SOAP 04/18/2015; Joshua 5:12

Today's reading: Joshua 5

S) "¹² The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year."

Joshua 5:12  (NASB)

O) The Israelites had just crossed the Jordan, and were camped at Gilgal just as the Passover was coming. So, they camped at Gilgal and celebrated the Passover there. This was the first time they had eaten the produce of the Promised Land, and so the promises of God were coming to a literal fruition. The manna was only ever to sustain them until the promises of God were fulfilled. Once they promise came, they no longer needed the manna, as miraculous as it was.

A) There are a lot of clever sayings about doors and windows and God orchestrating things. This verse can be taken that way, but it seems to me to speak to a bigger issue. God fulfills His promises, and asks His people to move forward, from promise fulfilled to promise given. God's purpose for the manna had been accomplished, so trying to hold on to the manna, when the fulfillment of the bigger promise had been done, would be pointless. The purpose for the law and the prophets of the Old Testament were accomplished in Christ Jesus, so trying to hold onto those is also more hindrance than anything fruitful (not that the Old Testament is not beneficial, but it is a shadow of the greater promises we have in the new covenant). In the same way, God has blessed me in many areas of my life, in many seasons. Some of those blessings are gone, because God is bringing me to new places. I think about my time as a youth pastor, and how difficult it was to move on from that. If I tried to hold that, while God had fulfilled its purpose and promise, and was giving me new direction and calling, I would have been stagnant, unfruitful, and ultimately disobedient. I need to recognize when God is ending the manna, because the real food has come.

P) Father, You are a God of continual improvement. You are constantly bringing growth and newness of life. I don't want to inhibit that because of my own narrow or nostalgic views. Open my eyes to see when You are doing a new thing in my life. Give me the courage to say goodbye to the old, when You are calling me to the new. However accustomed I may become to the flavor of manna, I would never want to miss the good food You have in store for me. Let Your will be done, Father God. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 04/17/2015; Joshua 4:14

Today's reading: Joshua 4

S) "¹⁴ On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; so that they revered him, just as they had revered Moses all the days of his life."

Joshua 4:14  (NASB)

O) Joshua and the people of God were on the move, and had just crossed the Jordan. God had miraculously stopped up the waters, so they crossed on dry ground as they had across the Red Sea. This was the first real miracle that the people saw under the leadership of Joshua, and so it seemed to be proof-positive that the mantle of leadership had passed from Moses to Joshua. There are many similarities in the arch of character growth between Moses and Joshua, and this stood as the pivotal moment when Joshua was cemented as God's chosen leader in the eyes of the people. It was God's miracle, confirming God's choice, exalting Joshua in their sight.

A) Leadership is God's to give, and He gives it according to His power, to accomplish His purposes, to glorify His name. There are certain leadership roles that the LORD clearly gives as His direct prerogative, as with Moses and Joshua. Some leadership roles are inherited by earthly choices we make, as in business or family. But, even in those instances, it is still the LORD who will exalt us spiritually, in the eyes of those we are leading. So, I am naturally in a position of leadership with my wife and kids, but it is up to God whether or not that leadership is blessed and fruitful. The Bible also teaches that God opposes the proud, and exalts the humble. One crucial, vital element to leadership then, is humility. Moses was humble, Joshua was humble, I must be humble.

P) Father, You are great and mighty to be praised. Your grace is written all over my marriage and my family. You blessed me with a wonderful wife, and great kids, and I want to be effective in my leadership. It is not enough that I have a title of husband and dad. If I am not effectively leading them, then those are nothing more than hollow honorifics. Keep me humble, Lord. Help me to submit to Your authority daily. Lead me, so I can learn to effectively lead my family. Let Your will be done, so that Your work is evident, Your will is done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 04/16/2015; Joshua 2:10-11

Today's reading: Joshua 2

S) "¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath."

Joshua 2:10-11  (NASB)

O) Rahab was a prostitute living in Jericho, just as the Israelites were crossing the Jordan approaching the city. Two spies had come into the city to discover what they could, before Joshua and their forces sieged the city. When Rahab took them in, almost immediately the king of the city had sent search parties out to find and kill the spies. So, what we learn from the above verses, is that it seems the whole city has heard of the power of the LORD, and His favor toward His people. From the greatest (the king) to the least (a prostitute), the glory of God has been made plain. Fear had apparently gripped the people, but this chapter shows us two very different reactions. The king, in his power and strength, is threatened by this undeniable force that is coming. He does not want to acknowledge it for the truth that it is: God is sovereign and this king is not. So, his reaction to what is truly fear, is to fight back against the thing that should rightly have humbled him. On the other hand, Rahab recognized this power as her salvation. This was an opportunity for her to be saved. This was an opportunity for change in her life. This power that was coming was not a threat to her, but an entreaty to her. She was indeed changed, it seems, as she became the great-grandmother to King David.

