SOAP: strong hands

S - Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Let your hands be strong... that the temple might be built... Fear not, but let your hands be strong... These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD... The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' — Zechariah 8:9, 13, 16-17, 21 (ESV)

O - God speaks plainly to his people through Zechariah, "Listen, I'm not asking for anything new. The new thing is that you will do it."

A - I wonder how much this decision really falls to the next generation. We only see and act as a dim reflection of the beauty and light of our God and His Kingdom. The next generation can be discouraged by the previous generation's "dimness," or they can learn and set their hands to the work for their resplendent King.

P - Lord, let my hands be strong. Let me not fear. Oh that truth would be on my lips, wisdom in my mind, and grace in my heart. May your name be honored in the city, and may many come searching for you because of your people.

SOAP: treasuring God

S - For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing... If then you are not able to do as small a thing as (adding an hour to your life), why are you anxious about the rest... your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom... For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. — Luke 12: 23, 26, 30-32, 34 (ESV)

O - Life is more than food. Physical. Desire. Feeling. Needs. Getting. Satisfaction. Comfort.

The body is more than clothing. Stuff. Status. Job. Hiding. Covering. Looking good. Having it "together."

A - I cannot "add" to my life. Why then think that food or clothing, desire fulfilled or status, comfort or having it all together will do that? God knows what I need. It delights Him to provide for me. It delights Him to give His children all they need. It delights Him to welcome us into all the grandness of life he actually has to offer!

P - Lord, I'm not worrying about food and clothing. I'm worried about treasuring you and your kingdom. Help me bring others along.

FAITH ACCOUNT: To treasure God and His Kingdom above all things. Considering Luke 12:13-57. (this is for the high school small group I am a part of, we each are writing down the relationship we think God is calling us to have with Him)

Rain City Hymnal Sampler

Some free worship music. Some classic hymns in a new style...

SOAP: pointing the way

S - If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here... In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree. — Zechariah 3:6, 10 (ESV)

O - Joshua stands between Satan and an angel before God. God silences Satan, and turns to Joshua. God has plans to restore His house and people through Joshua. He needs Joshua to not make the mistakes of the past. Instead, he is to keep (care for, preserve, and obey) God's commandments and complete the task of rebuilding the temple. God even gave him friends to help prepare and point the way to Jesus, when everyone will graciously invite their neighbors to share in the blessings of God.

A - It's hard to ignore the similar state of the church. It seems many churches have been in "waiting"... for the "old days," perhaps. Could it be that God has brought up a new batch of men, like Joshua and his friends, to prepare and point the world to Jesus? Of course! I want to be like those men. Pointing the way to Jesus.

P - Father, your plans are good. I'm sorry for our forgetfulness and faithlessness. For the sake of your name, for I and your church bear it, have mercy on us. Help us rebuild like in the days after the Exile. May your church be grander and grander as time goes on! I can't wait for when it will be the pure and spotless bride you deserve!

SOAP: a time to build

S - "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little... Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. — Haggai 1:4-6, 8 (ESV)

O - God is done with the people waiting for "right" conditions. Even though things have not gone as planned, and the road is not an easy one, God wants us to be overwhelmed with a passion for Him and His purposes. Compelled by love. We are clearly compelled to work hard on what seems to benefit us. But how has that really gone for us, really? "Stop doing your own thing and waiting for things to seem right to you," says the Lord, "Get about my business now!"

A - It's time to build. It's time to work on God's glory and plans just as we have worked on our own. I'm going for it this week. We will replant the gospel word, we will cry out to you, we will bless as we have been blessed.

P - Lord, I'm in. We're going. Teaching your word. Sharing your hope. Seeking your joy. May your name be lifted up in our house. In our neighborhood. In our city. In YOUR church.

SOAP: never look back

S - Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." — Luke 9:62 (ESV)

O - If one is called by Jesus to something it will be uncomfortable, time consuming, and hard. But if one is convinced of the worth of Christ and the effectiveness of his work, one will never look back.

A - I want to set my face towards what you are about Jesus: ushering in the new humanity where forgiven sinners are brought together under your gracious reign. Faithful men... lead Godly families... form Gospel communities... plant churches.

P - Lord, we want to be faithful men. Help us set our faces towards what you have called us to. It is infinitely worth it!

SOAP: a local

S -"Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. — Luke 8:39 (ESV)

O - Jesus works with locals and wants them to stay right where they are. True, he calls some to follow him from place to place, but most encounters end with him sending people to their local priest or to spread the word from their home.

