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Savior

The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched X Week 2

July 23, 2022 by Carol Graft 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) Giving us a bit of Joseph’s story from Genesis, Sarah pointed out how his story shares similarities with Moses’ life. Neither of these men felt ready to speak on the behalf of others, but God equipped them fulfill His plans in His way. I completely relate to feeling unequipped. As I write, I’m preparing for a conference where my words will be critiqued as part of a focus group. Impostor syndrome and fear rises up strong inside and I need truth to anchor me and the Spirit to equip me. I am comforted in knowing that long before I began penning these very words, God knew I would need the reminder of His constant presence through the narratives of Moses and Pharaoh. How wonderful to be so fully known by the God of the Universe! While Joseph may have felt he had no voice and was incapable and forgotten, He was given protection and favor from the Lord. Where have you seen the Lord give you favor and protection even if it didn’t come in the same way you expected? Even in the midst of struggle, Joseph grew in his awareness of being given Divine gifts to be used for God’s glory. What a great reminder! Even when we don’t see God working in our lives, we can choose to trust His work! What specific struggle are you facing that you need to lean into the truths God is specifically providing for you? How do you feel knowing He is providing for you with loving intentionality?

2) Pharaoh didn’t know the Lord God, but still, Yahweh gave him a dream in order to lead Pharaoh to know Him. Through someone outside the people God had chosen for Himself, God continued to build His plan of redemption. God’s invitation for wholeness and forgiveness is for all people. Everyone who is currently a believer in Jesus was, at one point, rebelling against the Lord. Every believer in Jesus who currently walks in deep faith with the Lord was, at one point, wading in the shallow waters of unbelief and wrestling with doubt. We each have a faith journey and the Lord is intent on pursuing every heart that we might turn to Him and experience the blessing of redemption and the abundance of life He offers. We only see a small portion of Pharaoh’s faith journey and we don’t know if he ever surrendered himself to Yahweh, but we do know the Lord used him and invited him to know Him more deeply. Where have you seen the Lord do the same in your life? Who has He used to get your attention? What has been your response? What would it look like for you to grow in trusting Him and His design for your life?

3) Rebekah provided us with another snapshot of Joseph’s life in yesterday’s Journey Study. Because of the Lord’s goodness, years of slavery and imprisonment eventually gave way to Joseph holding the position of Pharaoh’s right-hand man. Pharaoh trusted Joseph implicitly with nearly everything in his kingdom. Even when it came to interpreting Pharaoh’s own dreams, he trusted Joseph and his faith in the One True God. While Pharaoh may not have ultimately worshipped Jehovah, Pharaoh knew Joseph’s faith to be genuine and he trusted his relationship with God and he proved it by believing Joseph’s interpretations. Through all the betrayal and harsh realities in his life Joseph kept his eyes on God, even if he wrestled with doubt along the way. How often do we question God’s plans for our lives or even His active presence? When have you felt forgotten by God?  Whether we are in a pit or a prison, whether our suffering is the result of another’s actions or our own, we still have the option to choose God’s steadfast character or reject Him. Joseph’s long wait as slave and prisoner grew his faith and prepared him to save an entire nation through his reliance on the Lord. If we choose to surrender to the Lord, He will use our suffering to prepare, refine, and redeem us for His future work. Only God knows those plans and we must trust even when we can’t see Him.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 105:10-12 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

When they were few in number,
very few indeed,
and resident aliens in Canaan
wandering from nation to nation
and from one kingdom to another,
he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their behalf:
“Do not touch my anointed ones,
or harm my prophets.”

Prayer Journal
Lord, Your word shows us that throughout history, it didn’t matter whether Your people were large or small in number, Your love and protection held fast. We know too, that we don’t need to be one of Your prophets, have an extra special anointing, or a particular platform to earn Your attention; You lovingly pursue each of us.

We are surrounded by armies we can’t see and are protected from our enemies by Your hand of love. You still hold us despite our erring ways. You still walk beside and before us even in hard times, desiring to show us more of Your heart and love for us in our everyday lives. We know that without You in our lives our situations would be impossible. Because You are present with us and call us Your own children, You have equipped us by Your Spirit to extend your love and faithfulness to others. Make us effective in this work of reflecting Your love to others! We praise You for being kind and good at all times!

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

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Posted in: Character, Discipline, Enemies, Faith, Faithfulness, Grace, GT Weekend Tagged: comfort, hope, joy, peace, Savior, suffering, trial

Whole Day 14 The Hope Of Wholeness: Digging Deeper

July 7, 2022 by Lisa Marcelina 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 Hope Of Wholeness!

The Questions

1) What do the terms corruption, incorruption, corruptible and incorruptible mean in this context? (verses 50-53)

2) How has death been swallowed up in victory? (verses 54-55)

3) What is to be learned from Paul’s exhortation to be steadfast, immovable, and excel in the Lord’s work because their labour is not in vain? (verse 58)

I Corinthians 15:50-58

50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place:
Death has been swallowed up in victory.
55 Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Original Intent

1) What do the terms corruption, incorruption, corruptible and incorruptible mean in this context? (verses 50-53)

Corruption and corruptible share the same meaning. In Greek, corruption, phthora, means perishable or perishing. Contrarily, incorruption and incorruptible both imply immortality and lack of decay. Paul focuses on the reality that our present mortal bodies, which are subject to decay at death, cannot enter God’s Kingdom in eternity in their current form, but must be transformed. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption.” (verse 50) The necessary pre-cursor for this transformation is found in John 3:5, “Jesus answered, ‘Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” To enter eternity, a person must be born of water and spirit, meaning once they’ve accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, they receive a spiritual re-birth through the Holy Spirit, becoming new for their old life has died. To be raised with incorruptible physical bodies that will be equipped to live in eternity, our souls must first have been reborn from death to life by God’s Spirit. Paul taught in Philippians 3:18-20, “…many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things, our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” There is a distinction between those who are enemies of Christ and those already counted as citizens of Heaven; faith in Jesus. For those who are no longer enemies of Christ, when our physical bodies have died, for they are corruptible, they require a second transformation by Christ, “He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.” (Philippians 3:21)

