SOAP-Philippians #4

"Shining as Stars"

S

Philippians 2:14-15

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.

O

Throughout the Bible, God calls believers to be different from the world, those who don't believe. He wants our lives to be an example to those around us of His love for them so that they can see through us their need for Him. One way to do this is to do everything with a smile on your face and a willing attitude. When you do everything you're asked to do with a happy heart, people will notice!

A

I have this verse hanging in my kitchen above the place where I keep our school calendar. I have quoted it many times to my kids when they don't want to do what I ask them to do. But the verse isn't just speaking to my kids, it's speaking to ME.
As a mom, I have the job of  doing the cooking, cleaning, laundry, driving kids around, and all the other "mom" things that we all do. And after the 10th time of picking up the same pair of shoes from the kitchen floor, my attitude often isn't what it should be. I grumble at my kids about them not appreciating me. I complain to my husband about having to do it all. I vent to my friend about how they're driving me crazy.
But God doesn't ask me to do the fun stuff without complaining or arguing. He doesn't ask me to do things with a happy heart only the first time. He doesn't ask me to have a pleasant attitude when things are going well for me. He says to do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing. That means even the things I don't want to do, like scrubbing the bathroom. That means even the times when I have to do something that "isn't my job." That means even when no one sees or appreciates or praises me for what I'm doing. EVERYTHING.
And He gives me a great reason to choose to have a good attitude. He says when I choose to do everything with a happy heart, I will shine like a star in this world. People will notice when I do things that others would complain about and do it with a smile. They will notice when I give freely of my time, money, and energy to things that are "not my job". People will notice when I work to cooperate and get along with those around me. My good attitude about the things I do will help me show the love of Christ to those in the world around me.

P

Dear Jesus, How often I forget that this verse is speaking to ME. You have called me to be a light in this world and my attitude is one of the things that will shine the brightest if I choose it wisely. Forgive me for the times when I do the things you ask me with a grumbling heart, complaining that it's not my job or that no one appreciates me. Help me to remember that by having a happy heart I am showing your love to a world that desperately needs you. I want to shine like a star and use my light to point people to you.
Amen

SOAP-Philippians #3

"Imitating Christ's Humility"

S

Philippians 2:2

"Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."

 O

Paul is asking the believers to love one another and to be united. He is encouraging them to get along and to work together for the same goal, living for Jesus.

A

It's easy to let little disagreements or attitudes become barriers that cause division between us as believers. We think that things have to be done our way to be right. But Paul is encouraging the believers to put aside their preferences and be united. We need to remember that we all ultimately have the same end goal, we want to reach people with Jesus' love so that they can live together with Him forever in heaven. In order to do that, we have to be unified, with the same mindset and love for one another and for others and work together toward that goal.

P

Dear Jesus, I know that I have often let my preferences or the traditions I learned as a child to become a barrier to reaching out and being unified with other believers in doing what you have called me to do. Lord, help me to put my selfish thoughts and desires aside and focus on the purpose you have for me. Help me to focus my energy and attention on being unified and working together with other believers so that together we can reach lost people with your love.
Amen

SOAP-Philippians #2

"Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel"

S

Philippians 1:19

"For I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance."

O

Paul is writing this letter from prison. Even in that circumstance, he praises God and proclaims that it is going to be used by God for good. Paul's faith helps him to see beyond his immediate circumstance to the future that God has planned for him.

A

When the circumstances of my life are not what I'd like for them to be, when things go wrong, I need to open my eyes to see that God has a plan for it. Instead of complaining or questioning why God is allowing me to go through the pain, I need to praise him because He has a plan and a purpose for everything He allows to happen. The difficulties I go through are for my growth and so that others may be reached with the gospel message. I need to focus my attention on praise rather than worry, fear, and doubt.

Also, Paul mentions that it is through the prayers of the believers he is writing to that this circumstance will be used for his deliverance. This means that, #1, the believers were aware of his need and, #2, that the believers were praying for him. 

