“There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42 (NLT) The heart of this ministry is to inspire a love for God’s Word and encourage the discipline of daily Bible reading and SOAP journaling. 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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Help Me Remember | Kim Chipman
S~ Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’” Exodus 16:32 (NIV)
O~ I don’t think I ever noticed this before. So the manna was only good for one day then it spoiled and got maggots and everything. Except magically on day 6 when it stayed good for 2 days so they could observe the Sabbath. And apparently *extra* magically so they could keep a jar for the generations to come so they could see it. That’s a long time. Remembering is important apparently.
A~ I have things around my home to help me remember, but I’m feeling like I need more. Tangible reminders. Not only so I remember but so the generations after me also remember. I think today I’m going to create something specifically for this purpose.
Last spring my Katie was featured in the Omaha World Herald. They ran a story on her because she struggles with juvenile arthritis but also competes at a very high level on a trampoline and tumbling team.
I have several copies of the paper that people gave us, but I have never framed it. Today I’m getting that done. This reminds me how gracious You have been in restoring her health in spite of what is a debilitating disease.
P~ There is so much in my life to be thankful for. I am going to consciously, intentionally create ways to remember. Help me to see You everywhere and in everything. Help me to focus on all I have to be thankful for. It is a lot. I love You!
Sweet Secrets | Tara Wiley
S~ “…Then Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:4 (NIV)
O~ Jesus invites us multiple times in this passage to engage in a few secrets with God, knowing there’s reward waiting that we cannot even fathom.
Good secrets like these remind me of intimacy, the kind of secrets that a husband and wife share. When you know and trust someone intimately, you become the holder of one another’s secrets. It is a sacred trust, and if the relationship is healthy, it can lead to greater joy.
A~ The God of the Universe wants to hold my secret. He invites me to lead a life that only HE fully knows. Maybe it’s the part of me that loves a good spy novel, but the thought of this thrills and motivates me. I WANT to have some secrets to share with God, secrets to celebrate in heaven, to smile over with my Father.
P~ Giving – praying – fasting – according to this passage, these are actions that yield great reward when done in secret. Lord, in a world where we are all scrambling to make it all known on FB and Twitter and Instagram, the concept of keep an activity between You and me is an intimacy I crave. Each day, Lord, prompt me to a secret place with You by acting on these verses – a secret gift, a secret prayer, a secret fast. I want to enter heaven with a long list of secrets we can treasure together.
Sending Up My Popcorn Prayers | Joni Tyner
S~ “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.” Matthew 6:7 (NLT)
O~ Jesus is teaching. My Bible has the heading, “ Sermon on the Mount”. There are many, many people gathered and He is teaching them many things. I’m guessing the people had a variety of backgrounds. Some were his followers, (the disciples and his inner group), some were seekers, they were curious about this “new faith” a way to live in love and not under the old testament “law”. I’m guessing there were also people who came because they had critical spirits and were looking to find fault with Jesus.
A~ This verse really jumped out at me because I feel like praying is my weakness. I want to, I try, but I always seem to end up tongue tied, or, worse, I fall asleep or get distracted and start daydreaming when I’m by myself. This verse tells me to get to the point, God doesn’t need me to babble on and on, He knows my heart, He knows my desire to be in His Will and my compassion for others. I don’t need to excessively repeat and restate my prayer.
I once heard someone talk about “popcorn” prayers or arrow prayers. They are just simple, one sentence/phrases that we “shoot up” to God. Sometimes, maybe I’m driving and I see an accident. I pray for their safety, I pray that they have others to come along side them to comfort, encourage them. I couple of years ago, our church did a series about 60/60 where we were encouraged to connect with God every waking hour by setting an alarm. I decided to pray through my phone contact list and prayed for everyone. I prayed for the Pizza Hut workers and the guy who came and installed carpet. I prayed for close friends, relatives, just all those random people we end up in our contact list. I then sent texts to some of them and let them know I had prayed. These were simple, once sentence prayers but I felt that the Holy Spirit was leading me to pray in this way.
A second thought about those who heard Jesus that day. These were mostly every day, common people. They were probably very busy just surviving day to day in that culture. They went to the synagogue and heard fancy prayers. I bet they were intimidated by that. Also, in the old law, the priests had to approach God for others. I think Jesus wanted these people, (and us) to know that God wants an easy, comfortable, moment by moment, relationship with us that is intimate and personal. We don’t need to hide behind formal prayers. It’s okay to tell Him we are confused, frustrated, or even mad. He can handle it. (of course He already knows all our thoughts anyways, we might as well get it out in the open :O
P~ Dear Jesus, You know my heart, my strengths and all of my weaknesses. Grow me for your Kingdom. I pray you would give me a burning burden to life others up in prayer in a simple way. I also specifically ask that You would help me overcome doubt when my prayers don’t seem to line up with Your timetable. Give me patience! Thank you for the work You are doing.
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