2) How has death been swallowed up in victory? (verses 54-55)
Paul’s pronouncement, “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (verse 54) quotes the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. (Isaiah 25:8) His follow-on quote, “Where, Death, is your victory? Where, Death, is your sting?” (verse 55) pulls from another Old Testament prophet, Hosea. (Hosea 13:14) Both of these spoke of a promised coming day when Death would no longer rule; Death itself would die as it was consumed by the Victor, God Himself. Death is inevitable for all of us (Psalm 89:48), but we should be aware there are three types of death, physical, spiritual, and eternal. Physical death is experienced by everyone when our lungs stop breathing and our hearts stop beating. (Hebrews 9:27) Physical death results from sin which infiltrated the world via Adam. Spiritual death is eternal separation from God, which is also caused by sin. These two deadly outcomes are the default position for every human being. All of us are destined to experience both of these if we trust ourselves to be “good enough” for God. His justice has no room for less than perfect, and each of us are far, far from perfect. (Romans 3:23) The Spiritually dead are those who choose to remain worldly and have no desire to serve or worship God as their personal Lord and Savior from sin. (Ephesians 2:1-3) Eternal Death is the just reward reserved for the unrepentant spiritually dead. Those who reject Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, also choose to remain locked-in to their default destination of eternal separation from God as a result of their sin; this is referred to as the second death. (Revelation 21:8) The devil initially held power over death (Hebrews 2:14), but Jesus defeated Satan when He rose from the dead. Victory over death resulted from Jesus’ resurrection, making Him the firstborn from the dead. (Colossians 1:18)

3) What is to be learned from Paul’s exhortation to be steadfast, immovable, and excel in the Lord’s work because their labour is not in vain? (verse 58)
Labour is usually associated with hard work which is not always pleasant, but from the beginning, God created work. When God made the earth, mankind was not yet around to work the ground. (Genesis 2:5) However, when He planted the Garden of Eden, He placed Adam there to work it and be its caretaker, all before sin had entered the world. (verse 15) Tending the garden before sin must have been pleasant and enjoyable, even relaxing, but when Adam sinned, part of God’s judgment was to curse the land and labour. Work became painful and laborious. (Genesis 3:17-18) Humanity now would labour hard to earn a living. Imagine how much more creative and artistic and purposeful our work would be if it wasn’t tainted by sin and tediousness! Paul’s words in verse 58 serve as strong encouragement to the believers regarding their difficult work for the Lord, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Working for the Lord is full of challenges and persecutions, BUT Christ has won our victory, so we can be assured our labours for Him are not in vain for the Lord wastes nothing! The work Paul speaks of is more than just for earning a living, it refers to an active help in building the kingdom of God, which is accomplished in many ways throughout our everyday lives. In Romans 16, Paul commended some women who worked hard for the Lord. Paul also worked hard to build up the Church (I Corinthians 15:10). His encouragement is for all the Corinthian believers to do the same and work hard for the Lord for their reward would come in eternal life. (Revelation 14:13)

Everyday Application

1) What do the terms corruption, incorruption, corruptible and incorruptible mean in this context? (verses 50-53)

I Corinthians 15 focuses on the resurrection from the dead of believers in Jesus. One day, their old, corruptible bodies will be transformed in preparation for their eternal dwelling with God. Many in the early church were influenced by false teachers like the Sadducees, who claimed there was no resurrection of the dead. Wanting the Church to be equipped with truth, Paul sought to clear the air on this misconception by providing resurrection facts from the Lord. Part of his explanation included what would happen to our bodies. When we die, our physical bodies experience decay, for they are corruptible. At the resurrection, all who have safeguarded their souls with Christ Jesus will receive new physical bodies that have been made perfectly incorruptible by His power. This truth encourages us because we can look forward to a day when there will be no more sickness, no more pain, and no more death. We will enjoy eternity with the Lord God in new, perfect physical bodies! Jesus even provided a sneak peek of these new bodies when He rose from the dead with His own incorruptible physical body. (Luke 24:36-43) If we have a loved one or know someone living with a disability, illness like cancer, or suffering of any kind, we can take heart knowing this is only temporary for those who trust Jesus as their Savior. My own mother has dementia, and it is heart-breaking knowing she was once a vibrant woman who loved to sing. But I take comfort knowing that one day, she will become whole again at the resurrection with a new spiritual body.

2) How has death been swallowed up in victory? (verses 54-55)

Jesus’ resurrection from the dead defeated Satan and death once and for all, but our bodies still die, even those who have trusted Jesus as their Savior. Just as the Old Testament prophets announced, there is still coming a day when Jesus will “swallow up death once and for all” (Isaiah 25:8) when He returns and transforms the corruptible into the incorruptible! Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, and when He returns to earth to transform us, all who have trusted Him as their Lord and Savior will come up out of their graves and meet him in the air! (I Thessalonians 4:16-17) Jesus’ resurrection has offered humanity a new birth and a living hope in victorious freedom from Death! (I Peter 1:3) We must remember, this freedom is an offer not our default. Eternal Death remains our default destination unless we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour, confessing our helpless reality as sinner, and receiving His forgiveness and eternal life as a gift. (John 3:16, Romans 6:23) For the believer, eternal LIFE is our hope and confident expectation. This Sure Hope is why death is nothing to be feared for those who come to Jesus in genuine faith. Death is something we can welcome for it is nothing more than sleep until Christ makes us incorruptible. (verses 51-52, Matthew 9:24) Mother Theresa had some interesting quotes about death, but my favourite is, “People ask me about death and whether I look forward to it and I answer, ‘Of course’ because I am going home.” Death merely means going home to Jesus.

3) What is to be learned from Paul’s exhortation to be steadfast, immovable, and excel in the Lord’s work because their labour is not in vain? (verse 58)
Work, which can be arduous most times, but our difficulties can be redeemed because of Christ. When we submit our work to the Lord, doing it for Him instead of mankind (Colossians 3:22-24), we are blessed because of His victory over the curse. This doesn’t mean believers aren’t to engage in work that isn’t technically “ministry related” like work in the church; Paul stresses we must work to eat and live and not be lazy. (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12) God’s vision for work that honors Him encompasses every aspect of life and our heart-attitude while we labour. Are we working for the Lord? Are we praying over our work? Are we using our jobs to further God’s kingdom by teaching others about Him, loving others, and using opportunities with coworkers to share about the Hope of Jesus? These labors build up the Church (I Corinthians 3:10-15) and are not done in vain. I enjoy working for the Lord! I gave my life to Jesus at the age of seventeen, and while life has been challenging, at the age of fifty-three, I can say God has been with me and blessed me as I surrendered myself to Him. Living for Jesus and serving Him is what makes life abundant. (John 10:10) At the end of my physical life and when Jesus exchanges the corruptible for incorruptible, all believers will become truly Whole.

