SOAP 09/16/2011; Ezekiel 41:18-19

Today's reading: Ezekiel 40,41; Psalms 128; Revelation 21

S)"¹⁸ It was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces, ¹⁹ a man’s face toward the palm tree on one side and a young lion’s face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were carved on all the house all around."

Ezekiel 41:18-19 (NASB)

O) So, I didn't get too deep on this one, and it's not exactly new to me, but it's new to this blog and I wanted to journal about it for posterity and to share with friends :)
Throughout the Bible, people have encounters with angels and quite often they fall on their faces in fear. As a child, I remember asking my parents about this and the response I got never quite made sense to me. I was always told that the sheer glory of the angel made the people afraid. You know, the glowing aura about them, the booming voice, the possible flight and wings involved... but none of that ever seemed very scary to me. Reading this description, though, makes a lot more sense to me. Seeing an angel with two faces, one of which is that of a lion, that seems much more scary to me! There are other instances where angels are described quite fantastically (even earlier in Ezekiel), but this is the first place I ever really took note of them. Additionally, if angels are fighting on our behalf in the heavenly realms, and not in flesh and blood, then I'd much rather have a lion-faced angel fighting than the type of angel I have on top of our Christmas tree...

A) On that note, when I pray and I'm really fighting spiritually for something, I've often asked God specifically to send some "lion-faced angels" to fight on my behalf. Obviously, God knows my every need, so if He knows that I need a "softer" angel, then by all means, His will be done. Having said that, I think sometimes it helps my attitude to be more aggressive with my prayer times. I want to pray like Epaphras (Colossians 4:12). It helps when I envision the angel(s) being sent with a much more fierce countenance!

P) Father, I put all of my confidence in Your strength and wisdom, LORD. I cannot fight my battles on my own, and You know exactly what kind of support and help I need in my fights, God. Holy Spirit, help me stay aggressive in my prayers. I want to be like Epaphras, and pray hard. Send me the help I need according to Your will and wisdom, God, and in the meantime, I will pray earnestly. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 09/15/2011; Psalm 145:18

Today's reading: Ezekiel 38,39; Psalms 145; Revelation 20

S)"¹⁸ The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth."

Psalm 145:18 (NASB)

O) First, God is actually seeking relationship with every person. So, when we call on Him, He is already near. He is ready to help, ready to save, at the first opportunity. Second, that opportunity presents itself to Him when we call upon Him in truth. See, a lot of people "seek" God, or ask for His help, but they aren't seeking Him. In truth, they're seeking what He can give them. Now, granted, this can get pulled over into a discussion of the philosophy of altruism, but the Bible already addresses that. In 1 John 4:19, the Bible tells us that, "We love because He first loved us." So, at least in our relationship with God, we have no selfless act - at least not at first. We can only love at all because He first loved us. Having said that, when we seek Him, and not just what He can do for us, that is when we can fully trust that He will save, that He is near when we call upon him in truth.

A) One of the best ways for me to love God for who He is, and not just what He can do for me, is to seek Him when I'm not actually asking Him for anything. It's easy to remember to pray with regularity when you have a crisis hanging over your head. It's a lot more meaningful to pray regularly without asking for anything. Again, don't throw me a #philosophyjuke (like a #JesusJuke, but using philosophy); I realize that I have long-term interests in mind also, but that's in addition to my desire to simply spend time with God. It's like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego said to king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3:18, even if God chooses not to save me from a struggle, He is still worthy of my devotion.

P) Father, I'm committing all of my devotion to You, God, regardless of anything You might ever do for, or against me. Like Job famously said, You give and take away, Lord; it's not my place to choose that Your blessings are good, but when You allow struggle, trials, tribulations, even failures, that You are suddenly not good. I will not allow our relationship to be a fair-weather friendship, Lord. Holy Spirit, convict me when when I have been selfish in our relationship. Draw me in for times of quiet, and times of celebration, in times of obvious blessings, and in times of difficulties. I will take Your goodness, God, no matter how it looks to me. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 09/14/2011; Revelation 19:7-8

Today's reading: Ezekiel 36,37; Psalms 110; Revelation 19

S)"⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” ⁸ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."

Revelation 19:7-8 (NASB)

O) I'll be the first to admit that sometimes it's difficult to relate to a bride. It helps that I have such a great wife, though. Looking back at my wedding day, Kristin did so much look so very beautiful to me! Even now, eight years later, she still takes such great care to look pretty. To my knowledge, I have never asked her put on make up. I've never asked her to change her shirt, or to wash her hair. In my eyes, she always looks beautiful, but that doesn't stop her from trying to please me even more. This is how we should be reacting to God.

