Looking in the Mirror—Applying the Word: A SOAP journal based on James 1

S = James 1:19-27

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

O = This instruction (v. 22-25), regarding the importance of doing the Word (application), and not merely hearing and forgetting it, is sandwiched between two short paragraphs of easy to understand instruction. The God uses the mirror of his Word (the Bible) to reveal areas that still need to change in our lives. Verse 19, is great relational advice for us, but its context is that of how we should receive and respond to God’s Word—be quick to hear it (listen attentively), slow to teach it (let it change you first), and don’t get angry (confess readily) when it shows you what needs to be done. Further, our anger doesn’t fix things the way God wants to fix them. Verses 26-27 connect the obedient application of God’s Word to the actual words that we speak to others. Do our words conform to his? Or do they reveal that we are not allowing God to transform us from the inside out? Does my faith in Jesus change how I interact with the world? Doing the Word requires us to participate in the Mission of God to the voiceless and powerless…but his way, not mine (See my blog post “Leaf Blower”).

A = So what am I to do with this passage? I will be quick to hear the Word, even the embarrassingly revealing word that for all my faith and study, it is worthless if I speak unlovingly to my wife, kids and coworkers. If all that God gives me in time, talents, and treasure (unavoidable alliteration?) is invested for myself and what is mine, then my faith is false and I am only worshipping myself, or God for what I can get. What am I good at? What brings me joy without regret? How can I use it in showing love for the Lord by loving his people? Am I being trained by the Word of God to deny myself for the sake of others, or am I merely being stained by the world’s selfish attitudes and aspirations. These are the hard questions I must ask myself this week.

P = O Lord, let me not shut my ears to your instruction today. Let me not play games with you, but walk out my surrender to your love on a daily basis. Change me from the inside out so that those around me can no longer deny your presence in my life. Like the first apostles, I may be “uneducated and a common man”, but let people be able to see that I have been with you. You love me—that very thought is enough to transform my whole outlook on life as I learn how to respond to you. O Lord, align my life to your heart day by day. Amen.

SOAP Journal based on Matthew 7 “Stay on Target!”

S = Matthew 7:12-14 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

O = Verse 12 is what we call the “Golden Rule” and it is said to sum up “the Law and Prophets”. Therefore, it must be more than merely outward behavior, but belief—loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. To find the “wide gate of destruction” we don’t have to struggle, for it is the way of the world to deliver us there directly. If I was to write a bumper-sticker summary of how to get to the wide gate it would be, “Laissez-faire will get us there!” But Jesus love doesn’t leave us to our own devices. He sets us free to seek the narrow gate (leading to life) that requires us to lay aside all of our baggage, pride, agenda, etc. confessing that we can’t save ourselves. The way is hard because we are either “swimming upstream (like trying to enter the Old City of Jerusalem after Muslim prayer times and everyone is coming out) or we are cutting cross-current from the way that the “many” are headed.

A = I need to live the Golden Rule not just in my behavior which is quite a challenge, but as a response to God’s love, in faith with concentration and commitment to the “narrow gate”. I hope that my passion to follow Christ will make it easier for others to follow Christ and seek his plan. Yet I still feel the current tugging on me to compromise with the crush of humanity headed the wrong way. At times I also feel their judgment upon me for my counter-cultural values, yet it would not be loving for me to just fall in step on the road to the “wide gate.” I want to bear good fruit not bad. I desire to honor Jesus by trusting and obeying his word…building my house upon the rock! I am glad that I have had godly examples over the year to encourage and challenge me, so I must go and pay it forward. In the love of Christ, I’m heading for the narrow gate…want to come?

P = O Lord, let me lock onto the narrow gate, the hard way, remembering that this present discomfort is nothing compared to the eternal weight of glory. May others see the love that is the purpose of my values. Lord, let me not settle for less than your will! Amen.

SOAP Journal from 2 Samuel 12 "You are the Man!"

