Tag: Truth

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, Firm Foundation, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Resurrected with a Purpose

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Based on the LGG Study, Firm Foundation, w3d3

Scripture and Observation

Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 and Romans 6:9-10; SOAP: 1 Cor 15:3-4/Rom 6:9

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.

Romans 6:9

Our focus or question of the week is: “What Did Jesus Do?” – So far, we have answered the question with … He never sinned, He was crucified for our sins, and today’s answer/focus is: He was resurrected from the grave … and appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at one time. He also appeared to James and to all of the apostles, including Paul.

It would be easy to read these truths, celebrate the resurrection, and move on, but God’s call and my hope/goal of journeying through His Word (and taking others along with me on the journey) is more than just reading the words on the pages of Scripture. My hope is to understand the importance and meaning of the words. I believe that we are to learn how they apply to life and godliness and be able to share them correctly with others in everyday life*, both in conversation and in living and loving like Jesus, who is – as we have seen in recent journeys – the very Word of God.

Paul taught Timothy the importance of this in 2 Timothy 2:15, when he told him, and by extension all believers, to *Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

This is why we need to understand the importance of Jesus’ resurrection and His appearing before so many witnesses: let’s break it down …

  1. He was resurrected from the grave: This, like the other truths we have been looking at, is essential to our faith. Why though? Because if Christ is not raised, then our faith is useless, and we are still guilty of our sins.
  2. Friends, Jesus didn’t just walk out of the tomb – He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at one time. He also appeared to James and to all of the apostles, including Paul. It may seem of little importance to know how many different people saw Jesus alive after He had been buried – but it is crucial to the testimony of His resurrection, and Paul knew this. – Bibleref.com explains it like this:

“Apparently, the truthfulness of the resurrection, or at least the resurrection of Christians, was being challenged or misunderstood by some in Corinth. Paul wants them to understand not only that the resurrection really took place, but that faith in that truth is essential in order to be saved.”

Bibleref.com/1 Corinthians 15;5


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.1

*2 Timothy 2:15

So, the question begs to be asked: “Why is the resurrection important to our faith?” Again, it is Paul who answers this most clearly – when he addresses the Corinthians about the matter in 1 Corinthians 15:12-23, saying:

But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.

21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.

1 Corinthians 15:12-23
Prayer of Response to the Journey

Father, We believe in Jesus Christ, that He was given over to death for the sins of many and was raised to life so that those who believe might be born again and made right with You. We believe that on the third day, He rose again, triumphing over sin and death so that we would no longer be slaves to sin but live and walk in freedom with/for You here on this earth and with You forever when You return to take us home. As Paul taught the Corinthians, we believe the truth of His resurrection is of the utmost importance. As Paul shared this message in his travels and writings, may we both celebrate the truth and faithfully pass it on to those in our circles of influence.

The Gospel is the Truth that, according to Scripture we receive and believe; it is the faith on which we stand, the power of God unto salvation, and the message we have been entrusted with and called to share throughout the world. May it be of utmost importance to us, and may we faithfully and boldly pass it on to the world around us. 🦋

In recent days, we’ve walked through Scriptures that have pointed us to the importance of Jesus being sinless and of His death by crucifixion, and have, hopefully, come to understand that we are all sinners in need of a Savior who is blameless of any sin and willing to lay down His life for humanity- so that those who believe might have eternal life.2 If you missed any or all of the journey to this point please visit Firm Foundation

The More We Know

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, Firm Foundation, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Love Is Essential

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based on the LGG Study, Firm Foundation, w1/d4

Scripture and Observation

Read: 1 John 4:7-10 and John 3:16-17 / SOAP: 1 John 4:8 and John 3:1

But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:81

“For this is how 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.

John 3:16

Love is essential to Christian living because it is an essential part of God’s identity.

bibleref.com/1 Jn 4:8

Fresh off of yesterday’s journey exploring God’s call on our life to be holy as He is holy we are now met with the measure of His love and what it means if we do not love. I’m not sure which is harder to embrace: the act of being holy as God is holy or the act of loving others the way God loves us, and what it says about us if we don’t. Both callings are acts that God has called us to and equipped us for, but both can seem impossible to carry out. Actually, in and of ourselves, they are impossible. Holiness and love require the presence of God in us, and His presence is only received when we place our faith in Jesus – the second person of the Trinity – who Himself is holy and loved us enough to leave heaven’s splendor and die for our sins on a cross of shame. Now, this is love!

