SOAP 11/19/2011; Matthew 3:8-10

Today's reading: Matthew 1,2,3,4

S) "⁸ Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; ⁹ and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. ¹⁰ The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

Matthew 3:8-10 (NASB)

O) Repentence is not a singular moment in time. As Christians, we submit our lives to Jesus and we're forgiven, but I think it's easy to forget that it needs to be renewed. We can claim, "Yeah, but we're Christians and Jesus forgave us and now we're children of God, adopted in..." but all of that is worthless if we are not behaving as His children should. Just because He forgave us, and we were forgiven and adopted as true heirs after Jesus, doesn't mean that we won't make mistakes. We're not bound to sin anymore, having been set free, but that doesn't mean we won't slip up. Those sins that may still plague us still need to be forsaken and we need a continual heart of repentance, receiving His mercies which are new everyday (Lamentations 3:22-23).

A) Repentance is a deliberate act, but it's also an attitude and condition of my heart. I need to acknowledge my sins, and reflect daily on what might have been errors. I need to prayerfully ask God to reveal where and when and how I sinned. Then I can consciously ask for forgiveness and make deliberate efforts to turn from those sins. That's the deliberate, habitual side. The more immediate, heart-affected side, is that when I sin and I am immediately aware, I need to be humble enough to admit that error to God and anyone against whom I sinned. That attitude of humility goes hand-in-hand with "keeping with repentance."

P) Father, please forgive me of my sins. I acknowledge that I have made errors, certainly even after You initially accepted and forgave me. Holy Spirit, please continue to shape me. Speak to me and make me aware of my mistakes. Give me boldness in my humility, LORD; I want to bear fruit for Your kingdom and glory.  In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 11/18/2011; 2 Corinthians 12:9

Today's reading: Psalms 124; 2 Corinthians 11,12,13

S) " ⁹ And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NASB)

O) What good is power if it is unused? What better use for power, than to aid the weak? The greater the need, the more useful the power. For example, I work 3 miles away. I only need a little help getting to work. If I drive, my car was helpful, but only a little bit. Even though my car has vast power and potential to help, there's only so much help it can provide in 3 miles to work. On the other hand, I'll be going to WA this afternoon for the week of Thanksgiving. That's 600 miles away. My car's power becomes the perfect answer in light of my great need.

A) Now, the real key to this verse is in Paul's last line. It's easy for me to say that God's power is great and it's made perfect in my weakness. It's another thing entirely for me to admit weakness in something, let alone boasting about my weakness! And gladly?! No, I should not say that's easy. I can't imagine there is advantage to admitting every weakness to every person; however, I think there is great wisdom in admitting my weakness to my wife, to my close brothers, and to my pastors. It will go a long way with holding myself accountable to them as well.

P) Father, give me great courage to be bold in my vulnerability. In today's culture, admitting weakness is worse than having weakness, but like Your Son, I want to buck the trend. I want to adopt Your culture, Father. Holy Spirit, comfort me and prompt me to confess my sins and my weaknesses. Let me rely on Your strength alone, LORD.  In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 11/17/2011; 2 Corinthians 10:8

Today's reading: 2 Corinthians 7,8,9,10

S) "⁸ For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,"

2 Corinthians 10:8 (NASB)

O) All boasting aside, what first came to mind in this verse was parenting. As I write this, also leading my wife comes to mind. God-given authority over any person has its primary purpose in building up. The direct authority is for encouraging, strengthening, teaching, protecting, and in all things, loving.

A) My marriage will quickly deteriorate if I try to lord my authority over my wife. My relationship with my kids will evaporate if I try to lord my authority over them. Like Solomon, I often feel unfit to handle my little kingdom that God has given me. I need to continue to seek wise counsel and God's will, if I am to be a good king. I need to hear the concerns of my people and meet their needs. Jesus had all authority under heaven and He came to serve. I need to have the same humble, serving heart.

P) Father, continue to lead me and my little theocratic kingdom. Continue to speak to me through Your Word, and edify me. Holy Spirit, continue to guide me and convict me. LORD, forgive me of my sins and don't let the people, Your people, who are in my charge, suffer for my mistakes. I thank You for that grace over them and mercy over me. Help me to bear my crown righteously, until the day I can literally lay it at the foot of Your throne, God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 11/16/2011; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Today's reading: 2 Corinthians 3,4,5,6

S) "¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NASB)

O) Nothing else matters, because we don't have to spend eternity in hell. When we repent and submit our lives to Jesus as our Lord, we are forgiven and His grace allows us to go to heaven. Keeping our minds on that is elemental to peace and paramount to thankfulness. You may be underpaid and overworked, but at least you don't have to go to hell. You may not get along with your siblings, but at least you don't have to go to hell. Your kids may drive you crazy, but at least you don't have to go to hell. Your car may not start, but at least you don't have to go to hell. You have have a bare pantry, but at least you don't have to go to hell... nothing else matters, because we don't have to spend eternity in hell.