A) Experiencing the power of God, perceiving a glimpse of His glory, is truly unavoidable. The first chapter of Romans teaches as much. But then, the real question isn't whether or not there is a God, but what I choose to do about it. By extension, it begs to wonder, why others have such different reactions to seeing the same evidence of Him. The verses above really shed light on that. Every day I am confronted with the power of God at work in the world. Every day He reveals some part of His glory. The important thing then becomes whether I react like the king of Jericho, or like Rahab. It will all come down to my view of myself. If I am trying to be king, then I will react to God's power in rebellion, seeing Him as a threat to what I want to accomplish for myself. If I am humbling myself, realizing that I am much closer to destitute than I am to sovereign, realizing that I have a history of spiritual prostitution (selling myself to spiritual things that are not God, to whom I truly belong) and I have no means by which to set myself free, then I will see His power as my salvation.

P) Father God, You are sovereign. When You set Yourself against a man, how can he stand? When You set Yourself against a nation, its people melt with fear. Lord, for a long time I tried to live a sovereign life. I tried to live in a walled city, intolerant of any threat to my perceived dominion. I was trapped in those walls, unfit to rule, incapable of life. Then You came to conquer me, Lord. You came to tear down my walls and overwhelm me. I submit to Your power, Lord. I submit to Your authority, sovereignty, and any terms that You present in order to live at peace with You. Forgive me when I still harbor rebellious thoughts or feelings, selfishly trying to hold on to some form of dominion in my life. You are all powerful, and the only One worthy to rule. Your wisdom is perfect, Your love is perfect. You are great in lovingkindness and slow to anger and willing to forgive. May I forever be humbled by Your power, and never threatened by it. Let Your will be done, alone. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 04/15/2015; John 9:24-25

Today's reading: John 9

S) "²⁴ So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, 'Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.' ²⁵ He then answered, 'Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.'"

John 9:24-25 (NASB)

O) There are a great many things worth noting in this chapter. There is the clarification that individual sins do not always cause physical maladies (see v.3). There is the commission that the disciples of Jesus should be doing His work (see v.4). There is a great caution about the fear of men (see the blind man's parents). There is also great sarcasm in the seeing man's response to the Pharisees, which I always find amusing in the Bible. But, nestled among all of this, is a quick question and answer that has a powerful point to behold. All along, the Pharisees doubt. They doubt the innocense of the afflicted. They doubt the identity of the healed man. Here, they pose their gripe about who Jesus is. The response of the man is powerfully freeing. He does not begin to argue with them about who Jesus is, and instead rests fully on his own testimony of what Jesus had done. They pressed him further, and he did argue theology with them. He stated his case quite well (see vv.30-33) and they still weren't convinced.

A) Sometimes, there is a pressure to have every answer to every nay-sayer. I am a big proponent of educating ourselves as Christians. Apollos is one of my favorite men from the New Testament. However, sometimes in that area, I feel a pressure to not only have the correct answers, but to convince people of those answers. I cannot do that. Just as the healed man, I must cling to my own testimony. In my testimony of what Jesus has done in my life, the great power of the gospel is on display. Whether or not people will see that power, acknowledging that Jesus is who He is, that is not up to me to decide. If they are blinded, I will pray they too will see. If they are blinded, I cannot make them see. I can only tell them about the One who made me see.

P) Father, open blinded eyes, Lord. You are worthy to be praised. You are worthy of all glorification. Open the eyes of the blind, to behold Your glory. My family, my beloved friends, Father God open their eyes. Let them finally see Your lovingkindness, Your great compassion and grace, so that they repent from their rebellion against my Lord. Let Your will be done, that none would perrish, but all would come to repentance. Let Your will be done in their lives, and others. Help me to be patient along the way, Father. I want to be obedient, and share the gospel when You call me to it. But, I am also woefully overwhelmed when I feel pressure to convince people. Help me to rest in the power of the gospel at work in my own testimony, Father. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 04/14/2015; Luke 23:12

Today's reading: Luke 23

S) " ¹² Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other."

Luke 23:12 (NASB)

O) During the trial of Jesus, Pilate heard that Jesus was a Galilean, he knew then that the case the Jews had against Him would actually be under the jurisdiction of Herod (see vv.6-7). This is how Herod became involved. Although it seemed that Pilate initially had no real malice toward Jesus, it is easy to see that Herod might have (see v.11 and Luke 13:31). So, what we see is a man who quite contemptuous of Jesus, befriending a man who had only a mild opinion of Jesus.

A) This is, unfortunately, still the case. When a person has a mild opinion of who Jesus is, or even what Christianity stands for, they will find themselves siding more often than not, with those who treat Christianity with contempt and hate Christ. Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me;" (Matthew 12:30) and this plays out, even today. First, I need to acclimate myself to that reality. If a person is not following Jesus, then it is likely they are listening to, hanging alongside, bonding with, people who have expressed hatred toward Jesus and Christianity. Second, my aim should not be to engage and combat the "Herods" of the world, but to seek out and befriend the "Pilates" of the world. There is a large group of people who are "okay" with the existence of Jesus and Christianity, but choose not to follow it. That may be (at least in part) because most of what they are hearing about who Jesus is and what His disciples believe, is coming from people who hate Jesus and Christians alike. There will always be people like Herod. Jesus said people will hate me because they hate Him. I cannot change that. Instead, I should focus on loving the people like Pilate, who need to hear the truth about Jesus and Christianity.