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

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 Whole Week Three!
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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 :-))

Memorize It!

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

Posted in: Believe, church, Faith, Future, God, Hope, Lord, Love, Salvation Tagged: eternity, God, Heaven, hope, Jesus, Lord, love, Savior

Whole Day 8 Identifying The Oppression

June 29, 2022 by Rebecca 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Jeremiah 22:3-5
Proverbs 31:8-9
Zechariah 7:9-10
John 1:1-16

Whole, Day 8

The snarls of a sinister enemy snaked through the goodness of Eden, deviously plotting the downfall of the Almighty who had cast him from His glorious presence.
How the enemy loved himself. How he loathed the Almighty.

Humanity would pay the price of the enemy’s sickening self-love by carrying his pride in their hearts, grooming it, making it their own, then calling it righteousness by justifying their selfish pride to the Almighty. Perfectly mimicking the enemy’s craft which had earned him ejection from The Presence.

“I’ll make it appealing”, the enemy drooled with demonic delight darkening his eerie eyes. Love for self, hatred for others. His breathing slowed as his shadow fell across Eve’s innocent face as she delighted in the husband she’d been lovingly given by the Maker. “I’ll make them murderers of one another as they feast frenetically upon the lusts of their flesh”, his callous thoughts crept through him as quickly as the greed glowed in his belly. “Almighty will not have the final word. I will make His beautiful creation suffer. In killing them, I will kill Him”.

Then, adorning his luscious invitation with a lethal portion of deception, the enemy lured Eve with a single question meant to draw her into his grasp and under his oppression. “Did God really say…” (Genesis 3:1) For if you question God and His goodness, you question everything.

We know the rest of the story. Innocent Adam and Eve ensconced in Eden’s luscious beauty, wide eyes curious at the heavy fruit in hand.

One.
Single.
Sin.
Death had snatched Life away.

Perfection had now fallen under the monstrosity of ominous oppression.
Corruption held the scepter and the enemy laughed, sure of his venomous victory.
The world wouldn’t need to learn to hate, kill, lust, thieve, gossip, eye-roll, bicker, and mock for oppression was now written into their DNA.

Natural man would take after their new father and sin’s self-love would spread like an uncontrollable wildfire, ravaging, killing, destroying everything from atoms to earthworms to bodies with earthquakes, poison, divorce, genocide, slavery, abortion, addiction, and the like. Nothing was untouched by oppression’s insidious sickness.

How do we identify oppression?
We look for the darkness.
We look for the absence of Light.

On the grand scale and the small ones. As we look at the nations and inside the isolated islands of our homes, oppression rages on. Cancer, mental illness, abuse, tragedy, complaining, bitterness, anger, slander, murder. It hides its snarling sickness in rage and rape and behind the gruesome masks of bigotry, prejudice, pretentious piety, and chauvinism. Oppression’s enslavement marks us all; it’s meant to kill, demean, and destroy for Sin and Death are its father.

The enemy hates the Almighty and oppresses His people.
The Almighty hates the work of the Father of Lies and every single act of oppression.
But lest we walk away with the ludicrous assumption the enemy and the Almighty are equal in force, hear the Word of the Lord.
Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the mountains trembled;
they shook because he burned with anger.
Smoke rose from his nostrils,
and consuming fire came from his mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it.
He bent the heavens and came down,
total darkness beneath his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his hiding place,
dark storm clouds his canopy around him.
From the radiance of his presence,
his clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.
The Lord thundered from heaven;
the Most High made his voice heard.
He shot his arrows and scattered them;
he hurled lightning bolts and routed them.
The depths of the sea became visible,
the foundations of the world were exposed,
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
He reached down from on high
and took hold of me;
he pulled me out of deep water.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out to a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
For you rescue an oppressed people,
but you humble those with haughty eyes.
(Psalm 18:7-19, 27)

Long before the crafty serpent had even considered the plot of his disastrous deceit in Eden, the Almighty already knew of Satan’s vile plan, and He’d already decided to sacrifice Himself for His people.

Yes, Satan plotted to slay humanity pressing them farther and farther from the Father who lovingly crafted them to enjoy relationship with Him.
But in a radical act of unfathomable humble love, the Almighty allowed Himself to be slain by the sinners, then rise again to conquer sin and death forever. Death had been swallowed whole by Life! (1 Corinthians 15:54)

Yes, oppression’s foul stench is everywhere in our world, but the Light of the Victor shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5) As Christ-followers run toward the broken, the battered, the lonely, the fearful, and yes, even the angry and abusive, we bring with us, the victorious light of the One who has conquered Sin and Death forever.

Oppression’s power is vanquished by One Name, The Lord Jesus Christ.
(Philippians 2:10-11)

See the oppression, surrender your own rebellion, and fearlessly carry the Light of Love by the power of Jesus into the world around you for nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Whole Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

Posted in: Anger, Broken, Confession, Cross, Deliver, Design, Forgiven, Freedom Tagged: beginning, Christ, curse, Eden, hope, Oppression, rescue, Satan, Savior, Sin, victory

Worship X Day 4 Unshaken & Secure: Digging Deeper

May 12, 2022 by Marietta Taylor 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 Unshaken & Secure!

The Questions

1) What is the significance of the three names of God in verse 3?

2) Why were the Israelites told not to fear? (verse 5)

3) Why did God create us? (verse 7)

Isaiah 43:1-7

Now this is what the Lord says— the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel—“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, and the flame will not burn you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior. I have given Egypt as a ransom for you, Cush and Seba in your place. 4 because you are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you, I will give people in exchange for you and nations instead of your life. 5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the ends of the earth— 7 everyone who bears my name and is created for my glory. I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”

Original Intent

1) What is the significance of the three names of God in verse 3?
Isaiah 43 begins as a continuation of chapter 42, where we read of Israel’s disobedience to the Lord (Isaiah 42:21-24) and of His righteous anger regarding that disobedience. (Isaiah 42:25) Chapter 43 begins with the signal word “now” indicating a transition from spelling out the reality of Israel’s sin to the reality of God’s character, which He provides like a resume. He created and formed these people He called His own, (verse 1) He had redeemed them (verse 2), and rescued them from Egypt and the likes of King Sihon of the Amorites, King Og of Bashan (Numbers 21:21-35), and the Midianites (Judges 8:1-21) to name a few. God was always with them, even when they did not honor Him as they should. God promises to protect them in every situation (verse 2), and then He reminds them of His character and authority by which He can make these statements. “The three titles for God in verse 3 give a comprehensive understanding for the people. The term YHWH (Lord) evokes the exodus, the burning bush of Moses, and the giving of the teaching at Sinai (Exodus 20:2). The title “Holy One” refers to God’s distinctiveness. The first part of Isaiah uses this title (Isaiah 1:4). “Savior” alludes to God’s protection for Israel and Judah.” (Working Preacher) It was the One True God, the God who claimed Israel as His people and who Israel had claimed as their God and the Savior who had saved and would save, who was making these promises. Despite what Israel had done, God would rescue and protect His people, His prized possession, because He loved them.

