Monday, June 25, 2012

SOAP 06/25/2012; 2 Kings 13:18-19

Today's reading: 2 Kings 13, 14; 2 Chronicles 25; 2 Timothy 1
     
S) "18 Then he said, 'Take the arrows,' and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, 'Strike the ground,' and he struck it three times and stopped. 19 So the man of God was angry with him and said, 'You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times.'"
     
2 Kings 13:18-19 (NASB)
     
O) This is definitely the attitude of the Father, so many times. God will bless us according to level of our own effort sometimes. Ultimately, He's our Father, and as Jesus said in Matthew 7:11, He wants to bless us with good gifts. Often times, our blessing is truly only limited by our own imagination or hope. The biggest point, perhaps, is that when God tells us to do something, we need to ask before stopping.
     
A) So, when God gives me an instruction, a mission, I need to strive to do it completely or ultimately. I don't ever want to limit what God is giving me by my laziness or apathy. It also cannot be missed that asking God for clarification or definition isn't always a bad thing. Had the king asked Elisha for wisdom, as to what it meant when he struck the ground, he might have struck the ground until he dug through the floor!
     
P) Father, You bless me with good things, eternal things. Open my eyes to see all Your blessings. Increase my faith to un-limit what I expect from You. When You give me instruction, Holy Spirit, strengthen me to continue in obedience, even when I am weary. Increase my ambition in You. .Increase my wisdom to understand why I am to do a task, according to Your will. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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