S = 2 Samuel 12:5-7a, 9, 13 “Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” Nathan said to David, “You are the man! …Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? ...David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless…”

O = Nathan’s inspired word picture caused David’s anger to flare up in indignation, not knowing that this was about his own sin. One of the first symptoms of self-deception is demanding judgment to the fullest extent of the law for others while expecting grace for ourselves. David was looking for mandatory sentencing guidelines when he should have been crying out for mercy. [Side note: Why is it animal stories get people more worked up than people stories? God is bothered by injustice.]  Another thing I notice is that God says this sin of David in reality “despised the word of the Lord.” I don’t like to think of my own sin in such stark terms…but my sin starts when I love something else more than the Lord and I stop paying attention to his love letters (the Bible). I do appreciate that when David’s eyes are opened after he unknowingly judges himself, he makes full confession. Finally, there is the “Nevertheless”. While David’s life was spared, he still had to face the public consequences of his sin.

A = Am I in the Word today not as a duty but as devotion and even a desperation? If I don’t stay in close relationship with the Lord via reading his Word and prayerfully letting his Word “read me”, I would soon begin to make selfish decisions like those that led to David’s tragic sins. In the end I will follow what I really desire. Will-power is not a long-term solution. I need to desire Jesus more and more, this happens when I spend more and more time relating to him.

P = O Lord, may my times with you be freshened by your love this week. May I never stop allowing you to gently correct the trajectory of my life and the affections of my heart. If I am unaware of my sin please soften my heart to the convicting influence of the Holy Spirit so that I might confess it and repent. Lord, I don’t want my sins to produce “nevertheless” type consequences for others this week, instead make me an instrument of blessing to those I meet.  Amen.

A Text Message From God (The Living Word, Part 1)

Psalms 1 & 119   
S = Psalm 1:1-2, 6
“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night…
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish."

O = The blessed man, the righteous man, doesn’t invest in the counsel and practices of the wicked. Which really is a pretty good investment decision since the way of the wicked will perish. I instead he invests his time and energy studying the law (way, word) of the Lord…as a result his life is fruitful and lasting. Bible study may not be a guarantee of financial prosperity, but it will guide us out of the poverty of broken relationships due to our sin. It is important that we see where the affections of the blessed man are. He is not reading the Bible out of duty or as a formula for success. It is his delight! God speaks to us every day through the Bible—a text message from God should capture our hearts and our attention!

A = How reassuring that the Lord knows “the way of the righteous”. Does he “know” my way? Do I know his way? Am I choosing to not participate in wicked ways today? When I look at my life and want to know how to change something or what direction to go I am thankful for God’s constant communication in my life through the Bible. Psalm 119:9-10 and 24 say,

v. 9-10 “How can a young man keep his way pure?
    By guarding it according to your word.

With my whole heart I seek you;
    let me not wander from your commandments!”

v. 24 “Your testimonies are my delight;
    they are my counselors.”

I am reminded I want to choose to meditate (thinking seriously) about God’s word. If it is my delight to do so then I will act on it more consistently! On that note, what does God's ring-tone sound like in my life?

P = O Lord, keep me close to your streams of water…so that I might be fruitful and beneficial to others. Let my heart not be distracted by seeking other things more than I seek you. Amen.

I also write a devotional blog from the Book of Psalms and other readings in the Bible (I am currently working through the Gospel of Mark). The link below will take you to a post from Psalm 119.

http://psalms-honest2god.blogspot.com/2013/07/psalm-119-enlarge-my-heart.html

Crumbling Kingdom and the Prophets “Changing the Present”

S = Isaiah 58:6-9

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
    to loose the bonds of wickedness,
    to undo the straps of the yoke,
    to let the oppressed go free,
             and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
    and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
    the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
    you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’…”

O = We are studying the work of the prophets during the “Collapsing Kingdom” years in Israel and Judah. Their primary function was to speak God’s Word for today (challenging social and personal injustices and any form of idolatry or wickedness) not predicting the future. Their message was crucial, but not popular because they said the hard things that people didn’t want to hear. The more power and wealth a person had the less open they were to listen to God’s messenger the prophets. At the same time that the prophets warned of coming judgment because of their hardness of heart (towards both God and people), they gave hope to those who would repent and look forward to the restoration that God will bring (e.g., Jeremiah 29:11-14; Isaiah 35:8-10) after the time of exile. We see God’s tender fatherly care for his children (Hosea 11), but front and center is his concern for the just treatment of the poor and powerless. He makes it very clear that we can’t compartmentalize our lives. If we are not treating our family and neighbors with respect and love then our religious activities mean nothing.

