Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.
Colossians 4:2
Yesterday’s Scripture Reading from ourdailyverse.com was Colossians 4:2. “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” What a gracious gift God has given us through these words of Paul. We have been invited into a life of prayer. He doesn’t demand it but graciously offers us the privilege to not only come boldly before His throne but to come often – actually to stay in an attitude of prayer, making it the “heartbeat of our existence.”
“It is an opportunity to experience the profound intimacy of continual communion with our Creator, to align our hearts with His in every waking moment.” ourdailyverse.com
Through the years of knowing/quoting this verse, God has trained my heart to hear His voice, to be alert not only to the guiding hand and voice of His Spirit, but to watch with expectation for His answer and to discern His purposes unfolding in and around me. It has been in the watching and the staying alert, as Paul instructed his readers to do, that my prayers have morphed into not just requests but offerings of thanksgiving and praise. This way of praying becomes a way of living and has the power to change us from the inside out. It changes not only the way we think but the way we live and how we respond to life, to others, and to God.
We recognize that every blessing, every trial, every moment is an opportunity to experience God’s grace and faithfulness. Gratitude becomes the lens through which we view life, transforming even the darkest days into opportunities for praise.
Adapted from the She Study, delighting in the examples of the Women of the Bible, volume 3, pp 87-88
Today’s Scripture: John 8:1-11 and 2 Corinthians 5:17; Roman 8:1
Have you ever been ‘caught’ in a sin? You’ve said something you shouldn’t have, and others heard it…you’ve lost your temper, and others saw your outburst of anger…you’ve lied and been caught in its web…you’ve treated someone unkindly, and others saw it…? I would dare say that everyone reading this has at one time or another spoken words you shouldn’t have … reacted in anger … lied … and/or been unkind … for the Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” However, we are not always ‘caught in the sin’. While we may breathe a sigh of relief to have escaped ‘being caught’ by others, it is crucial to remember that nothing escapes the eyes or ears of our Heavenly Father. Forgetting this truth can lead to danger as the theory that “no one knows or cares” makes it far easier to continue in the sin and find ourselves held captive by it.
God is considered omniscient, meaning He knows absolutely everything—past, present, future, and all possibilities. This includes knowing every thought, action, and secret of every person ~
As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
John 8:3-5
It should be noted here that while this woman was at some point “caught in the act of adultery,” it is believed by some commentators that she had not just “been caught” and brought immediately before Jesus, but had, at some point been caught, and was known to be an adulterer.2 Here, she was being used as a pawn by the Pharisees, who were attempting to prove that Jesus was not following God’s law. The Pharisees make many mistakes in their failed attempt to discredit Jesus, which bibleref.com verse-by-verse commentary points out in more detail.3 However, we would be wise to pay attention to how Jesus uses their trap not only to silence his accusers but to set this woman free from the condemnation of sin and death that her sin required.
They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. ~
Jesus appears to ignore them at first (v6), and “when they continue asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, ‘He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her'” (v7-8). Verse nine of John chapter eight, says that “When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.” Which, by the way – it is worth noting that the woman cound have fled with her accusers but instead, she remained in the presence of Jesus.
Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ~ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more5.’
Friends, while the words Jesus spoke to the woman, “Neither do I condemn thee…” offer her mercy and pardon for her sin, they granted her freedom from the condemnation of the sin and death required by the law. They also offered hope of freedom from the sin itself, as He told her: “Go and sin no more.” Sweet friends, hear me when I say – that as one who has been held captive by sin before, I can tell you that there are few other hopes as meaningful and freeing as this one. Even as I write this my heart fills with the words from an old hymn that is my life’s story: ….“Mercy there was great, and grace was free; pardon there was multiplied to me;There my burdened soul found liberty, at Calvary.”
Jesus’ response to the adulterous woman influences our understanding of judgment, mercy, and God’s perspective on sin. At no point does Jesus shrink from the fact of her sin. She was caught “in the act” (John 8:4) so there is no doubt about her moral guilt. Old Testament law called for the death penalty for adulterers (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22) so there is no doubt about her legal guilt. As the only perfectly sinless man (Hebrews 4:15), there is no doubt about Jesus’ moral authority to deliver harsh justice to this sinner. ~ Instead, Jesus demonstrates that simply because we can do something does not make it the best option. Christ’s question here sets up His response in the next verse. This is an instance of forgiveness, not ignorance. Jesus is not going to claim that the woman is innocent or that her sin is trivial. His deflection of the Pharisees was based on procedure: they followed the law incorrectly. Jesus will explicitly refer to her behavior as sinful even as He demonstrates that mercy is meant to take precedence over retribution, even under the Old Testament law (Proverbs 21:10; Zechariah 7:8–9; Matthew 23:23). Bibleref.com
Reflection and Application
How do we become “a new creation”?
