SOAP 09/03/2011; Psalm 111:2

Today's reading: Ezekiel 20, 21; Psalm 111; Revelation 8

S)"² Great are the works of the LORD;
They are studied by all who delight in them."

Psalm 111:2 (NASB)

O) This is a little bit like when Jesus said that our hearts are where our treasures are. The things that we study are the things that interest us. The things that consume our spare time and thoughts, are the things that amaze us, or are pleasing for us to behold. The interesting thing, is the sort of reverse engineering that can happen. Kristin knows a lot about videogames that she never played, because when we were dating, she determined to learn about my interests. She "studied" about me, because I was a delight to her, not the other way around.

A) I am a fan of God. Unfortunately, that alone is not always enough to prompt me to study His works. Not with the same kind of excitement and zeal that I study other hobbies. I'll read with ease, for an hour or two, about the NFL or Overpower, just because I enjoy those games so much. While I genuinely enjoy reading God's Word, it is contrary to the desires of my flesh. Also, I have an enemy against me, who will take any oppotunity he can to derail or distract my studies. Above all of that, though, I need to be determined in my devotion to truly study God's works, because I am choosing to delight in Him. And, as I implement that discipline, that delight begins to make the study more natural and enjoyable, which turns to more delight... it's a positive cycle!

P) Father, I have been making my study of Your Word a priority, and I thank You for the good seed that is being planted in my heart. Continue to work on the soil of my heart, so that Your seed will be planted into good soil, and it will bear good fruit in my life. As I continue in my discipline, Holy Spirity, draw me closer and closer, and make Your Word a delight to my heart. Restore the wonder and awe of my youth, when I hear about Your works, LORD. Help me see my Bible study as a time of genuine enjoyment, in Jesus' name. Amen.

SOAP 09/02/2011; Ezekiel 18:31

Today's reading: Ezekiel 17, 18, 19; Revelation 7

S)"³¹ Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?"

Ezekiel 18:31 (NASB)

O) This is a picture of what repentence really means. It's not just saying sorry to God, it's casting away all of our sins and taking hold of a new heart and new spirit which God will place in us when we turn away from our sins (see Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 11:19). Also, that last question really speaks God's heart for us. He gave His people redemption and all they had to do was choose life. In Jesus Christ, He offers the same redemption for all people; all we have to do is choose not to die.

A) Walking in continual repentence means that you are consistently putting yourself under God's judgement, and His evaluation. Staying in the Word is one of the surest ways to subject yourself to that sort of "progress report" with God (see Hebrews 4:12). Also, humbly keeping yourself accountable to other men and women of God will go a long way to this end. My grandma used to say that, as Christians, we aren't supposed to judge one another, but we should be loving "fruit inspectors." The Bible says we will bear fruit in keeping with repentence (Matthew 3:8), and so that's what I intend to do.

P) Father, make me aware of all of my sins, God; sometimes I know it's easy to be blinded to one area in my life or another. Holy Spirit, continue to remind me of Your words that I've read, to show me how my life really is at any given moment. Give me courage and strength, and humility, to hold myself accountable to my wife, pastor, and leaders in my church. I want the life You've provided for me, God. Thank You for that gift, in Jesus' name. Amen.

SOAP 09/01/2011; Revelation 6:11

Today's reading: Ezekiel 15, 16; Psalm 70; Revelation 6

S)"¹¹ And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also."

Revelation 6:11 (NASB)

O) These peope were martyrs, as described in vs. 9 and what really stood out to me are 3 things. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or relative space to get into all 3 aspects, but that's probably for the better, because I don't want to be side-tracked.
1- In heaven, it is possible for people to be aware of the events on earth.
2- In heaven, despite its eternal nature, the passage of time is still felt
3- (And this is the bigger one) - Martyrs are not killed by accident.
On that last note, it's a tough, tough concept to accept; however, we must know that God has a plan greater than our understanding and He is unwavering in His goodness. Part of His plan is that some of His followers will be martyred. More specifically, a finite number of believers must die for the name of Jesus Christ.

