SOAP 01/13/2012; Genesis 31:16

Today's reading: Genesis 31,32,33; Luke 13

S)"¹⁶ 'Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.'"

Genesis 31:16 (NASB)

O) The world tries to paint this concept as something archaic, barbaric, and unjust. The Bible, however, shows an amazing blessing and joy through the principle of a wife who is submissive to her husband. The key, though, is that the husband must be obedient to whatever God has said to him. Obviously, there are wackos who do crazy, un-Biblical things, trying to claim that God told them to do so. A woman must have the presence of mind to know better (which should ultimately come through her own, individual, strong relationship with the LORD). The Bible makes it clear that men must treat their wives with honor and equality (1 Peter 3:7), but a marriage is truly blessed by a wife who is willing to trust her husband in his obedience to the LORD.

A) I am already blessed with a wife who does this. I have felt some pressure in the past, knowing she trusts me this way. It's a big responsibility, but that pressure is alieviated when I trust in God and I trust in what He's telling me to do. The really difficult part, as a husband, isn't the obedience itself, but being sure that I am hearing from God. It's crucial for me to practice hearing from God, for all intents and purposes. In our church's School of Ministry, we practice by praying for a person's vague request, then waiting to hear, see, or feel anything in our hearts, as a response from God. Then each of us who have prayed, silently write down what we think we got from God, then we share together. It's a profound practice in hearing from God and being able to "verify" it with other people who are trying to do the same. Obviously, there can be variances, but often, two or three people will be aligned in what they've written. It's how I first started to know if I was hearing from God, or simply conjuring random notions. More often than not, I hear from God when I ask and I am attentive to Him. I think, though, in reference to change and growth, I should be doing this more often about my own life. I already do this when I have a need or decision to make (like moving back to WA), but I want to do it without a question. I want to do it everyday, just to see what He might have to say. No specific dilemma or crisis, just seeing what God has to say about my upcoming day, or week, or life.

P) Father, let me know Your will. Holy Spirit, speak to me whatever the Father would have me know. Increase my faith to believe what I hear. Continue to give me discernment and wisdom to understand what is from You and what is not. Give me the strength and courage to take action with what I hear. Let me be bold in my obedience. Remind me to do this everyday, starting now. Help me clear my mind and schedule each morning, and give You the time and attention You deserve. Then, speak with me. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 01/12/2012; Genesis 30:27

Today's reading: Genesis 29,30; Luke 12

S)"²⁷ But Laban said to him, 'If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account.'"

Genesis 30:27 (NASB)

O) It's a blessing to be involved with godly people. It can be a wise business decision to partner with men of integrity and righteous faith. Conversely, it can be a very costly mistake to partner with men who are defiant, rebellious, or even simply naive or neglectant toward God. This makes it important to prayerfully consider the people with whom we do business. It's also important that we realize and appreciate that God can use others to bless us, even indirectly. When God blesses some one, He may bless others nearby, simply by His grace. His presence brings blessings; that is a simple fact. 1 Chronicles 13 is a good example, too.

A) It is my desire that other people can be blessed by God, simply by being near me. Not in a prideful way, I just love blessing people. It is my hope that I am bearing good fruit to the point that other people are blessed, the more time they spend with me. And not just in the reasonable way that they might get something from me. I want God to bless me to such a degree that people will realize they are blessed, simply by standing next to me. I know I can't earn God's blessings, but neither do I want to hinder them (which I can do).

P) Father, forgive me of my sins. Please continue to bless me in Your graces, Lord. Not just for my sake alone, but also for others around me. Let my very life, successes, accomplishments, provisions, and other blessings, let them glorify Your Name, LORD. Let others see Your hand upon me, in such an obvious way, that they are drawn to me. Holy Spirit, then draw them to the Father. May I never become prideful in Your blessings, LORD. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 01/11/2012; Psalm 4:4

Today's reading: Genesis 27,28; Psalms 4; Luke 11

S)"⁴ Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.
                         Selah."

Psalm 4:4 (NASB)

O) That word "tremble" refers to being visibly upset by anger or fear. This is a solemn, humbling reminder of our place with God. When things aren't going our way, we should be able to cry out to God for help, but not to the point of sinning. If, in our emotions, we are prone to sin, then we should still ourselves, meditating silently, awaiting the LORD.

A) This can be a very difficult discipline. In general, I try not to let my emotions dictate what I say, but I'm certainly not perfect. The real trick to this verse, though, is that meditating is not the same thing as internalizing. When I am pausing, and thinking, and remaining silent as I carefully weigh my words, I need to ensure that I am speaking to God from my heart, and not simply having an internal monologue. I need to wait for His direction, not simply wait till the situation simmers down.