2 Corinthians 5:17
The More We Know
While we don’t know what Jesus wrote, we do see how He turns the hypocrisy of these Pharisees against them. They were not wrong to seek justice under the Law. However, they are clearly not following it fully; they have only brought half of the guilty ones. Also, God’s law prioritized mercy over blind punishment (Proverbs 21:10; Zechariah 7:8–9; Matthew 23:23).
If the woman was caught “in the act,” then so was the man she was with—so where is the guilty man? This entire episode is an attempt by Pharisees to show that they follow the Law and Jesus does not. But even their trap fails that test: they’ve only brought half of the guilty parties (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). The act of “placing her in the midst” is part of the Pharisees’ intended drama. This is meant to be as public as possible. That means Jesus’ response can be given as much publicity as possible. Of course, that strategy assumes Jesus is about to make a serious public-relations error. This assumption is once again false. ↩︎
Go and sin no more: Jesus sent her away with a call to stop her sin, and to continue stopped in regard to that sin. He sent her away without ever approving of or accepting her sin. i. “The form of the command implies a ceasing to commit an action already started: ‘Stop your sinful habit’. And the ‘no more’ points to the thought of no return.” (Morris) ii. Jesus did several things with these powerful words. · He recognized that what the woman had done was sin, because He told her to stop sinning. · He told her to repent, and to not continue her sin. · He gave her hope that her life could go on in freedom from sexual sin. · He gave her a word of hope to speak against the shame that would later likely threaten to overwhelm her life. iii. The woman needed hope because the consequences of her sin would be severe enough. After this she would likely be shunned by her community, and rejected by her husband, perhaps even divorced (assuming she was married or betrothed). ↩︎
adapted from the She study, delighting in the women of the Bible, volume 3, pp 68-69
Today’s Scripture Reading: Acts 9:32-43 and Proverbs 31:10
“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”
Proverbs 31:10
Tabitha, also known as Dorcas, is another woman of the Bible who is seldom taught and little known by most. Actually, if you had asked me three weeks ago (before I began looking through this study book) who Tabitha was, I would have told you she was a character from the Bewitched Show.1 It wasn’t until I began reading today’s passage of Scripture that I remembered her story. This Tabitha was not an adorable child who could twitch her nose and make things move or disappear. Instead, she was a New Testament believer known for her good works and kind deeds. These deeds/works are not really elaborated on, but what we do know is that she was specifically known for her good works and acts of love for the poor/needy, particularly the widows (Acts 9:36 & 39).
While Tabitha’s story is told in a mere seven verses, it is one of inspiration and a miraculous restoration of life that led to many more believers in the city of Joppa. It is safe to say that her testimony is far more valuable than rubies. This is made evident when Peter not only responds quickly to the message he received about her passing, but then raises her from the dead.
SHE WAS ALIVE AGAIN, A LIVING TESTIMONY OF THE MIRACULOUS GRACE OF GOD.2
Friends, like Tabitha, our testimonies matter. How we live for God, not only on Sundays or when people are watching, matters. From our words, to our facial expressions, to the things we do for God and for others matter. How we live will either lead people toward God or away from Him. As my pastor preached yesterday,3 “others will know when we have spent time with Jesus”(Acts 4:13).
Every time a person is raised from the dead, it is a stupendous miracle, showing that the God who is Himself the Source of Life has the ability to give life to whom He will—even after death.4
Tabitha serves as an example that faithfulness can lead to great miracles and much fruit, which in this case was other believers5 (Acts 9:42).
Reflections and Application
When others see us, will they see that we have spent time with Jesus? Will they be able to tell that we are faithful followers of Jesus? When they hear or see that we are sick, will they call others in the body of Christ to pray for us? Will the watching world see what Jesus is doing in us and choose to follow him as well?
Faithfulness is a rare quality. How can you/we be more faithful?
Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children 2 and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 3 But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. 4 Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting—all of which are out of character—but rather thanksgiving. 5 For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Ephesians 5:1-5
Paul has been teaching/reminding the believers how to live the Christian life. Specifically, he has been teaching them not to live by the sinful nature as they used to before salvation, but to live by the Spirit, living and loving like Jesus. Specifically, here Paul says, they are to be kind to one another, they are to be compassionate and forgiving, “just as God in Christ” forgave them.
Living He loved me…dying He saved me…buried He carried my sins far away…rising He justified, freely forever…one day He’s coming…O glorious day! ~hymn/chorus, Glorious Day
As believers, we are to live and love like Jesus, or as Paul writes here, we are to be imitators of God. When we follow Christ, we choose to consistently live and love like Him. We are to purposefully practice His way of life, which Paul explains to the Ephesians was not only a life of love, but one of sacrifice that pleased God.