A) It is hard to ever say with absolute certainty, that I would die before I would denounce Jesus Christ. That can never be proven until I literally risk my life. Having said that, I can say with absolute conviction, that I am willing to die, before I would renounce my faith. There is no other way to apply this Scripture. It's all or nothing, pass or fail, life or death. I choose eternal life even unto my temporal death.

P) Father, first, if it is within Your will, I pray that You never ask me to be a martyr. If it comes to that, Lord, I will bear Your name before any other name. Holy Spirit, give me discernment if I ever face that day, to know when to be silent, when to speak; when to be still, when to act. Strengthen me to bear my cross every day, God, well before it ever endangers my life here. Help me to lay down my life each day, so that if it's ever asked from me, it will already be out of my hands. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/31/2011; Ezekiel 13:10-11

Today's reading: Ezekiel 12, 13, 14; Revelation 5

S)"¹⁰ It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; ¹¹ so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A flooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall; and a violent wind will break out."

Ezekiel 13:10-11 (NASB)

O) First of all, it sounded a little odd to hear God use a term like "It is definitely because..." as it seems somewhat casual, or like common vernacular... anyway, the bigger reason this passage stood out what that it's such a parallel to how we, as Christians, often try to play things off like they're no big deal. Sometimes things are a big deal, and we need to treat them as such! Sometimes, we mislead others regarding our own difficulties because we either A) feel embarrassed or B) don't want to complain for the wrong reasons. Having said that, there are definitely times when "whitewashing" our problems to other Christians is hurting us as much as the problem itself might! The church is a body, and we can't keep playing hurt. If we're not well in some way (financially, emotionally, physically, etc), then we can't try to hide that from our fellow members. We're not doing them any favors by pretending we're okay when we aren't. Otherwise, when the storm that rages comes to a head, it may very well be more than the whitewash that is broken away.

A) Honesty! That's my commitment. "Fine" has become the Christian f-word and it bothers me as much as a sailor's f-word. It really started while being a Youth pastor. I would ask a kid how he's doing and he'd say, "fine." Meanwhile, God will be speaking to me and showing me something that is going on in his life that is definitely not fine. There's only so much I can do to help a guy who won't be honest with me about his real problem. Similarly, I cannot afford to be "fine" when people ask me how I'm doing. I need to be transparent, humble, honest, and open. I need to speak up when I have an issue.

P) Father, give me courage to speak the truth. I need to be completely honest when I have an opportunity for prayer or help from a brother in Christ. At the very least, I see trustworthy and strong men every Sunday who will be happy to pray for me and with me. Lord, help me be bold when they ask how I am doing. If an issue is in my life, regardless of how I might otherwise feel about it, Holy Spirit, prompt me to voice my need. Thank You for placing me in a church body that truly loves me and my family, God. Don't let those helping hands reach out in vain. Whatever it takes, Lord, change my heart to accept their help. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/30/2011; Revelation 4:11

Today's reading: Ezekiel 8, 9, 10, 11; Revelation 4

S)"¹¹ “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."

Revelation 4:11 (NASB)

O) God being worthy of glory and honor make perfect sense to me. What jumped out at me here, though, is the inclusion of "power" in this statement. I can glorify God, and honor Him, too. But, can I empower Him? Then, as I read the second half of the scripture, another part of it clicked. The middle says, "because of Your will they existed," ... I don't think it's a matter of me honoring God it's a matter of me taking the honor I received and then giving that to God, because He deserves any honor I would receive, since He's my creator and the reason I exist... So, this passage isn't about me glorifying, honoring, or empowering God, but it's about me giving my glory and honor and power to Him.

A) The first 2 aspects seem fairly obvious, in terms of how to implement them. In humility, if I have glory in something (a success), then I simply thank God and give Him credit. If I am honored somehow (by other people, for example), then again, I simply reflect that honor back onto Him. The power though, seems a little less obvious, though. It's not often that I'm given any power in this world. I mean, I'm not exactly a politician or a CEO. But, when I break down other dynamics of my life, I can see how I have "power" in certain areas. Certainly within my own family, I could suppose that I am the most powerful... in any other areas where I might have influence or authority (like when I teach at church), I suppose that translates to power. So, to give that to God, I need to be a vessel of Him as I execute that power. If I am the engine, He needs to be the driver; if I am the tool, He needs to be the hand. So, I submit myself, and my abilities, influence, and power, to be used and directed by God.