I don’t know about you but throughout the course of my life there have been some people that have been particularly hard for me to like, let alone love. So when I read our passages today, particularly 1 John 4:8 and the inference that if we do not love then then we do not love God – I knew I had to look a little deeper into the meaning behind it. I found the commentary from bibleref.com to be the most helpful:

To “know” God requires a person to have a relationship with Him … Love comes from God, so those who demonstrate love show they have fellowship with Him. The inverse is also true. The person who does not demonstrate love does not know (or is not walking in fellowship with)* God.

Bibleref.com/1 John 4:8

If we are walking close to God His love will naturally flow through us – even toward those who we don’t really care for. For this holiness and love to be seen and heard in us we must be in fellowship with God. To “know” God requires a person to have a relationship with Him, Love comes from God, so those who demonstrate love show they have fellowship with Him. 

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

1 John 4:10

When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we are filled with His Holy Spirit, the third person of the Triune God, who teaches, guides, and empowers us to live as God called us to live.2 Paul teaches us that believers are not only sealed with the Spirit but we are filled with and controlled by the Spirit. He also teaches that when we let the Holy Spirit guide our lives, we will be known by His fruit – which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.3

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.)

Romans 8:9

 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Ephesians 1:13-14

The bottom line is this: if we want to live out God’s calling on our lives of holiness and love, we must first believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.4 Following our salvation, we must choose for ourselves which nature will control us – the old sinful nature or the new spiritual nature. 5One leads us away from God, and the other leads us to a life of holiness filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.

It seems fitting to close with these words of Joshua to the Israelites: “But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”6

Prayer of Response to the Journey

Father, Your love is indeed powerful – it saves and actively, lovingly pursues. Yours is a relentless love, or as David described it, a “love that follows us all the days of our lives…” and for this, I am most grateful. I pray for everyone who is on this journey with me that they might be building their lives on the truths of Your Word. I pray that they might find their feet firm on the foundation of Your Word and live out Your calling on their lives. I pray that we will choose to live by Your Spirit and not by our old sinful nature. I pray for anyone on this journey who does not know you to believe in Jesus and be saved that they too might know and share in the power and promise of Your Love – In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray and praise You – Amen!

*Emphasis mine

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Off The Beaten Path –

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Day 5 – Celebration of Life Prayer 2.0

I posted this little blog on my 57th birthday five years ago. It was actually a prayer and one of the first prayer posts I shared under the category of “God is Good.” I have updated it to reflect my most recent birthday and share it here with you as a segue to the guest post by Ann Voskamp.

Celebration of Life / an edited post of July 20, 2019

God, you are good! You have blessed me with 62 years of life🎉 This number represents more than years of life. For it is also a reminder that …

  • through FAITH in Jesus Christ, I have known you as my God for 56 years – and
  • 35 years ago, You brought me to a fuller understanding of Your marvelous grace, which profoundly and forever changed my life1 – and
  • Since then,  I have been GROWING in the knowledge of Your grace and of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ ❤️ in the nurture and admonition of Your amazing, never-failing LOVE!

So, while I celebrate my birthday and am deeply grateful for another year of life – my greater celebration is in You!

  • I bow in worship and celebrate who You are and that You made Yourself known to me!
  • I bless and celebrate Your Name – Name above all Names –
  • I celebrate being adopted into Your family and known as a child of God!
  • I praise and celebrate You for all that You have done for me throughout these 62 years – You’ve protected, provided, and shown me Your kindness, love, and compassion. You’ve rescued me from pits of destruction and walked with me through countless valleys, and not once have You left me on my own —so I celebrate You and the day of my salvation 56 years ago!
  • again and again I praise and celebrate You for Your mercy and pursuit of this wayward lamb
  • and I celebrate the fuller understanding You have given me of Your life-changing grace and Your faithfulness to grow me up in the nurture and admonition of Your Love over the past 35 years!

When I was writing this post five years ago – a song from decades ago started playing in my mind – And will be my song of celebration every year of my life – not just for my celebration of years but even more for my celebration of life in Christ! 🎶

Listen to my birthday song. Then, I invite (and encourage)you to visit the link to Ann Voskamp’s blog. It is a wonderful musing of ideas and encouragement about God’s grace and the change that comes from knowing and embracing Him, the God who doesn’t change and can do the impossible.

