SOAP 06/30/2012; Titus 2:9-10

Today's reading: Amos 7, 8, 9; Psalms 104; Titus 2      
S) "⁹ Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, ¹⁰ not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect."
     

Titus 2:9-10 (NASB)
     

O) This verse jumped out at me with the idea that being a bondslave, at this time, had a lot of similarities to being an employee in corporate America. I mean, I know that it was much more severe then, as being a bondslave was much more like our own shameful history of slavery in this country, but it has parallels in that the bondslaves of that time were actually more like employees, and it was for a set time (or amount of debt) and, more importantly, as a Christian, our attitudes should be the same (a Christian employee compared to a Christian bondslave).
     
A) There are obvious exceptions (like anytime I am told to do something unrighteous), but otherwise, as an employee, my attitude should be one of subjection to my employer's authority over me. I should be well-pleasing to my employer, and avoid arguments. Stealing in the workplace is common, and stealing time has even been a problem for me (through laziness/slacking). Ultimately, I need to remember that I am representing the LORD, and I should do it well in every respect, especially at work.
     
P) Father, Your goodness to me still astounds me. Your grace and favor upon me is truly humbling. With You, I am underqualified and overpaid, so I want to honor You with every part of my life. Holy Spirit, rebuke and admonish me to work in a way that brings honor and praise to Your Name. Bring work to my hands and, through that work, let me glorify You, LORD. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 06/29/2012; Titus 1:9

Today's reading: Amos 4, 5, 6; Psalms 86; Titus 1
    
S) "⁹ holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict."
     

Titus 1:9 (NASB)
     

O) Titus, it's worth noting, was in a position of authority. Paul left him to oversee some of the local churches. As a leader, it's important to know the ins and outs of sound doctrine, firstly, to know how we ought to live. But secondly, there's also another element of properly representing our faith. I think a lot of Christians know what they believe in a general and difficult-to-describe, sort of way. It's not that they're wrong, and they might live their whole life serving God well and being fruitful, but if they cannot express the principle beliefs they have, at least in principle, then that person will have a hard time maintaining any form of leadership.
     
A) I need to be sure I am, not just able, but actually doing, leading my family in learning sound doctrine. Especially with my children, going to public school (Caleb will be starting this fall), I need to keep a close eye on the things they're learning, and be sure that I am putting things in perspective with our beliefs. This seems especially true with sciences, as it seems our current world (both believers and non-believers) have a hard time reconciling the two (faith and science), but I firmly believe science points to God, if the perspective is correct (see Romans 1:20).
     
P) Father, You have opened my eyes and given me wisdom I could not attain on my own. Continue to reveal Your world, Your plan, Your knowledge to me. Holy Spirit, lead me in the timing of leading my family, and give me the words to speak so that they will receive it and learn well. Let me both exhort them, and refute the contradictions they hear. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 06/28/2012; Amos 3:7

Today's reading: Amos 1, 2, 3; Psalm 80; 2 Timothy 4

S) "⁷ Surely the Lord GOD does nothing
Unless He reveals His secret counsel
To His servants the prophets."
     

Amos 3:7 (NASB)
     

O) This is such a compelling statement. Here, the LORD is doing something major and Amos is prophesying about a calamity that will come, even against the LORD's people, but in general, it's an intriguing statement. God tells His people before acting. How literally can this be taken? There isn't much room for interpretation. Even if we wanted to say it was only true concerning "major" things, that's still enough to make me want to seek the voice of the LORD everyday, really.
     
A) Even if this is only true for the big things, how much more important is it that I am seeking the LORD daily? And if it is truly applicable to everything the LORD does, then I should seek Him even more earnestly. Thankfully, this is a time when the Spirit of the LORD is poured out on all flesh, and by the blood of Jesus, I have been sanctified and we can all commune with Him intimately enough that He actually speaks to all of His children. It's up to me to put mysef in position, and to atune myself, to hear His voice.
     
P) Father, thank You for the compassion You show Your people. Holy Spirit, speak to me of the things to come, especially the things You will do in the future. Show me my part, my place in it; let me do Your will. Open my ears to hear and my eyes to see, so I do not miss it. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 06/27/2012; Joel 2:12-13

Today's reading: Joel 1,2,3; 2 Timothy 3   
     
S) "¹² 'Yet even now,' declares the LORD,
'Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping and mourning;
¹³ And rend your heart and not your garments.'
Now return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness
And relenting of evil."
     

Joel 2:12-13 (NASB)
     

O) Repentance is often about coming to the realization of the goodness of the LORD. There can be no fooling Him, though. Going through the motions of repentance will not bring His salvation. We can't simply appear to have repented. He wants to see a heart that is broken for Him. Then He can take us up to redeem us.
     
A) It's amazing to me how, if I dwell on the goodness of the LORD for 5 to 10 minutes (if I can manage that kind of distraction-free time), it will usher in His presence. In that holy atmosphere, I become acutely aware of the sin in my life, even the hidden sins. The truly amazing thing, though, is that it's not the awareness that brings guilty, shameful feelings; that's not His way. It's an awareness that makes me want to turn from it in grateful, sincere repentance. I am able to then forsake myself and my own sinful desires. It is truly a continual process, though. So, I need to do just that: continue. I will continue to rend my heart before the LORD, so He can restore me to the man I am called and created to be.
     
