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seeking

Pause V Day 5 Seeking Eternity

October 29, 2021 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Pause V, Day 5

I think most of us would love to have solutions to our problems. Life would be so much easier then, right? The woman at the well in today’s reading was looking for a solution to her earthly problem, how not to be subjected to the moral judgment of others when she came to draw water.

Perfectly timed by God, she ran into Jesus at the well who offered a solution to her more pressing eternal problem. Though both of them spoke about water, she talked of water for her physical body, while Jesus spoke of the life-giving water only He could provide, eternal life.

Jesus has always been concerned with what the Father was concerned over because they are One Being. And what was that? God was, and is, concerned with saving souls. He’s concerned with eternity. And so was Jesus. This was why He presented the gospel to the Samaritan woman, invited the disciples to participate in the spiritual harvest, and healed the nobleman’s son. Jesus wanted to offer them eternity, the same as He does for us.

As we read His words, ponder this: how are we seeking eternity in our day to day? How can we focus more on presenting eternity to others?

Today's Challenge

1) Read through John 4 out loud today twice. Slowly. Linger over that verse (or verses) that stick out to you, slowing and listening as God’s Spirit speaks to your heart! Choose 1 or 2 to write out on notecards and post them around your house – then post a picture of your reminder cards on Instagram or on our Facebook Community Page. Take the weekend to memorize these and forever hide them in your heart!

2) We are so excited to share this hand-crafted Spotify playlist! We created it as we prayed over *you*. Put this playlist on repeat this weekend and be reminded of the rich truths God has shown you this week in Pause 5!

3) Memorize John 3:20-21

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John 4

When Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard He was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3 He left Judea and went again to Galilee. 4 He had to travel through Samaria; 5 so He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property that Jacob had given his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from His journey, sat down at the well. It was about noon.

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
“Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, 8 because His disciples had gone into town to buy food.
9 “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked Hm.
For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”

11 “Sir,” said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”

13 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.”

15 “Sir,” the woman said to him, “give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.”
16 “Go call your husband,” he told her, “and come back here.”
17 “I don’t have a husband,” she answered.

“You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” Jesus said. 18 “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am He.”
27 Just then his disciples arrived, and they were amazed that he was talking with a woman. Yet no one said, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

28 Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They left the town and made their way to him.

31 In the meantime the disciples kept urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But he said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”
33 The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?”

34 “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work,” Jesus told them. 35 “Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, and then comes the harvest’?
Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest. 36 The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”

39 Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of what he said. 42 And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

43 After two days he left there for Galilee. 44 (Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45 When they entered Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen everything he did in Jerusalem during the festival. For they also had gone to the festival.

46 He went again to Cana of Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a certain royal official whose son was ill at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to him and pleaded with him to come down and heal his son, since he was about to die.
48 Jesus told him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

49 “Sir,” the official said to him, “come down before my boy dies.”
50 “Go,” Jesus told him, “your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and departed.
51 While he was still going down, his servants met him saying that his boy was alive.
52 He asked them at what time he got better.
“Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him,” they answered.

53 The father realized this was the very hour at which Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. 54 Now this was also the second sign Jesus performed after He came from Judea to Galilee.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1. Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with a simple challenge. Each challenge is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

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 Pause V 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 Pause V!

Posted in: God, Gospel, Healing, Jesus, Pause, Perfect Tagged: disciples, eternity, harvest, Life-giving, seeking, Spiritual, water

Focus Day 4 Wisdom’s Way: Digging Deeper

August 22, 2019 by Rebecca Adams 1 Comment

Focus Day 4 Wisdom’s Way: Digging Deeper

Rebecca Adams

August 22, 2019

Digging Deeper,Focus,God,Gospel,Guidance,Jesus,Relationship,Wisdom

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Wisdom's Way"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Proverbs 4

Listen, sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, 2 for I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching. 3 When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother, 4 he taught me and said: “Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth. 6 Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding. 8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you. 9 She will place a garland of favor on your head; she will give you a crown of beauty.”

10 Listen, my son. Accept my words, and you will live many years. 11 I am teaching you the way of wisdom; I am guiding you on straight paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered; when you run, you will not stumble. 13 Hold on to instruction; don’t let go. Guard it, for it is your life. 14 Keep off the path of the wicked; don’t proceed on the way of evil ones. 15 Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass it by. 16 For they can’t sleep unless they have done what is evil; they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. 17 They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18 The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. 19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don’t know what makes them stumble.

20 My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings. 21 Don’t lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to one’s whole body. 23 Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. 24 Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don’t let your lips talk deviously. 25 Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. 26 Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. 27 Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) Why is there such an urgent tone in the writer’s word choices?

Listen! Pay attention! Don’t abandon my teaching! Whatever else you get, it must be wisdom above all else! Don’t forget it! 
These phrases of urgency are repeated within this chapter as well as the first nine chapters of Proverbs, a book themed with wisdom from beginning to end.

Proverbs was written by King Solomon, son of King David. God lavished Solomon with wisdom that went far beyond his own human capabilities and throughout the book, we can’t help but notice the intensity with which Solomon is impressing upon his sons.

As a child reaches for a hot burner, we intensely shout and push their hand away because wisdom protects. It is with this same intensity Solomon is writing to his sons. Wisdom would be the safeguard for them even after Solomon passed away. He wouldn’t always be there for be wise for his sons, so he urges them to personally own the process of seeking wisdom as well as living wisely.

The Everyday Application

1) Why is there such an urgent tone in the writer’s word choices?

The entire purpose of parenting is wrapped up in passing on wisdom from the tiny ages to the older ones. We want our children to see, understand, and process the world through the eyes of experience, able to make wise choices.

