Monthly Archives: February 2014

SOAP – Day Five– 1 Corinthians 10:11-13

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324904370_640Today, we do day five of our SOAP challenge.  I really do hope that you will continue to use this method of studying the Bible in your daily lives.  I will continue, from time to time, to use this method for these daily reflections.  I may do it every day, but I will use it again.

Let’s begin!

S – scripture

Listen.  Focus.  Read each word deliberately.   Don’t get in such a hurry to get done that you don’t focus on the word you are reading.  Breathe in, breathe out.  Listen for God’s voice in each word.

1 Corinthians 10:11-13:

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

O – observation

What did you see in this text?  This is what stood out to me.

Be careful

Paul warns us here, if you think you are standing firm, be very careful.  It’s the pride that goes before the fall.  The moment we think we’ve got it all figured out, the moment we believe that we are above temptation, and it could NEVER  happen to us, that’s when it happens.  Be very careful.  You are not as strong as you think that you are.  If we think we are standing on our own strength, we will fall.

Temptation will come

The reason we have be careful and not get arrogant is this.  Temptation is coming.  Write it down.  It will come.  You will face temptation today. I will face temptation today. It’s coming. Be ready.  Be aware.  Know this. Today, tomorrow, each day, you will face temptation.  It is going to come.  You are are not the first to face it, and you won’t be the last.

It’s coming.  Be ready.

There will be a way out

In temptation, know this though.  There is a way out.  Yes, you will face temptation, sure you will.  But it won’t be worse than anyone else.   You’re temptation is not more than you can bear.  It’s not.  Hear that.  Yes, it’s tough, but  you can do it.

And there is a way out.  God will open a door.  He will make a way.  You can get through this.

A – application

How can we apply what we noticed to our life today?

Remember that you are not perfect

If pride goes before the fall, one of the ways to deal with this is to remember that you are not perfect.  Yes, you’re awesome.  But you’re not perfect.  Yes, you are made in God’s image.  But you are not perfect.  Yes, you are gifted.  But you are not perfect.  It’s ok.  None of us are.  But, don’t forget that.  Don’t get prideful.  Don’t look down upon others.  There but by the grace of God go I.  Remember that, any goodness in us comes from God.

In short, stay humble.  Don’t get cocky.  Remember, that none of us are perfect, and the moment we start thinking that is the moment we get ourselves in trouble.

Be on the look out for temptation

So, you aren’t perfect.  And temptation is going to come.  So, be on the lookout. Be aware.  Keep your head up and on a swivel. The devil will love to trip you and get you in trouble.  He know where you are weak and struggle. And that’s where he will hit you.

Be looking.

What is it that you struggle with?  Where are you weaknesses? What are you temptations?  Be aware of yourself. Be looking. Be aware.  Know it’s coming. Be ready. Don’t be surprised when trouble comes your way.  Just get ready.

Have a plan

You temptation, it has a way out.  The word promises that it is not too much to bare.  It’s not too much.  You can do it.  Seriously.  You can do it. There is a way out. There is.

What is your plan?  Here’s some good ideas – have some scripture memorized to beat back temptation.  Have a friend to call/text.  Go for a walk.  Count to 10 and breathe.  Pray.  Any of these will help.

And if there is an area of your life where are prone to fall into temptation, as best you can, stay away from it!  Avoid temptation, as best you can.  Stay away from ares where you are weak.

Temptation is going to come your way to day. What will you do about it?  The word promises you can do it.

P – prayer

Loving God, as we face temptation in our lives today, help us remember our great need for you, and help us to know that whatever it is that we face, you will make a way out for us.  Give us that strength and hope today.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

SOAP – Day Four– Luke 22:24-27

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324904370_640Today is Day Four of our SOAP challenge.  I’ve head so much good feedback about this method, that I may continue doing it this way for a while longer.  I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Let’s start

S – scripture

Slow down.  No matter where you read this at, at work, at home, wherever, take this moment to breathe.  Take this moment to let the worries to this moment, the worries of tomorrow, the regrets of the past leave your mind.  Listen.  Listen to the Word of God.  Listen.

