My daily journaling from God’s Word, SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Today’s journal comes from reading Psalm 8.

Scripture

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for Him? Yet you make him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!” –Psalm 8:3-5

Observation

The heavens belong to God! He made them to display His power and bigness! David sensed this long before the invention of the telescope. He felt awe as he looked into the night sky.

And he felt small–insignificant. Don’t we all when we look at the stars? I’m just one person in billions on a planet that is just one of billions. I shouldn’t count. I shouldn’t have value. And yet, down deep, we know we have value; we’re not insignificant! Where does this innate sense of value come from? From God our Creator! He gave us value! This inner sense that tells me I matter makes no sense unless there is a God who made me in His image!

Application

Make time to go out and look at the night sky. Allow myself to FEEL God’s presence and awe during those times!

Prayer

Father, You are the great and awesome Creator of the heavens and earth; of life; of all things seen and unseen! I praise You!

I realize I’m less than a speck in this universe, and yet, I know I have value and significance. It’s because You have created me in Your image–just a little lower than You Yourself! What an honor!

Father, live in me! Show Your mighty power in me and through me. Help me fulfill Your purposes for my life.

For Your glory! Amen.

My daily journaling from God’s Word, SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Today’s journal comes from reading Psalm 4.

Scripture

“O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him.” –Psalm 4:2-3

Observation

So many people seek after and aim for that which is deceptive and dishonorable. The godly man embraces God’s honor, even if others mock and dishonor him for doing so. The godly man aims for and seeks the truth. Often, the godly will need to stand alone with only God by his side, but God will be by his side.

Application

As taught here and in Psalm 1, don’t walk in the same path as the world; be a godly man who walks in the ways of the Lord. Value what God values.

This week will be a test in this. My football team had a great victory and is heading to the championship. Sure, I’m excited, but our city will be going nuts. In the greater scene of life, this is still just a game and thus, win or lose, shouldn’t affect my emotions. In fact, my highlight from yesterday was not an awesome game, but the opportunity to meet our evangelistic team in Nepal and teach them the word via Skype. In eternity, that simple ministry will mean a lot more than a football championship.

Prayer

Father, I only have one life to live. I want to make it really count!

There are so many things on earth that can distract me from that which matters most. For me, I can enjoy a game, but unlike others, it isn’t my life.  You and Your kingdom are my life! And so, today, Lord, might I be a godly man set apart for You! Might I love what You love, hate what You hate and be a bit more indifferent to things that don’t really matter to You.

You’ve called me to aim for godliness and not for that which is worthless and deceptive. Might I answer this honorable call on my life!

For Your glory, I pray, Amen.

My daily journaling from God’s Word, SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Today’s journal comes from reading Psalm 1.

Scripture

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night.” –Psalm 1:2

Observation

Delight: To take pleasure in; joy; satisfaction of the mind
Meditate: To dwell on in thought, to contemplate, to turn or revolve in the mind.
Blessed: Enjoying spiritual happiness and the favor of God

A person who views life (or understands life) from the perspective of ungodly people will be divinely favored and will enjoy the happiness of the heart.

We are to delight in God’s word–not read it solely out of obligation.
We are to have God’s word on our heart day and night–to always contemplate it and allow it to revolve in our mind.

Application

Enjoy God’s word. I find that allocating enough time in the word is essential to move beyond dutiful reading to joyful meditation. Allow time to be in the Word without being rushed. Meditation takes time–both initially (i.e. journaling) and throughout the day (i.e. stopping to remind myself of scripture during a busy day).

Prayer

Father, You begin this wonderful book of worship (the Psalms) with an exatlation of Your word. Might the word of God be more exalted in me, more magnified, more central to my thought, values, faith and speech than it was last year.

Father, I delight in Your word. Help me to delight even more. Speak to my soul in deep, personal ways. Fill my heart with Your truth. Give me more  understanding. Give me spiritual wisdom. Might your word be more delightful than entertainment, the victory of my favorite team, money, a great meal or even a good friendship.

Father, remind me and help me allocate the time in Your word that is necessary to truly feed my soul to the realm of spiritual delight. Short amounts of duty don’t cut it. I desire to FEAST on Your word day and night. Bread of heaven, feed me till I’ll hold no more!

For Your glory I ask this! Amen.

My daily journaling from God’s Word, SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Today’s journal comes from reading Romans 6.

Scripture:

“Therefore, my brethren, you were made to die to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” Romans 7:4

Observation:

I must “die to the law” in order to be truly “joined to Christ.” Legalism kills true faith in Christ.

Being joined to Christ is the key to fruitfulness. All who are truly joined to Christ will bear fruit. The fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of good deeds, the fruit of making disciples – all come form our union with Christ.

Application:

Abide in Christ (John 15). Never slip back into believing that God accepts me because of my morality, my goodness, my law-keeping. I am accepted in Christ and in Christ alone! Remember this, glory in it, and preach it!

Help others as well. I regularly encounter Christians who bear no fruit for God. Is it possible they’re not really “joined to Christ”? That they attend church, read the Bible, etc, but are still trusting in their own righteousness; and thus, their religious striving doesn’t produce fruit? Preach the gospel even to church attenders who may not be born again through saving faith in Jesus!

Prayer:

Father, thank you for Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. Jesus, in You alone do I trust for my salvation. And in You alone do I trust to make me fruitful. Yes, I want to work hard, discipline myself, prepare for service, obey You, etc, but I know that apart from You, I can do nothing.

And so, I will abide in Christ. I will remember You; I will seek You.

Jesus, I know You, but I want to know You better, to desire You more, to trust You more deeply, to see You live Your life more fully in me.

And use me to help others who are religous but not born-again to find You in truth and reality.

My daily journaling from God’s Word, SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Today’s journal comes from reading Romans 6.