2) Why were the Israelites told not to fear? (verse 5)
It’s important to note that this passage was written before Israel went into captivity in Babylon. This was a prophetic message to the Jews who would be in captivity, afraid the Lord had abandoned them. But God promised long before this, through Moses, “The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:6) In Isaiah’s prophecy, God was telling the Israelites He would not only be with them, but He would ransom them with other nations! (verse 4) “To prove His love for His people, God was willing to give Egypt, Cush, and Seba as a ransom for Israel.” (Enduring Word) God had promised the Israelites their own land. (Deuteronomy 1:8) Here, He was reiterating that this promise still stood. They had no reason to fear, but every reason to hope. Because God loved them so dearly, He would gather the people from every far corner of the world to be with Him and to live out His promise to them.

3) Why did God create us? (verse 7)
When we bear someone’s name it means we are part of their family. God has created us and called us to be adopted into His family. But why? “For My glory”, says the Lord. The Israelites were created for God’s glory. He had a plan and a purpose for them right from the start, even before they knew Him. John Piper says, “…He created us to display His glory, that is, that His glory might be known and praised.” For the Israelites that played out by Him bringing them out of captivity in Babylon and returning them to their land. It was God who sent them there to discipline them and it was God who would free them. “God uses everything, even human sin, for his own glory” (Global Study Bible) Israel was created for God’s glory to be displayed to all the nations. In their sin and subsequent rescue and redemption, God showed His love for them and His power over all to utterly save.

Everyday Application

1) What is the significance of the three names of God in verse 3?
When we are in trying or dark times, it’s hard to see a way out. We wonder how things will get resolved. Isaiah 43:3 gives the solution. In the original context, God was reminding Israel He was their rescuer, their Savior. “God referred to Himself as a Savior in the Old Testament before Jesus arrived and became our Savior to forgive our sins.” (Never Thirsty) Now, as adopted daughters of God’s family, through the blood of our Savior Jesus, we too are rescued and redeemed. (Ephesians 1:5) We think of this on a spiritual level, but it is practical as well. God is more than able to help us in every situation. When He lists His names, they show the fullness of His capabilities to do what He says He can do. The first name, The Lord Your God, is listed as Yahweh in other translations. Yahweh is God’s holy name, evoking profound reverence. “Most Jewish people decline to pronounce this name lest they accidentally profane it.” (Sermon Writer) Beginning with this name alone, we know we are dealing with the same God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. (Exodus 3:1-17) He is the same God who parted the Red Sea, the River Jordan, and brought down the walls of Jericho. The Holy One of Israel is the same God who promised to redeem not just Israel, but all people who would believe in Him. (2 Peter 3:9) It is this same God who became our Savior by sending His son Jesus to die for our sins and then resurrect Himself to conquer the grave and set the stage for His return to gather His people (Matthew 24:30-31) and establish the New Heaven and the New Earth. (Revelation 21:1-5) Whatever we face, this God can handle it. Trust Him.

2) Why were the Israelites told not to fear? (verse 5)
The Israelites had a history of forgetting Who was with them and for them. (Numbers 13:25-14:10, Judges 6:11-24, 1 Samuel 12:6-15). Even though God had demonstrated His power and His unfailing faithfulness and love for them, they still forgot. We are much the same. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who is against us?” Instead of pressing into fear and doubt, we should focus on the faithfulness of God. Gill’s Exposition puts it this way, “The Lord is the covenant God of His people, holy in Himself, and the sanctifier of them, and their Saviour in time of trouble; and therefore need no doubt of His presence and support amidst all their afflictions; and besides they should call to mind past experiences of his goodness, to encourage their faith in him, as to present help and assistance” Has He been faithful before? How did He come to your aid, your rescue? Did He carry you through deep waters or the fire? If He has, which I am sure is true, then what have we to fear of the future? God has been faithful through the ages (Psalm 119:90) and He never changes (Malachi 3:6). So we lay down our fear and hold fast to the faithful love and care of our God.

3) Why did God create us? (verse 7)
The Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” God created us with a purpose in mind. We were made to glorify God. But make no mistake, this is not about God being vain. It is about us reflecting His glory to others. “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1), but God’s people are expected to make it known as well.  Joshua said to Achan, “My son, please give glory to Yahweh, the God of Israel. (Joshua 7:19) David ordered, “Declare His glory among the nations, and His marvelous works among all the peoples.” (1 Chronicles 16:24). (Sermon Writer) Cooperating with the Holy Spirit within us (God with us), we are able to reflect His glory to those around us by serving, praising, worshiping and sharing the Word, and we, in turn, benefit. “..[W]hen we are glorifying God, we are fulfilling the purpose we were created for, and will therefore be the happiest and fulfilled.” (Enduring Word) When we operate out of God’s faithful love for us, we offer that love to others so they too may glorify the One True God. This is the purpose for which we were created!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Unshaken & Secure!

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 Worship X 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.