I need to let go of my insecurities, pride, and need for control and reach out when I have a need. I need to be humble enough to admit that I am facing a situation I can't control and ask for prayer from other believers around me. I also need to be ready to intercede for those around me with prayer when they are facing difficulties. Both of these things requires that I have a relationship with the people around me and have a connection with them. We were not meant to do this life on our own.

P

Dear Jesus, Forgive me, Lord, for the times I have let my circumstances overwhelm my soul to the point that I have lost sight of you. Even in the last few weeks, I have faced situations that have shaken my faith and made me doubt your love and your plan for me. But, Lord, you have ALWAYS used everything that has happened to me for good. You have shown me in the last week your incredible love for me in ways I couldn't have imagined. Help me to hold onto that when trials come and I feel fear and doubt creeping in. I know that you always have a plan and a purpose for the things I go through. Help me to keep my focus on giving you praise and waiting for your deliverance.

And help me, Lord, to build relationships with the people you place in my life. Help me to love them the way you love them. I need friends who are close enough that I can share my struggles and needs with them so that they can intercede for me in prayer. I want to be there to do the same for them. Thank you for the friendships you have already begun to build in my life.Strengthen the bonds and help us to grow closer through your love for us.

Amen

SOAP-Philippians #1

So, here's how this is going to work. I'm going to go through the book of Philippians, and do one post per day. Each post won't necessarily cover an entire chapter. Instead, I'm going to go from "headline to headline", or topic by topic. So, most chapters will actually span two or more days. 

For today, I'm going to lump the greeting part of the book in with the first headline. 

Ready? Let's go!

"Thanksgiving and Prayer"

S

(Scripture)

Philippians 1:6

"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

O

(observation)

Paul is encouraging the Christians at Philippi to continue doing the work that God has called them to do.

A

(application)

 

Sometimes doing what God has called us to do is hard. We get discouraged and we doubt that we will be able to finish it. In those times, we need encouragement from those around us to help us keep going. I need to pay attention to those around me and notice when they are going through a hard time. I need to notice when those around me are struggling and I need to be ready to step in with a kind word to help them keep pushing. I need to be ready to remind them that God will get them through to the end.

P

(prayer)

Dear Jesus, thank you for always being with me. You never ask me to do anything that you aren't right there beside me the whole time. But sometimes, I get discouraged and wonder whether I can go on. Lord, you always send someone with a kind word of encouragement when I need it most. Help me to be that person for those around me. Help me to pay attention to what the people around me are going through so that I can offer them encouragement and remind them that you are with them. Amen.

And there you have it. I'd love to hear what you thought of this passage! Leave your insights in the comments below.

 

 

SOAP

Before I go any further in this post, I must make a confession to all of you. I have never been a big Bible-reader. Growing up, I tried several times to start at Genesis and read all the way through, but I would get to about the middle of Leviticus and give up because it seemed so boring and dry and hard to understand. I didn't see how any of it connected or how it possibly applied to me. And so I never got any further than that. 

So, instead of trying to read the whole thing, I would just take notes during service on Sunday and study the verses the pastor used or read through a devotional book and study those verses. I got some good words doing it this way, but I still didn't really see the connections or how it really applied to me personally. 

A couple months ago, I decided, again, that I was going to read through the whole Bible. But this time, I am trying a different approach. I started in Genesis, of course, because that's the beginning, but I also started reading in Psalm, Matthew, and Acts. I read a couple of chapters from each section every day and it gives me more of a glimpse of the whole picture and how it all plays out in the end. Kind of reading the beginning, middle, and end of the story all at once. 

As much as I am loving what I've been doing, it still wasn't becoming personal to me in the way I wanted it to. Until, a sweet friend asked me to do a study with her. I hesitated at first when she suggested we start with the book of Acts, because I had just finished reading through it a few days before. But, in the end, I figured it couldn't hurt to reread it and maybe I'd actually have an advantage because it was still fresh in my mind, so I agreed.

