SOAP 08/15/2015; Jeremiah 18:12

Today's reading: Jeremiah 18, 19, 20; Psalm 93; John 17

S) "¹² But they will say, 'It's hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.'"

Jeremiah 18:12 (NASB)

O) After the LORD called yen to repent, this was their response. This is important to remember, because it is not simply God executing His judgment against His people, as if it is arbitrary and they have nothing to do with it. God has always made His standards known. Not only His standard for righteousness, but even His standard for repentance and mercy. Even so, people will reject His offer. They choose (even without verbalizing it, but by their actions) to turn away from His ways, and declare their own ways as sovereign and good, despite their rebellion against their Creator.

A) God warns, and waits, and warns, and waits. He is truly slow to anger, great in lovingkindness. If I received justice quickly, I would have been killed long ago! In His grace, I was allowed the time needed to see my own folly and accept the grace of the gospel. The verse above serves as a warning to me, that my own ways are in stark opposition to His ways. My own plans are rebellious by nature. My haughty pride and stubborn heart will ruin me, without the sanctification I have from God in the work of the Holy Spirit in changing my heart, and the work of Christ setting me free from sin and death.

P) Father, Your grace and goodness are revealed to me, new each day. I need Your work in my heart, to set me free from sin, into Christ. Sinning is no longer my only option, because I am being sanctified. I have been empowered to overcome sin by the indwelling Holy Spirit. I am freed from its mastery by the blood of Jesus Christ. Please continue to humble me, when I fail to humble myself. Help me to walk in the Spirit, that I will not gratify thee lust of the flesh. Be glorified in my life, and receive all praise and honor. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/14/2015; Jeremiah 17:9

Today's reading: Jeremiah 16, 17, Psalm 96; John 16

S) "⁹ The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?"

Jeremiah 17:9 (NASB)

O) Some of the older translations say the heart is "desperately wicked;" and, while that is not untrue, it removes the context of this passage. Sin is very much like a sickness of the heart. Undiagnosed, people will still show symptoms, but they will be confused, shocked, outraged, or hopeless because they can't seem to fight the symptoms, no matter what course they use: drugs, exercise, positive thinking, or anything else. They are trying to treat the symptoms without understanding the sickness. While the heart is deceitful in many, many ways (more than all else, it says), the deceit that is at work in this passage, really is a lack of human ability to see, I think. In fact, in the very next verse, the LORD repeats a truth about Himself that He has revealed over and over, that He alone is able to see what is really in the heart of man. The kingdom of Judah was about to receive the God's unmitigated wrath, and they were not going to understand why, because they could not see that their hearts were sick. Even though they saw some of the symptoms (which they tried to treat with their various idolatries), they would not listen to the truth that the LORD revealed to them over and over through the prophets, the good kings they'd had, or the Law.

A) The best response, is to echo what Jeremiah said in v.14. Through Jesus Christ, we believers were given the authority to heal in His name. Laying hands on the sick to recover is a very real miracle that still occurs today (I have been physically healed a few times in my own life). I see no biblical basis to believe in the cessation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, physical healing serves the primary goal of glorifying God. In that sense, I should see physical healing as most important to nonbelievers, because it shows them the love and power of the LORD, and that He lives. As a Christian, the most important healing that I could want, has to be a spiritual healing. The most important part of me that could be healed, is not my body, and that doesn't change regardless of my physical health status. The Bible makes it clear that I am not long for this world, even if I live to be 120 years old! Much, much more important than that, is that God continues to bring healing to my sick heart, because I am still prone to commit sins.

P) Father, You alone could solve the problem of sin. You are wise, loving, just, and merciful. In Jesus Christ, I have the salvation I seek. In Him, I can be healed of the sin that plagues my heart. I know that I will not be completely healed until I am glorified with Christ, though. So heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise. Receive all of the glory, honor, and worship. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/13/2015; Jeremiah 14:13-14

Today's reading: Jeremiah 13, 14, 15; John 15

S) "¹³ But, 'Ah, Lord God!' I said, 'Look, the prophets are telling them, "You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place."' ¹⁴ Then the Lord said to me, 'The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.'"

