I have to say I am pretty amazed at how much feedback Sunday night got. People are craving practical help, ..... along with inspiration, ..... especially the young people in our church family.
As I said Sunday night, Inspiration without Application leads to Frustration.....
I think we have alot of frustrated folk out in the Body of Christ!
With that, I have had a few requests over the past 2 days for me to post what I do, using the "S-O-A-P" method. You start with Scripture (S) from your daily Bible reading plan, then write your Observations (O) on the ONE passage that struck you. From there, you write the Application (A) of this to your own life. You then finish with a short Prayer (P) that expresses your heart to God to work in you from what His Word has challenged you on.
This is such an enjoyable practice! It is pretty cool writing your own devotional from what God speaks to your heart and mind personally! I limit each days entry to ONE page only, as I want to work at being concise in what I write and say.
May God Himself meet you through your times in His Word....!
PB
First Love
Nov 17, 2007
Scripture: "But I have this complaint against you: You dont love Me or each other the way you did at first. Look how far you have fallen!...(Rev 2:4)
Observation: As we get older, we mature and usually do more for God. We lead small groups. We are on the worship team. We preach. We teach, pastor, whatever. We are involved with the church, which is good and should always be a core part of our lives. BUT, the one thing Jesus is always looking for, that we usually lose sight of, is "Do I LOVE Jesus and my brothers and sisters in Christ the way I did in the beginning?" LOVE, God's love, filling our hearts is something Jesus seeks from us continually. When Jesus first came into my life, everything was fresh and new. I was a "Jesus Freak"! I easily overlooked offenses from others. I cared deeply about my friends and their walk with God. When they stumbled, I was upset. Why? I LOVED them. God's love was present in my heart.
Application: I need to continually check my "love gauge": Do my affections stir for Christ? Does it bother me that people are lost and going to hell without Christ? Do I grieve when I hear of fellow Christians falling into sin? Do I want to go to prayer meetings, to opportunities to grow closer to the Lord? Has my love grown cold?
Prayer: "Lord Jesus, when You look upon my life, I want you to see me doing those 'first works' that show 'first love'. Fill me, my King. Love and loyalty, Bobby
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