SOAP 01/18/2014 Genesis 45:8

Today's reading: Genesis 44, 45, 46; Luke 18


S) "⁸ Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt."      

Genesis 45:8 (NASB)

     

O) Again, I think this all comes down to perspectives and giving credit where credit is due. they say, "hindsight is 20/20," and I think that's true. But, I don't think that negates our ability to look back and see the hand of God at work in our lives. Some may write it off, putting it under the same category as "self-fulfilling prophecy," but again, I think that's only a matter of perspective.
     
A) In my own life, I look back and see God at work in grace all over. From my childhood, through my teenage years, right on into adulthood, I see miracles big and small. Now, I could choose to rationalize some of them. I can simultaneously acknowledge that things were out of my hands, and also beneficial, and just chalk it up to good luck. Or rather, like Joseph, I can choose to give credit to The LORD and let that also build my faith and give me hope, choosing to believe He's at work in my life. Does my past difinitively "prove" He's real? Not necessarily. But choosing to believe, and choosing to accept my past as that proof, gives credit and direction. Either I am choosing to believe it's random, or I'm choosing to believe it's deliberate. Choosing the random leaves me grasping for hope and groping for superstitions. Choosing the deliberate lets me seek The One who deliberated.
     
P) Father, I am choosing to believe Your promises and Your Word, again. I will repeat my prayer, by deliberate choice and determination to believe it. Over and over, the Bible shows us Your faithfulness, power, mercy, provision... on and on the list of Your goodness goes. I don't want to miss any things You do, for the miracles they are. You are increasingly good, even beyond my ability to perceive or comprehend. So, I determine to try. I determine to search for Your goodness in everything around me. Not as some kind of superstition, and not in some esoteric or mystical way, but in a biblically defined, edifying way. In humility and reason, by determination and definition, I want to see the miraculous in my life. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 01/17/2014 Genesis 43:18-23

Today's reading: Genesis 42, 43; Psalm 5; Luke 17         


S) "¹⁸ Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, 'It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys.' ¹⁹ So they came near to Joseph’s house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house, ²⁰ and said, 'Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food, ²¹ and it came about when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and behold, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full. So we have brought it back in our hand. ²² We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.' ²³ He said, 'Be at ease, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.' Then he brought Simeon out to them."
     

Genesis 43:18-23 (NASB)
     

O) There are a lot of things happening in this little snippet of the story. Also, in terms of the greater story of Joseph, his brothers, their reunion, etc., this isn't a huge part of it (although, there is some foreshadowing, here). The first thing I noticed is how much fear the brothers have. Granted, they are bearing guilty consciences, on account of what they did to Joseph, but fear is clearly the ruling emotion here. The second thing I noticed, is that they actually had a fairly positive response. They come clean to the house steward, confessing what they found (albeit, quite a bit after the fact). The last thing that really jumped out at me, is the way the steward responds, in telling the brothers that the money they found was not, in fact, their money. He says that he did, indeed, take the money which was theirs, and that the money they found in their bags was actually treasure from The LORD. This is the part on which I really want to focus.


It is revealed later, that Joseph commands his steward to replace the money from the brothers. The point of view of the steward, though, is important to note. He credits God for the treasure, despite the fact that it plainly came from Joseph, or his command at least. It's also very telling that he even calls it "treasure," given the fact that it's not necessarily a large sum of money, or some kind of rare jewel, or some unknown or unquantifiable thing. It's implied that it's the same amount of money they used to buy the grain in the first place (which is why the brothers assumed it was an error).
     
A) Too often, I think miracles are mistaken as something else. I think we rationalize them, out of fear or lack of faith. I don't want to do that. I think miracles are usually a matter of perspective, definition, and determination to credit God. If I'm seeking to give God credit for the good, or even only possibly-good, then it can take something that might cause fear and instead, turn it to a reason for joy.
     
