“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.
Printable reading plan: Discover One Thing Reading Plan
Want to walk through the Bible one book at a time? Head over to Discover One Thing Online Study!
Monitoring The State I Am In | Michelle Myers
S~ On the seventh day of the banquet, King Xerxes was very happy, because he had been drinking much wine. Esther 1:10 (NCV)
The eunuchs told Queen Vashti about the King’s command, but she refused to come. Then the king became very angry; his anger was like a burning fire. Esther 1:12 (NCV)
Later, when King Xerxes was not so angry, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and his order about her. Esther 2:1 (NCV)
O~ The happy, drunk king became an unhappy, drunk king when his wife would not obey his command to come to him. So, he goes to his advisers, and they determine that if other women see the queen disobey the king, they will think that they too can run amuck. The result will be some sort of wife uprising against all of the husbands. They decide the best thing to do is to banish the queen and replace her with a more beautiful one.
The Bible says that King Xerxes remembered this when he was not so angry. I would bet that he remembered it, not only when he wasn’t so angry, but also when he wasn’t so drunk.
A~ As humans, our moods can change automatically at any given moment, for any reason…the weather, hormones, physical ailments, hunger…you name it. Add any mind altering substance, and most of the time, these mood swings are just magnified and rational, wise behavior can be thrown out the window. I have found, that when I make decisions, tackle subjects, etc,; I have to pay attention to the state I am in. Although I am not drunk, like the king, I know that when I am not at peace and am angry, hurt, or confused; my ability to rationally process through a situation in a wise manner is compromised.
The feeling of anger is not bad or wrong. However, many times what I have done or said, when I am angry has been sinful. I don’t like it. I have learned to take a time out and go to God, so I can emotionally settle down, and ultimately speak or act in a wise manner. That has made all of the difference, not only in keeping myself and the situation from escalating, but also in providing a peaceful environment for all of us to live in.
P~ God, I appreciate YOUR wisdom so much. Without it, I often find myself struggling with emotions, words, and behaviors. If I don’t seek YOUR wisdom, when all is said and done, I find myself even more frustrated and unhappy, with not only the situation, but also myself in regards to my response to the situation.
Which Diet are You On? | Joni Tyner
S~ You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s Word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. Hebrews 5:12 (NLT)
O~ The writer of Hebrews is concerned about believers who don’t grow in their faith. They become Christians, and then stay where they are, they never become a disciple. (a disciple is someone who matures, and becomes fruitful in their faith, they spiritually reproduce—bring others to the Kingdom)
A~ I became Christian when I was in 6th grade at a camp my aunt took me to. It was a great experience—and then I came home and began living life and didn’t do much else—for about 10 years. I met my husband and we started going to church. We were faithful in our attendance and were occasionally involved in small groups and church service projects over the next 20 years. Still, I didn’t do much growing because no one ever came along side me and discipled me. I was a believer that was on a milk diet, I wasn’t growing much in wisdom or understanding the importance of living out my faith. Yes, I was a believer, I was doing good things, but I wasn’t growing and advancing—I was still in about 2-3st grade if you called this 30 year journey “school”.
I became very aware (and somewhat embarrassed) that I was growing in my faith in some areas and yet lacked in my knowledge of the Bible. I decided to sign up for a discipleship study to help me get moving. For the past 9 months I met weekly with this spiritual mentor and we studied what it means to be a disciple for Christ. She has listened to many stories of my faith journey and given feedback and encouragement. She shares my enthusiasm of reading the Bible and figuring out how to apply it to the everyday stuff we go through. We have recently joined with 2 other ladies that she was also discipling and now we are growing together and discussing our goals for intentionally discipling others. We are excited about God’s specific purpose for our lives, we want to be faithful in what He has done for us. We want to move beyond our milk and to those big steaks at Texas Roadhouse. (just kidding—but they do have some great steaks!!)
P~ Dear Lord, I’m so grateful that You have opened my eyes and given me an appetite to learn more about You. I pray that Your Holy Spirit helps me understand difficult passages in the Bible with accuracy. I pray for opportunities with others who need my encouragement and nudging for their own faith. Thank you for Jennifer and her passion to be a discipler to others. It’s exciting to be part of the ripple effect of building Your Kingdom, one precious person at a time.
Our team would love the privilege of praying for you! Please share how we can lift you in prayer at prayer@DiscoverOneThing.com
Discover One Thing 