Scripture

“For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” –Romans 6:19

Observation

Both sin and righteousness are processes. As I choose to DO something good or bad, it affects my future choices as well.

Many people give themselves to sin. They spend money on sin, stay up late to sin, wear themselves out to sin, make plans to sin, etc. We believers should give ourselves to righteousness in the same way.

Application

As an unbeliever, I didn’t “give myself to sin,” but I did have my idols: particularly sports. I was dedicated to getting better and winning. This was my passion, and it filled my mind and heart. I had specific areas to focus on and improve through practice. HAVE THIS SAME DILIGENCE TO PRACTICE LOVE, FAITH, SERVING, EVANGELISM, etc.

Prayer

Father, You have made us humans to be creatures of habit. I can have habits of my body that make it easy to sin and habits that make it easy to live righteously. In Christ, You have freed me from the power of sin; now it is my responsibility to give myself–the members of my body–to You as instruments of righteousness. And I do offer myself to You!

I pray I will be habitually righteous! I pray that I will never give any part of myself over to sin, impurity or lawlessness.

In the same way I dedicated myself to basketball, I give myself to You to become the best disciple of Christ I can possibly be. O Holy Spirit, coach me in holiness. Help me to see where I am not like Jesus and lead me into the path of greater Christ-likeness. Thank you that You have been doing that all these years and will continue “coaching” me until the very end!

For Your glory! Amen.

My daily journaling from God’s Word, SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Today’s journal comes from reading Romans 6.

Scripture

“Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourself completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” —Romans 6:13

Observation

The life Jesus gave us is lived out through our BODY. These inner spiritual truths must become physical realities. Our bodies must be an instrument (a tool, a weapon of war) for righteousness—not for evil.

I am to give my ENTIRE body to God—every single part of who I am. When I give my body to God, it results in LIFE! When I give my body to sin, it results in death.

Application

Pray through my entire body and give it as a gift to God. Hold nothing back! True life is found only in TOTAL SURRENDER.

Prayer

Father, thank You for making me alive in Jesus Christ. This very day, I once again offer my very body to You as a living and holy sacrifice. I offer my self/my body to be a weapon of righteousness for Your glory.

Lord, live Your life through me: see through my eyes, through my hands, through my feet, through my mind, through my heart, through my mouth.

Might every part of my body—both in public and in private; when people see me and when only You see—be holy and wholly dedicated to You!

This is where true life and joy is to be found! I reject the devil’s lies, the world’s lure, and the temptations of the flesh! I embrace life in Jesus.

For Your glory and in the name of Christ Jesus, I pray!
Amen.

My daily journaling from God’s Word, SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Today’s journal comes from reading Romans 6.

Scripture

“We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.” –Romans 6:6

Observation

This is past tense: Our old self HAS BEEN crucified. Sin has lost its power in a believer’s life. We are no longer slaves to sin. We once were, but no more. Christ is Master! Sin has no power over me unless I allow it to. I am free from sin and alive to Christ!

Application

BELIEVE THIS! Believe I am free. Just as the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves (later enforced by the Civil War), many slaves had been slaves for so long that they didn’t know how to be free. They couldn’t perceive themselves as free men. Likewise, many believers never EXPERIENCE real freedom from sin’s power because they don’t BELIEVE they really are free. Learn these truths. Believe them. Speak them. Pray them. Teach them. Step out in humble faith until I am daily LIVING them!

Prayer

Father, thank You that I have died with Christ. The old sinful self is dead! And yet so much around me–my environment, my physical body, my temptations, the world, etc. can tell me the old sinful man still lives.

I choose to BELIEVE Your Word and consider myself dead to sin.

And I thank You that over the years, this has become my experience. Thank You that so many besetting sins that used to dominate my life are no longer even a temptation! Thank You that You have been renovating my life and making me more like the Christ who lives in me!

I know Your work is not done. You’re still refining me and making me more a man of pure, holy love. And so today, I freshly offer myself to You as a living sacrifice. I ask You to refine and purify me.

And I pray that I, for my part, will believe more deeply the awesome truth: SIN HAS NO POWER OVER ME! I’M FREE! CHRIST IS MY MASTER!

Hallelujah!

To You be the glory! Amen.

My daily journaling from God’s Word. SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Today’s journal comes from reading Proverbs 18.

Scripture

“The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to Him and are safe. The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense, they imagine it to be a high wall of safety.” –Proverbs 18:10-11

Observation

Some people trust in money for their security and safety. The godly trust in the Lord! He is our fortress! We are to RUN to Him–quickly, swiftly. Most people run to money for their security, but to think money will make you safe is an illusion; it can be gone in an instant (especially in our day when all our money is simply stored as a digit on a computer!)

Application

How do I run to the Lord–take refuge in the Lord? I don’t think this means I can’t have money; it means I shouldn’t TRUST money. I should follow the admonition on all our currency: IN GOD WE TRUST! This is an issue of the heart. This trust in the Lord is developed through awareness, spiritual sensitivity, prayer, trials, testings and choices to OBEY what the Spirit says regarding money.

Prayer

Father, You have been, You are, and You will always be my Refuge, my Fortress, my Strong Tower! I trust in You! But I live in a world in which people all around me trust in their money. I would be naive to think I’m not affected by these constant messages of trusting in money. Help me be aware of times I put my trust, my hope, or my security in anything but You–my Provider in time of need and my Strong Tower in times of trouble.

As I age and face the reality of one day having diminished health, help me to plan appropriately in a God-honoring way and to remember that no amount of wealth can make me secure without You as my Strong Tower. Father, I’m counting on You for my future as I have my past. You have been faithful and always will be!

Thank you and I praise You!

Amen
“A mighty fortress is our God! A bulwark never failing!” –Martin Luther