A - I guess this is a bit of what I feel. It seems God wants me to return to my "local priest" and go throughout my city proclaiming what God has done. God has done so much for me. I hear his call to be a "local" proclaiming in my city what he has done.

P - Jesus, I feel a bit stuck on this. Help me with my neighbors. Help me with those I know through Caleb and Ashlyn. Help me with those I am getting to know through our gospel community. I want to work hard on this. You are an amazingly faithful God and I feel blessed to be called to be a "local."

SOAP: sanity

S - Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. — Psalm 85:8-9 (ESV)

O - Longing for revival, the Psalmist asks to hear God's voice. He knows God will bring about good things. He knows God's people need to hear from him. He knows God will bring about good things. He knows God's people need to hear from him. He also knows, right alongside this, that God's people very easily forget.

A - Is it any wonder I struggled to do this SOAP today. How easy it is to just move through the day... This is folly. Waiting on the Lord to speak is sanity.

P - Lord, I'm thankful you are gracious with men of folly. Gracious to me. I want revival. Revival in me. Revival in my family. Revival in my neighborhood. Revival in my city. We need you Jesus. We need your voice. We need your leadership. We need your peace.

SOAP: kind to the ungrateful

S - But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you... And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. — Luke 6:27-28, 31 (ESV)

O - Jesus lays out the blessings of the Kingdom, and warns of the false security of this world. His encouragement, and command, to those stirred or shaken by his words is to love. Love those not easy to love. Love those who wish to harm you. Love those who speak ill of you. Love those who take advantage of you or hurt you. Live towards others as you would want them to live towards you. This is a scary charge, if one forgets about the love and care of God, "for he is kind to the ungrateful and evil."

A - It's easy for me to think I am wise in my own eyes. Like I have all I need on my own. I'm glad I can still be shaken by Jesus' words. He exposes where I have not built my life on him. I must learn to love as God does. I struggle to be kind to people who don't give back in return, or are just meaning to take advantage of me.

P - Lord, help me learn to be as gracious as you. Help me "be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." I want to be innocent enough to be kind, and wise enough to trust your love and care.

SOAP: community repentance

S - Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth... Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. — Daniel 9:13; 10:12 (ESV)

O - Daniel perceived what God said through the prophets. He saw his sin, and the sin of God's people. He owned it all and moved forward himself in prayer, repentance, and God's truth. God heard him, and cared for him in the midst of exile.

A - I am struck by how Daniel owned his people's sin, and made a choice to obey God himself. Too often I think of myself as an individual following God, or even give up following God "all the way" because of how I perceive other people around me. Daniel viewed his relationship with God in the context of God's people being scattered and having been disobedient for generations. Will I own the sins of the church, present and past? Will I mourn my part in the disobedience of God's people? This was not overwhelming or unwanted by Daniel, instead, this kind of community repentance was integral to his own devotion to God.

P - Lord, I sense we have lost our first love and fallen "in love" with the gifts of faith, not the giver of faith. We were made for a love relationship with you. Gifts are only temporary, but, you, the Giver, are eternal. You are awesome God. O, how we have fallen in love with your gifts and neglected you. Lord, how addicted we have become to your gifts and simply left you behind. Help us return to you, not for our sake, but for the sake of your mercy and your name!

SOAP: counting on you

S - The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'"... (the devil) said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory..." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'"... (the devil) said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here... And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" — Luke 4:3-4, 6, 8, 9, 12 (ESV)

O - The devil tempts Jesus to take care of himself, seek his own authority and glory (versus the Father's), and to take matters into his own hands. These attacks come against Jesus' identity, his dependency as a human, and the character of God. When his sonship and provision are challenged, Jesus reminds the devil, and us, that we cannot just look to the physical and the immediate to solve our problems. Instead, there is an invitation to trust God and his promises. When offered authority (independence) and glory, Jesus reminds us to stand in awe of a truly powerful God and to do whatever we can to magnify his goodness. When God's faithfulness and goodness are challenged, Jesus reminds us that God has brought us this far, surly he will continue to bring us the rest of the way.

A - Having a third child in the midst of having no job certainly feels like a desert. I am confident of your leading here. I heard you say I should follow the Elders lead. I heard you say I should wait for your provision. So here I am in the desert. Tempted to take things into my own hands, feeble though they may be. Your angels have to help me from really wrecking myself, right? You have reminded me of my sonship. Your faithful Fatherhood. You have brought miraculous provision. You and your plans for us are good. I will trust in them. I hear an invitation to Sabbath rest. Time with you. Family. No work. Acts of service. Healing. Prayer. Play. Eating. Laughing. Singing. Dreaming. Hoping. Remembering. Forgiving.

