If you missed any or all of the week’s study check out the Scripture references listed above and/or find the blogs and all the details and links at mefromthensideout.com or by clicking on the links above.
Week 2 Preview: Women of Great Faith
Now that we have laid the foundation of God’s love and concern for us as women we will press forward looking at how God has use and worked through the lives of women in Scripture. The first week we will focus on “Women of Great Faith”. Women like Elizabeth, Rahab, Ruth and others.
Our focus/memory verse is found in Luke 1:45 and is a beautiful statement of encouragement from Elizabeth to Mary. We will study the verse tomorrow and work on remembering it throughout the week.
Our challenge comes from the focus verse as well: Who in your life has shown great faith like the women we are reading about? Take time this week and reach out to her. Encourage her with your words, either spoken or written, and share how her faith has helped increase your faith.
26 So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, look, here is your son!” 27 He then said to his disciple, “Look, here is your mother!” From that very time the disciple took her into his own home.
John 19:26-67 NET
My Observations:
In the Throes of Agonizing Death
How sweet is this scene’s depiction of the Savior’s intimate care for His mother even in the throes of a horrendous death. The beauty of the reality that His love for ‘all’ did not negate His love and care for her as an individual. Also, something that stood out to me this time was the trust He had and placed in this disciple and how well-placed it was.
From that very time the disciple took her into his own home.
John 19:27
How Then Should We Live?
Let’s factor in what we know from this passage first. While God so loved the world and offered salvation to ‘whosoever” believes – what we see here is Christ loving not just a collective group of believers but we see Him tenderly revealing His very personal love for His mother. Jesus’ position as God the Son, did not interfere with His earthly position or emotions as Mary’s son – or for that matter our friend (John 15:14-15) or brother (Hebrews 2:11; Romans 8:29). Knowing these descriptions from Scripture coupled with how we see Him treat Mary – tells me, that because we belong to Jesus’ family, we can TRUST His love for us is equally personal and that He will treat us not just as another believer but as dearly beloved.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers
Romans 8:29 ESV
We also don’t want to miss the other factor, which is that He entrusted His mother, Mary, to one of His disciples. I’ve read and heard this passage many times, yet this time the words jumped off the page at me. I found myself immediately wondering if He sees me as a trustworthy disciple, one He can confidently trust to do His work in His absence. I believe Paul’s letter to Timothy, concerning the character of a person who serves Christ, explains how to be such a disciple and what this trusted disciple might be like when he made the following statement about an approved worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed. (I’ll tell you right now, I have a lot to work on and sure am glad He equipped us with His Spirit so that we have the hope of reaching this goal.)
15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 16 Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. 17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer, ... “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.” 20 In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. 21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. 22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. 2 Timothy 2:15-26
My Prayer Response
Father, oh the beauty of Your Son and the larger than life or anything we can understand GIFT He is. He who loved us all enough to GIVE His life for our sins, and be on earth suffering rather than in Heaven – He also showed us that His love is personal and now we live with this HOPE and JOY that He is looking out for us too, and that He will entrust others to us as He sees the need when He knows us to be faithful. Father, let me be found faithful and true – hands and feet and a light and voice for You. In Jesus’ Name and power.
My Worship Response
I recently used this one but it is the one that kept playing through my head as I wrote this devotional. https://youtu.be/r6U8O_WnPZY(this song does not belong to me but is by David Aslesen and found on the above Youtube link)
When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said.
Luke 7:13 NLT
My Observations …
Setting the Scene
Jesus, His disciples, and a large crowd were entering the town of Nain when they encountered a funeral procession which included the corpse (a young man), the man’s mother, and a large crowd at the city gate.
He Saw Her
Despite the large crowd coming out of the gate and the large crowd with Jesus going in the gate Jesus, not only saw the woman, but He took notice of her. I believe there’s a difference – do you? I have realized that while I may see someone, even speak to them, at church or a store aisle or on the street – but if I’m too inward or “purpose” focused I may not be able to tell you what they were wearing or what their mood was. However, when I am purposefully attentive I don’t just see the person but I notice their demeanor and other pertinent things about them -and respond accordingly. I believe this is the example we see in Jesus concerning the Widow at Nain who had just lost her only son.