Change is possible, when you embrace the God who doesn’t change and can do the impossible.

Ann VosKamp

The post is long but well worth the read – even if you read some today and some tomorrow …. How to Have a Better Second Half of Your Life

photo credits/Ann Voskamp

Clock - it's never too late
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Triumphs over Trials

The Hope of Rescue

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Triumph over Trials / w6d1

THE JOURNEY (SCRIPTURE AND OBSERVATION)

Scripture: 2 Peter 2:1-10 and SOAP: 2 Peter 2:9

—if so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and to reserve the unrighteous for punishment at the day of judgment, 

2 Peter 2:9 NET

My commentary today is borrowed from bibleref.com, which I believe offers us a clear explanation of this important warning from Peter. The warning he gave is just as important today as it was in the early church – and should be taken seriously and not forgotten. I believe it should be talked about among believers and passed on to our children so that we are ready and alert to any false teachers among us. This is another reason to study God’s Word for ourselves, faithfully searching the Scriptures day after day and making an effort to hide it in our hearts.

And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

Acts 17:11 NLT

In 2 Peter chapter 2, Peter describes and harshly condemns the false teachers who had entered the church. He promises their destruction, which will be brought by God. Peter also shows the impact of their lies on those who might believe them.

Who are these false teachers? They were not strangers who showed up spouting false doctrine in a full frontal attack against the community of Christians. Instead, they came from within the church. They were sneaky. They “secretly” introduced their destructive heresies, or “lies about the truth.”

In verse nine, Peter finally concludes his long “if” statement by arriving at the “then.” This is his conclusion.

The point of this lengthy statement has been this: God’s judgment is coming. The false teachers in the church will be condemned and destroyed. This is not a question of “if” God will repay, only “when.” If God condemned the rebellious angels and the world of Noah’s day and Sodom and Gomorrah, then He won’t hold back in condemning those rebelling against Him now.

But there’s more to the sentence: If God saved Noah and Lot, men He declared to be righteous, He will also save those He declares to be righteous now. God knows how to do both. He knows how to rescue His people, the ones He declares to be godly, from trials. And He knows how to hold those who are ungodly to be punished for their rebellion on the coming day of His judgment.

The message is clear. We may be tempted to look at the world and think that those who oppose God are winning. It may seem that standing with God costs more than it’s worth. We must never forget that God is still paying attention. Destruction will come, and so will salvation. The faithfulness we demonstrate today will be vindicated, one day.

LIVING THE JOURNEY (APPLICATION)

Search the Word daily

  • to familiarize yourself with it
  • to help you know when someone is teaching something other than the truth
  • and to keep you from falling into sin
  • trust that God is in perfect control and knows how to rescue His people
  • trust that He will one day punish the rebellion of the ungodly
QUESTION FOR THE JOURNEY

How does knowing that God rescued Noah and Lot from their societies reassure you in your current circumstances?

PRAYER FOR THE JOURNEY

Father, thank You for the reminder that You will rescue the godly from their trials! We live in an increasingly wicked world. We live among those who distort Your truth and seek to bring down Your people. Yet we have nothing to fear for You are in perfect control! You have not lost sight of the ungodly and You have not forgotten us who seek to follow after You -so we do not need to be discouraged or afraid for You are our God, You are always with us and You have promised to hold us up with Your victorious right hand and to one day punish the rebellion of the ungodly. We trust in You – in Your power and Your Word! Help us not to be lazy or idle in living out our faith in God, but always on the alert. Keep us faithful to study and live out Your Word, aware of Your presence and trusting in Your promises. – Amen in the mighty name of Jesus –

THE MORE WE KNOW

For further help understanding today’s passage, visit Bibleref.com/2 Peter chapter 2, where you will find a complete summary of the chapter and commentary on each verse.

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Gospel, Triumphs over Trials

Grounded in the Word

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Triumph over Trials / w5d5

THE JOURNEY (SCRIPTURE AND OBSERVATION)

Scripture: 2 Peter 1: 19-21 and SOAP: verses 20-21

Moreover, we possess the prophetic word as an altogether reliable thing. You do well if you pay attention to this as you would to a light shining in a murky place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you do well if you recognize this: No prophecy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet’s own imagination, 21 for no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse; rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

2 Peter 1:20-21 NET

Peter continues the thoughts shared in the previous verses concerning his eyewitness account of Jesus’ transformation from His earthly appearance as a man into His eternal, glorious appearance as the Son of God! Now, Peter backs that up with a reminder of the tangible and reliable prophetic words of Scripture.