A) I have a sticky not on the bottom of my computer monitor at work that says, "Eternal > Temporal" and it serves as a pretty good reminder of this passage. Taking it a step beyond worry, or stress, though, I need to keep this concept in mind regarding where I spend my time and energy. It's easy to get distracted with really trivial things. I don't think there's any problem relaxing with a game, or watching some TV, but when there are so many better ways to invest my time... It's all about the constant effort to prioritize and reorganize my life. I like videogames because it's fun to fight bad guys, but I can't forget that there's a real battle going on with eternal implications.

P) Father, I don't want to waste my life. Help me prioritize my energy and refocus myself on the things that are truly important. Holy Spirit, remind me of the real struggles that I face. Help me see past the facade of this dying world around me to see the truly important things. Help me focus on fighting for the lives of those around me. I know that we don't battle against flesh and blood; according to Ephesians 6, our fight is one that is faught through prayer, and fasting, exposing lies to the light, and bringing healing to the broken-hearted... I don't want to become lazy, and I don't want to become blind. Let me stay enlisted in active duty, God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 11/15/2011; 2 Corinthians 2:10-11

Today's reading: Job 41,42; 2 Corinthians 1,2

S) "¹⁰ But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes."

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NASB)

O) So, this is still a quasi-greeting portion of Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth. The first letter came off a little harsh and he's smoothing things over a little. That's the context of verse 10, but verse 11 is the real meat of why I quoted this passage. satan will try to take advantage of us however he can, but it happens quite often through misunderstandings. We joke a lot about how various movies or TV episodes would be over a lot quicker if a character would just explain one thing, or say one phrase, or wait just a minute longer... life is actually like that sometimes, though. We've all been misunderstood and wished we had a chance to explain more. Paul was doing just that, because he was fully aware that this was a circumstance that satan would try to use to create division in the Corinthian church.

A) If I pretend to be naive, then I'm being ignorant. I cannot afford that. satan attacks in very predictible ways, but he's successful when Christians forget they have an adversary. I cannot miss this. It's like what Charles Baudelaire said, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist." The Holy Spirit provides the gift of spiritual discernment, and I need to be sensitive to His promptings. I am not unaware, and I cannot pretend to be, and I cannot act like I am, even if it's not deliberate. I need to address issues when I can see that there is the potential for misunderstandings, especially when satan will try to exploit them.

P) Father, thank You for this reminder that I am not a victim to satan unless I allow myself to be. With the work of Your Son, Jesus Christ, I am on the winning team. You give me the victory, if I am following Your lead. Holy Spirit, continue to make known to me where the true fight is. Help me discern lies from truth, and continue to expose the enemy's schemes. I will continue to fight on my knees; let my fighting to be effective. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 11/14/2011; 1 Corinthians 16:13

Today's reading: Psalms 149; 1 Corinthians 15,16

S) "¹³ Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."

1 Corinthians 16:13 (NASB)

O) This is part of Paul's closing of this letter to Corinth, so he didn't expound. I think it's pretty straight-forward, although I could easily see where the 4 points could be expanded. Keeping it simple for now, though...

A) Being on the alert, I can't become lax or complacent. Standing firm in the faith, I can't allow the world or its concerns distract or discourage. Acting like a man, I must lead by example and with integrity. Being strong, I must practice and exercise my faith and walk with God.

P) Father, continue to chisel me. Holy Spirit, help me maintain focus throughout the day. I need to keep my mind on the important, eternal things. Help me be more aware, to be consistent, to keep my integrity, and to use my strength wisely, and become stronger. I want to honor You with the way I live my life. Help me be an example to my son, of what it means to love You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 11/13/2011; 1 Corinthians 13:11

Today's reading: Job 39,40; 1 Corinthians 13,14

S) "¹¹ When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things."

1 Corinthians 13:11 (NASB)

O) I'm all for fun and games. I firmly believe that, inside every man is a 10 year old boy; however, when it comes to spiritual things, eternal things, a maturing must take place. Notice the three things Paul points out: speaking, thinking, and reasoning. Changing any of those things can be difficult; this maturing is not automatic. Paul says he "did away" with those immature aspects.

A) There is a ton of Scripture about our speech. What we say is the single most difficult self-control issue that there is (see James 3) - need to be very careful about the words I speak. Crude talk, hostile words, initiating arguments, etc., all of these things plagued me in my younger days. It sounds cliche, but it's all about thinking before speaking. It's a slow and ongoing process.
Changing my thinking is much more deliberate. It's less about impulse control and more about... planning, really. I have to choose to take the time to think about God, consider spiritual implications, and really put my mind where it needs to be each day, throughout the day (see Philippians 4:8).
Reasoning is the most naturally progressive of the three maturities. Reasoning is like a muscle; the more I use it, the stronger it gets... but I still have to use it. I should be careful of paralysis by analysis, but I should also take the time to consider the "why" and the "how" of things. Everything from reconciling dinosaurs and Noah's ark, to fully understanding God's forgiveness (see Isaiah 1:18). I won't always work out the answers, but it's about the process, seeking God's wisdom, His answers.
I have to Man Up.

P) Father, even my very ability to mature is by Your design. Thank You for investing in me, God. I never want to become complacent or content in my maturity. Holy Spirit, continue to work in me and edify me. I want to be the man You want me to be, God. I want to be the son, husband, father, brother, and man You created me to be. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.