Posted in: Justice, Lord, Mercy, Righteousness, Scripture Tagged: God, justice, Lord, mercy, righteousness, Savior, Sin, Truth

The GT Weekend! ~ Eden Week 1

April 23, 2022 by Carol Graft 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) Out of nothing. Impossible. The act of creating involves parts and pieces. Yarn…thread… fabric… paint…canvas…words…paper. But God. God spoke and everything around us, invisible and visible, came into being. (Colossians 1:16) He also desired to create you. What thoughts or feelings do you notice as you reflect on this truth? Do you feel yourself pushing back, ducking your head shyly, or widely embracing these words? Our worth in God’s eye is immeasurable as we each bear His image. (Genesis 1:27) Since this seems so hard to comprehend, we easily forget it. God created humankind to be in a relationship with Him. He intended Adam and Eve to fill the earth with more image-bearers so He could show His love to us all! (Genesis 1:28) He desired a relationship with His creation so deeply that, even after the Fall of sinful rebellion, He became flesh to live among His creation. Our worth is so inestimable He took all our sins upon His shoulders at the cross, giving His life so we could live forever as His Bride. It’s the greatest love story of all! I stand in awe when I consider the intricacies or grandness of nature. I’m amazed when I remember how loved and esteemed I am by the Creator God! He chose to die for you and me; hold into that truth as you navigate this weekend!

2) Like Rebekah, I can be drawn in by a good love story. Talented authors allow us to experience lovers both cherishing one another and handling conflict; we find ourselves cheering as the hero and heroine overcome struggle. In the most perfect love story between Adam, Eve, and Creator God, there was initially no conflict until their fall into sin. (Read Genesis 3 this weekend!) Though God, being perfectly holy, had every right to destroy them, leaving them hopeless in the separation brought on by their sin, He lovingly held out Hope instead. (Genesis 3:15) Like a developing story line, God wove the theme of His sacrificial love and grace into every page of Scripture, even our own stories! We find His grace showing up in all His relationships with people. In Ephesians we see His clear design for marriage to be a picture of His sacred relationship with the Church. (Follow up your reading of Genesis 3 with Ephesians 5!) We learn how truly good relationships should be as we look to Christ, the perfect Bridegroom and the greatest marriage of all between Himself and His Bride, the Church. One day, all who trust Christ as their Savior will celebrate with the marriage supper of the Lamb where each believer will have a seat at the table for eternity.

3) LOVE. Four letters composing a seemingly simple word. On Friday, Sara drew out the complexities of this “simple” word by taking us back to the original Greek, which has 4 words with 4 unique definitions: eros, storge, philos, and agape. Each dimension of love speaks beautifully of God’s design for human beings to be crafted for community with one another and Him. If we only had eros love shared romantically by Adam and Eve and intended for spouses, we wouldn’t be complete, and we certainly wouldn’t experience agape, the sacrificial, divine love of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the capacity to fulfill and live out each of these dimensions of love as they reflect the Creator God; when we surrender ourselves to God’s Spirit, He empowers us to love like Him! We need His power to help us love our family, friends, a romantic partner, and especially those who are hard to love like difficult co-workers, ones who’ve wounded us, or the cranky clerk at the store. Praise God for demonstrating agape sacrificial love and placing that love inside of us when we follow Him. Spend time asking the Lord who He specifically wants you to engage with agape love. Pray for these people and ask the Lord for opportunities to love them sacrificially and unconditionally!

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 1 John 4:10-11 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

God’s love was revealed among us in this way:
God sent His one and only Son into the world
so that we might live through Him.
Love consists in this:
not that we loved God, but that He loved
us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice
for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way,
we also must love one another.

Prayer Journal

Lord, I cannot imagine how much you love me! That you show me love in so many ways is a truth that’s difficult to hold onto. Your love story hems me in on all sides beginning with Your death for me, the ultimate sacrifice, where You bore my sins as weight on the cross to purchase my freedom today!

When I’m holding fast to the truth about Your love, I look forward to the Wedding Feast where I can spend all my eternity simply worshiping and delighting in You. Stir up this desire in me, Jesus!

When I dwell on Your agape love, I’m motivated to go and do likewise, loving others sacrificially and unconditionally. Thank you for fueling me with agape so I can love my family, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and especially those who don’t yet trust You as their Savior.

As much as I want to love like You all the time, I confess some days I choose selfishness. Give me the words to reach others for You, and the humility required to submit to Your great love. Let my actions draw others to You as You shine Your Light through my humanity!

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

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Posted in: Christ, Cross, God, Holiness, Sin, Truth Tagged: cross, God, holy, Savior, sins, Truth

Eden Day 4 Altogether Lovely: Digging Deeper

April 21, 2022 by Dr. Leslie Umstattd 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 Altogether Lovely!

The Questions

1) What analogy is Paul making in this passage?

2) What distinct commands does Paul give for the wife and husband in this passage? (verses 23-28)

3) How does the marriage relationship represent Christ and the church? (verses 29-32)

Ephesians 5:23-32

23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.”

Original Intent

1) What analogy is Paul making in this passage?
In this passage, Paul, the writer of Ephesians, uses the relationship between Christ and the Church to discuss God’s intended design for the marriage relationship. He compares Christ and His relationship with His Church to the husband and wife relationship. The husband taking the role of Christ in the marriage and the wife taking the role of the Church. Paul uses marriage as a blank canvas depicting how God intended relational holiness and sacrifice to be played out in real life marriage just as He intended from the beginning in Genesis 2:21-25.

2) What distinct commands does Paul give for the wife and husband in this passage? (verses 23-28)
Paul provided explicit instructions for husbands and wives in this passage. In verse 23, verse 25, and verse 28, Paul spoke directly to the husband, calling him to love and sacrifice for his wife. He pointed to Jesus’ own sacrifice on the cross as the role model for this command. (Matthew 27:27-52) In the same way, Paul spoke to wives in verse 24, calling them to submit within marriage to their husbands just as the Church is designed to submit to Christ’s headship. This is a deliberate, thoughtfully chosen, intentional submission out of respect and sacrificial love born out of shared relationship. **Please note that biblical teaching never condones abusive twisting of this passage for personal gain. Biblical submission is mutual between spouses and is always within the context of love and respect. Christ never condoned abuse of His design for personal gain. (Matthew 21:13)

3) How does the marriage relationship represent Christ and the church? (verses 29-32)
Speaking of marriage and oneness in verse 32, Paul so eloquently states, “the mystery is profound”, and we nod our heads in assent! Beautifully, Paul uses the familiarity of marriage merely as a springboard to help us more clearly understand Jesus’ role as head of the Church. In shifting our gaze to the cross and the Son’s submission to the will of the Father, we see His selfless love as He offers His own life for the Church. The Church, in kind, submits everything to His authority out of trusting obedience and respect. In the same way, a husband should love sacrificially and work diligently to encourage and uphold his wife while a wife lovingly chooses to submit to her husband. Within the relationship, whether discussing Christ and the Church, or husband and wife, there is profound membership, unity, fellowship, and oneness bound together by sacrificial love.