The thing about wisdom is that once you’ve held it and owned it for yourself, you want others to experience the same delight you have by embracing wisdom; the only logical step is to share it. The one who has taken wisdom in knows how precious it is, and the urgency to share it increases. We want others to experience this wisdom as we have. This is exactly like the gospel!

Jesus is the literal embodiment of wisdom as He, being fully God, took on our flesh while maintaining His deity, which includes all wisdom. The more we take in of Jesus Christ, the more we naturally are moved towards sharing how sweetly wonderful it is to know and experience Christ!

Is Jesus sweet to you? If so, you’ll want to share Him! Maybe you’d like this sweetness, but it just never seems to be a reality for you no matter how hard you try.

As Merry invited yesterday, “carve out a few moments and find a quiet space.
Talk to the Lord. Have a real conversation with Him. Tell Him where you are and ask Him to help you, then trust He is faithful and will respond to His beloved daughter!” Sweetness is available and He longs for you to experience Him!

The Original Intent

2) According to this passage, how does someone “be wise”?

Being 
wise first begins with seeking out wisdom, which means we need to define the reality of our current state of affairs. How wise are we truly? Do our everyday life choices reflect wisdom? Do our relationships demonstrate wisdom?

I’ll cut to the chase, we all, (yes A L L) need more wisdom. The starting line is realizing our need and seeking it out. Solomon teaches one way of attaining is simply by listening and learning as wisdom is spoken to you and modeled in front of you.

It’s a given that Solomon was wise, but wise people listen to wise people. When Solomon spoke these words, he intended them as a means of making his own sons wise, and all they had to do was define reality (their current need for wisdom), listen to wisdom spoken and written, and watch what it looks like to live out wisdom in real life. Wisdom was enacted for them, they just had to “pay attention!”. (verse 1)

The Everyday Application

2) According to this passage, how does someone “be wise”?

While Solomon wanted his sons to live wisely, this passion for pursuing and embracing wisdom was a precursor the coming Wisdom of Jesus Christ. There is no wisdom outside or beyond the Lord God.

We, as humans, may become really good people, treat others well, and take care of the planet, but until we have defined reality that we are stuck in our sin without a Savior and have humbly surrendered ourselves to Jesus as our only hope of rescue, we have entirely missed the boat on being wise. To truly embrace wisdom is to embrace the gracious gift of salvation Christ offers to us who are trapped by our inescapable punishment for sins. And that’s  A L L of us.

Once we have acknowledged the reality of our sin and asked Jesus to rescue us, we can choose to grow deeper in wisdom by listening to His words in Scripture and watching His wisdom modeled in others around us who have long chosen Christ as their own Rescuer. Apart from God, there is no wisdom. And no one can really become wise without Him!

The Original Intent

3) Is wisdom truly the difference between life and death?

Returning to the idea of urgency with which Solomon wrote, yes, wisdom is precisely the difference between life and death. We can see this in the obviously practical such as looking both ways before you cross a street to avoid being hit by a car. Here, wisdom avoids physical death, but we also see this truth at work in the less obvious.

When we listen well in tense arguments rather than push our viewpoint, wisdom brings life by allowing for deeper relationship and understanding to occur. To spout off our thoughts, letting anger control us, is not only unwise, it also is like a sword to our relationship. Wisdom brings life, reckless abandonment of wisdom brings death, no matter what scale you use to measure its affects or what scenarios are being lived out.

The Everyday Application

3) Is wisdom truly the difference between life and death?

When we become aware of wisdom’s influence in our lives and the gift of life it carries with it, we learn to walk more wisely because the reward of life is worth the cost of defining reality and then pursuing wisdom. When we understand that following Jesus, as the fullness of wisdom, brings life in both the mundane, the mediocre, and the magnificent, embracing His wisdom as rescuer of our souls is absolutely worth it.

The alternative to surrendering control to Jesus? Death. Eternal death and complete separation from the God of all wisdom and authority. The choice we are each faced with will result in either life or death, both on the grand scale for eternity, as well as the innumerable small ways as we live out our everyday lives.

With Jesus, we can live supremely wise lives, but without Him, we will bring death with us everywhere we go and into every relationship we have. Choose wisdom! Choose Jesus! And then urgently share this sweet gift with others!

Tags :
being,Hold on to,listen,pay attention,Proverbs,seeking,Way
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Journey Study

“Stop shouting at each other RIGHT this MINUTE!” The words forced their way across my lips, piercing the air over our dining room table before I even realized I was shouting. Three sets of wide eyes stared at me, and one toddler mouth hung open in surprise.

I expelled the mouthful of air I didn’t realize I’d been holding in one great whoosh. Perfect, I thought. I did it, AGAIN. Shouting at your children to stop them from shouting at each other…way to effectively parent. Lord, HELP. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.

Have you been there, Love?
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Posted in: Digging Deeper, Focus, God, Gospel, Guidance, Jesus, Relationship, Wisdom Tagged: being, Hold on to, listen, pay attention, Proverbs, seeking, Way

The GT Weekend! – Incorruptible Week 3

November 24, 2018 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend! – Incorruptible Week 3

Rebecca Adams

November 24, 2018

Busy,Clothed,Comfort,Dwell,Enemies,Faith,God,Gospel,Grace,GT Weekend,Hope,Jesus,Life,Love,Need,Prayer,Pursue,Relationship,Scripture,Seeking,Sin,Struggle,Transformation,Truth,Wisdom

Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

His Words Before Ours

1 Peter 4:7-11

The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer.  Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.  Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.  

