A Year's Worth of S.O.A.P.

 

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15 KJV

Daily Devotional? Read through the Bible in a Year? How much time will these take out of my busy schedule? I thought I might take into account how much time I spend watching TV. I thought I'd also see how much screen time I use daily. Out of 16 waking hours, I spend ____  WHAT???WOW!!! 

If I give 10% of my income, could I not give 10% of my time? WOW again, that would be over an hour and a half each day. So maybe if I skip 15-30 minutes of TV or screen time that would give me time to do a little Bible study. 

I use the S.O.A.P. method. It usually takes 15 -20 minutes. Then I do a five-minute devotional. I'm often surprised how well they mesh together. 

Here's the journaling method I do with my Bible reading. Reading and journaling is usually about 20 minutes.

S. Scripture - I prayerfully read a chapter and allow God to impress one or two verses on my heart. I copy that scripture as the heading of today's reading. 

O. Observation - In my own words, I write my observations about the context of the verse. In other words, I retell the story. 

A. Application - How has God impressed upon me to apply these verses in my world? 

P. Prayer - I write my prayer about applying this scripture in my life.

The verse I chose today was from John 12: 1-11 with an emphasis on verse 9. Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 

My observation was that people came to see Lazarus because he knew what it was like to be dead and then come back to life. They probably had questions like; "Did you go toward a light? Was it scary? Did you hover around and watch people as they mourned for you? Did you go to paradise or heaven?" One of the biggest takeaways I had was that Lazarus was a man just like the people and they wanted to see someone whose life God had resurrected from death to a new life.

My application became my Christian walk. I say I am a Christian and people watch me every day to see how God has changed me, how He has delivered me from a lost/dead state to a new/resurrected life in Christ.

Usually, folks don't really come to church looking for God. They came because someone invited them. People want to see how God can change us in such a way that we are new people/creatures in Christ. They've never known what it is like to have their lives completely changed. They are curious to see how it works. 

My prayer was of course personal and individual but here are my thoughts.

Heavenly Father, help me demonstrate my life in Christ every day so that others might see the wonderful change Jesus makes in my life because I have asked for forgiveness and salvation. May others be so affected by the change that it would cause them to turn to Jesus as well. In Christ Jesus's name. Amen

Hey Kids:

Paul wrote these words to young Timothy. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 

II Timothy 3:15.

You can use S.O.A.P. You can do your own study or find out where your parents will be studying each day. God may reveal something different that you can share at the family altar time. God has something for each of us no matter how old or how young. We'd love for you to share with us, but most importantly, share with your family and demonstrate Christ to others.  

Just a Rock

 

That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, ~Joshua 4:6-7a.KJV

Hebron Falls 1.4 miles to the right. That’s what the trail sign read. “Take us about an hour, my guess,” I said.

“Quarter to 5 now. Let’s go,” my husband answered.

The trail was easy through a meadow, then we went into the woods. Roots began to cover the trail; mud, streams, rocky ledges. I know why we are supposed to hike with a buddy. I needed Rick’s hand to pull me over the rocks! I hoped this waterfall was going to be worth it.

Finally, we could hear the fall tumbling below. A sign: Hebron Falls with an arrow pointing downward. Here we went again. At the bottom, we looked up on a tumble of rocks with a stream running willy nilly through it. “Seen better,” Rick said. So had I. I took a few pictures with my cell phone and was about to leave when I spotted it.

“Look at that!” There at the base of the falls in the middle of the rock pile was a man-made stack of small stones. “I bet there are 12 stones there.” I pointed, counting from a distance out loud. Sure enough, 12 stones.

I don’t know who or why those 12 stones from the river were stacked at the base, but I do think they were put there for a reason. Maybe to commemorate something special on the hike. Maybe just to say I’m a Christian and I want others to think about God while they are here in His creation. Maybe none of these things, but to me, it said, “Tell the story of what Jesus has done for you.” God commanded Joshua to have a leader from each tribe take a stone from the middle of the Jordan River and make a pile of standing stones so their children and generations to come would ask, “What mean ye by these stones?” God wanted the Israelites to pass on the great things God had done so their children would learn to have faith.

There are other stories in the Bible where people placed stones of remembrance. The first that comes to mind is the altar. Altars were made of stones. People made sacrifices to remember God and thank Him for all he did for them. Jacob raised his stone pillow up to be a pillar of remembrance. 

Father, help us to remember what great things you have done for us. Help us to be thankful and share the stories of your blessings with our families and those we meet. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

There are lots of ways people try to remember things. Some tie a string around their finger. Others write things in the palm of their hands. Some carry a rock or other item in their pocket to symbolize an event or person they don't want to forget.

Let's not forget to daily worship and fellowship with God. One way might be to place a stone on the hearth or a coffee table to remind you and your family of family altar time. Just as the people of the Old Testament built altars to worship, we need to have that "family altar" time to worship the Lord as well. 

Rocks and Stones

. . .  and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben: Joshua 15:6

We had a family birthday party for our granddaughter at Sycamore Flats picnic area. The kids found a rock painted with a candy corn image. We explained that people were painting little rocks and placing them in public areas for others to find. Then it became a game to see if there were more. The rocks were dated or the place of origin written on the back. To be part of the game, the kids needed to take the rocks and put them somewhere else for others to find.