We decided to use the SOAP method for our study.  For each section I read, I choose one scripture that stands out to me (S), then I write down what I observe (O) about what I read. What are the surface details of what the scripture is telling me? Next, I look for the application (A) of the verse to my life. How does this speak to ME? And finally, I write out a prayer(P) asking God to help me live out what the verse is speaking to me. I LOVE this method. Because I'm reading such a small section at a time, I can focus on the details of what is written, rather than just reading it as one big text. By doing this, I can hear  God speaking directly to me. 

The other thing I love is that she and I don't always pick the same scripture. So, I get kind of a two-for-one lesson. And even when we do choose the same verse, God often speaks something very different to each of our hearts. Hearing someone else's perspective is always beneficial.

I love this method so much, I want to share it with all of you right here. I'm going to be go through the book of Philippians and share my SOAP each day with my readers on my blog. I am so excited because I know God is going to speak to my heart and to yours through this study! 

Stay tuned...the first post will be up later tonight! I'd love for you to join me in my study. Leave your SOAP in the comments on each post and let's learn from each other. 

Have a wonderful day!

Once it's clean, it's clean...

Laundry...it's the bane of my existence. With 4 children and 2 adults living in my house, there is a never-ending, constantly growing pile of dirty laundry at all times. Somewhere along the way, I heard someone use the word "Mt. Washmore" to describe their mountain of laundry. I have to agree. Sometimes sorting through to gather a load of laundry to wash feels like climbing a mountain.

But, really, I don't mind gathering, sorting, and washing the laundry. I don't really mind folding and hanging the laundry (although I have passed most of that job off to my kids). The problem with laundry comes when it's time to put it away. 

In our house, the laundry gets folded or put on hangers and stacked in piles according to who it belongs to. Then, the owner of the laundry is to take it to their room and put it away. Pretty simple concept, right? Except that several of the people involved in this putting away process are children.

Children, at least in my house, don't seem to see the value of hanging laundry in the closet or closing it up in drawers the same way I do. Instead, the laundry ends up sitting on a bed or a dresser (or the floor) waiting until the day it will be worn again. In and of itself, this wouldn't be a problem. Except that several of the people involved are children.

Children, at least in my house, don't always have neat and tidy rooms. Okay, let's face it, their rooms are usually just short of being declared natural disasters. So inevitably the clean laundry that was sitting waiting for it's next wearing, ends up with other things piled on top of it or pushed to the side to make room for something else. Until...the time comes for the weekly (hopefully) cleaning of the bedrooms.

Children, at least in my house, when they're cleaning their rooms. instead of taking the time to put things away neatly where they belong, tend to be stuffers. They try to stuff everything into any hidden space they can find as fast as they can so they can say they are finished with their rooms. And the most convenient place to hide all of that laundry that never got put away is...back in the dirty laundry!

Nothing makes me crazy like going in to gather a load of laundry to wash and finding a still-folded pair of my kids' pants. Or worse, a shirt still on a hanger!!! 

I already cleaned it. It is NOT dirty!

A few days ago, during a study time in the book of Acts, I came across a verse I never really paid attention to before. Acts 10:15 says,

"The voice spoke to him a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

Wow! God spoke to my heart through that verse. 

So many times, I do the same thing. Only, it's not clean laundry that I throw back into the dirty laundry pile, it's my heart. 

Often, I speak words about myself that don't line up with what God says I am. I say I'm not good enough. I say I messed things up. I say I am left out. I say I'm not who I need to be. I say I am worthless. I say I am unlovable. I say I can never be used to do anything for God.

But that's not what God says.

Jesus Christ came to earth, died on the cross, and rose again to give me a clean heart. The Bible says that when I accepted Christ as my Savior, my sins were washed "as white as snow".  God says I am His masterpiece. God says I am beloved. God says I am redeemed. God says  I am able. God says I am a victor. God says I am a conqueror. God says I am accepted. God says I am loved. God says I have a purpose.

