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Reveal Day 10 Strong Joy

December 18, 2020 by Sarah Afan Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 8:9-12
Romans 15:8-13
Luke 2:8-11

Reveal, Day 10

“But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people!’” (Luke 2:10)

“(…) Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

These messages of joy, received by different people at different times,
originated from the same source: God Himself.

This joy was revealed to us through His Son, Jesus, who is Christ the Lord, the representation of God the Father. (Hebrews 1:3)
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
He is the great light shining in the darkness. (Matthew 4:16)

Sin separates mankind from God, the source of our joy, throwing humanity into utter darkness. There, we grope in inky blackness, searching for joy through different means without success.

Until suddenly, into humanity’s desperation comes the greatest news ever declared:

“But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’” (Luke 2:10-11)

The shepherds were dirty, lowly, and homeless. Outcasts without reputation, these were the first recipients of this great news.

What unconditional love God has for all mankind!

Matthew 2:1-12 records the wise men from the east who saw Christ’s star and followed it to find little boy Jesus. Like the shepherds, they made haste to go and see the Christ.

Wealthy magistrates and lowly shepherds displayed one shared response upon welcoming the Savior of the world: joy.

“When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.” (Matthew 2:10, emphasis mine)
“The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God.” (Luke 2:20, emphasis mine)

The joy of God had appeared in flesh to His people!

But not all willingly embraced this exuding joy.

Herod, king of the Jews, rejected this babe who was God Himself, wrapped in flesh come to rescue mankind from their darkness of sin.

Rather than delighting in the great Joy revealed,
Herod chose the cords of dark death,
seeking to kill the Light of the world.

In like manner, the chief priests, with full knowledge of the prophecies surrounding Christ’s birth, treated His coming with indifference and arrogance.

Both Herod and the chief priests were full of themselves.
They rejected the Light of Joy, refusing to allow it to penetrate their hearts.
They missed the great gladness of God.

Like King Herod and the chief priests, not all experience the advent of Joy.

Especially at Christmas.

Some of us become so busy planning for the event, we forget to acknowledge what Christ’s long-awaited arrival means for our sin-wrecked hearts.

We spend our attention on what will provide immediate pleasure, rather than the real joy of renewed hearts and souls awakened from death to life.

Christmas pleasures come and go, and can leave a wake of frustration or emptiness behind. In his book Peace with God, Billy Graham wrote, “There is a vacuum in the heart of man that only God can fill.” We belong to God, and only in Him can we find lasting joy.

Our sin separates us from Him, but He offered His Son as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins that we might be restored back to Himself and His Joy.

Therefore, rejecting His Son means forfeiting His joy.

The Israelites who returned from captivity during the time of Nehemiah understood the emptiness of life without God. They realized their experience in captivity was a result of their rejection of God. Now, back at home and freed from exile, God’s word was read aloud for the first time in a generation.

As the people realized the devastating extent of their sin, they were heartbroken.

They wept and mourned over their sinful ways.

Nehemiah comforted their rightful grief with these Christmas-like tidings, ‘’Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’’ (Nehemiah 8:10) He told them to celebrate, for the Lord had brought His strong joy near!

What plans are you making this season?
Are you celebrating from the overflow of joy the Savior has revealed?
Or you are focusing on the immediacy of other pleasures?

Israel’s joy washed over them when their hearts repented; centuries later, the shepherds in their lowliness and the wise men in their majesty celebrated the arrival of God’s Joy . . .

. . . For in the city of David, a Savior was born, who is Christ the Lord.
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
If you confess with your mouth that He is Lord,
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

This Christmas, let’s turn our hearts to repentance and acceptance of His gift of grace as we experience His strengthening, magnificent joy!

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Blessed Day 15 Celebrate In Persecution

July 31, 2020 by Mandy Farmer Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 15:18-19
Acts 4:29-31
2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Philippians 1:12-14
Romans 5:3-5

Blessed, Day 15

In the 1950s, a young missionary pilot had a passion for the Huaorani tribe in Ecuador. This tribe was suspicious of, and known to kill, all outsiders. But Jim Elliot felt called to reach them and share the Gospel. Step by step, he made inroads to reach the tribe.

