Jesus made a promise to His disciples that continues to bring us great joy today.
Read the full devotional for more about the promise
So, I started a new Bible study this morning called “Faithful Love”, based on the book of Hosea in the Old Testament. I’ve read the book many times and studied it more than a few and it is one of my favorite books because of the beautiful picture it paints of God’s redeeming love. However, I’ve never studied it using the SOAP method and I have to say I was a bit surprised when I saw that the reading assignment was only the first verse of Hosea, along with a short passage in 2 Kings 14. The SOAP passage was Hosea 1:1 and I knew what it said and couldn’t imagine what benefit would be derived from SOAPing just that verse. However, when read in conjuction with the short passage in 2 Kings I was delighted to find a sweet nugget of truth tucked inside that one verse.
Let me pause for just a minute and explain what I mean by SOAP in correlation with studying the Bible. It’s a method of study that employs the following accronym:
So I read the SCRIPTURE listed, eight verses in all, and proceeded to write the SOAP passage –
The Lord gave this message to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
Hosea 1:1 (NLT)
Seemingly very straight forward, I began to make my bullet points, my preferred method of OBSERVATION, which produced the following –
And that was it – or was it? I sat there considering again why would they only have us do this particular verse – why not have us read the first 5 or so verses and SOAP the more ‘important verse’? I mean prophets were always given messages to speak and generally a time frame is given to set the stage … yep there it was – it hit me … it was those 7 little verses in 2 King that began to unearth the nugget – so I looked back at the passage and wrote the words:
Here’s what we know – what the LORD wants us to know …
And there it was – my final bullet of observation –
Next came the APPLICATION – and suddenly from that last bullet point came the nugget of truth –
God is always working behind the scenes. Even when things look really bad God is at work on behalf of His people and His purpose
Me from the inside-out
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:28 (NLT)
I couldn’t believe this nugget – this beautiful – much needed TRUTH for my mind and soul – from this passage of Scripture I’ve read so many times that I couldn’t imagine gleaning anything from it. With that, my heart was moved toward the last portion –
PRAYER – which flowed like this: Father, thank You for the reminder that – despite the evil that is prevalent in our world today and the hurts and fears that sometimes surge through our lives – You are working behind the scenes, positioning Your people to carry out Your perfect plan! Help me to listen for and recognize Your voice and yield to Your call on my life – whatever it is. – for Your Glory Amen and Amen
This post is based on the study of Genesis 16:1-2 and Matthew 19:26 as a part of the Love God Greatly Study – Shame Breaker. This post and all other posts, based on their studies, are written prior to reading any devotionals associated with the study. It is my true story, heart and beliefs shared as God leads.
Sarai was barren and desperate for a child and her desperation led her to make choices that I imagine she wouldn’t have made otherwise. Perhaps the desperation was due to shame for not having been able to give Abram a son in a culture where this was of great importance. Perhaps it was being tired of everyone asking when are you guys going to start having children? Don’t you want to be pregnant? What are you waiting on??? Or maybe it was simply a deep heartfelt desire to become a mother – whatever it was – trusting God took a back seat and she went into full-on manipulation to make a seemingly impossible situation “better”. To make matters worse Abram’s trust was lacking too and instead of speaking truth and sense to her – he agreed to go along with her plan.
Having been “barren” for the first 8 years of my marriage I know a little of how Sarai felt. I can tell you from that experience – came heartache and anger and shame and pride and a deep resentment of friends and even strangers that were pregnant when I wasn’t. I can also tell you that it was in those years that God laid an incredible foundation of trust that has been needed for so many deeper and more difficult issues in the years that have followed. Through a tubal pregnancy that nearly took my life, a child born crippled at birth, another child with cancer, an unexpected and devastating divorce, heartaches and fears, sudden and devastating losses of family members, health crisis, and financial needs – God added building blocks on the foundation laid during those “barren” years. Each need and situation was met with the mercy, grace, and love of our faithful and trustworthy God.