A) Whether I'm commanded to or not, and whether or not it holds bearing on my eternal salvation, my reaction to God's love should be one that seeks to please Him. Like a bride who desires nothing more than to look beautiful for her bridegroom, I should want nothing more than to be pleasing in His eyes. This is what should drive me to acts of righteousness. I need to focus less on my temptations and/or mistakes, which are a symptom, and more on His love. I cannot be lighthearted about living holy, but that shouldn't be my focus, because that tends to get legalistic. I need to be reminding myself of the Lord's love, which He lavished on me when He called me His son (1 John 3:1).

P) Father, I can never hope to repay You for the love You've shown me. Your grace is simply unmatched and I will forever be unworthy of it. So, instead of trying to earn Your love and approval, I will commit myself to honor You instead. I will pursue righteousness as a matter of thanks and for the simple joy of knowing that I am pleasing in Your sight. Holy Spirit, remind me of the Father's love throughout my day. Remind me that our relationship is not as simple as legalism; our relationship is personal and based on love. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 09/13/2011; Ezekiel 33:9

Today's reading: Ezekiel 33,34,35; Revelation 18

S)" ⁹ But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life."

Ezekiel 33:9 (NASB)

O) Sometimes, we can do very little to actually influence another person's behavior. In those situations, the most we can do is be obedient to God's command. Ezekiel was called to be a watchman for God's people, he was already dealing with a rebelious people. While the remnant had been saved, they themselves weren't far removed from their heavy idolatry. It's important, though, that people are still warned that their lifestyle is going to kill them. That their behavior will bring themselves to an end.

A) I cannot let a low success rate stop me from spreading the Gospel. The purpose of warning people is not to condemn them - quite the opposite. The whole purpose of warning is to save people! So, with compassion and love, I need to be compelled to share the Gospel. I cannot afford to not tell the people; if I am called as a watchman to a person or people, and I do not speak the truth about their behavior, I'm doing them no favors and I am pouring guilt on my own hands. I need to be bold and loving.

P) Father, give me strength. Holy Spirit, give me clarity to know when I am, in fact, being held accountable as a watchman over some one. Even if it's only for my own sake, I need to know when I am being called specifically to warn and I need to heed that prompting. Even more than that, Lord, soften my heart continually to the people around me. Give me boldness, especially with my family and friends, to speak my loving concern for their eternal well-being. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 09/12/2011; Daniel 4:19

Today's reading: Daniel 3, 4; Psalm 81; Revelation 17

S)"¹⁹ “Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar replied, ‘My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!"

Daniel 4:19 (NASB)

O) It's tough to be the bearer of bad news. It's even tougher when you have to give that bad news to some one who, not only has the authority and power, but also the penchant, for beheading people who give him bad news; I don't blame Daniel for being hesitant. His next actions have much wisdom within them, though. He uses a very appropriately targeted disarming statement with the king, before giving the bad news. There is a lot to be said about having a disarming personality. Knowing how to give the bad news is just as important as actually giving it. If God gives you a prophetic word or vision for some one, they won't hear it if you aren't presenting it with wisdom and understanding - not just of the message, but of the person who is to receive the message.

A) First, I need to only ask God for good news to deliver to people. When that fails, though, and God wants me to give warning, or correction, or some other difficult word, I need to be especially sensitive to the Holy Spirit's direction. I need to be in very certain and trustworthy communication with God at the same time as I attempt to deliver God's message. The person will only respond well if I'm using God's words, but also only if I am giving it how He wants me to give it.

P) Father, thank You for not giving me a spirit of timidity, but instead a spirit of power and love and discipline, according to 2 Timothy 1:7. I want to be used how and when You need to use me, God. Holy Spirit, prepare me and lead me in these moments, as the opportunities come, that I will be used to glorify the Father by the things I say. Instill me with discipline and an obedient heart, God. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 09/11/2011; Daniel 1:8

Today's reading: Daniel 1, 2; Revelation 16

S)" ⁸ But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself."

Daniel 1:8 (NASB)

O) I think it's important to realize that Daniel wasn't making a snap decision. He wasn't suddenly feeling convicted about his diet. He had already kept himself clean (according to God's commandments regarding food). So, when it says, "Daniel made up his mind..." this was a decision that he ultimately made, well before he was ever in the king's service. I also thought it was interesting that he still requested to not eat the food. It makes me wonder if he would have gone on a hunger strike... I don't think that counts as fasting...

A) I need to make good habits, so that when life's circumstances come against me, I am able to remain faithful in my commitments to God. As I write this, it is 01:18, Monday morning. I have to get up for work in a little more than 5 hours. Making the decision to journal was a lot easier, having consistently done so for a couple months now. I need to continue on the good habits I already have, while seeking to establish more and more good habits.

P) Father, strengthen me to continue on in my growth and disciplines, God. There are classic disciplines that have served Christians well for 2000 years and I want to become more and more effective in those disciplines, so that I am in better position to be used by You, LORD. Help me humble myself, God, so that I am able to receive Your instruction, and become a better man. Holy Spirit, continue the good work in me, as it's described in Philipians 1:6. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.