If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Read More Of His Words

Reflective Prayer

Lord, I admit that being alert and aware of the spiritual battles raging around me isn’t what I naturally consider. It’s easy for me to believe the tempting, sugary lie that my prayers don’t matter, so I give the time of my inner thought life to other things. I want to grow and change here, Lord. Remind me, Spirit, of the truth that praying is essential to our relationship and is effective in the spiritual realm far beyond what I see.

Fill me with Your strength this week, Your words, Your mind, and Your heart as I go through my days. I long for You to be glorified Jesus; use me and shape me to make Your name known. I love you, Abba! Remind my tongue to praise you endlessly this week!
Pray Scripture

Worship Through Song

Reflection One

Think about your appetite for God’s Word. On a scale of 1-5 (1 being untrue, 5 being perfectly describes me), answer these questions.

(1) Each day I notice that I long to talk with God. (2) Sunday’s sermon feels like plenty of Scripture to fulfill me all week. (3) Just reading a few verses doesn’t seem like enough, I want to know more. (4) Regular prayer and Scripture intake isn’t something I’ve considered before. (5) Regular prayer and Bible reading is something I do, but sometimes it feels like a burden.

Use your answers to help you create specific goals for how you want your relationship with God to grow.
Monday & Tuesday

Reflection Two

When you think of “suffering for Jesus”, what images or thoughts come to mind? Do you think anything in your life could be described like that?

Now consider what Sara shared to be “pantry-like-encounters” and re-evaluate areas of your life. What areas of suffering do you need to surrender to the Lord, waiting for just such an encounter with Him?

Suffering can bring sweetness, when handed over to the One who loves us deeply and intimately.
Wednesday & Thursday

Reflection Three

Are spiritual battles something you consider happening in regular everyday life? If you were to make a shift in acknowledging that reality as Scripture teaches, how might you prepare differently for the battles you could face in your day? Would Scripture reading become a non-negotiable?

How might asking the Spirit to clothe you in His love make your everyday life different? Be specific, write it out, and then pray over your day, asking the Lord to arm you with His love as you walk confidently in hope!
2-for-1 Friday

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appetite,battle,grow,hope,life,love,prayer,relationship,scripture,seeking,Sin,struggle
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Posted in: Busy, Clothed, Comfort, Dwell, Enemies, Faith, God, Gospel, Grace, GT Weekend, Hope, Jesus, Life, Love, Need, Prayer, Pursue, Relationship, Scripture, Seeking, Sin, Struggle, Transformation, Truth, Wisdom Tagged: appetite, battle, grow, hope, life, love, prayer, relationship, scripture, seeking, Sin, struggle

Dwell Day 12 The Prayer Challenge: Digging Deeper

October 16, 2018 by Rebecca Jenner Leave a Comment

Dwell Day 12 The Prayer Challenge: Digging Deeper

Rebecca Jenner

October 16, 2018

Believe,Digging Deeper,Dwell,Faithfulness,Forgiven,Generous,God,Gospel,Grace,Jesus,Life,Love,Peace,Prayer,Relationship,Scripture,Seeking,Sin,Thankfulness,Transformation,Truth,Wisdom

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "The Prayer Challenge"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 51:1-10

1 Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. 2 Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you—you alone—I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge. 5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

6 Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. 10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) What do we learn about God in this passage?

In these ten verses alone, we learn that God is gracious, He gives faithful love, He shows abundant compassion, He is powerful to cleanse a person of their sin, He is able to judge, He is blameless, He is righteous, He is forgiving, and He is wise because He

The Everyday Application

1) What do we learn about God in this passage?

How many times have we heard that God is love? While that is true, there are so many other aspects of the character of God that often go unnoticed, even disrespected. David touched on a few in this passage, but as we spend time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer, we learn more about Him.

Have you sensed His comfort, dear one? Have you noticed that He is perfect, without fault? Do you find Him trustworthy? Try making a list of the attributes of God that you have either personally experienced or rea

The Original Intent

2) According to verse 5, a baby can be sinful. How is this possible?

When something strikes us as odd or seemingly out-of-place with what we know to be true from the rest of Scripture study, it’s important to take a step back and slow down the process of jumping to conclusions.

As with every Scripture passage, it’s vital we begin with original context. Here, David had just been confronted by his friend and prophet, Nathan. Sent by God, Nathan helped David see the depths of his sinful affair with another married woman, Bathsheba, as well as the plotted murder of her husband. 

Psalm 51 is David’s heartfelt, remorseful response to God’s holy conviction. David wasn’t making a statement about babies in the way that we might initially conclude, he was grounding himself in the theological truth that we are all sinners. 

It wasn’t actions that made David sinful (though, of course the actions were morally wrong), it was the fact that he had a sinful nature that was the problem. The emphasis isn’t that David did wrong, David simply was wrong because he was born with a sinful nature like all of humanity.

David’s reference to being guilty and sinful from birth is to emphasize that his nature itself is hopelessly sinful, and will always choose to gratify his own fleshly desires rather than the heart of God, unless God Himself gives him a new heart and mind. Are babies’ actions seen viewed as sinful? No, but, like the rest of humanity, they are born with a sin nature. None of us are “born good” and gradually become corrupted; corruption is our identity.

The Everyday Application

2) According to verse 5, a baby can be sinful. How is this possible?

If it were only actions that made us sinful, we should be able to clean ourselves up and do enough good to become holy. But we cannot, it’s impossible for us to attain to righteousness.

We Are Sinners. Period. Born into sin, we are trapped in the Kingdom of Sin and Death with no hope for freedom unless Jesus Christ sacrifices Himself on our behalf.
Which, praise God, He does!

