gloss over each person within those people groups. He sees one and He sees all. He loves just one, and He loves all.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Redeemed Week Three! 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 Redeemed!

Redeemed Day 12 The Waiting Game: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Waiting Game!

The Questions

1) Why does it matter that Boaz is a relative?

2) Why would Ruth uncover his feet and lie down?

3) Why does Ruth agree in verse 5?

Ruth 3:1-5

3 Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find rest for you, so that you will be taken care of? 2 Now isn’t Boaz our relative? Haven’t you been working with his female servants? This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash, put on perfumed oil, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, notice the place where he’s lying, go in and uncover his feet, and lie down. Then he will explain to you what you should do.”
5 So Ruth said to her, “I will do everything you say.”

Original Intent

1) Why does it matter that Boaz is a relative?
Ruth and Naomi are both widows.  Being a widow during Old Testament days meant a life of poverty. Expositor’s Bible Commentary describes their life this way, “lonely, with no prospect before them but hard toil that would by and by fail, unable to undertake anything on their own account, and still regarded with indifference, if not suspicion, by the people of Bethlehem.” Their life would have little to no hope unless someone stepped in to provide. God, in His wisdom, had provided for this reality within Israelite culture by means of a relative. Ruth and Naomi needed a “kinsman redeemer”, who was typically the closest male relative, in order to have assurance of provision for their future. While Boaz was not the closest relative, he was the closest relative willing to take on this responsibility. As long as the closest relative agreed, the next in lineage, would have the opportunity to step in as “kinsman redeemer”.

2)Why would Ruth uncover his feet and lie down?
When we read Naomi’s instructions to Ruth they seem inappropriate, at best, within our modern context. However, Expositor’s Bible Commentary helps us understand what Ruth is truly doing. “Ruth is to go to the threshing floor on the night of the harvest festival, wait until Boaz lies down to sleep beside the mass of winnowed grain, and place herself at his feet, so reminding him that, if no other will, it is his duty to be a husband to her for the sake of Elimelech and his sons.” (Expositors) Ruth is presenting herself to Boaz in hopes of redemption. This was not a scandalous action, rather, it was common for a servant to lay at the feet of their master.  Naomi is encouraging Ruth to present herself in hopes that Boaz will marry her, or find another relative to do so, therefore redeeming her (and Naomi). Matthew Henry says, “Naomi herself designed nothing but what was honest and honourable, and her charity (which believeth all things and hopeth all things) banished and forbade all suspicion that either Boaz or Ruth would attempt anything but what was likewise honest and honourable. If Naomi’s instructions were as indecent and immodest (according to the usage of the country) as they seem to us now, we cannot think that if Naomi had had so little virtue (which yet we have no reason to suspect) she would also have had so little wisdom as to put her daughter upon it, since that alone might have marred the match, and have alienated the affections of so grave and good a man as Boaz from her. We must therefore think that the thing did not look so ill then as it does now.”

3) Why does Ruth agree in verse 5?
If Naomi’s instructions seem strange to us, then what must we think of Ruth’s agreement! Surely, it speaks to Ruth’s character. Matthew 1:5 includes Ruth in the genealogy of Jesus which speaks greatly of her faith and character. By no means was she perfect, but she was chosen much like Abraham, Noah, Moses, and so many others because God knew their heart and chose to work through them, despite their weaknesses. Matthew Henry says, “We may be sure, if Ruth had apprehended any evil in that which her mother advised her to, she was a woman of too much virtue and too much sense to promise as she did (verse 5), “All that thou sayest unto me I will do.” Thus, must the younger submit to the elder, and to their grave and prudent counsels, when they have nothing worth speaking of to object against it.” Ruth found no objection in Naomi’s instruction and therefore agreed to follow it.

Everyday Application

1) Why does it matter that Boaz is a relative?
While we do not live in Old Testament days, we are still in need of a redeemer. In our flesh and humanity, we are just as Ruth and Naomi, lost and hopeless in our sin, “unable to undertake anything on their own account” (Expositors). We are all born with a sin nature and not one of us has lived without sin, except for Jesus.  Matthew Henry says, “that he is our near kinsman; having taken our nature upon him, he is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.” It is through His sacrifice that we are redeemed. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, provision was made possible for the eternal future of every single person who believes on Him with full trust and faith. A future that includes a restored relationship with God and an eternity spent delighting in His love for us and then reflecting that love back to Him in worship.

