Tag Archives: Nugget ‘O Truth

SOAP: Believing What You’re Told

17 Tuesday Dec 2013

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Scripture: 

“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” – Luke 1:45

Observation: This verse comes from the little story in the beginning of Luke about Mary going to visit her relative Elizabeth. They were both pregnant, and Elizabeth was soon to give birth to John the Baptist. She had been barren, and the bible described her as “advanced in years”, so this was obviously a miracle pregnancy for her. It didn’t quite compare to the one that Mary had going on, what with having conceived through the Holy Spirit.
Mary was young and about to get married when she was told that she was chosen to carry the Son of the Most High. She could have responded in so many ways, from terror to anxiety to denial, but she decided to go with it. Instead of asking useless questions (aside from the obvious one) she accepted what was spoken over her life with a simple “let it be to me according to your word.”
When she went to visit Elizabeth she was welcomed with not only confirmation of the angel’s words but also someone who could relate to the experiences she was going through. Obviously Elizabeth didn’t have the exact situation going on as Mary, but she was also proof that God could create life in any of His willing servants. While Elizabeth was serving as a picture of how God can create life out of the barren and aged, Mary was a picture of how He could create life from absolutely nothing but a servant’s heart.

Application: For one thing there is a very clear message in this verse itself, that belief in what the Lord speaks into your life will result in being blessed. But belief is what, telling yourself over and over that what God said will come true? Reminding yourself when you don’t believe that you need to at least pretend to believe?
Don’t get me wrong, I think belief is key in our walks with Christ, mainly because without belief we will not be able to take steps forward in faith. What I struggle with when I read words like belief and faith is finding a way to take these almost abstract ideas that the bible is loaded with and turn them into something that I can apply to my daily life. Faith isn’t just belief, it’s belief in action. And belief isn’t going to get you anywhere by itself, because faith gives it maturity.
So when this verse says that Mary is blessed because she believed it is much more than simply thinking it would happen. She had to wake up every day knowing she was pregnant with the Son of God, and endure whatever ridicule and rumors spread about her. She had to do what the angel told her to do and go visit Elizabeth, which is belief in action. In order to apply this verse to my life I need to really take the time to listen to what God is saying and to believe that He will fulfill His promises, to take steps forward to where He wants me to be.

Prayer: God, this is my least favorite time of the year. Holidays are the worst. Even the one all about Christ makes me want to stay in bed until next year. I know that there is supposed to be joy in this season but I don’t want anything to do with the season at all.
But you know this. You know every part of me. My heart is not hidden from you, even when I want it to be. The fact that you don’t punish me for eternity for most of what I am is the best blessing I could ever receive. You have already spoken over my life and I do believe that you are fulfilling your promises, and I pray you’ll give me the strength to walk in faith towards the places you have prepared for me.
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The Difference

02 Monday Dec 2013

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bfrommorons
Some days are better than others. Some days bring sunshine and roses and others make you want to cut people and become a hermit. Some days I want to shove people into traffic and put locks on the doors in my room so no one will ever bother me again. On these days I find myself thinking “I want to believe God is good. I really think he is. Maybe I’ll see it if I just keep saying it…”
God has so much more patience for me than I deserve. On my bad days I am like Israel, walking in the direction that God has pointed me and complaining the entire time. I underestimate the amount of grace that has been given because I figure that since God has given it to me he won’t really pay attention to the times when I doubt, when I covet, when I decide to stay unsatisfied.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” – 1 Timothy 6:6-8

How easy it is to see the things that I want so badly as a need. I don’t need to see some wonderful miracle to have proof that God is good. In fact, I don’t even need to have proof. The only proof I need is what he has already given me, life.
So I want to stop thinking of God being good as something that I hope to see. I don’t need to have good things happen in order to know that God is good. I don’t need a mantra to try to cling to sanity on bad days, I need to bow my heart when I say “God is good” and believe it.
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SOAP: Thoughts on Soil

21 Monday Oct 2013

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DSC_0536Scripture:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22&23

Observation: When we are living life through the Spirit of God our qualities become more like His. I do not have many of these qualities. And I need them.
Breaking down the concept of fruit, how does one get fruit? Through a plant. How does one grow a plant? By planting a seed. How does one get a good, healthy, strong plant that grows amazingly delicious fruit? By planting it in good soil and tending to it.
I can see that I’m missing some of the fruit of the Spirit in my life, and I’m convicted. I have not been tending the seed of faith that God gave me, and I may even be polluting it’s soil.
On a side note, this realization has nothing to do with anyone else. I’m the kind of person that will compare things in my life to anyone else’s, and this conviction has nothing to do with anyone I have compared myself with, it’s just a straight up message from God that’s popped up on my hard drive. As Galatians says in chapter 6, each one should test his own actions so that he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else, because each one should carry their own load.