Jesus, as God the Son, came in human flesh with the identity of Perfect Holy Righteous God, to live the human life on our behalf, but He did it flawlessly. His perfection for our imperfection. His strength for our weakness. His righteousness for our sin. His perfect God-nature for our fallen human-nature.

As Jesus willingly spilled His own blood, sacrificing Himself for us, we are given hope as He extends to us a new nature: His Own. By asking Him to be our Savior and Lord, He redeems what once was death and gives us life! 

Yes, we all begin life with the nature of Sin, but because of Jesus, we can be redeemed through the Righteous Nature of Jesus Himself on our behalf! Sister, which nature is your identity?

The Original Intent

3) What is the heart attitude of the writer?

David wrote this psalm to God, pouring out his heart, recognizing that his sin was against the Lord, and asking to be made clean. He repented of his sin. He was desirous to be in relationship with God as he had been to this point. David was known as a man after God’s own heart, meaning he wanted nothing more than to have an intimacy with his Creator.

The Everyday Application

3) What is the heart attitude of the writer?

David’s plea for a cleansed heart is often cited as a model prayer for repentance. I use it often myself. It would be wonderful if I could just ask God for cleansing once and be done forever, but because you and I live in a sinful state (by birth) and in a sinful world (and becoming increasingly evil), it is impossible for even the most faithful saint to remain unaffected by sin’s temptation (Proverbs 20:9).

Isn’t it wonderful to know that no matter how many times we repent, the Lover of our souls will always be faithful to forgive us and allow us back into right relationship with Him?!
He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works. Titus 2:14

Tags :
digging deeper,dwell,faithfulness,forgiven,God,gracious,joy,love,prayer,relationship,scripture,seeking,Sin,wisdom
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Recent Journeys

The GT Weekend! ~ Shofar, Week 3
February 7, 2026
Shofar Day 15 Listen For The King
February 6, 2026
Shofar Day 14 Dear Believers In Laodicea: Digging Deeper
February 5, 2026

Dwell, Day 11
Journey Study

Sisters, imagine if we were to take intentional time to thank God, celebrate Him, and declare His name throughout the day!

EVEN IF we don’t feel like it.
EVEN IF we have difficulty believing what we say.

Imagine how the thanksgiving we surrender will grow in our hearts, overflowing onto others, and shifting our perspective as we praise the Lord throughout the day.
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Posted in: Believe, Digging Deeper, Dwell, Faithfulness, Forgiven, Generous, God, Gospel, Grace, Jesus, Life, Love, Peace, Prayer, Relationship, Scripture, Seeking, Sin, Thankfulness, Transformation, Truth, Wisdom Tagged: digging deeper, dwell, faithfulness, forgiven, God, gracious, joy, love, prayer, relationship, scripture, seeking, Sin, wisdom

Dwell Day 10 Clearing The Clutter

October 12, 2018 by Mary Kathryn Tiller Leave a Comment

Dwell Day 10 Clearing The Clutter

Mary Kathryn Tiller

October 12, 2018

Believe,Busy,Comfort,Dwell,Excuses,God,Gospel,Jesus,Life,Marriage,Meaning,Need,Overwhelmed,Prayer,Provider,Purpose,Relationship,Rest,Sacrifice,Scripture,Seeking,Service,Significance,Struggle,Truth,Wisdom

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 7:1-6
Acts 13:1-3
Esther 4:13-17
Joel 2:12-17 
Ezra 8:21-23


 

Here’s a fun confession for you: I sometimes wish I was a nun. Granted, this desire tends to flare up in those especially chaotic moments of life. You know the ones: all the kids are crying, the oven timer is beeping, the dog just ripped open his food bag… In moments like these, the idea of dedicating my life to quiet servitude sounds very appealing.

While God clearly had other plans for my life, I do find myself longing to dwell in His presence amid the mundane. But with all the distractions of work and motherhood, I have struggled to discover a way to do this. How can I dwell in His presence while still being fully present here on Earth?

I believe these two spheres collide within the practice of fasting. When we fast, our physical needs and longing ushers our souls into His presence; and it is in His presence all our needs and longings are met.

May I share one more confession with you? Until writing this article, I never fully understood or practiced fasting; so please know, I am not an expert.  However, what I share with you below has changed my heart and I now understand it’s place and power.

Why should we fast?
Matthew 9:14-15 is perhaps the clearest picture of Christ’s stance on fasting.
“Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come with the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

According to these verses, there are two reasons we fast.
First, Christ expects it. In these verses, He makes it clear it is not a question of “if” His disciples will fast, but “when”. Sister, hear this: as disciples of Christ, we should be fasting. It is an integral part of our walk with Christ.

Secondly, we fast because we are waiting expectantly for our bridegroom. One day He will return, and we will no longer fast. Instead, we will be brought to His table and together we will feast! Until that day we will watch, wait, and fast.

John Piper once said fasting adds an exclamation point to our prayers. Daily we petition Him with our needs: “Lord, we need healing! We need guidance! We pray for your return!”. Fasting physically demonstrates our spiritual longing. It shows God we desire those things, we desire Him, more than we desire worldly comfort and sustenance.

Ultimately, fasting reminds us who is our true source of life and comfort. Food can easily become a sort of idol. We turn to food when we are hungry, celebrating, sad, and bored. We even have a term for what happens to us when we don’t get enough food: hangry. When we step away from this crutch, even for a short amount of time, we can lift our eyes up and glance at the One who we ought to turn to with all our emotions. This practice keeps us dependent on the true Bread of Life.