Finally, he and his team built a camp not far from the Huaorani people. They made contact and even took one of the tribespeople for a plane ride. Later, a larger group of tribesmen came to the base expressing interest in the plane, instead, they turned and killed all five missionary men.

Jim’s wife, Elizabeth, and the other widows continued the work to reach the Huaorani people, despite the great danger they faced. She persisted in the belief that, as her husband was often quoted to say,

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep
to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Eventually, the women reached the entire Huaorani tribe for Christ, including those who had killed Jim and the others.

The Elliots experienced what Jesus promised would be true for all believers in this world, we will be hated and even killed (John 15:18-19, Matthew 10:22). The world rejected Jesus and attempted to end His work; we are to expect the same. So rather than being surprised and caught off-guard when we face persecution, let’s prepare ourselves so we can endure to the end.

The apostles certainly experienced persecution! But they persevered to spread the Good News. They prayed for each other, not to be removed from trouble, but to seek boldness to continue speaking the Word of God and performing miracles. As they prayed for endurance, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.” (Acts 4:31)

In my own life, there have been many trials and tribulations, and my ministry team has encountered persecution. But this opposition has drawn us even closer to God! We were made stronger in our faith and able to encourage others. Looking to Jesus kept us from becoming distressed and gave us boldness in ministry.

This boldness in kingdom work comes from equipping ourselves with the armor of God. Each piece of armor, fueled by the Spirit of God, adds strength and courage to our fight. As we don our armor daily, we are prepared for battle.

Paul wrote of his many trials in his epistles:

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our bodies.”
(2 Corinthians 4:8-10)

Rather than complaining about his poor treatment, Paul praised God in his suffering because it advanced the Gospel. (Philippians 1:12-14)

Yes! Because he was sent to prison, he testified not only to prison guards, but to the great leaders of the day. He would not have been allowed in their presence except to stand trial. In presenting his defense, he shared the Gospel with judges and counsels and great men, such as King Agrippa (Acts 26:1-32); Paul was even prepared to testify before Nero, who was Caesar at the time (Acts 27:4).

Paul, and other saints of old, surely experienced fear as they faced persecution and declared the Gospel to hostile leaders. Similarly, we are still human and may become fearful when confronted with opposition to the Good News. But, just as the prayers of fellow believers gave Paul courage to boldly speak the Word of God, we too can be strengthened and encouraged through prayer (Philipians 4:6-7).

We can even rejoice, not only because the Gospel is being spread, but also because of the transformation within our own spirits. As Paul explains,

“We also rejoice in our afflictions,
because we know that affliction produces endurance,
endurance produces proven character,
and proven character produces hope.
This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

Paul’s words encourage us even today! We can rejoice because our suffering produces character and hope within us. Hallelujah! God’s love is poured out into our hearts and we are able to share His Gospel Story.

Finally, the Bible promises reward to those who persevere through trials: the crown of life!

“Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

Therefore, sisters, let’s endure persecution covered in the armor of God and shrouded in prayer; let’s rejoice in our suffering, ever keeping our eyes fixed on the promises of God to further the kingdom, transform our character, and bless us with the crown of life!

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Treasure Day 14 Living Treasure: Digging Deeper

January 23, 2020 by Shannon Vicker 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 Living Treasure!

The Questions

1) Who is the rejected stone who became the cornerstone?

2) What is meant by living stones in verse 5?

3) What does the song in verse 9 mean?

1 Peter 2:1-9

1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation, 3 if you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God— 5 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

See, I lay a stone in Zion,

a chosen and honored cornerstone,

and the one who believes in him

will never be put to shame.

7 So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving,

The stone that the builders rejected—

this one has become the cornerstone,

8 and

A stone to stumble over,

and a rock to trip over.

