Category: Scripture Study

Thank you for joining me for the fifth installment of our  Out of the Shallows devotional series. This is a Scripture study using a method that can help us to take a ‘deeper dive’ into Scripture using the acronym SOAP. 

‘S’ is writing down the part of scripture that kind of jumps out at you, or seems to have meaning to you.
‘O’ is to observe what it is really saying, the deeper meaning or truth. What do you think God is telling us?
‘A’ is for application. How does it apply to your life? What can you do differently in light of this truth?
‘P’ is for prayer. What do you want to tell God, or ask Him to help you to do about this?

Check out the previous Scripture studies in this series here Out of the Shallows – Go the Extra Mi,  Lighten Your Load,  Sufficient Grace and Lacking Nothing.

Today’s Scripture is from the Gospel of Matthew:

You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.  Jesus, in Matthew 5:14-16

S – You are the Light of the World…that you may glorify your Father in Heaven

O – God made each of us to be a light in this world, not just to ‘get through’. You are here for a reason, you have a God-given purpose and an assignment! Everyone’s assignment is ultimately the same – Glorify God  in all that you do.

What does this mean and how  do we do this? Well, we glorify God by honoring him with praise, worship and admiration. And when we know that all good gifts come from him and all our talents and abilities are from God too, we use them in ways that honor him: Positive, unifying, helpful, caring ways. 

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

A friend made the comment that ‘praying ceaselessly’ as the Apostle Paul tells us to do seemed impossible. ‘How am I supposed to pray all day long?’ My friend thought. Until it occurred to him…: “If I am using the gifts God gave me to help others in some way, that is a form of praying.” I found this to be a wonderful revelation!  So we really can ‘pray ceaselessly,’ and glorify God in the process, if we consider what He would want us to do every step of the way, every single day.
WWJD, anyone?

A – Sometimes I  need to stop overthinking things and just do it. If I feel God is calling me to do something, I just need to “Christian Up” and do it! As Joyce Meyer says if you were wrong, or it doesn’t work out, God will redirect you. I must be brave in the face of anticipated criticism and scoffing. Put my pride aside and do for Jesus a tiny fraction of what he’s done for me.

P – Lord, thank you for this Simple Truth. Simple, but not always easy. Help me to not complicate it. Help me to forget myself, forgive others and selflessly and courageously do whatever you ask of me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Now it’s your turn! Use the above Scripture verse, or find one that speaks to you and use this simple method to get a little bit more out of your Bible reading. There are no rules, do what feels comfortable and just jot a few brief notes, if you’re not into keeping a journal. (But I promise, you won’t be sorry if you do.)

As the world seems to fall apart around us, many of us sit, wringing our hands….What to do?

Pastor Andy Stanley of Northpoint Church in Georgia recently asked the question: “When the story of covid 19 is just a story you tell, will your covid 19 story be a story worth telling?”

Because eventually, like everything else in life, what is happening now will come to an end, and then it will be a memory, and a story we tell each other and the next generations. Not unlike World War II, the Holocaust, 9/11, or any personal event in your life, good or bad. Not to minimize the importance of these things, but when they are over,  we have the aftermath, the memories and the stories we tell. They become part of our history, and hopefully, if we learn from them, not part of our future.

I like to try this: take a mental journey forward in time so you can have the benefit of hindsight now… what would your future self wish you would have done today?

So what will your covid 19 story be?  To be sure, some of us will be affected in the worst of ways. We may suffer with the disease, or have a family member or loved one suffer through it, or even succumb to it. Many will not come out the other side of this unique time in history unscathed. But even if you are affected in the worst way, this question still applies.

For the rest of us…Will you simply say we hunkered down and it was terrible! We were scared, and frustrated, the kids were so bored! We had to homeschool! People hoarded toilet paper! We were frightened every day. We argued, fought, protested, made it political, pointed fingers and blamed anyone and everyone we could think of…

Generosity From Gratitude

Or will you be one of the someones that makes something good come out of a bad situation? Now, to be fair, this IS a scary time, we ARE frustrated, bored, worried, lonely, annoyed, financially fragile and emotionally delicate at times.

