Tuesday, January 03, 2017

Daily S.O.A.P. - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (News)

Scripture:
"So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people." (Luke 3:18 ESV)

Observation:
I find it interesting that the summarizing description of the message that John brought to his audience is labeled here 'good news'. Especially considering that he begins his message by addressing his audience as "a brood of vipers" and intimating that the consequences of ignoring his warnings will certainly result in God's wrath and eternal banishment to the fires of hell! He further warns them that the remedy that will shortly arrive on the scene (in the form of their Messiah) will only provide relief if they are appropriately prepared through a radical reevaluation and reversal of their way of life. What part of this spells 'Good News'?

The 'Good News' is, for those of us who are willing to humbly acknowledge our desperate condition and become willing to turn from our open rebellion against God's benevolent rule and reign, there is a Savior who not only purchased our redemption with his blood (for those in this story it will be a near future event), but ushered in a 'new and living way' into the Kingdom of Heaven through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Application:
The gate is small and the path difficult that leads to eternal life...the Good News is that genuine faith in Jesus that leads to repentance and a life of ongoing obedience to his commandments comes with the promise of supernatural power for holy living and good works through the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is "Christ in [me] - the hope of glory"!

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I praise you and thank you for your Gospel of eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Thank you that you did not leave us helpless, lost and doomed to eternal punishment. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who comes to dwell inside of us and for the many promises that we have of his amazing work on behalf of those who by faith have become, by your grace, obedient to your message of salvation. Please help me to keep my eyes on you, Jesus, and to hear, moment by moment, the still, small voice of the Spirit directing my steps. Help me to trust you with all of my earthly needs so that I can stay focused on the mission that you have invited me to join you on: to seek and to save that which is lost, and to make disciples of all nations. Give me a heart of love and compassion for my fellow man, especially my brothers and sisters in Christ. Use me to win as many as possible to Jesus and to live a life that conforms to yours so that I can confidently say like the Apostle Paul "follow me as I follow Christ". Amen!

Sunday, January 01, 2017

Daily S.O.A.P. - The Wisdom of Preparation

Scripture:

"And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."" (Luke 1:16-17 ESV)

Observation:

Wisdom according to Google is "the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement". But experience, knowledge, and even good judgement, as important as they sound are like the pieces of a puzzle: unless we are familiar with the picture they belong to, it is almost impossible to put them together in a meaningful way. Experience and knowledge are not bad things, but without a good reference point, they can just as easily be used for evil as for good.

John the Baptist was on a mission from God: to turn as many of his countrymen as possible back to God. His assignment was to prepare them for the arrival of their Messiah, Jesus. To accomplish his goal he was set apart and given a message designed to shock people out of their complacency and get them to face the frightening reality of their bankrupt spiritual condition and what that would mean on the great and terrible Day of the Lord if they didn't repent and seek God's mercy and forgiveness. Grace and Truth were right around the corner, but unless we are prepared by being brought face to face with our profound need for grace, we are most certainly doomed to deny the truth.

Application:

 "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand"...but I can easily miss it if I simply focus on trying to deal with the endless stream of problems and tasks that present themselves day by day without fail. I have been offered the promise of abundant eternal life which Jesus defines as "to know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you sent" John 17:3

This year I have resolved to seek above all else to 'know God'. Not to get busy (I'm already too busy!), but to get still. Not to spend more time in prayer so that I can bend God's ear with all my endless needs and wants, but to be intentionally more quiet, listening for the 'still, small voice' of God. I will pray more, to be sure; but I will pray that the Spirit will help me know how to pray and what to pray for. Also to know what things I have been assigned to do...and what those things are that are not to be my concern. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...but I'm only called to do a few things...well.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for your mercies which are 'new every morning'...and every New Year. I am weary and weighed down with stuff and busyness and sins that have tangled themselves around my ankles like kelp in the Monterey Bay. I long to see your church come alive and my neighborhood, city, state, country and the world get whacked with the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. But I sense that, in this coming year, I need to slow down and make it job one to abandon busyness in favor of a simpler, less distracted life that is focused on seeking your Face. Please help me to make this a reality. Help me to get rid of stuff, say 'No!' to the unnecessary, and put the things that are truly priorities on my calendar...in INK. And then help me to remember to consult my calendar BEFORE I get distracted by some noisy little emergency designed by the enemy to steal my serenity, kill my joy and destroy all of the good works that you have prepared in advance for me to walk in.

In Jesus' name...AMEN!