God says I am clean!

So, instead of speaking those words over my life that say I am not, I am choosing to speak the words over my life that God says I AM. 

I AM A CHILD OF THE KING!

ABLE!

ACCEPTED!

LOVED! 

BEAUTIFUL!

WORTHY!

IMPORTANT!

VALUED!

REDEEMED!

CLEAN!

 

When you can't see the trees for the forest

Have you ever asked a child, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" It's fun to hear the dreams little ones have of what their lives will be. Usually, especially preschoolers and younger elementary kids, the dreams are huge and not really related to the reality of their lives. They want to be a princess, or a cowboy, or a circus clown, or an acrobat. I've even heard little ones talk about growing up to be an animal. As kids get a little older, their dreams begin to change and become more focused on real possibilities. The child who enjoys music decides they'd like to be a famous singer. The one who loves animals wants to be a vet. The one who loves babies wants to be a pediatrician. They dream big. They plan the kind of house they're going to buy, the places they're going to vacation, the cool cars they are going to drive.

But in their big dreams, they only see the end result. They say, "I'm going to be a veterinarian and have dogs and cats and horses and snakes as pets. I'm going to live on a big farm and go on vacation in Hawaii and drive a sports car." And all these things are possible...someday.

What they fail to see is the process it takes to get there. The "rich" doctor that they see driving the fancy car and living in the giant house and vacationing in the Caribbean, was once a college student eating ramen and piling up student loans. Then, he was a med student spending all his time studying and working. Then, an intern putting in long hours for little or no pay. Kids don't understand the work and time that goes into achieving the end result. They want to jump from here to there and skip all the in-between.

We, as adults, do the same thing, at least I do. God has given me some pretty big dreams. When I think about the things that God has placed in my heart to do, I get so excited. I can't wait to see it all play out because it's going to be amazing. But in my excitement, sometimes I forget that there is going to be a process to get there.

Yes, God has big plans for me. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." But, to get to that future He has planned for me, there are going to be steps that I have to take along the way.

Often, I find myself dreaming of the future things and I see what I think is an open door to get there. I get so excited thinking, "God is this it? Is this the time it's going to happen?" And I take off running in the direction I think is going to get me there.

And as I do, God is whispering to my heart, "This isn't the time. I have something else for you to do right now. You aren't ready yet. There is more work to do so you'll be prepared when the time comes."

But all I can see is the BIG dream and how amazing it's going to be. And I want it RIGHT NOW. So I keep going toward it, trying to skip steps and jump ahead, until finally God shuts the door I was trying to go through.

And it hurts.

And I get angry.

And I feel confused.

Because I was so sure.

"God, why have you given me this dream, this vision, if it's not what you want me to do?"

I was reading in the book of Acts yesterday and I came across Acts 1:7. It really spoke to my heart about this issue through some things that I have experienced lately. It says,

"He (Jesus) said to them (the disciples), 'It is not for you to know the time or dates the Father has set by his own authority.' "

The dreams God has placed in my heart and the future He has planned for me, He will fulfill. He has promised me that. But, He will do it in His time, not by my schedule. And He chooses not to reveal that to me all at once. 

Instead, He gives me steps to take TODAY that are going to prepare me for what He has in store later. They may look small or feel like no progress is being made, but I have to trust Him and rest assured that He not only sees the big picture, He sees all the pieces that have to come together to make it happen. 

So, instead of trying to get to the finish line as fast as possible, I'm going to focus my energy on what He is asking me to do today. I'm going to trust that the path to the place I'm going will unfold as it is supposed to and that HIS timing will be perfect, if I just wait.

What is the BIG dream God has put in your heart for your life? What small step is He calling you to take TODAY that will prepare you for the day He makes your dream a reality? Start small and let Him be your guide. He'll never steer you wrong.