Luke 22:24-27:

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

O – observation

How leadership works in the world

The disciples are fighting about who will be the greatest in the kingdom that is to come.  And Jesus basically handles that question in two ways.  First, he poses the question, how does leadership work in the world?

It’s about power, prestige, and money.  He says, they lord over you. The leaders act better than you, more powerful than you, they use that power to get you to do what they want you to do.  You do what they want you to do, because you don’t have any choice.  You have to.  That’s what the kings of Jesus day did.

How leadership works in the church

Jesus then asked, what about us?  How should it be for us?

Instead of power being the driving force of leadership for His people, greatness for us does not come from power, but from service.  Jesus tells us, that for us to be truly great in God’s kingdom, we must serve.  To truly be great or a leader or respected in God’s kingdom, it’s about how we serve.  How we love.  How we forgive.

That’s what greatness looks like for us.

How Jesus lived

Jesus asks, in their culture, who would be “seen” as greater?  The one “reclining at the table” would basically be the one at the seat of honor.  Jesus says, what do I do?  I serve you.  And yet, who is more honorable that Jesus?  Who is greater than Jesus?  No one.  So, Jesus doesn’t just tell the disciples that they should serve and love, He actually does.

He is the greatest.   And He is the servant.

A – application

Am I using my “status” for my good or God’s?

God has you where He has you for a reason.  Your friends, your job, your connections, everything.  He has you there for a reason.  Are you using the place He has you for His purpose in your life, or for you own?  Are you using your resources for His good and His purpose, or are you using them only for your power, or position, or appearance.

He tells us that that’s what the world does. And He has told us that as Christians, that’s not what we are supposed to do.  How are we using all that God has given us?

Am I serving today as Jesus would have?

Jesus tells us to truly be great for Him, we have to serve.  Today, are we doing that?  Are we serving others?  Are we placing them ahead of ourselves?  Are we placing their needs, their stuff ahead of ours?  That’s were true greatness, true peace, true purpose comes from.  Not from living for ourselves, but for living for God’s purpose.

Jesus modeled that, He lived that, He showed that.

Today, as His followers, do we do the same?

P – prayer

Dear Father, today, help us to use everything that you have given us for your purpose and for your glory.  Help us to be truly great in your kingdom.  Help us to serve each other, as you served us.  Amen.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

SOAP – Day Three – Psalm 91:1-6

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324904370_640Today we continue with our SOAP challenge.  We’ll be doing our reflection today, using the method of bible study known as the SOAP method.  If you missed yesterday’s study, you can click here. Let’s begin!

S – scripture

Just a note, I read from the ESV translation. But used whatever version speaks to you. BibleGateway has a great collection of all the bibles out there for you to read through.

Remember to read slowly.  Listen.  Listen for what God will say to you this.  You have a lot to do today, I know. But take these moments to listen for His voice through His work.  It will change your day.  Psalm 91:1-6:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

O – observation

What did you see when you read?  What did you notice?  This is what I observed.

God is our refuge, shelter, and the one that we trust

God is our safe place.  David, when he wrote the Psalm was on the run from King Saul. And so he was out in the open a lot, hiding.  The notion of a shelter or a refuge, those are huge. Those thing protect you.  Keep you safe.  Keep you from harm.  Not that there is not harm out there.  The fact that these things exist, means that there are things out there that can bring you great harm.

The fact that God is these things acknowledges that harm does exist.  But God will protect us from it.

God will hide us under His wings

A bird will bring their babies under their wings, to protect them. God will protect us. But, a bird doesn’t protect their babies with harm to themselves. If a baby bird is under the wing, yes, it is safe. But the wing of the parent will be hit, and potentially hurt. So, it isn’t just that God protects us and saves us, but he has allowed Himself to be harmed for our protection?

