“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!
Distressed & Disturbed | Kelley Deases
S~ See, O Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Lamentations 1:20 (NIV)
O~ The first chapter of Lamentations is written from the perspective of the nation of Judah, now desolate and in ruin after its failure to heed the Lord’s commands. But much of the language can likewise ring true of the human heart.
A~ I have delayed having a difficult conversation with a friend for several weeks and I have had no peace in my avoidance of the topic and thus the person. So today is the day. We have set a time to meet and talk. Having to address a sensitive subject conjures up in me the emotions described in this verse: distressed, tormented, disturbed. But God has been very clear with me that this needs to happen and I need to be bold. And I know He who put this task before me, however difficult and awkward, will be faithful to be with me through it. It would be rebellion on my part to say nothing and miss an opportunity to gently but firmly speak the truth in love.
P~ This is the prayer a close friend, who is a long distance away, sent to encourage me: “I pray that the Lord prepare the words to deliver, the wisdom to know when to press in and when to tread lightly. I pray for a receiving heart. I believe the room will be full of the Holy Spirit and a blanket of peace would cover each of you. I ask that what The Enemy has planned for separation would only bond the two of you closer. I pray this in the Mighty Name of Jesus, the Keeper of Relationships.”
Our babies are dying! | guest post
S~ I have cried until the tears no longer come, my heart is broken. My spirit is poured out in agony as I see the desperate plight of my people. Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets. Lamentations 2:11 (NLT)
See them lying in the streets – young and old, boys and girls, killed by the swords of the enemy. You have killed them in Your anger, slaughtering them without mercy. You have invited terrors from all around, as though You were calling them to a day of feasting. In the day of the Lord’s anger, no one has escaped or survived. The enemy has killed all the children whom I carried and raised. Lamentations 2:21-22(NLT)
O~ Jeremiah the prophet wrote Lamentations. Jeremiah is looking around the once-great-and-beautiful city of Jerusalem and weeping over its fall. In these verses, he is overwhelmed with what he sees – children dead and dying.
A~ I am numb. I am confused. I can’t make sense of what is happening in our world. Kids are being murdered by militant groups because they love Jesus or their parents do. What, God?! Seriously, what?! I can’t process this! These precious babies are gone.
Lord, what is happening? Why is this happening?
What happened back in Jeremiah’s day is happening today, to these precious children. Lord, why are You allowing Your people to be killed? Why are You allowing the enemy to rise up?
I think about my babies……..This could be them. I’m overwhelmed, my heart is broken, like Jeremiah’s.
P~ Lord, I don’t understand and can’t make sense of anything happening. Father, I feel so helpless to do anything. To help those families on the move out of terrorists taking over. The terrorists have guns and big machines, Your people have none. “Let no weapon formed against me shall remain.”
God, rise up! Defend Your people! Reign peace in Your people’s hearts! Comfort those who are mourning! Father, let the world know that You are God and there will be NO other before You! Is it time? In Jesus’ Name! Amen!
Fruitful Life | Kim Chipman
S~ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown. Mark 4:18-20 (NIV)
O~ This is Jesus speaking, explaining the parable of the soils.
A~ I really want, more than anything, for my life to be fruitful. I see in myself how I’ve recently had a thorny heart. I’ve let things distract me and pull my heart away, making Your Word unfruitful.
So how do I make my heart good soil? I need to not just hear Your Word, but accept it, apply it, and act on it. Actually live it out, not just know it. Make decisions based on it. Think thoughts that reflect it. CHOOSE it, over and over again, in every little thing. Every thought.
You take sin seriously, it’s a big deal to You. When You ask me to do something and I don’t do it I know You are grieved. I’m seeing this in a fresh way.
P~ I truly desire to live a fruitful life for You. Help my heart not to be choked out by the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, or the desires for other things. Help me to hear Your Word, accept it, and live it out. For Your glory. I love You
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 