Everyday Application

1) What analogy is Paul making in this passage?
God’s intention for marriage from the beginning is beautifully told in the context of perfection in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:21-25) As Paul explains Christ’s relationship to His people as the ultimate “Husband”, we begin to see God’s model for how the marriage relationship was always intended to exist. Sacrificial love connects the two together. Paul helps the reader understand the fullness of the gospel by using this familiar human analogy. Christ so loved His Church that He died on a cross giving up His life for His people as described in John 3:16. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, another one of Paul’s letters, he explains it is out of love that Christ, although being spotless and blameless for sin, took all of humanity’s sin on Himself in order to present His Church in holy splendor. This is the kind of self-sacrificing love God intends marriage to emulate. Paul used this picture of offering and submission to reveal the framework for God’s design for marriage.

2) What distinct commands does Paul give for the wife and husband in this passage? (verses 23-28)
Within the context of this passage, we see how life and marriage were supposed to be before sin entered the world. (Genesis 3) Sin taints what God intended for good, and just two of the many consequences for sin are shame and fear, which played out in the unfolding scene following Adam and Eve’s rebellious sin. (Genesis 3:8-13) In the Garden of Eden prior to sin, the husband, as a loving leader, upholds his wife with sacrificial love without shame and the wife submits to him, also with sacrificial love; together they build a strong, unified marriage that glorifies God and reflects the divine relationship between Father and Son. With sacrificial love as the undergirding foundation, this give and take of sacrifice and submission form an unashamed relational oneness flourishing with deep joy. With sin came a brokenness that marred that human relationship with chaos and the desire to serve self, but God’s heart desire for the marital relationship never changed. Through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as we submit to Him, He equips us with the divine power and love necessary to sacrificially love and submit to our spouse. (2 Peter 1:3) It is in relationship with Him that we learn how to be in relationship with our spouse. In our commitment to Him, God empowers us to seek after His design and His glory. (Romans 8:1-13)

3) How does the marriage relationship represent Christ and the church? (verses 29-32)
God’s design for marriage started at the dawn of time when He created man and woman and they were unashamed and living in perfectly unified loving communion with one another and God. (Genesis 2:25) Out of this picture in the Garden of Eden, Paul writes about marriage and the relationship between Christ and His Church beautifully comparing the two. The relational roles each participant plays, and the characteristics of these relationships, were designed in likeness to one another. Despite the twisted, self-seeking shadow that sin casts upon every relationship, God gives us a secure hope for an eternal future where all will one day be set right. As we wait and long for that day, we can take heart in knowing God is working even now within our brokenness to bring Him glory. The perfect oneness of relationship between Christ and His Church and the altogether loveliness of human relationships with one another as they were intended will one day be restored when Christ welcomes His Bride Home. (Revelation 21:1-8)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Altogether Lovely!

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 Eden 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.

Posted in: Christ, church, Cross, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Love, Sacrifice, Salvation Tagged: Christ, church, cross, holy, love, sacrifice, Savior

The GT Weekend! ~ Wilderness Week 1

March 12, 2022 by Rebecca 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) We began our Journey Into Wilderness with an easily forgotten Old Testament wanderer, Cain. Perhaps you’ve never read his story, or maybe you only think of him as the murderer who jealously killed his own brother. Maybe, like me, you’ve never considered how your wilderness may have reflections of Cain’s wanderings. Remembering that every story in the whole of Scripture is meant to point toward the grander narrative of the Lord Jesus’ rescue for sinners and His magnificent love for them, how can you see God’s gracious love toward both Cain and Abel? (read their full story in Genesis 4) We may want to excuse ourselves from the wrecking shame and damage of sin, by claiming we’ve never done “that”, where “that” is our “unthinkable deed”. In doing this, however, we easily gloss over our other sins. None of us can be excused from the deadly price tag of sin. All sin breaks relationship, no matter how large or small. As you reflect on Cain’s story this weekend, ask the Lord to convict you of sin. Then take the next step and bravely confess that sin to another fellow believer and ask them to hold you accountable in not choosing that sin.

2) On Wednesday, Paula provided us with comparison between our lives and embroidery work. The backside is a seeming disarray of crisscrossed, zig-zagging threads jumbled, cut, and tied in a ridiculous maze. Only when flipping over the final product can we make out the lovely scene produced by the apparent tangling of threads. What scenes of your life feel, or have felt, chaotic, mismatched, and meaningless? As you reflect on these, what emotions are the strongest? Put names to them and think about the pains involved in those scenarios. Considering Job’s losses in the areas of health, friendships, wealth, respect, and family, which ones most closely connect with your story? Job’s pain ran deeper than he ever anticipated, as evidenced by his desire for death and his wish to have never been born. Still, he refused to curse God, and insisted the Lord was sovereign and good. What truths will you adamantly cling to as you re-frame your wilderness season? Are these truths reliable? How do you know? Spend time in this weekend reading Job 38-42 and glean stabilizing truths!

3) “If I become a Christian, my life should be easy, successful, and enjoyable.” This is an easy misconception to fall into, but we only need to briefly read Scripture to understand that belief system isn’t supported by biblical teaching. If Christ Jesus, as God the Son, entered the Wilderness, was persecuted, threatened, disowned, mocked, ridiculed, and torturously killed, why would His followers expect to be treated royally with a life of ease? Why would anyone decide to commit their lives to following this kind of Savior? Have you asked yourself this question? Amazingly, our reasons for why we follow are layered into Jesus’ wilderness experience. He holds all authority. Though He took on human flesh, and chose humanity, He still retained His deity. At any point during His wilderness Jesus could have ended Satan’s attacks and sent him packing. But He didn’t. He chose suffering again and again, so He could be our personal Savior. The God who holds all authority also loves with empathetic compassion having lived humanity like us, but was without sin, unlike us. In incredible love, He did what we could not accomplish on our own, and He holds out this gift freely for all. Yes, following this Savior is worth everything.

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 Job 23:10-12 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold. My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept to His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commands from His lips; I have treasured the words from His mouth more than my daily food.

