“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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Reverence for my Redemption | Tara Wiley
S~ The Lord said to Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover – the place of atonement – is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.” Leviticus 16:2 (NLT)
O~ In this day and age where reverence is just about a lost art (who do we truly revere? truly?), I think we too often forget that our privilege of coming before God freely as Christians is just that – an awesome privilege, given to us by the suffering, dying, and resurrection of God-in-flesh. Before Jesus, the penalty of coming into God’s presence unprepared was instant death. Reading this passage reminds me of that and makes the glorious truth sprinkled through Hebrews even more profound:
“So God has given us both his promise and his oath…Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest…” (Heb 6:18-19, NLT)
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean…” (Heb 10:19-22, NLT)
As we read about the High Priest’s roles in the temple, it’s a perfect opportunity to jump ahead and dwell on the truths in Hebrews 6-10. God’s story comes full circle in Jesus, and the impact on OUR lives is immeasurable. Oh, I am so grateful!
A~ I am overwhelmed with the truth presented in Scripture – God is so holy; I am so UNholy. God is so redemptive; I am so in need of redemption. Jesus went where I could not go – directly into God’s presence; because Jesus’ blood covers me, now I CAN go confidently into God’s presence! Today may I live in awe and gratitude and refuse to take this privilege lightly and without reverence.
P~ Oh Most Holy God, You know Your creation so well. You knew it would take many books of the Bible, many regulations, many hundreds (thousands) of years for us to begin to even catch a glimpse of just HOW holy You are. And then, in Jesus, You redeemed us so we could stand before You cleansed. How often I take that privilege for granted, because I was raised in this truth – I can come before You any time of day and live in Your presence continually. Thank You for the reminder today of what that privilege cost YOU. Thank You, most gracious Heavenly Father. Thank You for loving me so fully. Thank You for the anchoring hope I have in You and in Your presence. Let me never forget Your holiness.
Fearless | Joni Tyner
S~ The woman ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but were also filled with great joy , and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. Matthew 28:8 (NLT)
O~ It is Easter morning. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are visiting the tomb where Jesus was buried. An angel greets them and says Jesus has risen from the dead! The angel instructs the women to find the disciples and share the news.
A~ What stuck out to me when I read this passage was that they were very frightened, yet they acted on what their assignment was—they were to go find the disciples and share the good news of Jesus’s resurrection. These women did not let fear keep them from doing what God asked of them. I’m sure they had unanswered questions and lots of “what ifs”—still rushed to give the message to the disciples. I also think it is incredibly cool that God chose these 2 unlikely women to start the ripple effect of sharing the gospel—the Good News of Jesus raising from the dead. I doubt if they thought much about it, I think they simply loved Jesus and were obedient to doing what was asked of them.
P~ Dear Lord, I pray for a heart attitude that responds like these two women—obedience because of love. Please make my assignments super clear so that I don’t make it more complicated than it is. Thank you for choosing me and for the gift of eternal life.
Doubt | guest post
S~ When they saw Him, they worshipped Him – but some of them doubted! Matthew 28:17 (NLT)
O~ Eleven disciples saw Jesus, after He was killed and resurrected, they worshipped Him, but some had doubt in their heart!
A~ I’m an (!) girl 🙂 I use the ! way more than I probably should. The bible does use the ! very often, so when I see it, I’m always intrigued.
Some of Jesus’ disciples, the top dogs of Jesus’ followers, had doubts. Not just doubt, but doubt! I’m always comforted when I know the guys walking as close to Jesus as anyone in the world experience the same types of feelings as me. I have me some doubts!
*Seriously doubting about where God has in my life right now.
*Seriously doubting about a relationship and if it will ever change.
*Seriously doubting my body and the anxiety racing through it, how will this help anything?
P~ Jesus, when your disciples doubted, thank You for letting it be recorded forever! I relate to the doubting. I don’t want to doubt You, I want to be strong in my faith and have complete trust in You! Help me!
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Tara, thanks for such a great insight to this passage. Love it!