S.O.A.P. for 02/27/2009 Be Worthy

S: Leviticus: 20:22-24
"You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land there I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you, for they commit all of these things, therefore I abhor them. But I have said to you, "You shall inherit their lansm and I will five it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord, Your God. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own."

O: God gave many rules to His people, but not without reason. He didn't withhold the good, he desperately wanted them to receive His gifts. He only prohibited them from those things that would surely bring them to ruin.

A: Most of us understand God's Physical laws of nature. Jumping off of a tall building will kill us becuasse of the law of gravity. However, we still need to learn and understand about God's spiritual laws. God forbids us from many things in order to protect us from self-destruction.

When I feel temptation towards a forbidden physical or emotional pleasure, I must remind myself that the consequences could be great. Do I really want to suffer because of something fleeting? Do I honestly want to intentionally separate myself from the God who is trying to help me?

The very words stated in the scripture here seem to apply directly to the journey I am on right now, for we are being offered an opportunity in which we may prosper, but we must be worthy.

P: Father God,
How very wonderful that You speak to us! How very wonderful that we may seek You and abide with You at anytime! How very amazing that Your word can be so very relevant, to the point of "jaw-dropping" awe! I hear You, Lord, and I pray to always be worthy of what You offer. If I slip, please stretch out Your hand to me and let me try to learn and fix it before all is stripped away! Let me be worthy of what You offer!

Lord, God, thank You for preparing me and teaching me that I may be worthy of a gift You wish to give me. I pray for the strength that I may always stand firm in You and Your statutes that I may never be vomited out, but always protected by You, for I am so delighted in what lies ahead, that I could not bear the thought of losing it over my own sinful ways.

I pray that I have learned enough thus far, to be deserving of a chance, and I pray that I continue to learn, that I may never lose what's been given, and that I remind myself to always use the gift You've rendered to Glorify and Honor You!

Thank You for revealing these special things to me, and just in time, Lord. Thank You for giving me a chance to prove myself to You. I pray that I may be deemed worthy and that I may never take what's been offered for granted, but see it for the true blessing it is. Let me always diligently seek You, love You, obey You, and Praise Your Holy name!

In Jesus Name,
Amen

Out here the Texas rain is the hardest I've ever seen
It'll wash your house away, but it'll also make you clean
Now these rocks they are crying too
And this whole land is calling out for you
*Caedman's Call*

S.O.A.P. for 02/26/2009 Generosity

You've given me so much, Lord... Teach me how to pay it forward.

S: Leviticus 19:9-10
"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of the field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am the Lord your God."

O: God instructed HIS people to provide for those in need. He requires that the people leave the edges of the fields unharvested, providing food for travelers and the poor. God desires generosity for He is generous and we are created in HIS image.

A: This law was a protection for the poor and the stranger and it served as a reminder that God owned the land; the people were only caretakers. They were called to be good stewards of what God allowed them to be responsible for. Laws like this revealed God's generosity and how HE wants us to reflect that generosity. It's easy to forget about the poor and the needy when you have your own problems, but how "big" really are those problems. There will always be someone who has "less" than us. In what ways can I "leave the corners of the field" for those in need??

P: Abba, Father,
You are such a wonderful, loving Father. It amazes me continually, the depth of care that You show us. And it doesn't stop there, Lord. You always go deeper and desire something from us in return that You know, in Your infinite wisdom, will only serve to bring us closer to You, and help us walk in such a way the reflects You more and more. I am not worthy of such a gift, and yet, You continue to tell me I am. I am humbled and so very loved by You, and it fills me with awe, joy, and wonder! And to think that you would teach us to show that same love to others. If only I could make someone else feel the way you make me feel. How generous You are to teach us Your generosity, and how wonderful that you desire that we, too, reflect that generosity to others. Father, we live in a different world, a crazy messed up world, but You are still so very relevant! Your Word still speaks to us, and it still applies! Oh how my soul aches to please You, Lord. Please reveal to me ways in which I can "leave the corners of the field" for those in need. Father, God, to the world it may not seem as though I have much, but to You and I, I know I am truly blessed. Father, teach me what it is I can share more of, for everything comes from You; even my life and my every breath. I desire to live completely for You, please reveal to me just how to do that, when sometimes it feels like I have so little to give! Teach me of spiritual gifts to offer, teach me of Spritual needs to be met when I have nothing material to offer. I know there is more, I just cannot see it. "Give me Your eyes that I may see everything that I keep missing"...
Thank You for loving me enough to want me to reflect You in my life. Thank You for hearing my prayers and responding according to Your will. I pray that I may learn to live a life reflective of the generosity that You show to me each and every day, and I pray that my generosity may indeed one day become part of my legacy.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

Give me Your eyes for just one second, give me Your eyes that I can see... Everything that I keep missing, give me Your love for humanity. Give me Your arms for the broken hearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach, give me Your heart for the ones forgotten, give me Your eyes that I can see.
*Brandon Heath*

S.O.A.P. for 02/22/2009 Moving On

S: Mark 6:10-11
Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there til you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, then you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

O: The disciples were instructed to shake the dust off as a vivid sign that they wished to remain separate from the people who had rejected Jesus and His message. Jesus was making it clear that the listeners were responsible for what they did with the Gospel. Ths disciples were not to blame if the Gospel was rejected, as long as it was faithfully and carefully presented. We are not responsible when others reject Christ's message of salvation.

A: I don't believe that He was being metaphorical. Kind of like in the baggage series, when we placed our notes incide the backpacks and hung them on the cross. As humans, it seems as though we need "physical actions" to help us with mental things. I truly believe that we should practice more active "physical" symbolism in order to take things to heart. I hope that when/if someone rejects what I have to share that I will remember to shake the dust off and hot dwell on the rejection. Dwelling and internalizing can make the hurt feelings last longer and ultimately affect my walk and my willingness to keep trying with others. But keeping the hurt from getting to deep and setting it's hooks will allow me to take a deep breath and "drive on".

P: Lord God,
I thank You for all the lessons. Even though they may seem so small, without those small lessons, we may be forcing ourselves to have to handle 'big ones". Help me to learn and see all the small lessons in handling life so that I don't keep passing them off as "symbolism" or "it doesn't apply to the world now". If I miss them, I may somehow end up missing the easy stuff and having to conquer mountains. I pray for eyes that see even the smalles of lessons that may hold more magnitude and value in just living than when I have to go through a tragedy to learn something. Maybe the tragedy was the last attempt to get me to learn something that was shown to me long ago that would have been easier to handle. Thank You for never stopping the lessons and thank You for giving us morsels to chew on along the way. I pray that I may see the truth in those morsels and not pass them off. If they were meant to be passed off, they woudln't have found their way into the Bible. I thank You for teaching us ways to handle rejection in simple ways that allow us to move on. May I never cease to "move on".

In Jesus Name.
Amen