Prayer Journal
Lord Jesus, I am a mess. My heart loves myself. My circumstances are a swirling mess of puzzle pieces. I get lost in alternating waves of doubt and trust for You. My faith is weak. This pressing on all sides wears me thin. Still, in all of this, Your Word says I am known. My ways are known by You. My brokenness, my weariness, my doubts, fears, and desperate places as I wander this wilderness are all known by You. Lord, my God, my only Hope in life or death, You promise to bring me forth through all of this as pure gold. Lord, what a breathtaking wonder! What an astounding, attentive, loving Sovereign! My Jesus, remind me of this truth when I’m tempted to only fix my attention on my surroundings. You are worthy of my constant praise! May my heart learn to worship and trust You alone in this process of refinement!

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

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Posted in: Christ, Gift, God, Jesus, Journey, Love, Relationship, Rescue, Scripture, Sin Tagged: alone, compassionate, Job, loss, questions, Savior, wilderness

Build Day 14 Building Security: Digging Deeper

March 3, 2022 by Lori Meeks 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 Building Security!

The Questions

1) These verses make it seem like planning ahead is a bad thing, am I reading this correctly?

2) How can I know if my plans line up with God’s?

3) What does it mean to “know the good and not do it”? (verse 17)

James 4:13-17

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit. “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”  But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.  So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.

Original Intent

1) These verses make it seem like planning ahead is a bad thing, am I reading this correctly?
To answer this question, we should first understand the audience James was originally writing to as well as the theme of his entire letter. Throughout his letter, James calls believers in Jesus to take action and “walk the talk”.  His audience called themselves Christ-following Christians, but weren’t necessarily being Christ-like or obedient to God’s commands in real, everyday life. They were showing favoritism (James 2:1-12), being prideful (James 4:1-12), spoke without integrity of worship (James 3:9-12), and incorrectly believed that faith without actions could pass for genuinely, saving faith (James 2:14-3:18). With that understanding as a backdrop, it becomes easier to understand the point James is making in these few verses, which is, don’t be so full of pride that you lay out, detailed plans for your entire life. If we are really serious about following God, we absolutely must allow room for God and His leading and prompting. God is not in the business of rubber stamping our plans and clearing away any obstacles that stand in our way. James wants his readers to remember the commitment they made to Jesus, then live accordingly with full surrender.

2) How can I know if my plans line up with God’s?
The first step is to ask God for wisdom and listen for His response. This initial act of surrender is worshipful as we prioritize God’s ways over our own. (Proverbs 9:10) As we learned, the first recipients of this letter weren’t taking time to ask God, but pridefully planning their own ways. There was no way of confidently knowing whether their plans aligned with God’s. In their favor, James’ audience knew their history and were familiar with how God had led Israel since the time of His promise to make Abraham into a great nation. (Genesis 12:1-3) Their parents and grandparents had undoubtedly recounted the stories of crossing the Red Sea, watching Jericho’s walls tumble down, and King David’s defeat of countless enemies time and time again. Not to mention, they personally knew Jesus, had sat under His teaching, had witnessed His miracles and were now scattered to share the gospel message of Christ’s offer to forgive and make new. You can almost see how excitement, perhaps even fear got the best of them, ideas and plans of their own making began to form and take over the awe of humble worship to a God who sacrificed Himself for them. This is how pride sneaks in, for them, and us. What had begun as excitement to share the God’s love with others had turned into running ahead of God instead of waiting for His direction and timing. We often forget, or overlook, that Jesus told His original followers the same thing He tells us today, “Love the LORD your God with all you’ve got.” (my paraphrase of Matthew 22:37) When you lose sight of walking daily in this command, it’s a pretty safe bet your plans won’t line up with God’s.

3) What does it mean to “know the good and not do it”? (verse 17)
The theme of our study has been Build and what it means to be totally dependent on God. Keeping this in mind, along with what we’ve learned of James’ purpose in writing, we can conclude that his audience struggled to obey God in everyday living. It’s one thing to claim to be a follower of Jesus, but another to live it out day after day. Maybe they were running too far ahead, maybe they were tired of being different and just wanted an easy life, maybe they trusted their own leadership more than God’s. Regardless, following and obeying God is sometimes hard whether you were a first-century believer or a 21st. Truly following God requires full reliance on the Spirit of God Who lives inside every believer to not only know and understand “the good way”, but to follow through and actually “live it”. These early followers of Jesus were experiencing the growing pains of living differently from the world around them. James, having learned this lesson firsthand as one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, is lovingly sharing his learnings with those God had put under his leadership.

Everyday Application

1) These verses make it seem like planning ahead is a bad thing, am I reading this correctly?
Much like James’ original audience, as Christ followers we must live with an awareness of Whose we are and live like we mean our commitment to follow Him. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says it pretty bluntly “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we willingly give up our rights and will for the sake of His. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make plans for the present and the future, but it does mean our planning should begin with God (Proverbs 2:6) by asking for His will to be done in and through us, just as Jesus did while on earth. (John 5:19) Once plans are made, we should hold them loosely because there may come a time when God asks us to change course and keep surrendering ourselves to Him; we must be willing to trust Him and follow as He leads.

2) How can I know if my plans line up with God’s?
In today’s society, we place immense pressure on youth to have their entire lives planned out when entering high school (secondary education for my non-western friends J). We expect them to choose a lifelong career path with little room for experience or gaining wisdom. Ironically, this method is what James speaks against, because it leaves no room for God! Maybe God is calling our sons and daughters to be doctors and lawyers, but He also may be calling them to be auto-mechanics, moms, preachers, or receptionists. Yes, plan for college, retirement, and future trips, but do so with God leading the way. This means we must ask His guidance while also waiting and listening, then compare what we think we hear to Scripture. If the two don’t align, we’ve misheard and need to ask again. Making plans isn’t really a “one and done” situation. Honestly, there are very few people I know where God has not changed their course mid-stream. Our oldest daughter planned to be a journalist for most of high school, and began college studies toward this direction. This was her plan, but God’s was elementary (primary) education. Even after course correcting, her plans had her teaching in a certain district and school, but once again, God’s plans were different. This lesson was hard and required time, but God is faithful to guide us and today she teaches first graders in our city’s urban core at a privately funded Christian school. Not at all what she would have picked for herself years ago, but exactly God’s intended direction. Amazingly, her heart is now more open and willing to wait for and listen to God. Her desire is to walk in obedience to His call, not hers, even when it’s not easy.

