The GT Weekend! ~ Surrender Week 1
July 24, 2021
Christ,God,GT Weekend,Holy Spirit,Relationship,Scripture,Truth
Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!
This Week's Journeys
Ephesians 1:3-6
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
Prayer Journal Entry
Blessed be You, oh Lord, the God of all wonder and glory! How marvelous are Your ways, how unknowable Your love. I stand in awe of how great You are. Your nature as 3 persons in 1 God is beyond my comprehension, yet You call me into relationship with Yourself that I might know You and reflect Your love to a broken world.
I confess that when I suffer, I long to be free of trouble. I desire an easy life over the steadfastness and faithfulness that comes only through trial. I confess I tend to numb my own pain, rather than rely on the joy that comes from knowing You.
Lord, we ask that Your justice would come on this earth. We know Your very nature is just. Help us to view the world with hearts and eyes turned toward perfect justice. May we care for the poor and the outcast, valuing them as people made in the image of the one true God.
Grant courage and boldness that we may be quick to serve those in need and ready to speak truth to the powerful. May we reveal Your heart for justice to those who are far from You.
Worship Through Song
Journal Prompts
The idea of 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 makes zero mathematical sense to our analytic brains. Often, we attempt to understand the All-Powerful God with our finite, limited faculties, and the result is frustration that can lead to disbelief. Yet, even as finite human beings, we still have experiences that can help us bridge this seeming impossible gap.
As a child, I watched my parents withdraw money from an ATM. They simply pressed buttons and received money. I had zero ability to conceptualize anything beyond this childlike understanding of how to get money. The idea of earning money through a job and then being able to purchase new shoes was far too abstract for me to understand.
As we tackle difficult things in Scripture, we must remember our own humanity and God’s divinity; where our ability to comprehend God ends, His understanding, wisdom, and knowledge continue endlessly.
While we don’t understand everything about 1 God revealing Himself as 3 unique, yet mysteriously connected divine Beings, we do have plenty of evidence in Scripture to understand this mystery does indeed exist! I’ve discovered how the more I lean into knowing God and studying Him as Father, Son, and Spirit, rather than becoming frustrated, I grow to love and understand Him more!
Consider diving in to this beautiful mystery of knowing God! Begin this weekend by studying passages on Father, Son, and Spirit. Even a Google search or www.studylight.org can point you in the right direction. Other great resources include www.gotquestions.org or “Delighting In The Trinity” by Michael Reeves.
How often do we long for life to be easier? Wouldn’t it be nice if we never struggled or felt pain? Why does the Lord allow us to feel pain and suffering? Shouldn’t He just make life easy for us if we believe in Him?
We see from Philippians 3 that the value of knowing Jesus is far greater than any comfort or ease we could wish for. As we walk through suffering and trials, we grow in our dependence on Christ and our steadfastness in worship. If He just handed us an easy life, we would not feel our need for Him as deeply or as fully as we do in our struggles.
What trial or struggle are you going through right now? How can you allow the discomfort and difficulty of this situation draw you closer into relationship with Jesus Christ?
Consider how you tend to be self-sufficient or block out the pain rather than depending on the Lord through the pain. Maybe you throw yourself into your work, or disappear into books or movies, or maybe you numb your pain with food or alcohol.
Take time today to spend time in relationship with God. Feel your need for Him, and remember only He can satisfy. Read James 1, and ask God to show you how to mature through your trials.
Where have you seen justice perverted in society around you? What social justice issues press your hot buttons and have you amped up and ready to fight to protect others’ rights because they have been overlooked without representation?
Then look around your everyday life and the relationships you’re engaged with. Where do you see injustices played out? Perhaps against yourself or others? In what ways have you fought to stand up for justice?
As you consider these, also take a brave minute to consider who gets to decide what true justice looks like? Is there a right and a wrong? Who gets to decide this and why? Is it really fair for everyone to choose their own “justice”? Does that feel like “justice” to you?
As you think through these things, consider the character of God as being a perfectly just God. What attributes would you be able to fully rely on if this was true? In what ways are you deeply grateful that God is a just, righteous God? Praise Him for this, then pray confidently for His justice to be made known to all of us!
Tags :
All-powerful,dependence,father,If,justice,Perfectly,Personal,Savior,Son
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This Week's Lock Screen
I have learned that pain is a part of life. Our troubles can teach us and grow us. Consider, if there were no pain, we would not move our hands away from a flame. Pain is for warning us of danger. I live with chronic pain but it reminds me each day to look to the Lord for help. It reminds me to pray for others who are suffering.