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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More Grace and Peace – They Grow from More Intimacy | Tara Wiley
S~ May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2 NLT
O~ It strikes me that this verse says God will give more grace and peace as we grow in our knowledge of Him. His grace and peace run on a continuum, based on our knowledge of Him. The more we know Him, the more we get to experience His grace and peace! Talk about motivation!
A~ This is something I know I have experienced in my life. As I make time with God a priority, and spend time throughout the day focused on communicating with Him, contemplating Him and His ways, and inviting His perspective into my everyday experiences, this verse’s promise absolutely rings true: the grace and peace I know, and am able to give, increases.
They say you will be known by the company you keep. That’s the truth. And when I keep company with God, I get to become more like Him. As I become more like Him, I get to experience more of His character. It’s a good reminder: when I feel myself losing peace and grace, it’s often because I’m keeping God at arm’s length, rather than keeping company with Him consistently.
P~ Lord, what a good reminder this verse is! When anxiety rises and I find myself veering down a judgmental path with myself and others, it’s because I am not living in the truth of Your peace and Your grace. And the more I get to know You, the more I marvel at just how gracious and peace-giving You are – and at the opportunity to live in that character more fully. Thank You, Lord, for offering increasing levels of grace and peace to me as I commit to knowing You more intimately. Help me to keep this as a central goal in my life: to be with You and to be more like You. Thank You for Your great and precious promises (2 Peter 2:3-4) which prove so motivating when I am challenged to grow. Your grace and Your peace – undeserved, but so appreciated. I love You, Lord!
Growth Comes From Experience | Michelle Myers
S~ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
O~ According to the on-line dictionary, grace (in Christian belief) is defined as, “the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal (gift) of blessings.”
According to the on-line dictionary, knowledge is defined as, “facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject”.
According to the on-line dictionary, theoretical is defined as, “concerned with or involving the theory of a subject or area of study rather than its practical application; based on or calculated through theory rather than experience or practice.”
The word theory comes from the Greek “theoria”, which means, “contemplation or speculation”.
A~ As my walk with You goes on, You are showing me the benefits of not having grown up going to church, being part of an organized religion, or being taught the Bible from someone else’s perspective. Much of my knowledge of You and Your grace, comes from my own digging into the Bible, my own experiences, and my own prayer. It really is from my own walk with You. That has helped me grow in the grace and my knowledge of You.
P~ Thank you God, for showing me this perspective. I have come across many people, who struggle to free their minds of the stuff that they had been spoon or force fed throughout their younger years in church, by parents, by pastors, etc. They struggle to have a personal relationship with You, because they have never had to or were allowed to. Please help me as a parent. I want to teach my children that this “thing” between You and them, is a relationship, it is a two way street, and above all, the personal relationship with YOU, is the most important aspect of this walk with You, when they are looking for and seeking guidance for their own lives.
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