But sometimes laying that all aside for just a few minutes to meditate on what you still have, what you can still do, and what you can be grateful for right in this moment, can be the thing that keeps you from going over the edge. If you can follow the logic of gratitude to generosity, you can ponder what you might be able to do to help someone else in this present situation. 

This is a great time to ask…What’s in my Hands? 

What do you have a talent or propensity for? What are you good at, what do you enjoy doing…what do you have access to, or an excess of?

Right now, for many of us, it’s time. We are stuck at home, but we are finding we have time we have never had, to do things we always wanted to do…cooking, reading, organizing,  calling friends we have lost touch with, spending time with the kids, the spouse, ourselves! What do you have that can help someone else? And,for real, self care does help others as well as yourself. When you are rested, peaceful, nurtured, nourished….you can be a much better version of yourself for those around you.

We All Have Something To Give

I saw a post on Facebook that said something to the effect of “Now we see that grocery store workers and truck drivers are more important than Hollywood actors, musicians and sports legends.”

It seemed a logical point to drive home in a world where we idolize people who have a talent and they simply entertain us, and are no real help in a crisis situation like this. Or are they?

One respondent on facebook answered to the effect “now more than ever, we look to those with talent in the arts to entertain, soothe, calm and distract us. Can we agree that every one of us is just as important as any one of us?”

Another great point. Which led me to think……we have all been given a gift or talent of some sort. We are all good at something whether we care to admit it or not.

We sometimes think it is humble to behave as though we are not good at anything, but it is not humble to deny a God-given gift that was meant to be used to help others. So now some entertainers are using their God-given gifts online to keep us connected, entertained, laughing…keeping fear and boredom at bay.

Let’s Get Busy!

What’s in your hands right now that can help this situation? More importantly, where is your heart drawing you? 

Some suggestions to consider:

• Pray.  We sometimes hear there’s nothing left to do but pray. That is a flawed approach. Prayer should be the very first thing we do, as Christians. Pray for protection from the virus, pray for those who have it, for front line workers, pray to discern what you should be doing to help.

• Can you sew? Since surgical masks are reserved for hospitals and doctors offices, other organizations, as well as individuals need masks, even homemade ones. There are groups forming online with info on how to make them and where to send them.

• Can you  volunteer your time in some capacity? If your employer is joining the effort in some way, maybe you can help…distributing food to the needy, collecting donations, etc.

• Do you have the resources to provide food to hospital workers? If you can order a tray of sandwiches or bagels and muffins to be delivered to your local doctors office, clinic, hospital, or police or EMS station, you can take one thing off their mind and lift morale. Be sure to call ahead to make sure they can accept the delivery.You will also be supporting local restaurants who are hurting so badly right now. So this suggestion is a two-fer. Also, if you can…Tip Big.

• Check on your neighbors.  Drop off a casserole, pick up some groceries for an elderly neighbor, or perhaps get their prescriptions or drop off their mail for them. 

• Do you have a doctor or nurse friend, acquaintance or neighbor? Offer to mow their lawn, check on their pets while they’re at work, or maybe  drop off dinner to their family, or a gift card for  take out.

• If you have a housekeeper, dog walker, nanny or personal help at all, and are fortunate enough to work from home and still have an income, consider continuing to pay them. Even a portion of their wages. they were there for you when you needed them and they likely really  need your support now. 

• Think about how to lift someone’s spirits in some small way. Can you buy a couple of $5 or $10 gift cards for coffee or fast food and give them to any of the hard working frontliners not in the medical field? Mail carriers, cashiers, custodians, trash pick up, UPS guy, truck drivers, or Anyone you know is still out there working in an essential capacity. They are all still risking their health -and their lives- to provide a service that we need. 