P) Father, I am choosing to believe Your promises and Your Word. Over and over, the Bible shows us Your faithfulness, power, mercy, provision... on and on the list of Your goodness goes. I don't want to miss any things You do, for the miracles they are. You are increasingly good, even beyond my ability to perceive or comprehend. So, I determine to try. I determine to search for Your goodness in everything around me. Not as some kind of superstition, and not in some esoteric or mystical way, but in a biblically defined, edifying way. In humility and reason, by determination and definition, I want to see the miraculous in my life. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 01/16/2014 Genesis 41:15-16

Today's reading: Genesis 39, 40, 41; Luke 16

S) "¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.'
^16 'I cannot do it,' Joseph replied to Pharaoh, 'but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.'"

Genesis 41:15-16 (NASB)

     

O) This is remarkable humility, that Joseph shows here. He'd spent years wrongly imprisoned, after spending years as a slave, sold out by his brothers. All the while, he'd remained faithful and obedient to God, while holding onto a pair of dreams. Then this opportunity came, where he has a chance to impress the king of a great nation where he's still imprisoned... and he still won't succumb to selfish ambition.

A) I've recently gone through a few interviews at work, seeking promotion. It's difficult to maintain humility, while the world shouts at you that you need to "sell yourself" to get ahead in life. I need to take Joseph's life as an example from start to finish. God blesses hard work and He promotes according to His will and plan, not according to my ability to impress people.

P) Father, continue to work humility and submission in my heart. I want to put all of my ambitions toward knowing and serving You, Lord. Let me seek Your approval, and only Your approval, and trust that You will continue to guide me where I need to be. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.

SOAP 01/15/2014 Luke 15:28

Today's reading: Genesis 37, 38; Psalm 7; Luke 15

S) "²⁸ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,"

Luke 15:28 (NASB)

     

O) This little line kinda slipped by me previously. This is the older son, the non-prodigal one, here. He's mad that his faithfulness had never been praised or rewarded by his father, at least as far as he can tell. The part that jumped out to me immediately, is that his father came out of his house. He broke from the celebration to come and get his son! Again, we see that the father will not just sit back and wait for the son, any son, to come inside on his own. Just like when the younger returned, when his son is close, he will come to meet the son. Also, as I was reflecting on this verse by itself, I realized the father never rebukes the older son for his anger, but he also doesn't let his son stay out there, smoldering. He comes and smothers his anger with love.



A) My first response to this, is as the son. I would do well to remember that God seeks me out, even when I'm not especially far from Him. Even when it feels like all His attention is for others, He still takes the time to come meet me where I am and entreat me to join Him.
The second part for me, is as the father. I have a son who struggles with anger, as a matter of fact. He's also quite the introvert. Those two things tend to mean that when he is upset by things, he secludes himself. That's not a problem on it's own, but I need to take this example as guide to how I approach him in his little bouts of frustrations. It's especially important that I set this precedent early in his life, so that he will know who I am and how I love him, as his struggles become more and more serious over the years. I need to remember to smother his anger with love; the same love I'd use if he was a prodigal son; the same love the Father shows me.

P) Father, Your love humbles me over and over. I am thankful that You continue to come meet me in my incompleteness. In my broken, short-sighted, selfish pride, you continue to come and pull me close. Let me continue to recognize Your love for what it is, and who You are. Let this, and my own testimony, continue to remind me to stay close to You, so that, when I am struggling within myself, You are near and can entreat me to Your presence. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.

SOAP 01/14/2014 Genesis 34:24

Today's reading: Genesis 34, 35, 36; Luke 14

S) "²⁴ All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city."

Genesis 34:24 (NASB)

     

O) This is scary on a few levels. For one thing, getting circumcised as an adult is terrifying to me. But, more importantly, it's frightening that an entire city could be convinced to do this, based on the argument of 2 men. Ultimately, they convinced the men of this city to do this because the city wanted to be able to marry the Israelites. It wasn't just Hamor and Shechem, though. Their whole argument was based on Shechem first marrying Dinah, and then the entire city being able to open trade with the Israelites through intermarrying with them. Perhaps the most appalling aspect to ponder, is what the married men of that city were thinking. They died because of their discontent.