P - Lord, I'm counting on you. For life. Intimacy. Food. Shelter. Health. I've really got nothing without you.

SOAP: awaiting the dawn

S - If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. — Psalm 130:3-6 (ESV)

O - No one could stand before God if he were not gracious and forgiving. How terrible to stand before God knowing what you deserve. How awesome to be forgiven by a righteous God. What will sustain a man? To wait for God's mercy, to hope in God's promises. In the darkest nights, to long for the coming of our God.

A - I hear you extending me forgiveness. I hear your invitation to know you. I hear your call for patience and hope. I will choose to be the watchman longing for the dawn.

P - Lord, help me endure with the same grace you give me. I'm seriously ready for you to act. Keep me alert, ready for what you will reveal tomorrow.

Hooray! God!

Hooray! God! My Shepherd! I will have all I need!
He has removed my fear, my tension, my annoyances,
and I'm so satisfied I can rest in the midst of good opportunities.
He takes me past the things I long for,
for he and his plans are enough for me.
He makes me completely whole.
He guides me on trustworthy paths that I would never take on my own,
so he gets the credit.

Even though life can be dark and hard,
I have nothing to fear,
because I know you are always close to me.
Your guidance and correction are welcome.
You bless me so that I can bless those who hurt me.
You immerse me in blessing,
I can't believe all you have given me.

I'm convinced that your goodness and love are always right there when I need it.
I will never leave your presence,
I always want to be with you.

Psalm 23 (paraphrased)

SOAP: show me your glory

S - Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.

The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel! — Psalm 128 (ESV)

O - Those who stand in awe of God are good. They will have what they need. Their work will be rewarding. Their spouse and children will be a blessing. Yes, it is well with those who know God. They live long in peace.

A - I don't nearly glory in God enough. He is tremendous. Consider the works of his hands. Think about his Son. Marvel at what has happened these last few months. How good is our God? He is far beyond what I can imagine... yet the things in front of me can so easily capture my attention.

P - Show me your glory God! Never let up! Remind me of your character, your power, your faithfulness. Thank you for your promises. Teach my heart to trust and hope in you.

SOAP: cry out

S - You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. — Psalm 145: 16, 18-19 (ESV)

O - All God needs to do is open His hand and we have more than all the world could ever need. Truck loads of provision for all... But He will not force himself upon us. He waits for us to call... to cry out. Who will call longing for Him and His ways? He is the dream maker and the dream fulfiller. He has set eternal things in us. Yet, we suffer under our sin and the sin of others. Our vision has been shortened. Our dreams thwarted. Mini-dreams and short term satisfaction is all we think is possible.

A - I want to break out of the short sightedness of sin. The King of the Universe stands ready to be all that I need. The deepest unspoken things inside me will be satisfied by Him, and Him alone.

Cry out, O my Soul! Your King awaits. Do not settle, Soul. He is far more than you have ever dreamed!

P - Lord you have showed me truck loads of your provision, waiting to be received. Set me and my family free! Set us free in true intimacy. Set us free from greed and arrogance. Set us free to be generous. Set us free to proclaim your mighty deeds to our children. Lord, you know the desires of my heart. I entrust them to you. Help me let go of how I think they should be fulfilled, my vision is so little.

SOAP: on display and gathered for holiness

S - Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you... Thus says the Lord GOD: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations... — Ezekiel 28: 17, 25 (ESV)

O - This is an intriguing passage... King of Tyre... allusions to the fall of angels and the fall of Adam... the bottom line; our lives are on display. The King, angels, Adam, me. All will be exposed. One will either be exposed as being full of oneself (pride), or full of God (holiness). Pride sets us apart from others for our own glory. Holiness sets us apart with others for the glory of God.

A - What does my life say about God? Am I being "gathered" for holiness? I take this as confirmation of my steps to pursue living the gospel in community on mission as I grow as a man of God and in biblical leadership. I take this also as a warning. Any beauty or good in this, or me, is not my own. It is bestowed by God. What once may have seemed very wise is easily corrupted by pride. These steps that I take will be exposed for what they are, no matter what I think about them now. The proof is in the pudding.

P - May we be gathered for holiness. May our lives be a display of your goodness and mercy.