P) Father, help me to continue to be careful with my words, God. I especially want to be mindful of how I talk to my wife and children, since I love them the most and talk to them the most. Holy Spirit, in difficult times - arguments, disappointments, or other types of stryfe - give me the words to speak. Show me the will of the Father and help me see past circumstance, past this physical, temporal world. I want ot see the truly important things, the spiritual things, the eternal things. Let me seek You silently in those moments, God, and not just bottle up my emotions, biding time. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 01/10/2012; Genesis 26:34-35

Today's reading: Genesis 25,26; Psalms 6; Luke 10

S)"³⁴ When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; ³⁵ and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah."

Genesis 26:34-35 (NASB)

O) Even just this morning I was reading in my devotional with Kristin about 7 things to pray for your children. One of them was for the future spouse. It's not just for the sake of my kids alone, that I need to pray for their respective spouses, but for my sake and Kristin's sake as well.

A) I have first-hand knowledge, and testimony, regarding the effectiveness of praying for a spouse before they are even married. As a teenager I prayed for several things to be a part of who Kristin is, as my wife, and God was gracious and He put many of them into Kristin. It wasn't even just the "serious" requests, either, like asking that she'd be from a stable home (her parents have been married for-since-college). My wife is very, very tolerant of videogames (I literally prayed this) - so much so that our second date she came over to my house and sat on my couch while I played Final Fantasy - no joke. With that kind of knowledge about how effective this type of prayer is, I need to make it a specific point to pray for the future spouse of each of my kids.

P) Father, please bless the spouses of my children. Give my daughters men who have hearts like King David, after Your own heart. Men who chase purity and walk in repentance, worshiping You in everything. Bless my son with a wife who seeks righteousness and understands the value of holy leadership. With all of the children-in-law, may they be respectful of authority, and value the opinions of Kristin and myself. Holy Spirit, please continue to lead me in prayer for these as-yet-unknown men and woman who will marry my kids. Help me be faithful and wise in raising my children for them, as well. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 01/09/2012; Genesis 24:14,21

Today's reading: Genesis 23,24; Luke 9

S)"¹⁴ 'now may it be that the girl to whom I say, "Please let down your jar so that I may drink," and who answers, "Drink, and I will water your camels also"—may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.'
²¹ Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the LORD had made his journey successful or not."

Genesis 24:14,21 (NASB)

O) So, between vv. 14 and 21, Abraham's servant has the exact exchange that he himself described/prayed, in very great detail, to God. Even still, seeing it fulfilled exactly and immediately, in verse 21 we see him pause. This is a very, very big moment, big decision, and he wants to be sure he's getting it exactly right.

A) This was a big decision he had to make for some one else. In a similar way, as the king of my household, I have to make very heavy decisions for my family. As in this story, I think it's okay to ask God for specific things (I prayed several things for my wife to be, and God gifted her/me with them). I don't think that's the same thing as "testing" God or "demanding" from God. As I face difficult decisions, I will challenge my faith to ask God for specific signs and if/when I see them, I will deliberate and carefully consider whether or not He is showing me that sign. Who knows? Maybe God will reveal to me my future daughter-in-law...

P) Father, I commit to seeking Your decision on big, important matters, but also on small ones, too. Holy Spirit, direct me as I search for the will of God. You can speak to me in many ways, Lord, so give me the faith to explore all of the Biblical ways You've spoken to Your people throughout history. Help me approach situations with wisdom, always seeking Your will, to discover the answers You intend. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

SOAP 01/08/2012; Luke 8:14

Today's reading: Genesis 20,21,22; Luke 8

S)"¹⁴ The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity."

Luke 8:14 (NASB)

O) This is from the parable of the sower. Jesus is describing one of the ways that the seed, which is the word of God, can fall to the ground, and what will become of it. He gives 4 examples, only 1 of which bears fruit. I know this parable pretty well, but somehow, I'd missed a small part of this verse that has pretty big implications. The seed (and its plant) are not just choked out with the worries and/or riches of this life, but also with the pleasures of this life. I think most Christians recognize that it's not good to worry, and we know that "Mo Money Mo Problems" was actually a Biblical principle before it was ever a Puff Daddy song. But pleasures...? It's all about balance and perspective. The end result of this seed which fell among thorns is not that the plant died, but that it brought "no fruit to maturity." So, pleasures aren't a bad thing, in and of themselves, but are the pleasures preventing you from having a mature, fruitful life?

A) The first thing I need to do, is to inspect my fruit. Has my life been bearing fruit, and what is its condition? I think I've had a fairly fruitful life lately, but I can definitely see some areas where the fruit could be sweeter... I need to be careful with how, or how much, I pursue pleasures. I like to play games, but am I obsessing? I like reading comic books (yes, still!), but is that taking the place of reading books that will edify my life? I don't want a guilty of pleasure of spoiled fruit.

P) Father, help me prioritize my life, Lord. I want to see everything in my life as being Yours, including my time management and my "leisure" time. I like casual activities, but help me value them for the right reasons. Prune me, Father, and help me get rid of bad fruit to make room for new growth. Holy Spirit, show me the will of the Father and help me to see the areas in my life that are truly wasted time. Show me the areas of my life that are fruitless, and help me give them up. I want to grow in You, God. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.