These are a few of our SOAP notes from today’s reading. We encourage you to read and journal on your own first, then join us in conversation about what God revealed to YOU today. Click HERE to go directly to the daily reading if you wish.
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You Are the Perfect Judge | Kim Chipman
S~ But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. Job 5:8 (NIV)
O~ Job’s friends are giving him advice about his situation. Mostly I think his friends’ advice is not the best…but this is great!
A~ What stands out to me is “If I were you”. Man, how many times I have heard that and the advice that follows has been of varied quality. This is good advice. Lay my cause before God. This is the best advice to get…and also to GIVE…then just come alongside and support, encourage and walk with that friend. Continually pointing to Jesus. Unfortunately, Job’s friends were trying to be judge and jury – they should have stopped right here with this great advice…appeal to God!
P~ Lord, help me to remember to both give and receive “advice” with grace, remembering that You alone are the perfect judge. My job is to love You and the people You have made…not judge them, love them and point them to You. I love You!
Psalm 108 – the whole thing | Nikki Metzger
S~ Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. With God’s help we will do mighty things, for He will trample down our foes. Psalm 108: 12, 13 (NLT)
O~ David writes this psalm and it sounds like he was not winning in a battle, “Have you rejected us, O God? Will You no longer march with our armies?” (verse 11). The psalm doesn’t start out with requests of the Lord, David starts with praises to the Lord. Thankfulness and truths about God open up the psalm.
A~ Ok, I’ve shared my parenting angst with too many people. In an effort to be transparent and real in a community where perfect presentation (picture perfect life) is valued, I’ve missed something. I think as I’ve shared my parenting woes and personal failures with others, I haven’t shared the hope I have in Jesus that He is walking right along beside me as I mother my kids.
Because human help to me in the form of parenting advice, without the backing of Scripture, is useless. Yet, I keep talking about parenting, so people share their advice. Scripture tells me that with God’s help, mighty things will happen during this tougher parenting season! My God is bigger and stronger and smarter than the parenting foes of: bad decision making, sassy attitudes, obsession over video games, strong desires for popularity, and following people vs. truth.
So some thoughts about this psalm….No matter what, start with thankfulness, praises to the Lord, and out loud reminders of who God is. And when I question God, if He is with me as I’m parenting, I know the answer. YES!!! He will never forsake me. But I need to be in communication with Him about my kids and parenting them!
P~ Father, thank You for my kids! Our kids 🙂 Thank You for picking me to be their mom. You made them, me, everything under the sun. Your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted over the world, our community, our family, me! Help me in parenting these kids that Your hands have formed! Help me to pair parenting woes with the hope of Jesus to my fellow moms in the same boat. That’s where it’s at!! I love You Lord! I love how You take my pain and struggles and use it in a way to bring the gospel to others. I want to lay down my pride of caring what others think about me to share You! Let me care more about eternal things than temporary highs of people liking me! Seriously!!! I pray this in Jesus’ Name!
The Sun Will Rise, If It Is Your Will | Michelle Myers
S~ As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. ‘Stand up,” he said, ‘I am only a man myself.’ Acts 10:25-26 (NIV)
O~ It is so easy to idolize people in this world. I do it. Yet, humble people realize that they are only humans, themselves; and that there is a far much greater and important being to idolize.
A~ Oh, Joy! (NOT REALLY) ….My ballot came in the mail today. To be honest, I have a lot of work and research to do; because neither of the two major Presidential candidates seems appealing to me. I am not even sure or aware of some of the smaller, more local candidates and issues.
With most elections, I don’t feel that ANY politician is really that honest or trustworthy. This one; however, just seems especially bad and confusing. To the point that most of the time, all I can do is laugh at the craziness of it and enjoy some of the entertaining parodies.
P~ Thank you God for allowing me to live in this country. It isn’t perfect, but I am well aware that my life could be so much more difficult and oppressive, had I been born in another country, another era, etc.
I don’t take the freedoms that this country has to offer lightly. Many have sacrificed their lives, to get the freedoms that I have been given.
We recently learned a little bit more about my husband’s family history. My husband is black, and his great great great grandfather, was the slave master. I think, if we could go back and ask them, they wouldn’t see this country as great at all.
As the next few weeks rolls on, and the election comes and goes, please help me remember that the candidates are mere human beings. If the sun is going to rise and daylight come, on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, it is because it is YOUR will.
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