P) Father, You are my Creator, and I want to live out the purpose for which I was created. I humbly submit myself to You, God, so that any glory and honor and power I would have, is laid at Your throne, God. Holy Spirit, speak to me the will of the Father and guide me each day. Take every opportunity to use Your tool. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/29/2011; Revelation 3:17

Today's reading: Ezekiel 4, 5, 6, 7; Revelation 3

S)"¹⁷ Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,'"

Revelation 3:17 (NASB)

O) There were actually a few different verses that stood out to me from chapter 3 today (above and also vs. 5 & 10), but the above stood out the most because it's actually my history. When I was a teenager, I was following God, but I don't know if I'd say I was serving Him, exactly. I needed God to be my refuge from the chaos that was my home life, but my relationship with Him was very shallow. So, when I was a senior in high school and I got my own job, then graduated and got a real job... I just started to fade away... it wasn't exactly a conscious abandonment, but I definitely didn't feel a need for Him. Little did I know that I was actually more wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked than ever.

A) I did start to feel each of those, though. Again, it was slow, but sure. I was becoming overwhelmed by life itself and God began to pull on my heart, reminding me that my best efforts couldn't save me, but He could. Since then, it's all about humility. See, when I was following God in the beginning, I wasn't humble. I was using God. It had nothing to do with my own shortcomings, it had to do with convenience. So, applying this Scripture is all about prevention, and the solution to this pitfall is all about humility. I will never be able to keep my life on my own because apart from Him, I'm only good at slowly failing. In fact, my very life isn't mine at all; my life is the one God gave me. It's His gift that I'm living, guarding, protecting... I humble myself by remembering just how wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked I really was.

P) Father, thank You for saving me from myself, God. Holy Spirit, remind me daily that I am unqualified to run my own life. If it takes a daily rebuke, then God, rebuke me daily. I never want to fall into this feeling that I have it all together in my life. Until the day that I am actually able to give life myself, which will never happen, I need to remember that I am unsuitable to be a life-manager. Only in You, God, am I equiped and able to live the life you've given me. Humble me every time I fail to humble myself, God, because I need to remember that You are in charge for a reason and I don't want to fail twice. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/28/2011; Revelation 2:4-5

Today's reading: Ezekiel 1, 2, 3; Revelation 2

S)"⁴ But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵ Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent."

Revelation 2:4-5 (NASB)

O) Reading this passage reminds me of this old Third Day song. It's good to carry out the Lord's work, but we can never lose sight of own relationship with God. Love is a verb, so if we're going to love Him, we need to expect that it takes work; it's like a marriage. A good way to revive passion in a marriage, is to remember what it was like in the beginning with that person. Focusing on the moment we found the person and all the circumstances around it. Remembering the sorrow turned to joy, the aimlessness turned to purpose, the loneliness turned to relationship... So, we must keep our passion for God fresh by remembering the dire straights we once inhabited, and repent if we've become lax in our relationship with Him.

A) One of the best parts of New Day School of Ministry (NDSM), is when you really learn to get comfortable sharing your testimony. For a lot of Christians, God did tremendous works, even out and out miracles, in order to draw them into relationship with Him; however, many people have never really shared the details of that rebirth. So, when I went through NDSM and I was forced to really look back and acknowledge what God had done for me, it was humbling and moving. I need to focus on this more often. When I became involved in teaching and leading the practicum groups in NDSM in subsequent years, I hear people share their own testimony and I see the same sort of revived passion and joy and freedom that comes from sharing what the Gospel really means on a personal level. I've been inspired to dwell on the miracles of God drawing me to Him and it really keeps my relationship with Him fresh.

P) Father, You saw in me what I didn't even know was there. You saw value and purpose in me, Your creation. You protected me through circumstances I couldn't even see at the time. I was naive or blind, or both, and You sent Your Holy Spirit to guide me unfailingly toward You. You loved me and picked me up out of the mess I had made. You made me new and gave me life. I will remember Your works, Lord, and Your unfailing love for me. I will honor, value, and cherish the relationship You gave me. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.