Jeremiah 14:13-14 (NASB)

O) Jeremiah was not the only prophet to face this circumstance, but this passage does highlight his problem fairly well. He was the only prophet affirming the coming destruction. There were scores of false-prophets all speaking positively about the coming times. When Jeremiah voiced this with the LORD, it almost sounds as if he was beginning to doubt what God had been telling him. This is understandable, given the flood of opposition he was facing, from people who also claimed to be hearing from the LORD. God reassured Jeremiah that he was hearing God correctly. He confirmed for Jeremiah, that the destruction was indeed coming. God did not tell him to convince them all that he was the only true prophet. He wasn't told that he must convince the people to believe his words, instead of the words of the false prophets. Jeremiah's task was to speak the truth, so that justice would be done when God executed His judgment on them for turning their backs on Him. We know Jeremiah was the only true prophet among his contemporaries, because the words he spoke came to pass. The proof is historically proven. When the exiles were taken, they all realized that only one prophet was among them.

A) This passage reminds me of the beauty of the Bible. God gave us His reliable words, through the prophets of the Old Testament, and the apostles of Jesus Christ. Because I know the Bible is the inspired Word of God, I don't have to guess about which prophet to believe. I just read the Bible, and believe what it says. This passage also reminds me, that if there are differing opinions about doctrine (i.e., another Christian understands a certain passage differently than me), I can rest in the fact that I don't have to convince anyone. In the end, if my opinion about a particular passage was correct, history will show it. Thankfully, it seems that the more important a subject is, the more clear God made it. The gospel itself, is very simple and clear. Very important, very clear. The book of Revelation, however, is quite a bit less clear in certain parts, but it also seems to be quite a bit less important to being a Christian. So, I will continue to study my Bible, as the most reliable, authoritative, infallible words of God. I will continue to pray, measuring what I think I might hear against the Bible. If someone disagrees on a small matter, I will agree to disagree, and if someone disagrees with a serious matter, I will turn to the Bible as the authoritative, trustworthy, proven words of God.

P) Father, thank You for the indwelling Holy Spirit. Thank You for the grace of the Bible. Please continue to open my eyes to see the truth in Scripture. Please continue to open my ears, to hear Your voice in prayer. Give me peace when someone disagrees on some point of doctrine. Give me discernment to know when to debate or not. Above all, let me seek obedience, love, grace and mercy with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Be glorified in the way we love. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/12/2015; Jeremiah 10:14-15

Today's reading: Jeremiah 10, 11, 12; John 14

S) "¹⁴ Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols;
For his molten images are deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
¹⁵ They are worthless, a work of mockery;
In the time of their punishment they will perish."

Jeremiah 10:14-15 (NASB)

O) This was not metaphorical, although it had a limited audience. When He said "every man" He was referring to those who had put their trust in idols, the work of their own hands. God knew, when His judgment was executed and the Babylonian armies came, the people would be put to shame for being deceived by their idolatry. Not only were these idols a mockery to the LORD, but they were actually a mockery to the people who worshiped them. When the calamity came, their idols proved to be worth even less than the gold that was in them. When their punishment came, no amount of gold would save them, and certainly no idols were alive to help them.

A) The first thing that came to mind when I read these verses, was the way our culture today has idolized the sciences. There is a blind belief of anyone who has enough letters after his name, and people take theories as proof, because the majority believes them. Some of them may even be true, but more and more the sciences look like a new religion, and the god is the process (if not the scientists themselves). However, science is deceitful, because it cannot solve the problem of sin, death, or hopelessness, or grief. This is why the gospel has persisted for two thousand years. It is truth, and in it the living God is found, and in Him is found redemption, life, hope, and peace.

P) Father, Your grace is sufficient for me. As great as knowledge is, as much help as science has given us, nothing is as important as the gospel. Give me the conviction to speak the truth with boldness, as well as love. Let people hear the gospel constantly on my lips, and recognize that You are alive, just as You always have been. In You, let them see redemption, life, hope, and peace. Be glorified in my life. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/11/2015; Jeremiah 7:16

Today's reading: Jeremiah 7, 8, 9; John 13

S) "¹⁶ As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you."