A) The story of a man doing stupid things involving a woman is as old as men and women (see: Adam and Eve). But lustful passion, greed, and selfishness never start off this bad. I need to remember that stories like this are only a natural progression of sin. So, while it comes naturally to scoff at such folly, I need to remember that the only thing separating me from this story, could be time. And Jesus, thankfully.

P) Father, let me remember that stories like this are not far-fetched. Remind me how closely I've come to destruction, when left to my own sinful ways. Let me be on guard, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to protect myself from my own sinful desires, remembering that all sin leads to death and worse. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.

SOAP 01/13/2014 Genesis 33:4

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


S) "4 Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept."

Genesis 33:4 (NASB)

     

O) I love this verse for a few reasons. One thing, I'm a big fan of brotherly love. I'm even more a fan of reconciliation. And, putting this story over the top, I love that this is Esau's reaction in contrast to Jacob's expectations. In the previous chapter, Jacob goes to great lengths trying to safeguard his family and his possessions, taking great pains through great grief, stressing out of fear. He's met with incredible grace.


A) I think the two biggest lessons to take away from this story are these... first, that I shouldn't be operating out of fear. My fears tend to sneak up on me. Generally, I don't feel like I'm afraid, I feel like I'm "planning" things. It really becomes a problem when I'm making those plans without prayin about it. At worst, I might miss important things God may want me to see and know. But, even at best, it might mean I'm wasting time, energy, and even money, "planning" for fears that are never even realized. The other major lesson to take from this is grace and mercy. Esau had a pretty good reason to hold a grudge. I don't know how long it actually took, but at 40 years, Esau realized he missed his brother. No possessions, birthrights, or blessings, were going to be missed as much as his brother.

P) Father, I don't want to hold grudges. Help me to always value relationships and people, more than any things. Remind me that my plans are useless, since I don't know my future. Let me turn to You, and only You, when I need to make plans. You are good and You are God. You gave grace and mercy. Please let me do the same. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.

SOAP 01/12/2014 Luke 12:35-36

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





S) "³⁵Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. ³⁶Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks."

Luke 12:35-36 (NASB)

     

O) There are so many distractions in this world that it's easy to give them names, classifications, and categories, and even sub-categories, but in the end they are all one thing: distractions. They could be ambitions for a career, lustful passions (which goes way beyond only sex), or hobbies. They could be unemployment, marriage struggles, grievous children, or the death of a loved one. Sometimes the distraction is condoned by our world, or culture, or even church; they can be rationalized. Sometimes they are mostly seen as negative, but we find ways to justify them, or else to ignore them. But, as I said, they fall into all sorts of categories, and can run a full gamut between plainly condemned, or widely accepted. But, I think the bottom line is this: we are not to allow them to distract us from the single most important thing we have in our lives: our relationship with Jesus.





A) I think about some of the obvious things in my life and it's easy for me reckon them as wrong. I shouldn't allow videogames to distract me. I shouldn't allow stresses about money to distract me. I need to keep my focus on Jesus throughout my day, even while my hobbies idle, and especially when I ponder things that might stress me. But I also think back, to a more commonly accepted distraction, that I have experienced. When my mother's illness became the most serious, things were beginning to look much more grim. In grace, God was pulling me close to Him, a couple months before my mom was hospitalized. Through that, by keeping my focus on Him, I was able to find healing while I grieved, even before my mom actually passed away. I think people from the outside (and even from the inside sometimes) see God and religion as a crutch and a distraction. I think what they miss, and what I was able to experience firsthand, is that by staying close to God in hard times, we are not being sheltered like some stereotypical, home-schooled kid from the 80s. Instead, it's like a loving father, holding his child's hand while that child, with tears falling and teeth gritted, has to get five shots on the same day (which really happened with Ella). Jesus has left, but He will return. In everything I do, I need to keep my focus on His return, knowing that it will be unexpected. That is done through time spent committed to The Lord in prayer, worship, and His Word.

P) Father, forgive me for my sidetracked mind. Discipline my thoughts and help me develop self-control even in my mind. Help me to keep context and perspective with things like grief, or hobbies, and help me rid myself of stress and sins. Let me be mindful of Your will and the soon coming return of my King. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.