How?

The cross.  The thing that saves us, came at a great cost to Jesus.

We will not fear, by night or day, darkness or noon day

The night is scary because that’s where the thieves, robbers, and wild animals lurk.  No one ever likes to go out at night.  No one.  Today, we are reminded that God will protect us at night and in the dark.

The heat of the midday sun is unbearable in that part of the world.  It will sap your strength and your will.  It will make you want to give up, because the burden is too great.  God will protect us from the heat of the son.

A – application

How will I apply this to my life?

Find your protection in God.

You protection and safty does not come from your wealth, or power, or status, or connection, or any of these things.  They will not be your refuge.  They may provide comfort at times, but they are not the ultimate shelter in the storm. Today, what you are you relying on? Where is you hope?  Where is your strength?  God is our shelter.  Only He can truly protect.  Is He really your shelter today, or are you relying on something else?

I don’t need to take grace for granted 

The shelter of His wings came at high price to Him.  The grace that I and we receive, while free to us, cost Jesus dearly.  Remember that grace is free, but not cheap.  Let us never, ever, ever take His grace for granted.  May we always be thankful for our freedom and forgiveness.  May we always remember what that grace cost.

No matter what I am afraid of, God is bigger

There is nothing that we should fear to day. Dark or light, night or morning. God is our protection.  He is our hope.  He is bigger than no matter what you fear.  No matter what you are afraid of, God is bigger.  He is.  Trust that.  His word says it. Claim it today.

P- prayer

God, today, may I seek to live my life, placing my full hope in you, you along.  May I never take your grace for granted. And may I live life unafraid, because of your great power.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

SOAP – Day Two – James 4:7-10

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324904370_640I’m going to do my posts this week in the method of study that I talked about yesterday, the SOAP method.  So, let’s start!

S – scripture 

We are going to read James 4:7-10.  Read slowly.  Don’t rush through this.  Listen.  If it helps, write it out yourself.  Listen for God’s voice in this.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

O – observation 

What did you see when you read?  This is what I observed.

Submit yourself to God.  I am not the boss of my life. God is. I have to submit myself to Him.  It’s not about me.

Resist the devil, and he will flee.  The devil is not all powerful.  He is not unstoppable.  He is not the greatest power in the world, God is.  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.  God will be there.  He has promised.  He is always there. If we turn to Him, He will be there for us.

Cleanse, and purify.  Humble yourself.  My sin, my mistakes, they cause harm.  To others. To my walk with God.  To myself. I have to turn from them. I have to repent. I have to wash myself, and make myself clean.

A – application 

How will I apply this to my life today?

Today, I will not seek to do my will, but will seek to do God’s.  I will ask myself, before each decision, is this something that God wants me to do?  I will slow myself, I will consider my actions. I will think about my plans. I will submit myself to God.  I will do all that I can do today to live for Him, not for me.

I will keep my eyes open for temptation. And I will say no.  When faced with temptation, I will pray. I will turn to others for help. I will make sure that I resist temptation. I will remind myself that the devil is the father of all lies, and if it’s a temptation, it is a lie. And, I know that if I resist him, the devil will flee. God’s Word promises that.

I will truly repent of my sins. I will not just feel sorry for what I’ve done, but I will ask God to forgive me, I will accept that forgiveness, and I will allow God’s grace to allow me to be faithful.

P – prayer

God, help your Word to be made real in my life today.  Help me to submit myself to you today, to live for your purpose.  Help me resist temptation, in whatever way that it comes. And help me to understand my need for forgiveness and to truly repent of my sins.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

A Challenge

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determined-challenge-accepted-lYesterday in my sermon at Asbury, I walked our church through a method of studying Scripture that is called the “SOAP” method.  In this method, the letters stand for this.

S – Scripture

O – Observation

A – Application

P – Prayer

My challenge to my people, and to each of you reading this, is to, each day this week, seriously take some time to really read the Bible.  No rush through it. But, read it.  Listen for God to speak to you through it.  Take time to reflect upon it.