So we have the foundation and the building blocks – but in between is The “stepping-stone” story – the heart of the story – for it’s what made the building blocks possible. It’s the answer, if you will, as to why the foundation didn’t crumble. It’s what connects our two passages together, the barren Saria in Genesis and Jesus’s words in Matthew, and it’s what changed the course of my story. You see, God had placed people, and in this case parents, in my life who spoke TRUTH – God’s TRUTH – to me. Instead of going along with my complaints of not being pregnant and the ongoing “woe is me” spirit that was leading me down a wrong path – my mother shared words from a sermon she had recently heard – words she used to remind me to be content in the place God had me and to TRUST IN HIS ALL SUFFICIENT GRACE, His timing and PERFECT WILL. It wasn’t what I expected or wanted to hear, but certainly what God knew I needed to hear. I left their house that day to return home, hurt and sad and still desperate – but with TRUTH that sent my desperation in a different direction. It sent me toward God and His Word – to dwell on the words from the passage she had shared, and eventually, it led to a surrendered heart to God and – yes – even to the ‘barrenness’ that I knew and hated – and – for the first time in years, my heart was filled with peace and contentment.
Roughly 12 months later – my first daughter was born.
I share my story for this reason … In this life, there will be seasons of desperation, seasons when our faith is challenged, when we know the thing we desire is impossible for us, and – seasons when we think we need to ‘help’ God. It is in these times that we MUST make sure we have a nucleus of friends and family, believers that will stand in the path of our desperation and SPEAK TRUTH to us – pray it over us and for us and with us. People that will listen and comfort – and yes cry with us – but who will always look beyond our pain and frustration and ranting and point us to our God – Through whom – ALL things are possible – that my friends, is the “Stepping Stone” …………………. Me – from the Insideout
Good evening! Here is a weekly wrap up video. Can’t wait to study with you all next week.
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Today’s Encouragement: Let’s give thanks to His holy name for He is elevated high above all gods and He protects the lives of His faithful followers.
Today’s Scripture: Psalm 97 (S.O.A.P. Psalm 97:9)
The Lord reigns.
Let the earth be happy.
Let the many coastlands rejoice.
2 Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne.[b]
3 Fire goes before him;
on every side[c] it burns up his enemies.
4 His lightning bolts light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The sky declares his justice,
and all the nations see his splendor.
7 All who worship idols are ashamed,
those who boast about worthless idols.
All the gods bow down before him.[d]
8 Zion hears and rejoices,
the towns[e] of Judah are happy,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are the Most High[f] over the whole earth;
you are elevated high above all gods.
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects[g] the lives of his faithful followers;
he delivers them from the power[h] of the wicked.
11 The godly bask in the light;
the morally upright experience joy.[i]
12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord.
Give thanks to his holy name.[j]
Question of the Day: According to verses 25 and 26, Moses was able to endure because his eyes were fixed on the reward. What was this reward?
Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 11:23-31 (S.O.A.P. Hebrews 11:26-27)
By faith, when Moses was born, his parents hid him[a] for three months, because they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to enjoy sin’s fleeting pleasure. 26 He regarded abuse suffered for Christ[b] to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on[c] the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king’s anger, for he persevered as though he could see the one who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood,[d] so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched around them[e] for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of[f] the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace.
Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 2:5-18 (S.O.A.P. Hebrews 2:10-12)
For he did not put the world to come,[a] about which we are speaking,[b] under the control of angels. 6 Instead someone testified somewhere:
“What is man that you think of him[c] or the son of man that you care for him?