They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Original Intent

1) Who is the rejected stone who became the cornerstone?
This reference to a cornerstone is language Peter’s readers would have quickly understood and related to. It references Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 28:16 about a precious cornerstone that would come that would provide an unshakeable, firm foundation for those who believe. The original audience would have immediately made the connection between the prophecy and Peter’s teaching as he quoted Isaiah. Peter also makes it perfectly clear how this stone was originally rejected, but now has become the cornerstone. In this, he is referring to Jesus who came to earth, was rejected by His own people, innocently crucified, and now is the cornerstone of the Church.

2) What is meant by living stones in verse 5?
A “living stone” picks up on the same language as “cornerstone” because it is wording the original audience would have understood and rightly connected to the Old Testament. Here in Peter’s letter, he references both Exodus 19:6 and Isaiah 61:6 where God refers to the Israelites with this same language. They are His chosen people through whom He is going to work and continue to build the covenant He made with Abraham. It is through these people that the Messiah, the Cornerstone, would come. The “temple” language would have resonated with Peter’s readers as well. Peter’s original audience had a concrete visual for temple and all it represented as God meeting with them. Now, Peter was teaching the temple was not about a physical building, but was made up by people who believed and anchored their lives on the unshakeable Cornerstone of Christ. This was not an erasing of the past, but a shift in how they thought about God’s purposes enacted in and through His people. The Cornerstone is set in Jesus and now God would build His Church through His followers.

3) What does the song in verse 9 mean?
Verse 9 uses very specific language tying together what it meant to be an Israelite in connection with their purpose on earth. They were the chosen people of God (Deuteronomy 10:15), with whom He made a covenant with Abraham to fulfill. They were a holy people as described in Deuteronomy 7:6 belonging to God and set apart to declare His glory and righteousness to the world around them. Within Israel, priests acted as the intermediary bridge between God and His people. The Israelites had no direct contact to God and no Holy Spirit continuously dwelling inside of them. Instead, priests made sacrifices for the people and went before God on behalf of His people. Peter is reminding these believers they are now the chosen, holy nation with a new, fuller intended purpose. While there is no longer the need for a priestly intercessor, they each still have a role to play in sharing the gospel and declaring the hope and freedom of Christ to all people!

Everyday Application

1) Who is the rejected stone who became the cornerstone?
Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith and He is the foundation upon which the Church is built and flourishes. He was the Cornerstone for Peter’s original audience and He is to us as well! Jesus is the unshakeable foundation on which our faith is built. Without Him, and His sacrifice that leads to restoration, we would have nothing and would be eternally separated from God! Jesus was rejected and betrayed by the very people He came to save, but without that sacrifice, we would not be offered the incredible gift of salvation. We need the strong cornerstone of Jesus for our salvation, our everyday faith, and for the stability of the Church as a whole. As Paul said, “and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Everything is anchored to, and hinging on, Christ Himself as Cornerstone!

2) What is meant by living stones in verse 5?
Just as Israel was called living stones, so are all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Living Stones! Just as God used Israel to build a people to be His people He is about the same work today through believers. It is not our job to simply accept Jesus and then do nothing but sit around and wait for Him to return. Quite the opposite! We are to be living stones representing Him to the rest of the world, sharing Him with those He puts in our path, and actively engaging alongside the other believers in our local church bodies. That role is going to look different for each of us. We are not all called to the same places or even in the same way. However, we are all called!

3) What does the song in verse 9 mean?
Just as Peter’s readers were now this holy nation, this royal priesthood, so are we today. We don’t have the visual of the temple building and have the same ingrained thinking as being God’s chosen people as Israel did, but we do have the same calling. Our challenge is not to minimize it or cover it up with other things. We are called to be the light, His Light, in a dark world that is utterly lost for eternity without the Hope of Christ. When Jesus came and paid the penalty for our sin, He also provided restoration in relationship between God and all who believe Him. We are now able to come to God on our own without an intermediary priest as in the Old Testament. However, that does not mean God is finished working. There is still much Kingdom work to be done and a lost world who needs to hear the truth. We have been called “out of darkness and into marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9) and we are called to share that same light with a world in darkness.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Sketched VI Day 3 Pat

October 2, 2019 by Guest Writer 1 Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Romans 8:26-32
Romans 8:1-8

Sketched VI, Day 3

“Why don’t they love me?”
I questioned myself when I was growing up.
Something was wrong that I couldn’t grasp.