Like Peter, the prophets did not concoct the words or make up stories; they simply and faithfully spoke or wrote as the Spirit of God led them. – Thus, the Word is living and active, able to penetrate – even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and to judge the attitude of the heart. Likewise, it is trustworthy and true – a pure and powerful Holy light that we must pay attention to – even as a moth is drawn to the flame. – May we persistently run to the Truth, the Word of God, born by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

For by this Word, we are: 

given life Pro 4:20-22 … able to see where we are walking (Ps. 19:105) … comforted (2 Cor 1:3-4)

strengthened (Ps. 119:28) ,,, convicted (Heb. 4:12) … protected (Ps:119:11) … set free (Jn. 8:32)

LIVING THE JOURNEY (APPLICATION)

Ground yourself in the Word. Paul wrote to Timothy that we are to be students of the Word. The idea is that we need to know God’s Word, so we understand what He expects from us and what offends Him. When we know His Word, we will live in a way that receives His approval, and we will be able to correctly explain His Word of Truth to others so that they might hear the Gospel and be saved.. 

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.

2 Timothy 2:15 NLT
QUESTION FOR THE JOURNEY

How are you allowing the Holy Spirit to unveil the treasures of God’s Word in your heart?

PRAYER FOR THE JOURNEY

Holy Spirit, the Father sent you as my Advocate, my helper— to teach me everything and remind me of everything Jesus taught or told His disciples when He walked on this earth as a man. Please help me open the Word faithfully and understand it so that I walk/live in a manner pleasing to the Father and correctly explain the Word of Truth to others. Help me to faithfully hide the Word in my heart so that I might not sin against You. Unveil the treasures of God’s Word in my heart and let them shine from me as light and flow from my tongue as encouragement and blessings to all around me. In Jesus’ sweet and mighty name, I pray – amen!

THE MORE WE KNOW

For more insight be sure and read today’s blog post by the Love God Greatly team

Posted in Advent, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Triumphs over Trials

The Value of Ancient Words

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Triumph over Trials / w4d3

THE JOURNEY (SCRIPTURE AND OBSERVATION)

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-15 and SOAP: verse 12

Therefore, I intend to remind you constantly of these things even though you know them and are well established in the truth that you now have.

2 Peter 1:12 NET

Since I often feel like a broken record—sharing the same message over and over again—I find this verse quite encouraging. We are never so well versed in the Scriptures/Truth of God that we should cease to be reminded of them, nor should we stop reminding others of them. God’s Word is vital to our walk of faith—not just for salvation but for day-to-day living. God made this clear from the Old Testament to the New. We are to talk of them when we rise up and when we lie down; we are to teach them to our children, Deuteronomy 6:7 and 11:19. The author of Hebrews tells us to encourage one another daily … and to stir one another up to love and good deeds (Heb 3:13; 10:24-25); and the writer of Proverbs 4:20-24 placed great value on the Word, saying – “My child, pay attention to my words; listen attentively to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight,
guard them within your heart for they are life to those who find them and healing to one’s entire body.” Jesus Himself spoke of the value of the Word in the fourth chapter of Mark.1

Don’t be afraid to use God’s Word, both in your own life and in the lives of others – even if, like Peter -and myself – the message is repetitive.

LIVING THE JOURNEY (APPLICATION)

Talk of God’s Word when you rise up and when you lie down ( Deut 6:7)

Tell/teach them to your children (Deut 11:19)

Use them to encourage and to stir others up (Heb 3:13 and 10:25)

Go and make disciples (Mk 16:15)

Feed the sheep (Jn 21:17) – this was Peter’s primary goal – not to criticize but to encourage.

QUESTION FOR THE JOURNEY

What foundational truth has impacted your life the most? How can you pass it on to the next generation?

PRAYER FOR THE JOURNEY

Your Word, oh God, is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is life to us who are being saved by it. Let us be faithful to read it, to study it, and to repeat it to others – both to the perishing and those who know it well. Help us to encourage one another daily with it and to remember that it is good to use it as the light it is meant to be, whether for ourselves or for those around us. Surely, it is by Your Word that we will experience triumph over our trials. For this, we praise you and say amen – in Jesus’ name.