Jeremiah 7:16 (NASB)

O) These are the words from the LORD to Jeremiah. The people mentioned were the Judeans. This is a difficult passage to accept, but with careful review of context, things become more clear. The first step is to review everything that was just spoken to the people. God, through Jeremiah, had literally just invited the people back to Him. He reiterated the promises they still had, that if they would repent and truly turn to Him, that He would relent and spare them. So, that shows us God was not lacking compassion, even in His statement to Jeremiah in the verse above. In the above verse, God isn't changing His compassionate character, but changing the target of that compassion. He isn't changing the grace He gives, but turning His attention from the masses to the individual. I think He is really telling Jeremiah not to pray, because He knows the people will not turn. After all, in praying for them, what would that mean if it worked? It would mean that they would hear the will of God, accepting the truth and goodness of His will, and turn to Him. However, they had already shown that they would not accept the warning of the LORD, and would not accept the offer of grace from the LORD. So, I think it is clear that the verse above is really about sparing Jeremiah the additional grief of pouring out his heart in prayer to no avail. It is about preventing Jeremiah from spinning his wheels without getting anywhere in his prayers.

A) This verse is a little hard to apply to my life, honestly. The gospel shows us that the atoning sacrifice is sufficient for all of the sins of the world. So, in reality, anyone can be saved by the work Jesus already did. All that is required for salvation now, is faith. Still, I know that there will be some who reject that offer, just as the Judeans rejected God in Jeremiah's time. I am not aware of who will and will not accept the gospel, but God still knows. The real question then becomes, if I am praying for someone to accept the gospel, but they will not be saved (i.e., they will never believe), does God want me to continue praying for them? I must remember, just like when I read of many promises in the Bible, that this word was given to a specific person, in specific circumstances, for God's specific plans. I don't think it is the same for me, as it was for Jeremiah. To put it bluntly, Jeremiah was called to an epic task, as one of the last resident prophets to Jerusalem, but I don't think I am called to so great an undertaking. To be sure, I have a God-given purpose. However, I don't think praying for the salvation of people God knows will never be saved, is going to interfere with my calling. It could, and I pray that God would reveal that to me. But again, to be blunt with myself, there are a great many things that are already interfering with what I can do for God, and I haven't done everything I can to take care of those things, yet. In other words, there are a lot of ways that I might waste time. Among them, praying for people who will never believe is probably the best I can do.

P) Father, reading this verse reminds me how vast You are. You are omniscient, and infinite, and holy. This verse, as I really ponder it, convicts me of the ways I have wasted the time You have given me. Continue to have Your way with me, Lord. Give me the discipline I need to be productive for You, Lord. I want my character developed to a point, that the worst waste of time I have is praying for people that You know will never believe. I know I am a long way from that, though. Father God, You are a consuming fire, and this verse reminds me how much junk still needs to be burned. There are so many distractions in my heart, Lord, that I need to remove. I cannot do it myself, though. I don't know what it will take, but I pray that You begin to tear down these areas in my life, that I need torn down. Take away the distractions, Father. Remove the idols of my heart. Give me the focus I need, to do Your will and fulfill the purpose You have given me. In the meantime, I pray for the salvation of my family. My dad, all of my siblings, their children. I pray for my in-laws, and my friends, and my coworkers. Let them all have open eyes to see what You are showing them, and open ears to hear Your call. Soften their hearts to the gospel. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/10/2015; Jeremiah 6:16

Today's reading: Jeremiah 5, 6; John 12

S) "¹⁶ Thus says the Lord,
'Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
And you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, "We will not walk in it."'"

Jeremiah 6:16 (NASB)

O) When the Israelites were on their way to the Promised Land, they were warned through Moses not to conform to the ways of the previous tenants. The Canaanites (mostly) were wicked and their acts were an abomination to the LORD. When He gave the land to Abraham, He had already begun the process of judging the people who lived in the land at that time. When Israel was coming into the Promised Land, God warned them that if they followed the paths of the idolatrous people there, then He would strip them of the land as well (or perhaps more accurately, He stripped the land of them). These verses come from Jeremiah to Jerusalem, who, like Israel before her, was unfaithful to the LORD. The contemporaries of that time made continuous compromises, conforming to the culture around them. In the verse above, God is basically pleading with them, to return to His ways, His ancient paths. His way is good, and walking in it would mean rest for their souls. But, they refused to reform their ways.