As the oldest of five, I was like a mother to my younger siblings as we struggled to grow up in a home with abusive parents. It was a home without love. I felt like a real-life Cinderella. Only much, much later did I come to realize I am a deeply-loved child of God!

When I was nine, my grandfather took me to a little Baptist church. There, I found families who showed such love to each other! I wanted to be just like my Sunday school teachers, a missionary couple, who told me how God loved me and about His Son, Jesus. I accepted Jesus into my heart. However, when my grandfather passed away, I was never taken there again.

At fourteen, when I learned my father was really my stepfather, I felt rejected and betrayed. I longed to simply be loved and accepted, as I had been at church.

When I was 15-years-old, I was raped and became pregnant. My mother learned what happened, and she made arrangements for me to go to a home for unwed mothers. I had a baby boy on January 8, 1961. I cared for him for two weeks before I left the maternity facility and moved back home.

I gave him up for adoption because I wanted him to have a loving home. My home was anything but loving. Feeling “used” and “unworthy”, I was sure my life was ruined, and I’d never find someone who would love and cherish me.

In late 1961, I “fell in love.” When I had intimate relations and became pregnant again, my boyfriend abandoned me. The idea of giving another baby up for adoption, as well as feeling unwanted and unloved, pushed me to the edge.

I wanted to die. I gathered, and took, all the pills in our medicine cabinet.

I hadn’t thought about the baby dying. I just knew I didn’t want to live any longer. As I sat there, crying and waiting to die, I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard a comforting voice, “You know you’ve done wrong. No one has the right to take your life but me.”
I knew it was God or His Holy Spirit.

Two lives were saved when I then told my mother what I had done. She helped me seek medical treatment, and months later, I had another son, born October 19, 1962. After I signed the adoption papers, I wished I would get run over by a truck. Once again, I struggled with feelings of shame, guilt, being unloved and unworthy.

I married when I was 19 and thought my life would be perfect. I started attending and serving at an Episcopal Church in Kansas City. Though my husband didn’t attend with me, I wanted and needed to worship, learn, and fellowship with others. Eventually, my husband gave his life to the Lord and was also baptized, an amazing answer to prayer.

Learning God’s Word, and leaning on its truth, has helped me through many more trials throughout my life, including a miscarriage, battle with cancer, and a devastating divorce. For three years after the divorce, I faced more hardship than I could have imagined. I felt like I was in a battle to remain close to the Lord while Satan tried pulling me away.

But these struggles were different from those I’d faced in my earlier life, because I knew God, who loved me, accepted me, and forgave me, was with me.
His Word became my lifespring.

I found comfort and hope in the promise of Romans 8:28,
“And we know that in all things,
God works for the good of those who love Him,
who have been called according to His purpose.”
I have learned through the years that God has called me.
I experience joy in serving in many areas I have felt His calling, including preschool instruction, Stephen Ministry, missions, and Hospital Ministry.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 exhorts us, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” This verse especially helps me to have compassion and empathy for others in each area of ministry in which I’ve served because I have experienced God’s comfort for myself.

Another valuable lesson I’ve learned is the importance of forgiveness.
Jesus died on the cross to forgive us.
How could I not forgive?!
My parents asked for forgiveness and I could honestly forgive them and others, even including my ex-husband.

Romans 8:1 says “Therefore, there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
I want to encourage those who are depressed and feel shame or unworthiness to reach out. I, too, suffered shame for what happened in my teen years; I have walked in your darkness.

Take courage, dear sisters!
We serve a God who sees our past, yet loves us boundlessly.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11-12

I thank God for His unending love!

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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!

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 Sketched 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 Sketched VI!