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! 

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