He Took Notice
Despite the things that were likely on His mind or the distraction of those He was traveling with, Jesus not only saw the mother, most likely walking near the bier that carried the corpse, but He took notice of her. The fact that He quickly assessed her situation is evident by the compassion He felt for her and even more evident by His outward expression of that compassion with what I imagine were the very tender words, “Don’t cry”.
The Rest of the Story
We could stop with those words but we would miss perhaps the best part. What happened next melts my heart and highlights the fact that He truly cared about the widow. Jesus saw her, took notice of her situation, had compassion for her, spoke words of compassion to her – and then He acted on her behalf. He reached out and touched the movable frame, or bier, used to carry the corpse and then told the young (dead) man to get up. (Stay with me – cause the best is yet to come.) The man sat up and began to speak and ….
Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Luke 7:15b
Then he came up and touched the bier, and those who carried it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” So the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Luke 7:14-15 NET
How Then Do We Live?
We can rejoice and be confident that Jesus sees us – and confident that He won’t just see us and walk away. We can trust that He will react appropriately to our situation. We can expect and listen for Him to ‘speak’ to us and watch for Him to act on our behalf – because, as we “belong to Him”.
Keep in mind, our confidence in these truths matter because it will affect how we live and react in the world and how we represent Christ to the world.
My Response of Prayer:
Father – Thank You for these reminders and truths that are ours in Christ Jesus. Thank You Jesus for seeing us and caring for us and acting on our behalf – whether we are male or female, Jew or gentile … We belong to You and are safe in Your observant and loving care. Father help us live beautifully surrendered to You – to live and love like Jesus. To be attentive and compassionate toward others, not just inwardly compassionate but expressively – in Jesus’ name – Amen!
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28
My Observations:
I love zeroing in on one Scripture verse, however, sometimes – if not often – we risk missing the beauty of the message. While today’s verse can definitely stand alone and packs a wonderful, life altering message – I believe the beauty is in knowing the truth it preaches wasn’t always the way that it was.
So let’s look back to the first four verses of the passage, where we read about what guarded the people before faith came into the picture. That guardian was the ‘law’, a captor. more-or-less, that made sure we knew our sin and offered a way to purge ourselves only to then reveal another sin and another. It was a hopeless cycle that kept the people fully aware that there was truly no way to escape. Until out Champion was born made a way for us to escape our captivity and the burden that the law placed upon us! No longer did we serve a law of rituals and requirements but rather a Savior who paid our penalty and set us free!
Understanding this freedom is vital to understanding and appreciating the truth that “we are all one in Christ Jesus”. No longer are we governed by our race, status in life, or gender but simply and purely by placing our faith in Christ alone. When we do this, Paul told the Corinthians, “we are a new creation, the old has gone , the new has come”, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.
Galatians 3:26-27
We are now identified as “belonging to Christ”, and this identity changes everything. Why? Because – now that we belong to Christ we are made His heirs, sharing in God’s promise to Abraham. Why? Because, as Paul explains:
The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.
Galatians 3:7-9
How Then Should We Live?
First and foremost we should put our faith in Christ and be saved, Rom. 10:13a
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..."
We are to measure ourselves, not by who we are or were but by the faith God has given us, Rom. 12:3
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
We are not to think of ourselves as greater or better or even lesser than others – regardless of our “station” in life.
We are to live as one with our brothers and sisters in Christ – through the Spirit
We should live praising God for the Savior who fulfilled the law thereby releasing us from captivity to it.
My Prayer Response:
Father – thank You for the work You have done in us through Christ. Help us as Your children, belonging to Christ, to always measure ourselves only by our faith in Christ – not by works or possessions or status. Help us, by Your Spirit’s power to live as one body for one Lord and Your glory. In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
12For just as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body—though many—are one body, so too is Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12 NET
Phoebe:
Ok, so before we look at our SOAP passage I think we need to at least spend a minute on Phoebe, don’t you? Here’s what we know about her from Paul, who introduced her to the Church in Rome.
She is a sister (in Christ) – indicating she is a believer
She is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, which is where she lived, and according to the NIV Study Commentary, Cenchrea was the eastern port of Corinth
Being new to the community she may have needed help
She had been a great help to many people, including Paul
My Observations:
First of all, since our verse starts with: “For just as the body …”, lets look back first to the verses preceding verse 12, where Paul has been teaching on spiritual gifts and how different gifts are given by the Spirit to each member of the body. Paul was instructing them on the gifts and their purpose because the gifts had become a source of contention among the body at Corinth instead of being the effective tool they were meant to be.