A) I live in a very interesting time in my nation. The United States has historically been almost inseparable from Christianity, although from the beginning, the religious leaders in America wanted a strict separation of church and state, because they did not want establishmentarianism. Still, evangelical Christianity was closely tied to our nation for the first 150 years of our country, at least. However, through the 20th century, there was a slow shift away from the Bible. That shift began to accelerate through the 1990s and in the last 10-15 years, there have been a lot of social/legal changes, that have made it clear that the majority of our public is no longer what the Bible defines as Christian. In almost every case of culture shifting away from biblical principles on a topic, the rhetoric seems the same, that modernity demands with its new perspectives, a new definition of right.
To be clear, I do not believe things are good simply because they are old.
On the flipside, there is no improving what the Bible calls good. The problem has been, that people in power have misused religion to further their evil intent. This is not new either. At the same time, sin deceives individuals and they succumb to the lie that their lives would be better off if they were sovereign individuals. The combination of those to ideas (and others) results in a culture shift that rejects the good way God has established, mocking ancient truth as antiquated. In my own life, I must cling to the same ancient path that the LORD implored His people to seek in this verse. The same biblical truth remains just as good today as it always has been. God knows, I do not, but maybe the church as a whole, will be better off at the end of this cultural upheaval. At no other time in my life, have I felt the cost of Christianity more than I do today, and I fully expect it to cost me more than ever as I go forward. I can grieve the romanticized ideals of yester-year, or I can take joy in my sufferings for Christ. God's way is still good, I will still walk in it, and I will find rest for my soul.

P) Father, You are so good, almost indescribably gracious, that You would seek a people who actively reject You. I know that I have been a rebel. Even still, the gospel pierced my heart. The Holy Spirit drew me to You, and with opened eyes and ears, I began to see Your goodness for what it plainly is. As I move into a time, the likes of which I have never seen, I pray that Your grace is renewed in me every day. I know that as I continue to seek You, whatever the cost, You will continue to meet me and affirm Your goodness as I stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and I will find rest for my soul. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/09/2015; John 11:35

Today's reading: Jeremiah 3, 4; John 11

S) "³⁵ Jesus wept."

John 11:35 (NASB)

O) This is the shortest verse in the Bible, and I've often considered that it's brevity is part of what makes this sentence so profound. There is no hyperbole, no exaggeration, and no embellishment. The simple words draw into focus, the base emotion Jesus displayed. By removing all other words that could have been there, by the absence of adjectives, there is a sort of sobering silence to this sentence. When Jesus was first told of the illness that had come upon His friend, Lazarus, it was no surprise. The response Jesus gave His disciples in v.4, makes it pretty clear that He understood already that the Father had a plan for this particular circumstance. Jesus delayed coming to see him and his sisters, in order to allow time for Lazarus to die. This was not negligence, it was purposeful; this was not procrastination, it was discipline. When Jesus told the disciples that Lazarus was dead, He knew there would be resurrection (see v.14 and 23), again, emphasizing that nothing about this story was a surprise to the Savior. Even so, when Jesus was confronted by the grief of Mary and Martha, and all of their friends and family who were weeping with these sisters, He was overcome with grief as well. No amount of preparation, expectation, foreknowledge, or wisdom was going to eliminate the heartbreak of that loss. It was not supposed to prevent it, it didn't have to erase it.