2) Why would Ruth uncover his feet and lie down?
This action seems completely immoral in our sight. However, we cannot assume that to be the intention Naomi (or Ruth in her agreement) had as they made this decision. Ruth presented herself to her redeemer and awaited further instruction from him. She did not make advances, but sought redemption. We must do likewise with our redeemer, Christ Jesus. Matthew Henry says, “Thus must we lay ourselves at the feet of our Redeemer, to receive from him our doom. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” We should lay ourselves at His feet seeking His direction and guidance. His plans and ways are always best, we simply need to ask, listen, and then obey. We come with humility and total trust and acceptance of His response, which, according to Scripture, we already know is glad welcome and the gift of eternity with Him! As we lay ourselves down in surrender, the Lord Jesus redeems us, raising us to walk in newness of life!

3) Why does Ruth agree in verse 5?
Ruth is a foreigner in Israel. She listens to the guidance of her Israelite mother-in-law trusting she knew best. Her obedience is not blind, rather a result of trust built in a relationship. She knew Naomi and trusted she would not guide her into destruction, but a better life. In our lives, we face situations and decisions where we need to seek the wisdom of others. We need to surround ourselves with believers who are wiser than us and whose guidance we can seek. However, we must also be willing to listen, like Ruth did, to the guidance given. Ruth would have lived a much different life had she not heeded the council of Naomi. God places people in our lives who, along with the direction of the Holy Spirit, guide us into a much different life than we can lead on our own. We are not meant to walk this journey of life alone, but with others who can help support, guide, and direct us into the best of what God has for us. However, just like Ruth, we must know the guidance being given is done in wisdom from the Lord. We determine this through an established relationship with the person and by spending time seeking the Lord through prayer and study of His Word. If we are given sound, biblical wisdom, it will always line up with what the Lord says in His word.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with The Waiting Game!

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

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

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Redeemed Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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 :-))

Memorize It!

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

Redeemed Day 4 The Lord Is Against Me: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Lord Is Against Me!

The Questions

1) What does “at the right time” mean for the helpless? (verse 6)

2) How does God prove His love for us? (verse 8)

3) What does the apostle Paul, the author, mean by saying that we will be saved “much more” by Christ’s life? (verses 9-10)

Romans 5:6-11

6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 How much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.

Original Intent

1) What does “at the right time” mean for the helpless? (verse 6)
Chapter 5 begins by recounting the gains that come with being declared righteous by God. The righteousness of Abraham has been credited to all who have his same faith in God’s promise of a Redeemer. (Romans 4:20-24) As we stand in His grace, we experience peace with God, and we rejoice in our temporary suffering because of future hope. Paul begins with the good news before describing our condition in Adam (Romans 6:12-14) as part of the human race. It is especially good news because we recognize how the world was primed for Christ’s coming. Paul writes, “God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.” Paul was always in awe of God’s love for people who didn’t deserve it. Just like himself! (1 Timothy 1:13-15) His love isn’t given to us in a trickle, it is poured out in our hearts. A broken and hopeless world was eager in every way for Christ’s appearance. Jews and Gentiles alike were spiritually, economically, linguistically, politically, philosophically, and geographically prepped and ready for a Savior they so desperately needed. (Malachi 3:1, John 6) So, Christ died exactly when we who were sinners needed a Savior. His timing was just right for all. (enduringword.com)

2) How does God prove His love for us? (verse 8)
What a difficult decision was made for the Father to send His only Son to an undeserving world! (John 3:14-17) In the Son, God was reconciling to Himself those who were vile and rebellious. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) Paul understood the enormous sacrifice God was making. Beyond our human comprehension, God’s love is so deep that He gave Himself through Christ on the cross. Jesus’ unity with the Father is shrouded in mystery, but it is also an essential and core belief to understanding the love of God. (John 10:25-30) The finished work of Jesus’ death on the cross is the definitive proof of God’s love. He can give no greater proof.
“It would be easy to see the cross as demonstrating the indifference of God, a God who let the innocent Jesus be taken by wicked men, tortured, and crucified while He did nothing. Unless there is a sense in which the Father and Christ are one, it is not the love of God that the cross shows.” (Morris, Epistle to the Romans)

3) What does the apostle Paul, the author, mean by saying that we will be saved “much more” by Christ’s life? (verses 9-10)
Previously (verses 1-5), Paul referred to five blessings of being declared righteous (aka, justification): 1) righteousness itself (verse 1); 2) peace with God and 3) access to God (verse 2); 4) joy in the hope of God (verses 3-5); and 5) the indwelling Holy Spirit (verse 5b). Still there is “much more” the Lord gives! Paul explained how our sin separates us from God resulting in our helplessness to save ourselves. But God’s love is so great He offers us reconciliation through Jesus Christ’s death. Even greater though is our deliverance from His holy wrath. Paul refused to separate himself from this vitally important truth about salvation, while it is true we must be saved from our own unrighteousness (Romans 3:22-26), as God’s enemies we must also be rescued from His righteous wrath (verse 10). John Trapp said, “It is a greater work of God to bring men to grace, than, being in the state of grace, to bring them to glory; because sin is far more distant from grace than grace is from glory.” (studylight.org) It is mercy to us that we are reconciled to God through the death of Jesus. It is even greater mercy that we will be rescued from being eternally separated from God, and from His angry judgment

