S.O.A.P. and much, much more!

Pastor Greg did an awesome job today equipping the congregation for Bible study. Not only did he show us the S.O.A.P. method of studying the Bible, he also talked about attitude toward Bible reading. Here's what stuck out to me today:

• "You can celebrate God in a crowd, but you can only get to know Him in private moments" So true! I went to a Christmas party about a month ago at a friend's house and there were at least 40 people crammed into her cute bungalow. The stereo was as loud as possible, everyone was chatting and basically you were just there to celebrate, not to get to know anyone. It was only when my friend and I went to a quiet room by ourselves that we were able to really catch up and get to know each other, away from the music, the noise and everything else.
• "Having an open heart doesn't mean you accept everything." I hate it when people say if you disagree with them, that you are "close-minded". Just because I have a moral compass with which I analyze and evaluate positions and statements doesn't mean I'm "close-minded". It means I'm using the brain God gave me!
• Spiritual maturity can be defined as going out and "feeding" others. Who are you pouring into?

S.O.A.P. stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer.

Here's my example from today:

Scripture

Psalm 11: I trust in the LORD for protection. So why do you say to me, "Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety! The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right. The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?"

But the Lord is in His holy Temple; the LORD still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth. The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds. For the righteous LORD loves justice. The virtuous will see His face.

Observation

The first part reminded me of some of the late night preachers you see who are preaching "doom and gloom" on America and are urging you to "fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!", sometimes quite literally. The Psalmist doesn't even budge, but puts trust completely into the hands of God. God is the Judge, not me, not the "religious", not even the righteous. It's God who judges, I am not the final say, nor is any other person.

"He hates those who love violence" Hmmm...I wonder how many Christian men have ever really read that and thought about their own attitudes toward violence. How many times have I heard, "I loved that part when the guy's head was blown off! That was sweet!" and I just cringe. Let me write that a little clearer for you. He. Hates. Those. Who. Love. Violence. Did you see what God does to those who love violence?

Favorite part was "the virtuous will see His face". Not just have a casual acquaintance, not see Him as He heads off to do something important. See...His...face. Awesome.

Application

For me, there is a sense of no matter what calamity is upon me, no matter what the hopeless situation, I have to know deep within me that God will be my protection. That has been really hard, especially when I see injustice or experience injustice that I cannot change. A friend of my family's was unjustly fired and the administrator used "Christian-speak" to fire her. He literally told her that it was God's will to move on. It was devistating not only for her, but for everyone else involved. I'm still mad at the administrator, but I realized, oh my gosh...he's got to contend with the God of the Universe for firing an older single woman with no family who was doing His will. That's worse than anything I could ever do or say to him.

And the last part...this should be my prayer...to be one of the virtuous to see His face.

Prayer

Lord, You know my heart, You know how much it irks me to see others mistreated and how much I want to take things into my own hands and "fly like a bird". But You've said You have that covered and that my job is to seek after Your face and rest in Your holiness. Let me not be distracted by other things, no matter how "important" or "essential" they may seem. May I always seek Your kingdom first above all else. Amen.