• Can you write a letter to someone who is alone or lonely? Or call someone you haven’t heard from in awhile. 

• How about helping someone with homeschooling, if you don’t have kids of your own? Maybe use Skype to read their kids a book, or demonstrate a skill: how to address a letter, make pancakes, do a magic trick, design a science experiment. 

• Take a break from the news. It’s bad, we get it. Stay informed, sure. But as mesmerizing as it is, resist the urge to watch all day long. “You become what you behold” is so true, and it would be very easy to feel depressed and negative if all you feed your mind and soul is dire news.

• Feed your soul. Make your favorite foods, read a favorite author, watch your favorite shows, take a nap, eat chocolate…whatever comforts you. And forget the guilt. A little self-indulgence is perfect right about now.

• And again, pray. Oh my gosh, pray. It should be the first thing we do in a tragedy. But we often save it until there is “nothing left to do but pray” like it’s a last resort or something. Praying your way through your day, especially in tough times like these can bring comfort and peace that nothing else you do ever will.

When it comes right down to it, the most helpful, loving, proactive, life saving thing most of us can do right now, is Stay Home, Stay Safe, Save Lives. 

There will be tragedy and sadness. Too many families will not have a happy ending to their covid 19 story. But in the midst of our grief and frustration, our loss and anger…if we are Christians, we are asked to come up higher. We are asked to make something good come from something bad. Is there one thing you can do, one beam of light and love you can shine on to someone’s life?

What is God calling you to do, who is he calling you to help, what’s in your hands and what’s in your heart to do, to help someone struggling?

My prayers for you are for strength, wisdom and God’s peace and comfort no matter where this journey takes you… Really and truly – We will get through this. 

What will your covid 19 story be?

Please share in comments what  you have done, or what ideas you have to help yourself or someone else.

Welcome back to our ‘Out of the Shallows’ devotional, where we are diving deeper into scripture using the SOAP method:
S – Scripture, O – Observation, A -Application, P – Prayer
Find more details about the SOAP method and check out the first post in this series at http://www.christiannotchristian.com/out-of-the-shallows-go-the-extra-mile-overcome-evil-with-good/

Today’s Scripture:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the still waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 
-King David, Psalm 23: 1–4

S – The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing…He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

It’s Not All About You, Boo

O – This verse reminds me that If I don’t have it, I don’t need it. I never lack what I need – and here’s the key – to do his will. (Not necessarily my own.)
And;
When we sense we are in God’s will, even when the path seems wrong or hard or confusing, it is the right one for his name’s sake.
It’s all about Him! It’s not about what I want.

A – As Christians we don’t pursue something simply because it is reasonable and makes sense to us. We are encouraged to pray for guidance and direction, and follow God’s promptings. Then, we obey God and leave everything in his hands. As Pastor Charles Stanley puts it “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”
I don’t have to understand it or figure it all out.  When I know it’s from God, I need to just do it!

There are times when I sense I am being prompted by God, but I feel inadequate, unsure and fearful. Perhaps God can use even those feelings of trepidation and unpreparedness to help what I think, say, and do come from a more authentic and relatable place. Like, maybe others will see that even though I felt ill-equipped, I went forward, trusting God. And this might encourage them to do the same.

P – Lord, it truly is all about trust and obedience. When I feel called by you to pursue something, I don’t have to feel courageous or equipped or even good at it, to just do it. I simply need to trust you and obey. Please give me the courage and humility to live that out.

There is so much more in this short verse of scripture than what I came up with. I encourage you to write it down, mull it over, and ask God to show you what it means. Then use the SOAP method and see if you can’t dig a little deeper and let God reveal to you some great little nuggets of wisdom and truth.
Thanks for joining me on this journey!