Everyday Application

1) What does “at the right time” mean for the helpless? (verse 6)
It likely seemed late to those waiting for hundreds of years. But Jesus’ coming – His birth, death and resurrection – was done at the perfect time in God’s plan. (Galatians 4:4-5) We are told by Paul that God’s love is communicated through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5) The Spirit, also given at the right time (Acts 2:1-4), helps us recognize and walk in God’s love every day. In the 80s, singer, Sandi Patti, sang these words, “The Father gave the Son, the Son gave the Spirit, and the Spirit gives us life so we can give the gift of love. And the gift goes on.” (The Gift Goes On) We were doomed. We were needy. And God showed up in His impeccable timing with a perfect gift! “Helpless emphasizes moral frailty rather than physical weakness. We were quite powerless to help ourselves or even to understand. In short we were up a creek without a paddle, and did not even understand our abysmal predicament.” But JUST IN TIME God’s love triumphed where human power (and understanding) failed.” (preceptaustin.org)

2) How does God prove His love for us? (verse 8)
“What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul! What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul?” (Author Anonymous) In his book, “What Do we Believe, Why Does it Matter?”, Professor Jeff Asley said, “When we see how Jesus died, we ‘pour contempt on all our pride’. On the cross, which is the ultimate sign of man’s hatred, the love of God accepts humankind in its most extreme sinfulness and bitter enmity. God’s ideal love both motivates us and empowers us to emulate this love.” God proved His love by dying for His enemies. The apostle John said in his gospel, quoting Jesus, that no one has greater love than to willingly die for a friend. (John 15:13) Jesus went even further, however, and loved even more greatly when He died for His enemies. “Amazing love, can it be that I should gain from the Savior’s blood? Me, the one who cause His pain. The one who caused Him to pursue death. Oh, how can it be that God would die for me?!” (Charles Wesley)

3) What does the apostle Paul, the author, mean by saying that we will be saved “much more” by Christ’s life? (verses 9-10)
MUCH MORE! Sisters, it is difficult to fathom any more grace being bestowed upon us! Rebecca said, “He is not repulsed by our lack of faith, our bitter tears, our slowly plodding feet, or the misnomers with which we title our stories. He smiles, holds out His hand, wipes our tears, and invites us to take just one more step. When we pushed the Lord away angrily, He drew near and sacrificed Himself for us, spilling His blood and providing the payment for a debt to Death we owed, but could never pay.” As the redeemed ones, we are presently experiencing the ‘much more’ of our salvation as we also wait for the ‘much more’ of our salvation. It’s past, it’s present, and it’s future grace. We have experienced a pardon from God, though we were guilty if we choose to accept it. That finished work of Jesus on the cross sustains us day to day. And one day, His shed blood will eternally purify us and protect us from God’s reasonable wrath. (Hebrews 9:11-14)
“Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power,
till all the ransomed ones of God be saved, to sin no more.
Till all the ransomed ones of God be saved to sin no more.” (by William Cowper)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with The Lord Is Against Me!

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

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

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Redeemed Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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 :-))

Memorize It!

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Worship VI Week 1

Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Where have you “felt the brokenness of the world with your own two hands”? Do you feel yourself shy away inside as your mind brings those unbidden thoughts and feelings to the surface? Are you skimming forward past these words, quickly hiding the painful scenarios or cutting words back in the corner from where they came? Brokenness. Shame. Gaping wounds. Grief so deep. Loneliness. Loss. Weariness. Fear. This brokenness is everywhere, isn’t it? But Oh praise God we have a Redeeming Rescuer! One who heals, One who brings life, One who binds up, One who brings justice, One who brings to light what was done in secret, One who l o v e s. Will you do something brave this weekend with me? Will you bring up one, just one, of those aching broken places and hold it in your hands while you talk with the Savior about its painful edges? I will pray for you as you do; pray for me!