Paul leaves no ‘wiggle room’ for the believers. He not only makes it clear what imitating God looks like. He makes it very clear what it does not look like, namely, sexual impurity of any kind…greed…vulgar speech…foolish talk…and/or coarse joking. Paul says that all of these things are out of character for a believer/follower of Jesus and goes on to say that our words should instead be filled with gratitude/thanksgiving. – Please note the More We Know section for helpful explanations on this list of ‘things not to do’.
While verse five is not our focus today, I believe it is important to understand the meaning behind it. God makes it very clear in His Word that we cannot lose the gift of salvation that He has graciously given to all who believe in His Son, (Eph 2:8-9) However, as Paul rightly points out here, when/if we are still choosing to live, act, speak, think in the ways of the old sinful nature that once ruled us, we would be wise to ask ourselves why. As Scripture says, we cannot serve the true and living God and the gods and the pleasures of this world. We must choose “whom we will serve” – the true and living God or the gods of the world and the flesh.
As you take this choice into consideration, consider first the words of Paul to the believers in Rome. He makes it very clear that one leads to death and the other to life. For if you live by the sinful nature, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. As you evaluate yourselves, be careful and honest in your evaluation. If you are living by the sinful nature ask God for help to turn from those practices and choose instead to walk in the power of His Spirit in you. Choose you this day whom you will serve; will that way lead to death or life and peace?
6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. 9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. 12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
Romans 8:6-13
May God help us be careful in our evaluations of ourselves. May we make no excuses for any actions or words that are not pleasing to Him. May we put to death anything in us that leads us away from God, and may we be filled and living faithfully by His Spirit.
Still living by the old sinful nature? Want to know the power and gift of life in the Spirit? Check out Know These Truths and let me introduce you to my Jesus, God’s gift of love and grace.
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
~Saint Augustine
How true these words of Saint Augustine are. They certainly ring true in my heart and mind. Raised in a Christian home, taken three times weekly to church, and saved at a young age, I really do not know a time when I didn’t know of God, who He was, and what He had done—though I do confess knowing more of Jesus than of God. – I knew God created the world, split the Red Sea, gave the ten commandments to Moses, and loved the world so much that He sent His Son to save whosoever believed in Him. What I didn’t understand until much later in life was that He made us for Himself.1 It was much later in life that I learned that He created, desired, and sought out His people because He wanted to have a relationship with them.
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
From the beginning to the end of Scripture, we read how God made Himself known to His people, how He cared for them, taught them, led them, loved them, and poured out His grace, forgiving them of all their sins. However, until I understood this and removed myself from the hamster wheel of trying to please and trust God in my own strength, I was indeed – restless. The restlessness came from always striving to please Him, and when I failed, there was the unending feat of trying to make it up to Him. “Saved by grace” is not just a winsome phrase but a never-ending characteristic of God and of His love in action. It is a love meant to change us from the inside-out, to make us new creations in Christ🦋 – so that we can live and walk in fellowship with God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Rest in His love … for there is no greater love than giving your own son to die for the sins of the world.
For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. John 3:16-17
Rest in His Grace … grace that is greater than all our sin
20 Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 5:20-21
Rest in His Strength … the strength that raised Him from death to life.
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Eph. 1:19-20
Rest in His promises … for has He not kept all of His promises to this day?
For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. 2 Cor. 1:20
Rest in His Greatness … knowing that He alone has the power and words of eternal life.
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68
Friends, “‘To whom shall we go?’ wasn’t written by John as a question of despair—it’s a declaration of devotion. Once you’ve tasted living water, nothing else satisfies. Once you’ve heard the voice that awakens your soul, all others fade. The deepest worship may simply be this: staying when it would be easier to walk away.2“
Prayer of Response To God’s Word
Father, what a blessing it was the day I began to understand that You created me for Your pleasure. I wasn’t just one of many that You created – I am known by You, created to be loved by You and to love You. I was created with a purpose and am meant to be dependent on You – and called to find rest in You. Oh, what a good good Creator and Father You are. Remind me daily to cease striving and find rest in You alone. – To You be the glory and honor, amen 💜
“But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
Deuteronomy 30:17-18
Obedience isn’t always easy. Even for the most compliant child, there are times when our way simply seems easier or better – and we choose it over what we know is right. Admittedly, it is often without giving the choice much thought – though I would venture to say there are times when we put much thought into the choices – and yet still choose our own way over God’s.