Music for the Journey
THE MORE WE KNOW

For more insight please visit https://lovegodgreatly.com/lgg-blog/

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Triumphs over Trials

Responsibilities of Faith

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Triumph over Trials / w3d2

THE JOURNEY (SCRIPTURE AND OBSERVATION)

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:8-14 and SOAP: verses 10-12

For the one who wants to love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from uttering deceit.
11 And he must turn away from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the Lord’s face is against those who do evil.

1 Peter 3:10-12 NET

Friends, never forget – ours is an active faith – filled with responsibilities and expectations which are made clear to us by God in His Word. In part, this is where Peter’s focus is in this section of chapter three.

He points out that we are to be harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble. That’s a pretty big list of challenges, and they are followed by what seems to be a very specific set of “instructions.” The instructions aren’t suggestions but “must-dos and don’ts.” He highlights the challenges and explains what he means by these five goals for believers so that we know exactly what God expects.

I love it when God is specific and leaves no room for speculation of how we are to live.

LIVING THE JOURNEY (APPLICATION)

If, as believers, we hope to enjoy the rich and satisfying life Christ came to bring then we MUST follow His ways and abide by His instructions.

  • do not return evil for evil or insult for insult
    • instead, bless others 1
  • keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies2
  • turn away from evil and do good
  • seek peace and pursue it3
  • be a person of righteousness and prayer4
Question FOR THE JOURNEY

How can you intentionally use your words to speak life into someone’s situation this week? How can you pursue peace in a current relationship?

PRAYER FOR THE JOURNEY

Father, our sinful earthly nature, which still lurks within us, is quick to return evil for evil and insult for insult. It bids us away from the good we want to do to do the evil we are meant to turn away from. It entices us to speak lies and hurts rather than blessings and truth, and to fight back rather than seek peace. Thank You for this reminder from Peter, that Your face is set against those who do evil but that Your favor is on those who live out Your righteous calling, and Your ears are open to our prayers – for this, we are grateful and seek to live accordingly. Help us to be devoted to what is good and right in Your sight, and if we suffer for doing what is right help us to remember You have promised blessing. In this, let us be confident so that we are neither terrified nor shaken. – In the name of Jesus I pray and trust – amen and amen!

THE MORE WE KNOW

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Set Apart in Word and Deed

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based on the LGG Study, Set Apart, / w4d2

Scripture: Ephesians 4:14-16 / SOAP verse 15

 Instead, we will speak/practice1 the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 

Ephesians 4:15 NLT

Oh how I hope you will go back and read from verse one through verse sixteen. This larger passage will help you to understand that the focus and point of Paul’s message is on maturing or growing up, in Christ – and what that means and looks like. He is teaching the church at Ephesus – and by extension – all disciples – that the role of the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers – is to “to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” He goes on to say that, “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”

Paul indicates that when this happens believers will no longer be like children who are immature and easily swayed by every wind of new teaching. They will not be quickly influenced by those who try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak, or practice, the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

While most translations use the word “speak”, and rightfully so, I particularly love the NLT translation – which uses the word “practice”, giving the fuller meaning of Paul’s intent that we are to be growing in maturity, As Bibleref.com points out, this “maturity is a progression which includes both action and information.” In other words, it isn’t just our speech that should convey truth but our behavior should speak volumes as well. When the two are in sync the more we will reflect the truth of Christ in love – and it is then, as Paul concluded, that “Christ makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

Wisdom from the Journey

Disciples of Christ are to be different in word and conduct-
no longer swayed by this world
but living out the Jesus-Way of life

MefromtheNsideout 🦋

We cannot and will not “grow up into Christ” – if we do not know Christ and His ways, or if we continue to “copy the behavior and customs of this world.” 🦋

Christ is TRUTH, and LIFE, and the very epitome of LOVE 🦋

The stronger we are in Christ and in our Christian walk – the stronger the body will be built up in love – 🦋

Reflection on the Journey

In what situation can you practice speaking the truth in love?

The More We Know

1God’s command is to grow in maturity, a progression which includes both action and information (Ephesians 4:11–12). see https://www.bibleref.com/Ephesians/4/Ephesians-4-15.html

Posted in From the Insideout, God is good, Know These Truths, Quiet Time

The New Has Come!