2)  What have been some of your “seasons of wilderness”? What has been the prevailing factor in that desert time that has most discouraged you or caused you pain? Maybe it’s loneliness, loss, fear, or even anger. In looking back at other dry, weary seasons, what good have you seen coming from that time of stretching? What impact would a shift in your perspective have? What if we began viewing our seasons as opportunities for God to draw us close and make us more like Himself instead of begging Him to release us from the suffering? It is wisdom and maturity in Christ to choose surrendered submission in our wilderness prayers!

3)  What was the reason you last decided to intentionally praise God? Whether it was vocally or in your heart, think back to the last time you remember praising Him for something in particular. Now, think back to the last time you praised Him for the good work He was doing in the midst of your life’s storm. If you’re in a storm right now, take time to physically hold out your hands as you pray, choosing praise for His character in the face of your circumstances. Ask Him to reveal more of Himself to you, showing you His glory. If you aren’t in a season of struggle right now, intentionally take this time to walk closer with the Lord. Be consistent in your quiet time Bible study, journal your prayers and study notes, connect with an accountability partner to grow together, take a vow of silence to listen more intently to the Father, and choose praise. Practicing praise in easy times, will prepare us for worship in trial.

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 Exodus 33:18 back to the Lord and let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, let me see Your glory!”

Prayer Journal
Please, Lord God, remove from my heart the incessant desire to keep focusing on the temporary, the fleeting circumstances around me that frustrate me, or the people who make me forget I’m human too. Lord, I want to be ensconced by Your presence. Permeate my heart with Your glory; just let me sit here and dwell with you, drinking in Your beauty, that I may be forever transformed as a result. May my heart bring You true worship that honors and delights You. May my eyes be for You and Your magnificence so that nothing else matters because Your mighty love will flow through me to a hurting world. Hear my heart worship, Lord!

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

Worship VI Day 1 Is He Worthy

2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 53:1-12
Revelation 5:1-14
Revelation 7:9-17

Worship VI, Day 1

I have felt the brokenness of the world with my own two hands. I have grasped at broken pieces as they crumble and fall in little heaps on the floor.

I have seen darkness closing in on me as shadows become darker until, it seems, I can’t even see my own hands before my eyes.

I have heard the groans of creation come forth in the sounds of broken-hearted mothers weeping and sirens moaning while babies wail for compassion and children scream for love.

You have, too, haven’t you? You’ve felt the brokenness, seen the darkness, and heard the groans. You’ve ached so deeply in your soul that you’ve felt it physically manifest inside your body. You’ve longed so earnestly in your will for redemption that your beating heart has felt a pull and made your breath catch.

I see you.

It feels hopeless, sometimes, doesn’t it?

Take heart, dear one. The darkness doesn’t stop the light from shining through. No matter how small the light, the darkness will never fully encompass it.
Light always perseveres.

A friend introduced my mom and I to the modern-day-hymn, “Is He Worthy?” about nine months ago, when the brokenness, darkness, and groaning was pouring its way into our lives at every corner. Seven months later, more brokenness, more darkness, and more groans as we prayed my sister into Jesus’ arms and released her earthly body into the same earth we were created from.

Over the last three years, I’ve written many Journey Studies for Gracefully Truthful. The more I write, the more I learn about the Almighty, which overflows into deeper, more intimate worship to Him because I more fully comprehend the words I’m singing.

I’ve learned that Jesus coming from the “line of Judah” means that way back in the Old Testament, when Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, had twelve sons, the twelve tribes of Israel came from each son, and Jesus’ genealogy goes all the way back to Judah. In that line is Rahab, the prostitute who God saved because she feared Him, and King David, the shepherd who eventually became King of Israel and was a man after God’s own heart. I know Him better, so I can worship Him deeper.

The chorus of “Is He Worthy?” is taken from Revelation 5.

Is anyone worthy?
Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
From every people and tribe
Every nation and tongue
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God
To reign with the Son

Jesus is the Lion of Judah.
Jesus conquered the grave when He rose from the dead three days after dying.
Jesus is the unsuspecting King, just as David was. 
Jesus died to ransom you and I, who were slaves to our sin and thereby sentenced to eternal death.

Jesus is the great rescue, the Redeemer, and our answer.
Jesus has made a way for every people, every tribe, every nation, every tongue.
When we choose to let Him cover our sins, we join the Heavenly Kingdom, we are made priests to God, and we are heirs with Christ Himself.

Jesus is our living hope!

When the brokenness, darkness, and groans feel like they’re just too much,
when our world seems utterly hopeless…

Take heart!

We are never without hope!
That hope is Jesus.

Our hope exists because the Light of Christ will always overcome darkness!
Our hope is that the world will be made new!
Our hope is that, though the enemy wins battles…
Our God has won the war! 