Cheering One Another On
Our journey today takes us back to the days of Moses and the Israelites and a warning they received from Moses to choose obedience to God over disobedience. Moses isn’t teaching them something new but reminding them of their commitment to follow God and not turn aside to worship and serve other gods. – Now, maybe it’s because I was a cheerleader in high school, and it’s still part of my chemistry, but I couldn’t help noticing how Moses cheered the people on toward the path God longed for them to choose. He urges them to “Choose life”… (GO-ISRAEL-GO!)… He calls them to “Love the Lord their God”...(GO-ISRAEL-GO!)… He reminds them to play hard and well, saying, “Obey the Lord and be loyal to Him”…(GO-ISRAEL-GO!). Moses wants the Israelites to succeed, so He cheers them on to victory.
But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.
Hebrews 3:13
When I cheered in high school, it was for our team to win the game, but what Moses cheered for was a matter of life and death. The people were told that the reward of obedience is life and the curse of disobedience is death. One leads to crossing the Jordan into the land that God had promised them, and the other leads to the loss of the life they would otherwise experience. While Moses strongly urges the people of God to obey and not turn away, the choice was ultimately theirs then, and it is still ours today, as we see in Acts 5:29 – where Peter and the other apostles faced the choice to obey God or man, the resolved united reply was: “We must obey God rather than men.” Jesus, like Moses, had obviously cheered His disciples on to victory, teaching them to choose life1, to love God2, and to be loyal to Him3.
God Wants Us to Succeed
God wants His people to be victorious. This is why He sends repeated calls through His messengers for His people to choose life over death by choosing obedience over disobedience. He warns us to be vigilant, like a watchman guarding the city. When the watchman knows the people are in jeopardy, he gets the message out – he sounds the alarm. If the people don’t listen, they are responsible for what happens to them, but if the watchman sits back and does nothing, Ezekiel warns that the watchman is the one responsible for the outcome.4
The Watchman’s Message
As exciting as the cheers of Moses are in Deuteronomy, my pulse races a little more when I walk through the words of Ezekiel chapter thirty-three and realize how God clearly wants His people to succeed. I see and hear the evidence of this in the blessing of “life” that is offered to those who love God and walk in obedience to Him. I also hear it in God’s declaration through Ezekiel to His rebellious people: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you die, O house of Israel?”
10 “Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ 11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?
Ezekiel 33:10-11
God is love, and His love is richly evident in the way He relentlessly pursues His people – particularly His rebellious people – to lead them out of hiding, to rescue them, and to offer them hope and a future with Him forever.
God pursued Adam and Eve after they sinned in the garden of Eden. (Genesis 3) God pursued Hagar when she ran away from her problems. (Genesis 16) God pursued Elijah when he ran from Ahab and Jezebel. (1 Kings 18-19) God pursued Paul on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9) And God pursues us.
Even when I was rebellious, even when sin was clearly my choice, even when I hid behind closed doors – God faithfully pursued me, pulled me out of more than one pit, drew me back to Him and changed me from the inside-out. 🦋
Prayer of Response to the Journey
Father, Thank You for pursuing me, for never letting me go, and for calling out to me and showing me the way. Thank You for hearing my prayer and not turning away from my voice. Thank You for teaching me Your way and changing me from the inside-out! I am forever and always gratefully Yours. Please, Lord, let me be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true – alerting others to follow you. ~Amen
Reflection on the Journey
If others were to look at your life, would they say that you are following the world or Jesus? Why?
The More We Know
For more insight on today’s journey, read the LGG Blog
Do you know the God who pursues? If not, I invite you to read “Know These Truths” so that you might share in His amazing love and grace.
God’s love for us passes knowledge; it is vast and complete, and yet He urges us to lean into its impossible dimensions and to rest there.
Michele Morin / Living Our Days / August 9, 2018
One of the prayers I learned to pray for women in my life years ago, specifically those who have been/are in my life-groups, is found at the center of this nugget of gold I’m sharing today, borrowed from the archive of Living Our Days. The prayer comes from the pen of the Apostle Paul and is found in chapter three of Ephesians. – I pray it for all who come upon this post and read the words within – that you may understand that God’s love for us not only passes knowledge; but that it is vast and complete. May you learn to lean into its impossible dimensions and find rest there.
My Prayer for You For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19
The following blog was originally posted on August 9, 2018
Sometimes, I feel like a broken record about the importance of building a relationship with God and staying connected to the body of Christ. I make no apologies though, because – I believe we are to encourage one another daily. I think our relationship with God and other believers is vitally important to our faith- even to the point of repetitive encouragement. Staying connected takes time and effort, and as Mrs. Morin suggests – the risk of love. Enjoy today’s shared treasure 🦋
This treasure caught my attention because the question asked and examined by Michele Morin is similar to the one I often use at the end of my time exploring God’s Word. I frequently use it in the application portion of our journeys: How then should we live? – I don’t know if I just started asking it or if I learned it from my dad or another teacher/preacher. Regardless, I found Morin’s use of the question, as well as her response and application, an excellent example. Hope you enjoy – 🦋
Me From the Inside Out 