P) Father, You are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil. Forgive me of my sins, LORD. Break my heart for the things that break Yours. Then piece it back together as You would have it. Holy Spirit, show me my sins. Make me aware of every hidden fault, so that I can lay it before the cross of my savior. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 06/26/2012; Jonah 4:4

Today's reading: Jonah 1,2,3,4; 2 Timothy 2
     
S) "⁴ The LORD said, 'Do you have good reason to be angry?'"
     

Jonah 4:4 (NASB)
     

O) The LORD is omniscient, so anytime He's asking a question, you can bet it's rhetorical and designed to get us to think about the answer, before we actually answer. To me, this one question is the whole point of the book of Jonah. It really hinges on the word, "good" that the LORD is using. He's essentially asking if Jonah has any right to be angry.

I used to think Jonah was simply throwing a fit because the LORD was forcing him on a journey that, in his own eyes, didn't need his participation. Kind of a lazy, almost existential attitude of, "What's the point of me going, God?" But, over the years, I came to realize that Jonah suffered from, what I like to call, "The Jonah Complex" I don't think Jonah was angry about being forced to go on this journey. I think he was angry because he didn't want the people of Ninevah to receive mercy from the LORD. He couldn't bear this idea that the LORD would show lovingkindness to some one else (non-Hebrew, that is). He mistakingly thought that he had exclusivity with the LORD.
     
A) This Jonah Complex still exists today. I see it among Christians a lot. I see it with kids who are serving God without their parents, and then when their parents do get saved and start serving God, they feel like they don't want to share Him. I see it with divorced couples who are bitter when their ex finally submits to God after years of denying His sovereignty. I've seen it with the families of a victim, when the guilty person repents and finds mercy and redemption in Jesus. There are myriad reasons why this Jonah Complex might develop in a person, but ultimately, the Bible warns about being angry. It says in Ephesians 4:26, that we are to be careful when we are angry and I think the best way to do this is to ask myself this question God posed to Jonah, "Do I have a good reason to be angry?" Most of the time, I think the answer to that question is a reluctant, "... no..."
     
P) Father, You have healed my heart of many hinderences. You gave me freedom from anger over so many issues. You've healed me of a bitter, hard, dying heart. Continue to call all of my emotions, not just my anger, into question. Holy Spirit, test my emotions often to determine if my heart is pure in them. Help me be honest with You and honest with myself, so that I find peace once again. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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.

SOAP 06/24/2012; 2 Chronicles 24:17-18

Today's reading: 2 Kings 11,12; 2 Chronicles 24; 1 Timothy 6
     
S) "¹⁷ But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. ¹⁸ They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols; so wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt."
     

2 Chronicles 24:17-18 (NASB)
     

O) There is that old adage about giving a man a fish and teaching a man to fish, and the same thing is true of the things of God. If a person is only ever told what to do, spoon-fed the instruction of the LORD, but doesn't learn how to seek Him alone, failure is a foregone conclusion. I heard it taught once, that "Rules without relationship, always leads to rebellion." and it's just so very true.
     
A) I am the priest of my household, and as such, I lead my family in worship, prayer, the reading of the Scriptures, and every spiritual righteous discipline. But (especially as my kids are getting older), it is crucial that my kids begin to learn how to serve God on their own. They must learn what it means to search the Bible for wisdom, and to seek the will of the Father, and to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. The list goes on and on, but the truth is that I only have a short time with them, before they are out from under my direct care. With that, I've just determined something inspired. Each year, leading up to my child's birthday, I will fast for them. Specifically, I will inquire of the LORD the things which they each need to learn that year, especially as it pertains to the LORD.
     
P) Father, You have given me a good direction this morning. Thank You for putting this plan in my heart, God. I need to be sure to implement it correctly. Holy Spirit, as each birthday approaches, prompt me to fast and give me clear direction for the details of that fast and how it will look and the things I need to pray for my children. See them prosper in every one of Your ways, O LORD. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 06/23/2012; 2 Chronicles 23:1

Today's reading: 2 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 22,23; 1 Timothy 5
     
S) "¹ Now in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him."
     

2 Chronicles 23:1 (NASB)
     

O) The story of Joash's ascension to the throne (which starts in 2 Chronicles 22), is one of my favorite stories of all the kings of Judah and Israel. The conspiracy, collaboration, espionage - I mean, it's events like this that inspire books like Lord Of The Rings. In this verse, though, we see the culmination of years and years of planning. What stood out to me, though, is the phrase, "Jehoiada strengthened himself..." It just goes to show that, even with all the planning in the world, even with the LORD on your side, sometimes, you have to take courage and just go, go, go!
     
A) At a certain point, there's a diminishing return on plans. Ultimately, all of my plans must come from the LORD, but at a certain point, the time for action will come upon me (every time, at some point with each plan). When that time comes, I need to encourage myself, motivate myself, and push myself into action.
      
P) Father, I want to be an action figure. You have made me many things and You continue to shape me and form me into the man I must be, per Your will. Your plan and will for me, and the goodness in them, is truly beyond my comprehension, but I know that it's still good, because You are good. I know that Your timing is perfect and that You work all circumstances together, so I want to be ready whenever You call. If it takes 7 weeks, 7 months, or 7 years, I will plan when You say plan and I will act when You say go. Holy Spirit, move my heart to seek and to move when the will of the Father is so. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.