Arriving at verse 12 we hear Paul teaching that as the church, which is the “Body of Christ”, we are to live and work together as one ‘body’, which is the reason for Paul’s comparison of the human body and the body of Christ. I believe that reading verses 12-26 can be both confusing and helpful at the same time – but that they clearly make the point that we are meant to work together as one, rather than competing with one another or comparing ourselves to others. We are to unite ourselves and our gifts to accomplish God’s purpose for the church, which is making Him known through the Gospel message – God’s power for salvation.
How Then Should We Live? (the application)
If we all have different gifts and different places and purposes within the body, how then do we live and function as though we are one? I believe, as with much of Christianity, it boils down to the attitude of the heart. Perhaps this is why the second commandment that Christ mentions in His answer to a ‘teacher of the law’ concerning the ‘greatest commandment’ says, love your “neighbor as yourself”, Mark 12:29-31. If our concern is for the building up of the church and those within the body of Christ we will have a servant’s heart – using our gifts to glorify God and better the body and not ourselves – much like Paul’s description of Phoebe.
What might this look like? When we have a servant’s heart, perhaps we will
like Phoebe, support the ministries of others,
or like Paul, commend others and their gifts to the church so that they can plug in and find the help they need
or perhaps, as Paul requested of the Church in Rome, we will be asked to welcome and help those who are new to the body
Whatever the case, I believe verse 25 of 1 Corinthians 12 makes clear the reason for us to function as one and perhaps paints the best picture of what the body will look like –
“So that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another”.
1 Corinthians 12:25
My Response of Prayer:
Father, make me a servant humble and meek, Lord let me help those who are weak – and may the cry of my heart always be – make me a servant today. A servant like Jesus who made Himself nothing and became obedient to death – for the sake and salvation of sinners and the pleasure of You – His Father. Yes Lord, Yes – make me a servant today!
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” … Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. 23 “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’”
Genesis 2:18, 22-23
Observations:
Don’t you love that God didn’t just create but became intimately involved with His creation? He could have simply created man to name and tend the animals and all that He had made but instead He wanted the best for man. God demonstrated not only His interest but His concern for man’s needs and providing the exact fit. The man not only noticed what God had done but was pleased with what the LORD God had done for him. We hear his pleasure in his exclamation, “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!” Then he gave her a fitting – and if you ask me – a romantic name, a derivative of his own, saying – “She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.'”
Application: How then should we live?
Sometimes when we are looking to see how we can apply Scripture the only answer is to take notice of what God has done or is pleased with or would like to happen. In this case …
Take notice of how God worked in and for His creation and remember that He never changes. His behavior with Adam and Eve, here “in the beginning”, is a picture of how He is with us now and we should respond accordingly
Take notice that God created a woman – not a carbon copy of man but a “counterpart” – one who “fit” him perfectly
And don’t miss that she was “just right”, not only in man’s eyes, but in God’s – see Genesis 1:31.
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. … Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
Genesis 1:27 and 31
Prayer: Response to his word
Father, how creative You were and how blessed we are to get to know how and why You created ‘woman’ for man. It is good to be reminded that You were pleased with both man and woman and that we weren’t simply a carbon copy but a perfect fit and compliment for the man, and that we were both meant to be used for Your glory. – In Jesus’ Name be glorified in each of us participating in this study. Help us to learn how to become beautifully surrendered woman in every area of our lives. Amen and Amen!
More Insight: Available at Love God Greatly – Monday morning, June 13, 2022
Monday is the launch day of our new LGG Study – Beautifully Surrendered! I’ve done studies about women of the Bible before but I’m so excited to get a closer glimpse at how each one learned to walk by faith rather than by sight, even when they walked through pain or difficult situations that they didn’t understand. Join me on Monday morning and let’s learn from these women how to walk beautifully surrendered,while finding a greater purpose in the pain. (excerpts taken from the LGG Announcement – read the full announcement at https://lovegodgreatly.com/announcing-our-next-study-9/)
Let me know if you have questions – otherwise the first post – with everything you need – will be available first thing Monday morning for whenever you’re ready to get started.
I hope you’ll join us for the journey. There’s a comment bar available that I invite you to use for your thoughts on the day’s passage. You never know how your words may be an encouragement to others.
The study is also available on my Facebook Group Page – Journey Through the Word. The group is available at the link below.
Me From the Inside Out 