8 JUL 22 Friday SOAPS DEVO

 8 JUL 22 Friday SOAPS DEVO

(Scripture, Observation, Apply, Pray, Share)

Reading Plan: Psalm 16, 17; Deut. 31:7-13, 24-32:4; Romans 10:1-13; Matthew 24:15-31

S- If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10

O- There are those that are still struggling in sin and haven’t heard this good news.  There are others that have listened to but have never turned from their sin, put their trust in Jesus for what he did on the cross, and made him boss over their lives.  Salvation and restoration are available to everyone who does so.  Where are you? Where would you like to be?

A- I turned from my sin and put my trust in Jesus for salvation.  I will faithfully share with the lost and train the saved this good news.  I will daily surrender my will for his.

P- Lord, you have called us to finish the task of sharing the good news of your son with everyone.  Help us to stay faithful in doing so and grant the increase in our fruitfulness. Amen.

S- R, L, M

7 JUL 22 Thursday SOAPS DEVO

 7 JUL 22 Thursday SOAPS DEVO

(Scripture, Observation, Apply, Pray, Share)

Reading Plan: Psalm 18:1-20; Deut. 3:18-28; Romans 9:13-33; Matthew 24:1-14

S- For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen. Romans 9:17-18

O- This passage makes some upset and others at peace.  God’s mercy and grace are a remarkable blessing to his children.  When you realize whether God directly reveals himself to you or decides not to, it expands your understanding of his sovereign grace.  It helps you understand peoples’ responses to the gospel and directs your focus to the ones who respond.

A- I will give thanks to the Lord and rejoice in his mercy and grace in my life.  I will praise the Lord whenever I find another of his kids among the lost and pray for those that are hard against God and his gospel.

P- Lord, you are so good to me.  Thank you for giving me the joy of your salvation and honoring my life as pleasing to you.  Help me not to take you for granted and give me a fresh passion for knowing and serving you.  I love you, Lord.  Amen.

S- J, E, M

6 JUL 22 Wednesday SOAPS DEVO

 6 JUL 22 Wednesday SOAPS DEVO

(Scripture, Observation, Apply, Pray, Share)

Reading Plan: Psalm 119:1-24; Deut. 1:1-18; Romans 9:1-18; Matthew 23:27-39

S-I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.  I praise you, O Lord; teach me your decrees.  I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. Psalm 119:11-12, 14

O- The writer comes to a place in his life where his joy is to live a life pleasing to God. He finds that the word becomes a treasure to know God deeply, his expectations, and wisdom.  It causes him to rejoice because he has them to read, study, and apply to his life.

A- I will not take for granted the treasure that I have and will apply them to my life.  I will read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them so that I can please God with my daily life.

P- Lord, thank you for your word.  Help me Lord to study it and apply it to my life.  Give me the boldness to share it. Amen.

S- V, A

5 JUL 22 Tuesday SOAPS DEVO

 5 JUL 22 Tuesday SOAPS DEVO

(Scripture, Observation, Apply, Pray, Share)

Reading Plan: Psalm 5, 6; Num. 35-1-3, 9-15, 30-34; Romans 8:31-39; Matthew 23:13-26

S- What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy-full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First, wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

O- Some say that the church is filled with hypocrites, but I think they mean sinners.  Everyone comes into the faith broken and misfits.  They are made clean by Jesus’ blood and made right with God.  Hypocrites currently sin in a particular way and tell others not to do it.  They give an impression that they are right, but are not.  

A- I will examine myself before I correct others.  I will graciously correct others, knowing that God desires more for them.  I will look for accountability to help me to stay on the right path.

P- Lord, there are many who put up a good front in order to make themselves look better than they are.  They are hypocrites.  Help us to be honest with ourselves and confess any sins we have not brought before you.  Help us to be good models for others and pleasing to your sight.  Amen.

S- DBS, 

1 JUL 22 Friday SOAPS DEVO

 1 JUL 22 Friday SOAPS DEVO

(Scripture, Observation, Apply, Pray, Share)

Reading Plan: Psalm 140, 142; Num. 24:1-13; Romans 8:12-17; Matthew 22:15-22

S-And since we are his children, we are heirs.  In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory.   But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.  Romans 8:17

O- We love the benefits of being connected to God through Jesus and hope to be in heaven when we die.  We cannot hope for this eternity in glory if we will not submit our lives in totality to God’s will.  That means we will share in his suffering being rejected when we share the gospel, experience hostility and indifference, and possibly persecution and death.

A- I will bless the Lord in the good times and the bad.  I know that the path to life is a narrow road that leads to suffering for a little while, but is nothing compared to the glory I will see.

P- Lord, each day I yield my life to you come what may.  Empower us to do your will even if it means that I will suffer because of it.  In that suffering, I know that it brings you glory. Amen.

S-K, R,