The Father loves us.
The Spirit moves in and among us.
Jesus is alive and we will dwell with Him one day.

This song has moved and rolled and tumbled inside of me as I’ve listened to it again and again… and again. So. Much. Hope.

I had the privilege of writing about Living Hope – who is Jesus – and the inner shift that happens when we start focusing more on Him. Maybe the darkness doesn’t seem so dark, maybe the closing in isn’t quite so tight.

Because of incorruptible Living Hope.

Because He is King,
Because He is God Himself,
Because He is,
Jesus is worthy. 

He is perfect and holy.
Flawlessly without sin.
And He gave His life so you and I might have life!

He is worthy! He is whole!
He is breaking the seal and opening the scroll that will begin the transformation from old world to new…

We have hope because He is worthy.

Sing (and probably cry) along with me, sisters, as we listen to this song with new understanding and enter into a time of worship that is so much richer, because we know Him more deeply!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

Sketched VI Day 10 Denise

2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 John 1:5-10
Luke 7:41-50
Jeremiah 29:11-14
Jeremiah 33:1-3

Sketched VI, Day 10

I sat there, on the seat while the pastor and my sister sat next to me and prayed over me. She was speaking in tongues, but what I heard from her were all my sins…one by one being laid at the cross to be cleansed and my soul renewed!! 

I was raised believing in God but not really practicing any faith. I had the opportunity to attend church as a child but lost the will to attend or even know God in my teen years. I was distracted in a world of sin and bad choices. I barely graduated high school, dabbled in drugs and alcohol, and had friends that, looking back now, I shouldn’t have called friends. I always knew God was there, but I didn’t seek Him out. Instead, I chased friends, parties, and selfishness.

When I was 20, I found myself pregnant out of wedlock and living far away from family. I was in a relationship with the father, but I was bound and determined not to get married just because I was pregnant. It was a hard season.

I worked in fast food, he worked in clothing. We lived in a TINY 1 bedroom apartment that was roach-infested and I witnessed child abuse across the courtyard. When my daughter was 3 weeks old my mother sent me the money for the marriage license and we wed. I thought it was the right thing to do for my daughter and for us. When she was 8 weeks old, I wasn’t working and he quit his job, which sent us home to my folks in Kansas City. He found a job and we moved into a 2-bedroom apartment. I soon found a job as well, and we attempted to do life.

Having my daughter, that sweet innocent gift, is what changed my mindset.
I knew I couldn’t do this on my own anymore. My husband was immature and we fought constantly. I was almost ready to leave when I found out I was pregnant with our second child. A Son. I tried to stick it out, surviving until our son was 18 months, before I moved out and embarked on the journey of being a single mom with two very tiny children.

Somewhere in the middle of all the chaos right before I left, was that morning I went to church with my sister and she prayed over me.

I am NOT a morning person…but I woke up early that day and phoned her.
“What time is church?”

She gave me the time, but said I could go to a later service if I wanted.
“No, I will be there.”

I hustled, got the kids ready, and ran out the door to church. I put the kids in the nursery classes and sat through that sermon. I cannot tell you what he taught on. The message itself didn’t pierce my heart…but God did.

I struggled to hold back tears through the entire service.
I was a mess!
I knew my marriage was ending and I knew I needed God!
At the end of the service when they invited anyone who needed prayer to come forward, I grabbed my sister’s hand and walked to the front. I couldn’t speak, but I wept.

My sister said, “I think she wants to accept Christ.” I could only nod.
The pastor began praying over and for me and my sister was speaking in tongues by my side. But, I heard and understood the words – it was not an inaudible language.
It was the Spirit speaking, and I heard every sin I’d ever committed spoken before God.
My sister didn’t hear that, the pastor didn’t hear it, but I did.

And with each sin spoken at His feet, my heart and soul became clean,
and the burden I had been carrying started to lift.

I would love to say, “I never struggled again and I was perfect from that day on!”
Yeah, that would be a lie.

But, I did have Christ within me, helping me, slowly and gently leading me.
He loved me even when I messed up.
He loved me even when church was not on my radar.
He loved me when I was unlovable. 

Since that day of finding Jesus, so many years ago, I got remarried and had another son and now, I even have three precious grandchildren.

I could tell so many stories from that day to now, but the bottom line is that God alone
is my strength, my Redeemer, my solid ground, and my safe place.
He is there when we ask.

He will show up if you ask Him to show you He is real.
He will!

Simply call, and then watch; He will answer!
I pray you feel His presence today through my story.
I pray He touches you in a new way and that you too are changed by His relentless love!

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched VI Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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