When should we fast?
Christian fasting is not simply done for the sake of fasting. It is done with a specific purpose in mind. Before you begin, you need to determine what you are bringing before God during your time of fasting. Are you repenting from a deep-rooted sin? Are you seeking His guidance through major transition? Are you simply trying to clear out the mental clutter and hear His voice?

Queen Esther called for a fast just before she dared approach her husband, the King, to save the Jewish people. She does so by telling her friends, “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)

She was desperate for God to act on behalf of her people. She knew lives hung in the balance. To demonstrate the intensity of her need, she and her people fasted for three days.

Must it be food?
No, 1 Corinthians 7:5 makes this clear. You can fast from anything you find yourself clinging to. Perhaps that is technology, television, sleep…sex. As 1 Corinthians suggests, fasting from sex for a short time to petition the Lord together as a married couple is quite powerful.  It is not what you fast from, but what you move towards that is important.

Here is my challenge for you today: start small. Ask the Lord what He would have you fast from and when. When I did this, I determined I would give up one lunch, once a week. I would use this time to seek the Lord in whatever way He laid on my heart that day.

I believe if we obey Christ in this way, we will see some of our deepest prayers answered. Through regular prayer and fasting, we will find ourselves dwelling in His presence even in the mundane.

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Dwell, Day 10
Digging Deeper

Any amount of focused worship leads us to a closer relationship with the Lord.

He desires us to love and worship Him with “all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27)

There is no part of our lives that is untouched when Christ is the center of our worship and adoration.
Dig Deeper!

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Posted in: Believe, Busy, Comfort, Dwell, Excuses, God, Gospel, Jesus, Life, Marriage, Meaning, Need, Overwhelmed, Prayer, Provider, Purpose, Relationship, Rest, Sacrifice, Scripture, Seeking, Service, Significance, Struggle, Truth, Wisdom Tagged: believe, chaos, comfort, dwell, fasting, God, life, needs, plans, Return, scripture, seeking, struggle, Truth

Roads Day 15 The Road Home

September 28, 2018 by Merry Ohler Leave a Comment

Roads Day 15 The Road Home

Merry Ohler

September 28, 2018

Believe,Busy,Character,Comfort,Community,Faith,Follow,God,Gospel,Grace,Heaven,Loss,Love,Overwhelmed,Peace,Prayer,Relationship,Roads,Scripture,Seeking,Truth,Worship

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 14:1-7
Matthew 7:13-14
Jeremiah 14:14-16
2 Timothy 4:3-4 


 

“God, HELP me! Why can’t I HEAR You?!” 
Angry tears filled my eyes and I swallowed hard, slamming towels into the washing machine so quickly they tangled into a big wad. Shrieks reached my ears as I wrestled with the laundry, and in my frustration, I slammed my little toe into the dryer as I turned to shush my two oldest so they wouldn’t wake their sleeping little brother. 

I’d be lying if I said an unpleasant word didn’t hiss across my lips. (Sorry, but it’s truth…and I’ll bet if you are being honest, you might be able to relate.) 

“You aren’t listening, Love. Your attention is divided.” 
His gentle nudge in my spirit sparked fresh tears. He was right. 

It had been a long day week year. The temperature outside was frigid, and with three little ones under four, I could count on one hand the number of days when every person in our little tribe had been healthy… in over two months.
I loved being a wife and mama, but between those two most important roles, the demands of my growing business, various ministry commitments, a part time job, and maintaining family relationships, I found myself incapable of focusing on a single task (or person) for even a few minutes. I couldn’t give 100% to anyone or anything.

I was tapped out. Emotionally. Mentally. Spiritually.  

And truth? I was pretty angry with myself…and maybe at God a little, too.
I couldn’t understand why He seemed so silent through everything.
I was reading my Bible.
I spent time in prayer and worship.
But, for a while now, He had seemed… uncharacteristically quiet.

Having experienced the loss of our first daughter and His supernatural peace and comfort through that time a few years prior, I was frustrated that such seemingly trivial issues affected me like this. …and that He wasn’t showing up as I expected. 

His soft correction was on point.
I had been so busy juggling ALL OF THE THINGS,
that nothing and no one was getting the best, or even most, of me.  

Have you been there, Sister? Are you there? 
So overwhelmed that you just… can’t?  

And here’s the million dollar question, Love.
Looking past all of that, are you still 100% committed to following Christ?
Through the mundane as well as the mountains?  

A while back, a friend and I were somewhat casually discussing faith and eternity.
As our discourse turned to another religious perspective that was outside biblical salvation by grace through faith, my friend asserted,
“Well, whatever makes them happy. 
As long as it isn’t hurting anyone, what’s the harm, right?”  

Stunned, I said nothing, and as she changed topics, the moment was lost. 

What’s the harm, right? 
Her words still echo in my mind.
How I wish I had spoken truth in love to her at that moment. 

I wish I’d told her the harm has eternal ramifications.
I wish I’d  told her the harm is that, as Christ followers, we know there is only one road which assures salvation for eternity.
There is only one road holding the hope of a future which far outshines our sin-stained past. There is only one road offering us healing and forgiveness, righteousness, and adoption into God’s family. 

One narrow road, and His name is Jesus. 

Not our own righteousness,
nor how we think we should act or be,
nor any other thing, but JESUS. 

Are we willing to receive some challenge today, Loves? 

This is not a popular truth to tell in this day and age. 
We live in a world where “live and let live,” and “do whatever makes you happy” rules.
Comfort is king.
While we are encouraged to “speak our truth,” those who shout this mantra the loudest,
are often the first to hush us when THE Truth is what we speak.  