First, S, listen for God when you read.  Don’t rush.  Don’t get in a hurry.  Don’t worry about having to read a lot.  Just slow down, breathe, and listen for God to speak.

O.  What do you notice?  What words stood out? What caught your eye?  What jumped out at you? What really grabbed you?

A.  From what you read, what can you apply to your life today?  What can you carry with you through the rest of your day?  Your week?  Your life?

P.  Pray for the grace to carry through what you’ve learned today.

So, this is the challenge I have for you. Will you do it this week? Will you take the time to really read, listening for God’s voice in what you read?

Do it for a week.  And just see.

And let me know how it goes for you. What did you you learn?  email me, or post on my wall, or tweet me.  I’d love to hear back from you on this challenge!

The question is always where do I start?  Here’s some help.

One thing you can always do is just read through a book of the bible.  If you’d like to do that, I’d suggest starting with the Gospel of Mark.  It’s the shortest of the Gospels and, in my opinion, the easiest to understand.

If you’d like just daily suggested readings, you can use our Asbury Salt and Light bulletin.  If you didn’t grab one yesterday, you can read it online by clicking here.

Or you can use plans from the American Bible Society, suggested ESV reading for the day, on of the many plans from Bible.com, or a whole host of other online options.

Or you can use the passages that I’ll reflect upon each day here!

I hope these are helpful for you. And I hope you’ll take the challenge!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

An Honest Place

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psalmsOne of the things that I love most about the book of Psalms, is that each of the Psalms is written from a very honest place. The Psalms are basically songs of praise that we were written to be sung as worship to God.

I love them.  I try to read a few of them each day. They are inspirational, they are hopeful, they are encouraging, and they are honest.

They are written from a very honest place. And that means that sometimes they don’t sound very safe.  Or even nice. But they always sound very true.  Listen to what I read today in Psalm 69: 19-21:

You know my reproach,
and my shame and my dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
and for comforters, but I found none.
They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

The Psalmist pours out his heart, his anger, his brokenness to God.  He lets God  really know what’s going in his head, in his heart, in his world.

He lets God know. And the hurt comes pouring out.  The pain is unleashed.  He gives it God.

And that’s such an honest, healthy thing to do.  Such a good thing to do.  Because here’s the thing.

If we hold onto our hurt, our pain, our loss, God can’t help us with it.  When we cling to it so tightly, there’s nothing He can do.  But, we when we release it, give it Him, He can actually do something to help us with it.

But, we’ve got to actually give it to Him. I put it like this.  We need to pray honest prayers, not safe prayers.  Honest prayers actually tell God what’s going on, and let Him help us.  Safe prayers don’t tell God the truth of hurt, pain, and fear. And if we don’t give things to Him, He can’t really help us with them.

Today, this Psalm comes from an honest place.  Today, may our prayers do the same. May we actually tell God what’s going on. And may we find His grace there in our moment of need.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

There is Always Hope

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Dry-BonesThere is always hope.  No matter how dark or dim it may seem.  There is always hope.  As long as we are breathing, as long as God is God, as long as His spirit remains at work in the world, there is hope.

Ezekiel, some folks will tell you, is the most amazing book in all the Bible. For the people of Israel, God’s voice was always tied to the land. God spoke to them through the Law. Through the prophets. Through the worship at the Temple.

The Land was how they knew that God was God.  That God was on the throne. That He would keep His covenant. That all would be ok.

Then, they lost the land. They lost the covenant. Things got bad.  They wound up in exile in Babylon.  And they knew that there was no way that God would still speak to them. Because He only spoke through and in the land.

Until the spirit came upon Ezekiel.  Until God moved in him and spoke through him.  Until God said these words in Ezekiel 37: 11-14:

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

God says, there is still a hope. Even though you are in exile, there is a hope.