3) What does it mean to “know the good and not do it”? (verse 17)
Can I be honest with ya’ll? I have a love/hate relationship with writing studies. Angst explodes in seeing my assignment topic and Scripture references; I sense the coming turmoil of wrestling with Scripture. I can almost feel the questions I will wade through, and I begin praying God will somehow string together my wrestlings into sensible words that honor Him. Simultaneously, I love that God ALWAYS provides, often in the midst of my tears, conviction, and fresh insight. In this messy, but sacred place, I have been stuck, knowing the good I’ve been called to do, yet choosing not to act. Honestly, most often, we know the right answer. We know we should resist temptation; we know we should share truth instead of gossip, we know we should turn the other cheek, but it’s much easier to be self-righteous instead. When we choose sin, we choose to worship the fleshly desires Paul discusses in Romans 7 & 8. Believe me, I get it! I fail every single day because it’s easy; failing allows me to fit with the crowd and build my kingdom, my way. Romans 8:9 says, “You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.” Verse 12 reiterates, “we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh!” Do you see it?! Because the Spirit of Christ lives in believers, we are no longer forced to obey the deceptive chant, “Who cares?! Do what you want!” When we choose not to do the good we ought, we are choosing neither to trust God nor rely on His Spirit. Paul speaks the remedy in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who is against us?” It’s terrifying to fully submit to God’s ways and start rejecting our ways. We fearfully wonder, “What if God wants me to give up what I love?” So, we reflect, are we living from pride of self or love for God? Taking it from James, pride sucks! As I wrestled through this, God insistently whispered, “Do you really trust me or not?” I tried my best to avoid this wrestling session, but God has led me to look at strong truth and walk away choosing differently in my everyday life.
P.S. If you’re up for a challenge, read the short book of Malachi. It’s full of opportunities to wrestle with truth, see the Savior, and walk away changed to be more like Him!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

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Posted in: Christ, Digging Deeper, Faith, God, Good, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, Obedience, Purpose, Scripture, Trust, Wisdom, Worship Tagged: build, full surrender, leading, plans, Prompting, Savior, security

The GT Weekend! ~ Advent Week 3

December 25, 2021 by Carol Graft 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) On Monday, Rebekah reminded us what Advent truly is about. Are you like me and need this reminder? Or are you one of those who truly doesn’t become caught up in the hustle and bustle, carefully drawing boundary lines on your time and budget? With a large family and a love for all things Christmas, I confess many years of struggling to focus on spiritual things rather than material busyness. Pursuing things of far less value than the One True God makes us more like the shepherds who received the prophet Ezekiel’s chastisement instead of the humble shepherds who were first notified of Christ’s birth. Rebekah’s Journey Study illuminated that the Good Shepherd was born that night. As all of Israel waited and prepared to welcome the Messiah, so we wait and prepare our own homes and hearts for the Christmas season. In what ways are you intentional about keeping Christ at the center of your everyday focus in the Christmas season? What’s one thing you can implement this weekend to shift your focus onto the Savior? Take time to identify the biggest culprits of stealing your heart’s focus; pray over these as you surrender to Christ!

2) Decades ago when I first read of Abraham sacrificing his son, I doubt I considered how Abraham’s heart may have wrestled with God’s command. Many years of studying Scripture has shifted my perspective to see Abraham’s unswerving faith. He was confident in God’s promise to secure Abraham’s line for generations to come through Isaac, so it was obvious Isaac would survive somehow. (Hebrews 11:19) Abraham’s faith allowed him to follow God in obedience. However, my mother’s heart can’t help but ask, “What on earth?! Why God?!”. For me, I would have been undone had I been in Abraham’s sandals, yet I know there have been many times when I’ve had opportunity to grab hold of God’s faithful promises as I faced seemingly impossible odds. Where have you walked a similar “mountain path to sacrifice”? What specific encouragement can you take from Abraham’s example of faith? Read a few psalms this weekend and make one-word descriptions of God’s character that you discover as you read His word. Cling tightly to these unchanging truths regardless of your circumstance. Be reminded that a crucial aspect of Advent is found in impending sacrifice. Both Isaac and Jesus carried burdens on their backs to the place of sacrifice. Isaac didn’t understand, but Jesus did; He knew His advent was fulfilled by His sacrifice to pay for our sin!

3) Centuries ago, the early church counted down the four weeks before Christmas as a tradition for preparing hearts for the “coming” of Christ. Just as Israel waited for the Messiah, so Christians practiced Advent to celebrate His infant arrival. In yesterday’s Journey Study, Mary pointed out that believers today are between two advents, Christ’s birth and His glorious return. Israel yearned for Messiah’s first advent and we groan for His second appearing. While we live in the “in-between”, we prepare our hearts for another advent through the disciplines of prayer, worship, and reading His Word. How will you wait? What practice of waiting do you want to lean into more fully in the coming year? How we choose to wait has direct implications on the anticipation we feel for Christ’s return. Preparing for Christ’s second advent ushers us deeper into Christ’s presence as we press into “eager anticipation” for all God has for us in Christ Jesus! (Romans 8:19, Ephesians 1:11-12) One practice that reminds us of Christ’s love displayed in coming and returning is regularly confessing our sin. While not as exciting as preparing for Christmas, confessing our sin reminds us that Christ loved us enough to not only pay the sin-debt we owe, but return again to take us Home as His Bride forever!

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 Philippians 2:7b-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

And when He had come as a man,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.

Prayer Journal
Lord, I know I am eternally blessed because I belong to You. In this love, I see Your hand even the negative and painful things of life. When I am intentional to remember that You are always good, and You will always do good things, You provide peace and assurance whatever my circumstances look like. I confess to You, Lord, that when I shift my focus off Your good character, I slip into fear and anxiety, anger and bitterness as I focus on the challenges in life instead of You. Forgive me of these times of choosing self over You!

Help me to seek You first in all things. Help me to see you in the regular daily rhythms of life. Reflect Your goodness through me to others. Lord, I pray this Christmas season would signal an advent of my own walk with You; a fresh preparation to welcome You as my Kingly Shepherd.

I praise You for choosing to take on flesh and dwell among us. We are Your creation, and you desire relationship with us, but we, – I –, am so very fallible. Remind me to cling to the truth: I am loved, seen, and heard by You.

Worship Through Community

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Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

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Posted in: Character, Christ, God, GT Weekend, Humility, Promises, Sacrifice, Scripture Tagged: abraham, Advent, Christmas, faithful, Good Shepherd, Isaac, Messiah, One True, Savior
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