S.O.A.P.

Daily S.O.A.P Blog

Our Glorious God

  • July 25, 2022

God does not hide His actions or His majesty; rather He proclaims His identity and presence throughout all of time and all of creation so that we would be witnesses of Him.

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Scripture
Isaiah 43:10-13
 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. 12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God. 13 Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”
Observation
God is unique in existence, unique in power, unique in love, unique in greatness – and He desires for mankind to recognize Him for who He is. He does not hide His actions or His majesty; rather He proclaims His identity and presence throughout all of time and all of creation so that we would be witnesses of Him.
Application
Last week I drove to the top of Mauna Kea to watch the sunset with some friends. The air was clear, and the colors breathtaking. The tropical storm last week had washed the air clean, and we were able to see the whole island spread out before us as the light faded. As the sky darkened, the stars began to come out and the milky way glowed brightly. Meteorites flashed by above us, and distant galaxies twinkled and glimmered.  My friends and I talked the next morning about how clearly we had seen the power and majesty of God on display there on top of the mountain. I can’t watch the glory of God’s handiwork, without acknowledging the glory of the One who created it all!
God wants me to see Him at work. He is actively at work in my life- saving and sustaining me so that I would be a witness of His greatness. Although I will never fully grasp the magnitude of my creator, He desires for me to glimpse His majesty–not just for my own enjoyment, but so that I can worship Him as He deserves.
 
This week, I need to take time to recognize what God is doing. I need to put the busyness on ‘pause’, so that I could worship the Creator as He desires. I need to direct the attention of those around me to what God is doing–not merely living life as a passive ‘observer’, but actively testifying and attesting to the greatness of the God who created me and saved me.
Prayer
God, thank you for showing me glimpses of your greatness. Thank you for actively working in my life–not merely to make my life ‘better’, but to bring glory to yourself. You deserve the glory, and you deserve my worship!
Give me boldness to be a witness of and to your greatness, that I would daily point those around me back to you, so that your glory would be revealed in their lives also. 
 
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Perishable

  • July 22, 2022
The wealth and trappings of this world become as perishable as a pack of Costco romaine lettuce when viewed next to eternity.
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Scripture
1 Peter 1:17-19
“Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” 
Observation
Faith in God changes our perspective. Life without a knowledge of God gravitates to a self-absorbed scramble toward personal gain and accumulation of that which our world views as having value…because this world is the sum total of all that matters.
Life with God sees this world as nothing more than a temporary dwelling place–and all the wealth and trappings become as perishable as a pack of Costco romaine lettuce when viewed next to eternity. 
Application
True and living faith in God is not merely an added upgrade to the life I already live. Faith in God is a reverent acknowledgement of His supremacy over all things, and a surrendering of my desires and views to His way instead.
The only way I can experience that transformation is through the precious blood of Christ. His blood is the only thing that can change the outcome of my eternal future–not gold, silver, stocks, real estate, or bitcoin…but the blood of Christ.  All of these other things are merely the temporary things I use on the journey toward my destination. Like a tray of microwaved food on the airplane, it accomplishes a useful purpose–but if I become obsessed with accumulating crates of airline dinners, it will merely slow me down on my way to my destination.
Prayer
God, thank you for the transformation that you bring! Thank you for not leaving me as I was before I knew you, but instead transforming me daily to become more like you. Thank you for your precious blood, which paid my own debt and changed my eternal future! Help me to live with a proper perspective on the journey–to use the blessings you give me in a way that honors you, without getting weighed down by the temporary and perishable things of this world. 
 
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Unity and Accountability

  • July 20, 2022

Unified purpose and mutual accountability open the door for Kingdom growth.
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Scripture
 2 Chronicles 29:34
“But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt offerings, so until other priests had consecrated themselves, their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was finished—for the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in consecrating themselves.”
Observation
The people of God were turning back to Him, and a huge spiritual awakening was underway. The house of God was being cleaned, prepared, and consecrated, and the sacrifices were once again being offered to God. What an amazing moment for the king, the Levites, and the priests as they led the people back to their God!
Unfortunately the priests were caught unprepared. They didn’t expect that magnitude of a response from the people, and they didn’t expect to be truly needed for what was about to take place. Their casual and careless attitude led to a real problem, as their lack of planning began to hinder the move of God which was taking place. Their cavalier mindset hindered the worship of the people, and caused an unfair and improper load to be placed on the Levites.
The Levites stepped in to assist, but they held the priests accountable. They kept the process rolling, but they didn’t bend the rules or relax the expectations that God had set for the priests–instead they challenged the priests to step up their game. 
 