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This is my life verse and a great reminder of TRUTH to start the first day of the New Year with! How wonderful is it to know that as believers, we can purpose to live every day of 2024 with the awareness that we belong to God – and are made new in Christ! The baggage of the past is gone … and while we may not know what 2024 holds – God does and He has given us everything we need to live a godly life regardless of what each day brings. His mercies will be new every morning … His grace will be all-sufficient … we will see that His power is made perfect in weakness … His love will never fail … His forgiveness is guaranteed … His peace will pass all understanding … His comfort will be present in troubles … when we listen we will hear His “still-small-voice”, and when we look – we will see His finger-prints … when we commit our words and thoughts to Him – He will make them pleasing and acceptable to Him – and He will use them and us as salt and light in this unsavory and dark world. May 2024 be a year blessed with an awareness of Him and of the New Creations we are in Him!

Posted in Advent, Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Promised Messiah

I Know He Lives

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As for me I know that my Redeemer lives and that as the last he will stand upon the earth.

Job 19:25

Whenever I read this verse, I am reminded that while the Church is a collective body of believers, we are also individual believers, invited into a personal relationship with God, the Father, Son, and Spirit. Why is this important? Because, like Job, we must know the One on whom we have believed. We must know what we believe and why – so that we do not blindly follow others or buy into their lies and false accusations against ourselves or our God.

Listen again to the words of Job: “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives …” It’s almost as if I can hear the emphasis and inflection as he voices them. I can hear that not only is Job confident that God lives, but he believes with all his heart that God will one day appear to vindicate him from the charges his friends have lodged against him. You see, after Job’s tragic losses, three of his friends told him that his suffering was the result of his sin. Then they basically hounded him to repent so that God would bless Him again. Nice friends, right? Job’s confidence wasn’t that he was a perfect man but that he was innocent of the charges they had applied to him – he was equally confident that God was not punishing him for something he had done. Just in case we ourselves are wondering if their accusations could be true, consider the words at the beginning of the book, where Job was described as “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” Gotquestions.org offers this explanation of the verse: “There is a difference between being sinless, which no one is, and being a person of integrity who genuinely wants to please God.” We can, like Job, rest assured that our God is not a vindictive or mean God. He is loving and kind, full of mercy and grace, and long-suffering. Lest we doubt this at anytime – may He help us to remember that even when we were sinners, enemies of God, Christ died for us – then rose again from the grave – so that, like Job said of God -we can confidently say of Christ –I know that my Redeemer lives and that as the last he will stand upon the earth.

Spoiler Alert: In JOB 42, God not only made clear His anger at the three friends, but he also spared them greater consequences for their words of accusation because of His respect for Job. Not only did He vindicate Job (just as Job had declared would happen), but God also blessed Job exceedingly, abundantly with more than he could have ever asked or even imagined. –

So the Lord restored what Job had lost after he prayed for his friends, and the Lord doubled all that had belonged to Job. 11 So they came to him, all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they dined with him in his house. They comforted him and consoled him for all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver[w] and a gold ring.
12 So the Lord blessed the second part of Job’s life more than the first. He had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land could women be found who were as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance alongside their brothers.
16 After this Job lived 140 years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, old and full of days.

Job 42: 10-17

Clearly, reading through the book of Job, it is evident that God was living and active in Job’s life – and we have every reason to share in the confidence that He is living and active in our lives as well.

Colossians 1:13-14 … Matthew 20:28 … Mark 10:45 … Rev 1:5 … 1 Peter 3:18 and 2:24 … Romans 3:23-24 … Hebrews 9:15 … Titus 3:3-5

These are just a handful of verses that attest to this truth and should fill us with the confidence to say – My Redeemer lives, I do not walk alone, I do not face the challenges of this life alone … and one day I know He will return!

Going Further

Check out this beautiful devotion that was in my inbox the morning I studied this passage. Oh, how I love His personal involvement in my life – from the timing to the sentiment – He knew I needed the renewed assurance and courage that comes from knowing that the Creator of all is my ally.

Worship in Response to the Word
I do not own the rights to this video –
Know These Truths

If you would like to know my Redeemer, please visit the following link – I would love to introduce you to Him. 🦋

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/