P) Father, I don't want to waste Your time. I don't want to spin my wheels, fighting against people and their opinions, when it will never bear fruit. I know there have been plenty of people throughout the Bible and history, who have been called to speak the truth in the face of futility, just like Jeremiah. And Lord, let Your will be done. But, I also want to seek out, and focus on, people who will actually hear the gospel. Open my eyes to see when a person needs to hear the truth of the gospel, not just the slander that society may have fed them. I know people will always unite in their rebellion against You, but I also know that Your grace will pierce even the hardest of hearts. May the Holy Spirit reach the depths of my family and close friends. Let me start there, with sharing the truth of who Jesus is, and what it means to be a Christian. Bring salvation to my family and friends, Lord. Open their eyes and ears, and soften their hearts to the gospel. Be glorified in my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 04/13/2015; Luke 22:44

Today's reading: Luke 22

S) "⁴⁴ And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground."

Luke 22:44 (NASB)

O) Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, praying before His arrest. As He was facing betrayal and crucifixion, He had prayed that God would take the cup from Him. He closed His prayer, though, conceding that it is the will of the Father, not His own will, be done. We see His humanity in full display through those words. When Jesus referred to "this cup" (v.42), He wasn't just talking about death. What we see in the above verse, is a level of fervent prayer I'm not sure another human has ever achieved. What really brought it upon Jesus, was that the "cup" He mentioned was not simply death, but it was the cup of God's wrath. There are several Old Testament references to the cup of God's wrath, and Jesus would be completely, intimately familiar with what that wrath meant. The medical condition of sweating blood is called, "hematidrosis" and it is quite rare. It is often brought about by stress, accompanying intense headaches or stomach pains. This highlights the humanity of Jesus.

A) Often, I think of the sacrifice Jesus made, simply as death. Jesus died so I don't have to. But, I'm not sure dying for me would have caused this kind of turmoil. People have sacrificed themselves for others throughout history. It's a noble thing, the stuff of heroes. But, it's not usually met with this kind of... anxiety, is the word that comes to mind. What was really at stake here, wasn't simply death. It was wrath. Jesus' sacrifice took on the wrath that I was due. Jesus took on Himself, the wrath that every person was due. I wasn't just saved from death, I was saved from wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Jesus didn't just suffer the death that was meant for me, He suffered the wrath that was meant for me. If I understood the consequence of sin the way Jesus did, sweating blood because of the wrath incurred through sinful behaviors, would I ever sin again? That is the true knowledge of the fear of God, that would cause a person to sweat blood for the coming wrath. How great is His love for me, that He would take that punishment, that death, that wrath, and offer me mercy instead? Perhaps beyond true comprehension.

P) Father, You are perfect in Your judgment, righteous in Your anger, and justified in Your wrath. Your sovereignty is complete. I am only beginning to glimpse the true consequence of my sins, here. May I continue to gain understanding, and a proper fear of You, LORD. Open my eyes to see, and my ears to hear, that I may better understand the gravity of the gospel. It is both simple, and unfathomably deep. May I feel the weight of that sacrifice, and let it lead me to further obedience. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 04/12/2015; Luke 18:35-39

Today's reading: Luke 18

S) "³⁵ As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. ³⁶ Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. ³⁷ They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. ³⁸ And he called out, saying, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' ³⁹ Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'"

Luke 18:35-39 (NASB)

O) Jesus healed untold numbers of people, with all sorts of diseases and afflictions. Each time a specific story is told, especially when it is told with detail, there are notable, searchable, discernible reasons. This particular blind beggar even has his name recorded (see Mark 10) in the Bible. There are a lot of elements that could probably be explored in this story, but I was immediately convicted by his perseverance. He simply would not be deterred. He would not allow anything to make him miss his opportunity with Jesus, so long as he could do anything about it. He was unconcerned with propriety. He did not care about being obnoxious. He was not going to sit idly by, while his hope walked passed him.

A) The unabashed nature that Bartimaeus displayed, first made me think of public acknowledgement of Jesus. Do I acknowledge my savior, unashamed to put my needs on display for all to see (and hear). But, as I really dwelt on this, I realized that this passage is as much about being unashamed as it is about seizing opportunity. That really made me start to think of all the ways I have an opportunity to worship, an opportunity to pray, even an opportunity to share the gospel... and I let it pass me by... I need to recognize opportunities, realizing their fleeting nature. I need to cry out in worship when I am in need. I need to publicly pronounce Jesus is my hope. Even in the face of being ostracized, I need to call out to Him just the same.

P) Father, You are my only hope and salvation. In Jesus, You provided everything I needed for life and life to the fullest. You are worthy of my praise, worthy of my devotion, worthy of my public pronouncement! Help me, not only to be more bold in sharing the gospel, but also in recognizing opportunities. Help me to see my own needs clearly, and to see how urgent those needs are. Help me to understand that there is no time to lose. In You, I know I will be satisfied. I know that intellectually, but help me to know it experientially. Open my eyes to see, and my ears to hear. Be glorified in my needs, and Your faithfulness to meet them. Let Your will be done. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.