Application
My attitude toward my calling will either work in harmony with God, or in opposition to Him. If I treat my calling and responsibilities casually or carelessly, I will hinder God’s work and cause an unfair burden to be placed on those who serve with me in God’s kingdom. I must treat the Gospel of Christ with the seriousness that it deserves, and do my part to prepare myself for a God-sized move of His spirit.
There will be situations when those around me are not ready for what God is doing–and I must be ready to fill in the gaps with a heart of humility. Not to cover up or gloss over lax behavior, but rather to come alongside them and help carry their load for a short season while raising the bar of expectation. God is not honored by a ‘not my job’ attitude, nor is He honored if I enable Kingdom leaders to coast along with a careless or casual attitude.
Unified purpose and mutual accountability open the door for Kingdom growth.
Prayer
God, thank you for the privilege of serving in your kingdom! Help me to live daily with the care and intentionality that your gospel deserves, so that I would never become a hindrance to what you desire to do.
Help me to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ with humility, and consistently raise the bar of expectation in a way that glorifies you so that your purposes would be accomplished. 

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Source and Supply

  • July 19, 2022

I have no lack of clean water to fill my heart, I only need to choose to make use of it.
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Scripture
James 3:9-11
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?”
Observation
Inconsistent flow from a spring, indicates pollution at its source. Inconsistent speech, reveals pollution in my heart. 
Application
Scripture teaches that my mouth will speak that which my heart is full of. If I curse my neighbor with one breath and then praise God with the next, my speech is revealing a polluted catchment tank in my heart. God’s love cannot mix with hatred. His forgiveness cannot mix with unforgiveness. The self-control developed by the fruit of His Spirit cannot mix with untamed, angry outbursts.
When my speech reveals heart-pollution, I need to examine my source. God’s Word and God’s voice will not cause that pollution, so what have I been allowing to affect my heart?
Yesterday I went snorkeling with my son on a section of the Kona coast where freshwater springs bubble up from underneath the salty ocean water.  No matter how much salt water surrounds them, the springs consistently flow with fresh water.  How can they remain fresh, when surrounded by the pressure of all the surrounding salt? Their source is unpolluted–they simply have no salt within them, to flow outward.
At times life feels like those springs. The pollution of worldly ideas, values, and messages swirl around me on a daily basis. Yet even though I don’t control what surrounds me, through the Holy Spirit I can control what I allow to fill my heart.
The pure supply of God’s word is always available to me. His Spirit is alive within me, and guiding me. I have no lack of clean water to fill my heart, I only need to choose to make use of it.  This week I choose to drink from the clean water of God’s word, so that the things that flow out from me would be Christ-honoring and pure.
Prayer
God, thank you for the pure water of your Word. Reveal to me when there is pollution in my heart, so that I could choose to walk daily closer to you and daily more in tune with your heart. Thank you for the strength of your Holy Spirit–not only to resist the pollution, but also to overflow with your heart and values so that your truth could flow out of me to affect the world around me.

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Potential

  • July 14, 2022

Christ’s love looks beyond our present, to see our potential.
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Scripture
Isaiah 19:25
“The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying “Blessed by Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.”” 
Observation
What a jarring passage of scripture!
Throughout the Bible we see Egypt as a force of evil–in conflict with God’s people, and consistently enduring the judgement of God. But for Egypt to be known as “God’s people”?!
Even in their Godless, sinful state, God was able to look at Egypt and Assyria and see who they would someday become through the power of Christ. 
Application
It’s often easy to see people’s present situation, and forget about who they could become. God dealt with Egypt and enacted judgement on them on many occasions…but He never forgot about their potential and the promise awaiting them in the Messiah who was to come.
I want to see people the way that God does–acknowledging reality, but never losing sight of their potential in Christ. I don’t want to lock people in a box of their worst moments, but rather point them forward to their highest potential.
This isn’t always easy, when people display their worst. I need to daily seek God’s wisdom and strength, to love people the way that He does.
Prayer
God, thank you for never giving up on me. Help me to love others with that same love, even when it’s not easy. Help me to see the potential in people, rather than just seeing them through the lens of their present state.

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Shadows

  • July 13, 2022
I know God’s love for me, and so I choose to react with eager anticipation when God is doing something that I don’t fully understand.
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Scripture
Hebrews 10:1
“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming–not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.” 
Observation
The law is a shadow of good things. What an insight Paul had, in his perspective on God’s law! Where so many people saw only rules, judgement, and condemnation, Paul saw humanity’s need for redemption, and the promise of God’s sinless sacrifice yet to come.
Where others saw fear, Paul saw hope. 
Application
Shadows give us a very incomplete picture–and so our reaction to the shadow is a result of our understanding of the thing casting the shadow. The very same shadow can fill our heart with anticipation or dread, depending on our understanding.
Our ability to know and understand God is limited, because He is God and we are not. When God moves, we can react with fear or anticipation depending on our understanding. The same God who gave the law to Moses, is the same God who loved me enough to pay the price I could not pay.
I know His love for me, and so I choose to react with eager anticipation when God is doing something that I don’t fully understand. 
Prayer
God, thank you for daily revealing more of your heart to me, as I spend time with you. Thank you for being the sinless sacrifice, the ‘reality’ of which the law was only a shadow. I choose to trust your love, even when I don’t fully understand your plans. 
 