Thanks for joining me for Part Three of our scripture study using the SOAP method.
Please consider journaling your own scripture reflections as we continue to explore Bible verses based on North Point church’s recent series Out of the Shallows, encouraging everyone to take a ‘deeper dive’ into scriptures. Catch up with us on the first two installments here and here. (You’ll also find details on using the SOAP method.)

S- scripture…O- observation…A- application… P- prayer

Today’s scripture:

But he (Jesus) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.  Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

S- My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

O- ‘My power is made perfect in weakness’ It makes so much sense, if you pause to think about it.  How could we ever see God working in our lives if everything was perfect and we felt we were doing it all on our  own? It’s only when we have a weakness, or a hardship, and we need God’s help that we recognize his power, and our complete insufficiency without it.

A- Examine your life – the blessings and the challenges. Find the good in every hardship. And that  ‘good’ is this: In every difficulty…GOD. IS. WORKING.  In you and through you, and for you. And for others. When you make the decision to look, it’s really not that hard to see God’s hand of Grace on even the most difficult situation. Rejoice in this truth!

P-Lord, you make all things work together for good when I trust and depend on you. Thank you for all the ways you have used the difficulties in my life to bring me closer to you. Help me use this in a positive way to help others.

I really encourage you to try this method of getting more out of scripture. As you can see above, this does not have to be a laborious, scholarly examination of the verse. So many struggle with how to get started reading their Bible, and this is a really simple approach that can be done in a relatively short span of time.

The cool part is going back after doing this for a week or two and reading your previous reflections. You will likely be pleasantly surprised. I sure was.

Using the SOAP method I’m doing a devotional called “Out of the Shallows” with Northpoint Church. This method of Bible study uses the acronym SOAP to dig deeper into scripture, rather than just casually reading through the Bible.

‘S’ is writing down the part of scripture that kind of jumps out at you, or seems to have meaning to you.
‘O’ is to observe what it is really saying, the deeper meaning or truth.
‘A’ is for application. How does it apply to your life? What can you do differently in light of this truth?
‘P’ is for prayer. What do you want to tell God or ask him to help you do about this?
Read the first scripture study here http://www.christiannotchristian.com/out-of-the-shallows-go-the-extra-mile-overcome-evil-with-good/

Jesus’ Irresistible Offer

Today’s Scripture
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Jesus, Matthew 11: 28 – 29

S – Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

O- He gives us rest. He gives us peace. Not necessarily by removing our burdens, but by replacing our yoke with his own. A yoke is defined as a harness for two animals, usually oxen, to share a burden when pulling farm equipment. But a yoke also refers to a wooden bar one places over the shoulders to carry two equally weighted loads. Think of someone carrying two buckets of water balanced on their shoulders this way. It occurred to me; we carry this type of yoke single-handedly to double the weight or burden we can carry. But when we use the other kind, to yoke animals together, it halves their burden. 

Lightening Your Load – It’s All Up to You

This scripture is beckoning us to let Jesus carry half our load. And, who are we kidding, if we let him, if we trust him, he does much more than that. Much more than his ‘fair share’. He attaches himself to us and shoulders the yoke with us. We learn a new way to live and it lifts and restores our  soul. It is as though the weight of the entire burden is taken from us, and we get the rest, the relief and the peace that only God can give.

A – Surrender to him. And now I am really directing this to myself because here is where I struggle…Oh my gosh, just do it, Sherry….. Let. It. Go. Stop trying to solve everything on your own. Stop thinking you even can. I (we all ) need to just try bringing all the concerns and difficulties of this life to Jesus, and letting him lead and guide us through it all.

P – The last words above came to me in prayer as lyrics from a beautiful song by Bethel. You can check out the lyrics and music here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VUzQrtRqDQ
“Through it all, through it all….my eyes are on you. Through it all, through it all…it is well.”

Please join me for more of this journey through Scripture by journaling your own thoughts using the SOAP method. And if you would, by subscribing with your email address in the box, top right of this page. I would really appreciate your support in this way. Your email will not be shared in any way. Thanks!