A = I need to live an authentic spiritual life so that I am not just doing religious things to buy myself a little favor from God (which doesn't work), but that I am responding to his love for me with love for him and those he has made. That inner change works its way outward and doesn’t stop at the door of the church. I want to decorate with this kind of Christmas light this year…the light of God’s love poured out for the hopeless and helpless.

P = O Lord, may my heart be quickened by your amazing love to make a difference in those around me. Let me see what isn’t working and hear from you what I can do about it. Break down the internal walls I tend to put up to separate my life into manageable parts, instead, shape me into one consistently shining lamp of your love. Help me to make others merry this Christmas! Amen.  

The Messengers: Elijah “The Journey Is Too Great For You”

A SOAP Journal based on 1 Kings 18-19

S = 1 Kings 19:4, 7-8  But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” …And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

O = Elijah, was a godly and miracle-working prophet faithfully brought God’s message to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, to Ahab & Jezebel the most wicked king and queen of all (1 Kings 16:30). In chapter 18, we see that Elijah had just confronted and defeated 450 wicked false prophets, prayed for rain to end a runs a marathon to beat Ahab’s chariot back to town (18:49). Then, at Jezebel’s threat Elijah fled to Beersheba (111 miles), putting the Southern Kingdom of Judah between himself and Jezebel. Finally, Elijah was utterly spent and asked that he might die. Despite all the amazing things Elijah had done, he was a man just like me, limited, flawed, no better than his fathers (19:4).

A = “The journey is too great for you” is something I realize almost every day. I wouldn’t have made it as far as Elijah that’s for sure! There are many practical lessons that I can learn from Elijah’s experience. I know that failure comes often on the heels of success and I need to keep my guard up. I need to do good self-care, eating and sleeping regularly or I will tend to doubt God and run from challenges. Yet, in Elijah’s despair there is an important lesson for me. I need to be willing to confess my need and be willing to surrender my life completely into God’s hands (v.4) not as the end of my ministry…but as the beginning step in a fuller understanding of the presence of God. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6-8). I must surrender my life into God’s hands more completely each day…before I get to the end of my rope. 

P = O Lord, I need you more than ever. You know me better than I know myself and as I make my plans, I trust you to interrupt if you need to and to determine my steps. As I seek to find my rest and strength in you, draw near to me today and always! Empower and encourage me to face the challenges which I face today and in the days to come. Let me live for your glory alone! Amen.

The Heart of the Big Story "In This Way..."

SOAP Journal based on John 3 “In this way…”

S = 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

O = This verse we considered this week is probably the best know verse in the Bible…but I think we don’t understand it as well as we think. This verse ties in as the heart of God’s Big Story from Genesis to Revelation. God has always been the same and his mission has always been to reconcile his fallen creation back to himself. The Greek word translated “so” literally means “in this way.” It is in this way that God loved the world! We need to adjust the way we look at what the Bible says about what God is like. As one affective theologian said, “God is not a Judge who loves when he can, but a Lover who judges when he has to.” Another important bit of context is that Jesus says this in a conversation with Nicodemus a Pharisee, who by training and practice would have looked around in condemnation of others. Jesus was dealing with Nicodemus’ faulty views of God, of others, and of how someone can have relationship with God. It is grace by faith, not law by works.

A = When I read this verse I have to overcome the familiarity that says I’ve read that verse a thousand times, and pause to listen for what it says about the nature of God. If God really loves (even me) and didn’t come to condemn, then the way I look at people should begin to reflect God’s love not my condemnation. If this week I can begin to look for ways that God’s love and grace are working all around me instead of focusing on the shortcomings of those I see, meet, work with, and live by, it will not only add to my joy in this season, but I will be able to encourage others more effectively. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict us of sin (so that we repent and return to Jesus) and I choose to not do his job for him this week!

P = O Lord, thank you for taking my place, for assuming my frailties and failures. Your love amazes me, heals me, and changes the way I see others. I pray that they could see your love at work in me this week. Show me Lord how you would have me participate in your great mission to reconcile the world to you and to each other! May you work your righteousness in me as I respond to your love poured out for me! Amen.