Just like my own failure to speak truth in the moment Holy Spirit provided with my friend, many of us fail to give 100% to the people He has placed in our circles.  

Look, I get it.
Living our beliefs out there for the world to see in real life is HARD.
It’s much, much easier to stay in our little Sunday bubble and post faith-influenced social media status updates once or twice a week and never actually get in the dirt to love the people He has tasked us to love. 

But…what about that mimics the Christ we profess to believe in, love and follow? 

As followers of Christ and daughters of God…
We know we are heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven.
We know this world is not our home.
But we also know we are tasked to bring His Kingdom here… which includes sharing the truth in love with whomever God places in our path.
These opportunities to share are the most important part 
of our journey as we travel the road Home. (read: Heaven) 

No, not preaching on every corner or issuing condemnation and judgement.
It isn’t a “one and done” kind of deal.
Rather, we are challenged to actively love others, continually and invitationally.   

Invite them into our lives and homes and hearts. 
Invite them into our community and demonstrate Christ’s love in word, action and deed. 
Build real relationships so when Holy Spirit prompts us to speak the truth in love,
we can do it with grace. 

When we commit to giving our whole attention and focus to whatever He hands us, we free ourselves to be obedient and experience His fullness.
Even in the mountains and the mundane.
THIS is our purpose, our calling, and our joy!
To live out this Gospel as we travel the road Home! 

A Note About Sketched

In Sketched themes, we imaginatively step 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 viewed God, themselves, and the world around them.

Perhaps we will find parts of our story reflected in theirs!

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How many times has relational conflict been elevated because we stubbornly clung to what we were “sure” was true, only to find out that we were wrong.

Or maybe we’ve believed something about another person, pre-judging them before we discovered the whole of their story.
Dig Deeper!

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Posted in: Believe, Busy, Character, Comfort, Community, Faith, Follow, God, Gospel, Grace, Heaven, Loss, Love, Overwhelmed, Peace, Prayer, Relationship, Roads, Scripture, Seeking, Truth, Worship Tagged: anger, busy, comfort, faith, God, help, loss, peace, prayer, relationships, seeking, silent, Truth, worship

Roads Day 12 The Weight Of Hopelessness: Digging Deeper

September 25, 2018 by Randi Overby Leave a Comment

Roads Day 12 The Weight Of Hopelessness: Digging Deeper

Randi Overby

September 25, 2018

Believe,Digging Deeper,Enough,Faith,Fear,Follow,God,Good,Gospel,Grace,Hope,Inheritance,Jesus,Life,Meaning,Missing,Roads,Scripture,Seeking,Service,Significance,Sin,Truth,Wisdom

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "The Weight of Hopelessness"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Mark 10:17-22

17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.”

20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.ld.”
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1)  What was the man hoping to hear from Jesus when he approached him?

I can almost hear this man’s thoughts as he runs up and kneels at Jesus’ feet, seeking His approval, and desiring to justify himself.  Did you notice the man called Jesus a “good” teacher, and Jesus brought that out in His response? 

Jesus tells the man that if he acknowledges Him as “good”, he is agreeing that Jesus is a prophet/teacher from God and is therefore owed the authority and deference that would be given to one sent from God.  

Without saying it, Jesus essentially warns the man, “Remember that you called me ‘good’ when you don’t like my answer.”  The man asks Jesus what is required for eternal life.  Jesus reminds him of the commandments, and the man quickly responds, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth,” (verse 20).  CHECK.  AND.  DONE. 

The man had to feel victorious in that moment.  Jesus knew the man wanted the easy answer of “you’ve done enough.”  The man’s works were the center of his hope.  He wanted to hear that he was good enough, had done enough, and was “in” for eternal life.  All because of his own efforts.  

The Everyday Application

1) What was the man hoping to hear from Jesus when he approached him?

Just like the man who approached Jesus, many of us and those we know, look for the same answers: easy checkboxes that say “Yep, you’re good and don’t need to do anything else.” 

However, the work of sanctification is a lifelong pursuit.  We will never fully arrive. We never get to the point of being done and accomplished on this side of eternity.  There will always be more growth for us to do.

  Psalm 39:7 says, “Now, Lord, what do I wait for?  My hope is in you.”  Jesus alone completed the work of a perfectly righteous life.  As humans, we are unable reach that level of perfection.  Instead, all we need is to believe that Jesus was the perfect son of God.  And His perfection makes it possible that we don’t have to be. 

The Original Intent

2)  What did Jesus’ response reveal about true hope?

Jesus knew the reality that this man was putting his hope in his own works and earthly possessions before He ever heard his answers, yet it didn’t change Christ’s love for the man.  In fact, Jesus loved this man enough to tell him about true hope.

 Jesus exposed to the man what was still a false hope in his life (his works and his riches).  Jesus then shared with him that hope always has to be in a Person, not in things or works.  “Follow me” was the only hope this man would ever know and it would require him to let go of all else. 

The Everyday Application

2) What did Jesus’ response reveal about true hope?

Are you willing to hear the truth about hope?  Jesus’ teaching proved to be much harder to accept than the man in this passage had bargained for.  Often this is our same experience.  But just like this man, Jesus loves me, and you, enough to tell us the truth about hope.  

Titus 3:7 says we are justified by grace through Christ’s death on the cross, which gives us hope.  Jeremiah 14:22 warns us that worthless idols can do nothing, so our hope must be in God alone.  Ephesians 1:18 promises us the hope that comes through His calling in our lives; He gives us meaning and purpose in a way that nothing else can.