7 You made him lower than the angels for a little while.
You crowned him with glory and honor.[d]
8 You put all things under his control.”[e]
For when he put all things under his control, he left nothing outside of his control. At present we do not yet see all things under his control,[f] 9 but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while,[g] now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death,[h] so that by God’s grace he would experience[i] death on behalf of everyone. 10 For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist,[j] in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer[k] of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin,[l] and so[m] he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,[n] 12 saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers;[o] in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.”[p] 13 Again he says,[q] “I will be confident in him,” and again, “Here I am,[r] with[s] the children God has given me.”[t] 14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in[u] their humanity,[v] so that through death he could destroy[w] the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), 15 and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death. 16 For surely his concern is not for angels, but he is concerned for Abraham’s descendants. 17 Therefore he had[x] to be made like his brothers and sisters[y] in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement[z] for the sins of the people. 18 For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
Weekend Reflection 4
To encourage others please be sure to read and/or share your answers to one or all of the questions in the reply bar at the bottom of the page and I will share them in tomorrow’s video discussion.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
Father, You are good – blessing me with the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit – through whom You have not only sealed me as Your own and fulfilled Your promise to always be with me, but You also made a way to communicate with me.
There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future.
You are good to speak TRUTH and in Your omniscient power, You know what to say and when I need to hear it.
I am blessed that You, the Most High God, would want to speak with me; and even greater is the blessing to know the depth of Your desire to make it happen meant sending Christ – Your only begotten Son – to live in human flesh and die in my place on a cross of shame.
To say that “You are good” does not begin to convey Who You are nor what You have done – for truly – Your greatness no one can fathom!
Surely, God, Your Name is great and greatly to be praised! And at the Name of Jesus, Your Son, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue will confess that He is Lord! And this to Your glory – my Father and my God! Amen and amen!
Do you ever wake to thoughts of the past that stir up regrets or to thoughts of the future that stir up fears? This morning was one of those mornings for me.
As I lay there, struggling with the ‘if onlys’ of the past and the ‘what ifs’ of the future – God, in His goodness, prodded me with His Spirit – reminding me (speaking words right into my very soul, it seemed) to fix my thoughts on Him. He was specific, reminding me that this is the day that the Lord has made and I should rejoice and be glad in it. He whispered, Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. I quickly rose in the strength of the reminders – knowing they were words of life and victory over the enemy’s attempt to steal and kill and destroy – but found myself still trying to shake off the regrets and fears that had been stirred up – unfortunately, they didn’t shake off like sand but stuck like caked-on dirt. He rescued me though with one final word – PEACE – reminding me that those who trust in Him and fix their thoughts on Him are kept in perfect peace. With that I was able to move forward free from the debris of fears and regrets and finding myself in worship and awe of God’s goodness.
As I spent time in the wonder and worship of what had just transpired I looked up the reference He had whispered about Jesus being the author and finisher of my faith – curious as to why that one for this situation and I found these words preceding those:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down (i.e. Fears and regrets) especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us fixing our eyes on Jesus … Hebrews 12:1-2
Familiar words for sure, hidden away but not thought of or quoted for a while now – but certainly putting into deeper perspective the beauty of how God uses His Spirit and His Word in our lives.
…the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26
My child pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to My words. Don’t lose sight of them, for they are life to those who find them and healing to their whole body. Proverbs 4:20-22
Prayer: Father, You are good and in Your goodness You have won the battle over the thoughts of regrets and fear that plagued my mind. When You are for us what can stand against us? So, it is in gladness I have risen up to meet this day and it is with thanksgiving that I fix my eyes on Christ, the author and finisher of my faith, and through whom I find forgiveness and renewed strength. It is with steadfast HOPE that I entrust – not just this day – but all the days of my future, whether here on earth or in heaven with You. Yes God, You are good and I praise You for Your Presence in my life and for the work of Your Spirit to remind me of everything You have said. You are a good good Father! It’s who You are and You are mine because of my faith in Jesus Christ. I know You are working all things together for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose – and in this TRUTH I find PEACE. Thank you for intimately knowing every detail of my life, for knowing the words I needed to hear this morning and for speaking them into me. Is it any wonder that I love and trust You? For surely I have tasted and seen that You are Good!
Blessings – from the Inside Out 💕
Me From the Inside Out 