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More Than Enough

  • July 12, 2022
His payment for our sin is not a payment plan which must be repeated in order to keep up with our debt–his death was the perfect, sinless sacrifice, the complete payment for all time, for all sin.
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Scripture
Hebrews 9:27-28
“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” 
Observation
With the same finality as death without Christ, so is the finality of the salvation we have in Christ. His payment for our sin is not a payment plan which must be repeated in order to keep up with our debt–his death was the perfect, sinless sacrifice, the complete payment for all time, for all sin. But his payment did not use up and exhaust his power–because he overcame death, and is coming back again so that I could also live in His power.
Application
Christ’s power is more than sufficient for my every failing. Not only to cover my sin, but to raise me to life with Him. What amazing news, and what incredible peace and hope that gives me!
I don’t want to keep such incredible news to myself–I want to tell someone about the Savior whose power is more than enough! 
Prayer
God, thank you for paying my debt! Thank you for your power, which is more than sufficient for anything I could face. Help me to live a life of gratitude each day for your grace, and give me wisdom and boldness to share your good news with those around me each day. 
 
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Faith

  • July 11, 2022

Our faith in God must not be “I trust you if“, but simply “I trust you.”
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Scripture
Hebrews 11:13
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.”
Observation
I love reading this chapter of Hebrews–this celebration of the heroes of the faith. I love the stories contained here, of great exploits for God, of adventure, and great determination. And yet these men and women of the faith are not remembered primarily for living a life of ease, or of perfection resolution on the plot of their story. They are remembered for unwavering faith through struggle, suffering, and not-yet-fulfilled promises of God.
They are not honored as an example for what they saw, but for their faith in what they could not yet see. 
Application
My faith in God must be established on His identity, not on my own senses and experiences. My trust in my Heavenly Father must depend on who He is, not on the balance in my bank account.
His greatness is established by who He is, and His love for me was forever confirmed on the cross.
This week, I choose to place my trust in Him. Not in the fulfillment of my own desires, but simply in Him.
My declaration is not “I trust you if“, but simply “I trust you.” 
Prayer
God, thank you for your goodness and your greatness. I choose to place my trust in you, not in what I can see and feel.
Thank you for your love, and your promises! 

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The Starting Point

  • July 8, 2022

Taking a stand for righteousness begins with getting my own heart in step with the heart of God.
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Scripture
Psalm 101:3-4
“I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil.”
Observation
Our world is full of truly vile and perverse things. From the entertainment being produced, to the actions being celebrated and upvoted on social media–there is no shortage of vile behavior. The psalmist seems to have been living in a similar time–but instead of merely grumbling, he drew a line in the sand. Instead of merely pointing with self-righteous indignation at others, he drew a boundary in his own life. 
Application
It’s easy to point out the flaws in others–and there is a time and place to proclaim truth and confront evil head-on. But publicly confronting evil accomplishes nothing, if the privacy of my heart doesn’t support my public stance. I may take a stand for what is pure–but do I secretly look with approval on that which is vile, when it agrees with my own opinions?
Taking a stand for righteousness begins with getting my own heart in step with the heart of God. 
Prayer
God, thank you for the truth and righteousness that I find in you. Help me to walk with a pure heart before you–not trying to achieve perfection on my own strength, but daily course-correcting closer to you. Give my boldness and courage to stand for righteousness–in the privacy of my own heart, as well as in my public actions. 

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Perception

  • July 7, 2022
The cure for the blindness of envy, is time spent in the presence of God. His presence reveals truth, uncovers lies and assumptions, and brings priorities into sharp focus.
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Scripture
 Psalm 73:2-5, 16-17
“As for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.”
“When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.”
Observation
Envy distracts us from what is truly important, and blinds us to reality. Envy makes false claims and promises, and fails to deliver every time. The cure for the blindness of envy, is time spent in the presence of God. His presence reveals truth, uncovers lies and assumptions, and brings priorities into sharp focus. 
Application
The more time I spend away from the presence of God, the more skewed my perspective becomes. Truth becomes harder to perceive, and temporary/fleeting things seem to grow in importance. When I make time for God, His presence and His voice begin to make sense of the confusion. The temporary things of this world shine a little less brightly, and eternity becomes more visible.
This week, I choose to make time for God. I choose to spend time in His presence, so that I can walk in His truth. 
Prayer
God, thank you for your presence! Thank you that I have access to your throne room because of Christ. Help me to keep my eyes on you instead of the glitter of this world, so that my life would be built on truth and not error. 
 
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