A) Many years ago, when I was a Youth Pastor, there was a family that lost a matriarch. There were two young women in our Youth Group at the time, and they loved their grandmother dearly. They were greatly troubled, and I was at a loss trying to minister to them in their grief. I had never lost anyone that way. I remember getting off the phone with one of them, after praying for her, and as I began to drive again I prayed to God for myself, asking Him to help me empathize with this family who was grieving. I remember I turned the next corner going home and had to suddenly pull my car over again, because I was unexpectedly overcome with the most severe heartache I could remember up to that point. I wept. After several minutes, I thanked God for showing me how the grief of loss could feel. I continued to pray for that family, then with a newfound compassion. It was about four years later before I lost a close family member, myself, when my mother died. She died in March, but the previous November, I think God was beginning to prepare me, almost warning me that she was not going to live a lot longer. I remember feeling a sort of shadow of grief, several times through that winter, when I would pray for my mother. She was quite sick, and had transplants and surgeries, trying to restore her life. When I got the phone call from my aunt, that my mother was sick, I did not delay at all, but quickly drove six hours to see her. I did not want to admit it in that moment, but as soon as I saw her, I feared it would not be long. She passed away a little more than a week later. I am forever thankful that God prepared me, even if I wasn't fully aware of it at the time. I am forever thankful that I did not hesitate to visit my mother, when I heard how her health was flickering. I suppose I might have prayed for God to resurrect her, but in truth, I think she would have been mad. Her passing was a relief to her strife-filled life. Even though my relationship with my mother was healthy and left no regrets behind, even though I was warned in my spirit that she would not be long for this world, even though I was certain that she was relieved of all struggles in the glory of the Father's presence, I wept. I wept, and Jesus understood.

P) Father, Your grace is all over my life. When I think of my mother, and my relationship with her, I am so thankful for Your hand that was plainly all over it. I know that this world is temporary, but death still hurts. I know that my relationship with my mother, strong as it was, still isn't the strongest I have. When I think of my own kids, or especially my wife, I know that there will be separation as one of us goes to meet You first. But, whoever is left grieving, I pray that they find the same compassionate comfort that I have come to know. When I weep again, let me remember that Jesus wept. When they weep, let them remember that Jesus wept. Thank You. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 08/08/2015; Jeremiah 2:27-28

Today's reading: Jeremiah 1, 2; John 10

S) "²⁷ [They] say to a tree, 'You are my father,'
And to a stone, 'You gave me birth.'
For they have turned their back to Me,
And not their face;
But in the time of their trouble they will say,
'Arise and save us.'
²⁸ But where are your gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can save you
In the time of your trouble;
For according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah."

Jeremiah 2:27-28 (NASB)

O) The LORD was speaking of the house of Israel in this passage, and from the beginning He used Jeremiah to foretell of their impending doom. They had become quite idolatrous, seeming to have a different god for every city. Jeremiah would prophesy through Judah's exile, so in the above passage, when God told him, "their time of trouble," He wasn't being hypothetical. Despite their worship of false-gods, when real trouble hit them, they would realize their folly, but it would be too late.

A) It would be obvious to anyone who knows me, that I have never created an idol, or said to a stone, "You gave me birth." However, there have been plenty of times that I have set up idols in my heart. There have been plenty of times that I have said (with my actions), "Food gives me comfort." or, "Money gives me peace." or "Videogames give me fulfillment." Those statements are not much different than what the house of Israel was doing to the LORD in turning their backs to Him. Just like them, when real struggles come, I turn back to the LORD, my true God, and ask Him for salvation. I don't think there is anything wrong with enjoying food, having money, or playing videogames, but when I am treating them as a source instead of a tool, then I have crossed a line into idolizing them in my heart. Thankfully, I am redeemed by Jesus Christ. Through the work of the Holy Spirit within me, I am being changed day by day. My Father in heaven is disciplining me, painful as it may be sometimes, to glorify Him more and more with my life. I must submit myself to His purging work, to tear down the idols in my heart. If I do not, then I will get carried away in my idolatry, and when calamity comes, no food will comfort enough, no amount of money will deliver me, and videogames will be utterly useless.

P) Father, You are my Creator. You are the only true God. You are my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer. You deserve my devotion, my attention, my honor, my glory. I confess that I am still prone to idolizing in my heart, looking for the creation instead of the Creator. I repent, Lord GOD, and I thank You for the forgiveness I receive. Please continue to discipline me, as a loved son, so that my life glorifies You in good times and bad. Whether I have clear skies or storms, famine or feast, help me to seek You first, and glorify You alone. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.