 1 Timothy 4:10 says that since our hope is in Christ alone, this is the reason why we labor, rather than in any wasted effort to save ourselves.  And what about those you know who are putting their hope in good works?  Are you willing to share the truth about hope?   To ask them how they will know when they have reached enough?  To let them know that hope comes in Christ alone? 

The Original Intent

3) Why did the man walk away dejected, despite the fact that Jesus did give him an answer?

Jesus was clear about His expectations and not afraid to ask for more.  The man had hoped his works would be enough.  But Jesus said there was more required: to give it all up and follow.  However, the man’s riches proved to be a hindrance that would keep him from fully following Jesus.  

The man loved what he had more than what he would gain from accepting Jesus’ challenge.  In that moment, the man chose to love his riches and the false hope of good works, over the One who could have given him everything he truly desired

The Everyday Application

3) Why did the man walk away dejected, despite the fact that Jesus did give him an answer?

Unfortunately, I can resonate with this man’s story.  For years, my career was the one thing I would bargain with God over. ”You can have anything in my life…please just don’t ask me to give this up.”  What about you?  Are you clinging to anything over Christ?

 Like the man in this passage, what do we miss out on when we make that choice?  Psalm 62:5 says, “Rest in God alone my soul, for my hope comes from Him.”  Trying to earn our way in and do enough is exhausting. Rest comes when we place our trust in Him alone.  

When we are finally willing to make that transition, our rest and hope will be noticeable to the world around us that is still busy striving to earn something.  In those moments, we have the opportunity to share the truth of the gospel, the “…reason for the hope that is in [us],” (1 Peter 3:15).  

 This is our calling. This is why we have been set apart, to bring His hope to the world around us that is still busy striving and looking for more.

Tags :
Buddhism,commandments,eternal life,false hope,follow,God,good,hoping,Jesus,seeking,Truth,works
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February 7, 2026
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Roads Day 11 Journey Study

Prayer is the most important work to be done in cross-cultural sharing of the Gospel. We need to rely heavily on the Holy Spirit to lead us as we share truth.

We need Him to guide us to engage with those who are ready to listen, those who have an open heart, and who will respond in faith to the hope we share from Scripture.
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Posted in: Believe, Digging Deeper, Enough, Faith, Fear, Follow, God, Good, Gospel, Grace, Hope, Inheritance, Jesus, Life, Meaning, Missing, Roads, Scripture, Seeking, Service, Significance, Sin, Truth, Wisdom Tagged: Buddhism, commandments, eternal life, false hope, follow, God, good, hoping, Jesus, seeking, Truth, works

Screenshot Day 8 Go Get The Sheep

August 29, 2018 by Audra Darville 1 Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 18:10-14
Jeremiah 29:11-14
John 3:16-21

Screenshot, Day 8

Imagine this: you are babysitting three children. While they all play contentedly, you go to the kitchen to prepare dinner. After you finish cooking, you set the food on the table, and call them to eat. As you round the corner into the living room, your stomach drops and panic ensues.
There are only two of the three children present.
The other is nowhere to be found.
You now begin frantically searching the house while your mind begins thinking of all possible worst case scenarios. Finally, you see a little pair of feet sticking out from under the bed. Phew!
Your heart is immediately filled with relief and joy knowing the child is safe and can now join the others who are happily eating.

A similar picture is painted in the parable of the lost sheep.
A shepherd has one hundred sheep and one is lost, which prompts the shepherd to leave the ninety-nine in search of the one.
On finding his lost sheep, he rejoices and calls his community to celebrate with him as he brings his lost one home.

As I read through this parable, Chris Tomlin’s beautiful song, Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone), comes to mind.

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

This song so perfectly shows our Lord’s heart for us.
Like a parent searching for their lost child, or a shepherd searching for a lost sheep,
He will not stop searching for us.

He will continuously pursue the soul separated from His grace
that He might rescue them from sin and death,
lavishing us with His celebratory love of redemption and welcome!

We, each one of us.
You, me,
the girl across the street,
the man on the corner,
the pastor at church,
and the saintly ones we look up to…..
we are wretches before the Just and Righteous God.

We’ve each turned away from His grace, “become His enemies”, and “like sheep, have all gone astray.” (Romans 5:10, Isaiah 53:6)
What separates us?
Our sin.
Black, ugly, all-consuming.
Just one sin is enough to sentence us to an eternity separated from a God who is blameless, perfect, and flawlessly holy. If He were to abide with sin, He would no longer be the Holy and Righteous God.

But, oh sisters, you and I both know we have more than 1 solitary sin against us!
This is the sin that drives us away from the fold of sheep.
This is the sin that keeps us lost.

But God.
Shows His love for us in this.
While we were still sinners.
Christ died for us.

He died to bring us back.
To exchange our status from lost to found.
From shame and hiding to adored and celebrated!
He brings us back into the fold because He longs to give us hope and a future, found only in His righteousness, which He graciously gives as an exchange for our sin, made possible through the sacrificial blood offering of Jesus who took Death in our place. (Jeremiah 29:11-14, Romans 5:6-11, John 3:16-21)

Jesus left heaven, put on flesh, became one of us in order to win us back from the grip of Sin and Death.
The invitation is bold, freeing, and life-giving.
If you haven’t trusted Jesus, for your eternity, what’s holding you back?
What ties you to the identity of being lost rather than found? Is it worth it?

As believers, let this parable from the heart of God challenge us!
God has been showing me in my own life that if I am to be like Christ the Shepherd, then I must begin by throwing off all I claim as self-importance,
that Name of the Lord can reach one more person as I surrender to His ways.