Even though you may feel lost, there is a still a hope.

Even though you don’t know how things will turn out, there is still a hope.

There is always a hope.  Because God is always God.

So, today, don’t lose hope, no matter where you are, no matter what’s going on, no matter how you my feel, no matter how bad it may seem.

Because if God can bring life to dead bones in Babylon and speak to the people while in a foreign land, He is not done with you yet.

There is always hope.  Never give up.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

Weak

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There’s so much we want to do for Jesus!  We want to be strong!  We want to be bold!  We want to do things the right way, be faithful, serve, give it all.

We all do.  Sure we do.  We want to go big for Jesus.

And yet, somehow, most times, it doesn’t happen.  It doesn’t happen like we want.  We blow it.  We fall.  We fail.  Life turns out different than we planned.  We don’t get it right.

And we want to give up.  We feel so weak.

In those times, remember what happened in Mark 14: 37-39:

And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.

asleep-at-the-switchYou aren’t the first person that wanted to do it right for Jesus, but just couldn’t get it right.

You aren’t the first person that was ever weak.  Peter was too.  And he’s kinda a big deal.  He did big things.  He did great things.  He was faithful.  He was who God wanted Him to be.  He was a rock.

He was strong.

But, not every time.  Sometime, he was weak.

And that’s ok. Because when we are weak, God is strong.

He is.  You can trust that.  So, be faithful.  Do your best.  But remember, when are weak, He is strong.

And He’s got this.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

God Delights in You

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Yesterday when we read in Psalm 18 about how our perspective on the day will determine the kind of day that it will be.  Will it be good, or bad?  A lot of that will focus on the way that we choose to look at things.

Today, we look again at Psalm 18, but this time, we focus on why in the world that God will save us in times of trouble. Why is it, when the perspective looks bad, that we can have hope?  Why can we cling to that notion, even when things look really bad?

Listen to what the word says in  Psalm 18: 17-19:

He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

img_3395God delights in you.  It isn’t just that He’s proud of you, or He loves you, or any of these things.  He delights in you.

You make Him happy. Think about that.  You bring a smile to the face of our awesome God.   You bring Him joy.  You delight Him.

That’s how precious you are to Him this morning.  Now, this doesn’t mean that things will be perfect.  We see in the text that the the Psalmist was in a place of great trouble and great worry.  He was afraid.  He felt as though things were going to end badly. It didn’t look God.

And then God stepped in and saved the day.  Because God delighted in him.

He does the same for you today.  Trust.  Hope.  Believe.  Know.  God delights in you. And He will be there for you, in your moment of need.  Today, we know that to be true.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

What Kind of Day It Will Be

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Is today going to be a great day?  Or is it going to be a terrible day.

It all depends upon your perspective.  You perspective today will have a lot to do in determining what kind of day it will be.  Listen to what is says today in Psalm 18:4-6:

The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

questionMark-backgroundThere are two ways to look at what happens today in this Psalm.  Both are true, by the way.

Way number one is to focus on the trouble and the pain that the Psalmist felt.  He was legitimately scared and worried. Death lingered.  He was distressed.  He was afraid.  We aren’t sure what was going in his life, but whatever it was, it wasn’t a good thing.

He probably felt at the end of his rope.  He probably felt like giving up.

We can focus on this. We can focus on the troubles and pains of the world, of the day. We can focus on all these things.

And today will be terrible day.

Or, we can focus on the second part of this passage.  The Psalmist cried for help. And God heard him.  His cried reached God. God heard, God understood. And God will send help.

God heard him in his pain. And will not leave nor forsake him.

God hears our hurts, our pain, our loss, our worry, our stuff.  God hears, God knows, and God never leaves.

No matter what.

So, today, what kind of day will it be. Will we focus on the problems in our lives that overwhelm us?  Or will we focus on God that never leaves, in spite of the trouble. The God that sends help, each day?

Today, what kind of day will it?

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.