We as believers get comfortable sometimes.
Too Comfortable.

We build church buildings.
And stay inside.

We open the doors.
Expecting people to come in.

But are we going out? 

Here in the Bahamas, we do baptisms differently. Instead of baptizing new believers in the church, we take baptisms to the beaches as we celebrate the sheep that is now found.
We take church outside of the walls in order to reach just one.
It is a beautiful thing.
We have been blessed with the opportunity to be open and bold about our faith unlike many of our brothers and sisters across the globe who suffer silently for their faith.
What are we doing with those freedoms?

Are we going out and getting the lost sheep?
Or are we just staying with the ninety- nine?

Staying with the ninety-nine is comfortable and easy.
Going to get the one is hard and painful.

Getting the “one” looks like fostering children from broken homes,
engaging in a ministry to regain territory from Satan,
evangelizing people that are hard to love,
baptizing on the beach,
or embracing people who are broken and hurting.
It looks like going beyond our borders.

All of these are hard to do.
They require sacrifice.
They require prayer.
They require being visible and possibly ridiculed.
They require being uncomfortable.
They require obedience to this glorious gospel by which Christ has set us free!

God’s mission is to go out and get the sheep, will you join Him?!

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Prayer Day 7 Hmmm, Daily Bread: Digging Deeper

July 17, 2018 by Randi Overby 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!
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The Questions

1) What did Jesus mean when He told the people not to look for “food that perishes” in verse 27? 

2) What is Jesus saying with the phrase, “bread of God” in verse 33? 

3) What does Jesus mean when He says in verse 35 that He is the “bread of life” and that there will be no more hunger and thirst? 

John 6:24-35

24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.”
28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.
29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”
30 “What sign, then, are you going to do so we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
32 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 

34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.” 

 

Original Intent

1) What did Jesus mean when He told the people not to look for “food that perishes” in verse 27?
In John 6:1, just before this passage, the same crowd of people we see here experience the miracle of Jesus feeding them with nothing more than a few loaves of bread and fish.  When they seek Him out again, Jesus calls out the fact that they are looking for Him to meet their earthly needs, or “food that perishes.”  Jesus wants the people to understand that they are searching for satisfaction in things that don’t matter, when He could offer them so much more – eternal life through belief in Him as the son of God. 

2) What is Jesus saying with the phrase, “bread of God” in verse 33?
As Jesus continues to talk to the people, He refers to God’s past work with the Israelites, when He provided them manna from heaven to take care of their hunger (Exodus 16) before they made it to the Promised Land.  In verse 30 above, the people ask for a similar miracle from Jesus.  The motive of their request is to see another miracle, in order to confirm that Jesus is who He claims to be.  Jesus responds by telling them that God has already given them something more in Him, through His life and ministry among them.  Jesus tells the people that the only requirement is for them to believe in Him as the one and only Son of God.  In Him, they can know life in a deeper and more meaningful way.   

3) What does Jesus mean when He says in verse 35 that He is the “bread of life” and that there will be no more hunger and thirst?
Once again, Jesus exposes  the true heart condition of the people seeking after Him.  Though the people say in verse 34 that they want the bread He offers, Jesus still knows they are still missing the point; the people are looking for their physical hunger and thirst to be satisfied.  However, Jesus isn’t promising that physical hunger and thirst will not be an issue; rather, He tells them that they can have their deepest needs, their spiritual needs,  filled and met in Him, through placing their faith in Him alone.  

Everyday Application

1) What did Jesus mean when He told the people not to look for “food that perishes” in verse 27?
Physical needs are real, and we do have to deal with them regularly…there’s no getting around that reality.  But how often are we guilty of the same thing these people were?  Have you considered how many times you come to God seeking Him for his practical blessings, only when you have a felt need?  Do you ask Him as often to meet your spiritual needs?  Are you ever guilty of ignoring Him until there is something you want?  Consider how you need to seek God for all things, not just the physical needs of this life.  Don’t lose sight of the fact that earthly things are temporary.  Jesus wants us to instead focus on the eternal, spiritual things that truly matter – our relationship with Him.   

2) What is Jesus saying with the phrase, “bread of God” in verse 33?
Take a few minutes to examine your heart and your patterns of coming to Jesus with your prayers.  It’s hard to admit our faults, I understand.  But try to be honest with yourself.  Do you relate at all to the demands the people make of Jesus?  Do you ever find yourself looking for something that you want God to DO for you, all the while missing what he has already provided in the person of Jesus?  We must always remain mindful of the truth that Jesus is all we truly need.  He is the answer to every deep desire or hope.  Are you ever in a place where you require proof from God, asking Him to do something specific to somehow prove His love or power to you?  If we ask in that way, we expose a lack of faith and belief similar to the crowds Jesus was addressing.  Instead, we should trust in His greater power, believing He will work on our behalf.  In His time.  In His way.  Not according to our selfish requests. 

3) What does Jesus mean when He says in verse 35 that He is the “bread of life” and that there will be no more hunger and thirst?
Jesus promises that in Him, we have all we need.  Yet hunger and thirst are still a real part of life.  We often have difficulty being satisfied.  We covet what others have.  We long for more.  We want “just one more” of whatever we desire.  Where do you still hunger and thirst for “more” than what He has already given?  Consider why you struggle to be satisfied with what He has already provided.  What things other than Jesus do you turn to in order to fill that need for more?  How do you need to turn to Jesus instead, trusting in Him to provide for you?  Write out as many thoughts as you can, with practical ideas of how you can place your trust in Jesus alone. 

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
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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 :-))

Memorize It!

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14