Application: I have this conviction that I need to start “tending the garden”, so to speak. And I feel, above the human tendency toward shame and guilt, blessed to have a God who wants to show me that I need to change some things. His guidance and mercy in this revelation gives me more faith in what He can do, and more determination to start “tending the garden”. So how do I do this?
I read recently that the fruit of the Spirit grows in the soil of obedience. Them’s strong words for a rebellious sinner like me. But I’ve thought of two things that will hopefully aid me in using this statement as encouragement.
For one, the H. Sizzle works in us in ways that we can’t even imagine, because it’s the Spirit of God and He can do all things. He can do things like take the small amount of patience, kindness, or joy that I have and turn it into a mountain of fruit. He can take any small investment and turn it into a huge return. So while I take small steps in faith I know that God will have a wonderful journey set out ahead of me.
Secondly, I do recall that in Isaiah even Jesus “grew up before him like a young plant”. Jesus himself had to deal with the temptations and trials of being human. Sure, Son of God, absolutely perfect and all that, but then this description… Because he was also human. It wasn’t necessarily the fact that He is the Son of God that made Him grow so well. Looking at the Gospels show that He wasn’t just preaching the gospel and sleeping and eating, He took the time to cultivate His garden. So while I am not perfect in any way, I still find encouragement in that the most perfect Son of God still “tended His garden”.

Prayer: God, thank You for being able to bring me into places where I can be repentant and hopeful. Thank You for being merciful enough to forgive me for being imperfect, and still desiring to draw me closer to You. You know how weak my will is, how difficult it is for me to change, but You are bigger and stronger than my will ever is. Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit and for the work that will be done in me. While I try to take the steps towards obedience I pray that You will guide my feet and give me endurance. Thank You for being with me every step of the way.
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SOAP: Gimme That. Please.

01 Tuesday Oct 2013

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myownScripture:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7

Observation: This one is pretty clear cut, Jesus says that if you take the first step in action by asking, seeking, knocking, we will receive results.

Application: This scripture is about such a dangerous process if you’re a proud idiot like me. Praying that God would secure me for whatever tragedy comes next just a week or two before a friend dies. Seeking and praying for a job and finding one that helps make ends meet but isn’t something I’m necessarily passionate about. Asking Him to make it clear if someone should be in my life or take them out of it, then forgetting how many times I prayed that and being really upset when they are removed from my life. And when I remember that I asked for it what I want to do is throw an infantile fit, but what I have to do is thank God for mercifully answering prayers.

But when I find myself in times of hardship I don’t think first of asking God for help. There are things that I need to start asking for that I’ve been considering too small for God to care about, which is not true. I’ve cycled back into a place of believing that He’s too busy, that I am too small.

Prayer: God, you have already told me that I am not too small of a concern. You have said in Your word that each one of us was created by Your own hands, and You sent Your son to die for our sins before someone like me was even born. I know that You care for me, but I have been thinking that it only goes so far. I’m sorry for doubting that You care about each moment of my life, and I pray You’ll renew my heart on this matter. I can’t just remember on my own, so I’ll take whatever reminders You want to send me. And thanks for how You’ve already proven Yourself so greatly, in such big and wonderful ways. Thank You for giving me the times You’ve provided to remember in times like these, so that I can see the proof of who You are. dirty

For What It’s Worth

16 Monday Sep 2013

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schmidtdroppingwisdom
Let’s talk about gold for a minute.
Gold is not very useful. It’s soft, so soft that in the old days pirates would bite coins to make sure they were gold. You can’t exactly make a sword with it and expect it to cut somebody. I’m 65% convinced that the person’s body heat would make the sword bend around their body.
It’s not good for building houses unless you want to slowly sink into the foundation. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 3 we are told expressly that building a foundation using things like straw, hay, wood, precious stones, or GOLD will lead to some very unhappy homeowners.
I’ve heard the saying “…where the streets are paved with gold” before and recently realized that no one should ever go to that place. For one, what kind of people are in charge of that place? Are they using gold bricks as a road? How could they think that’s a good idea? Also, it will become so soft that everyone will leave foot prints, much less tire marks. Who is paying for all of that gold being replaced when it becomes so dirty and indented that there is no longer a street? It’s a stupid idea.
The gold used in jewelry is mixed with other, stronger metals. If you had even a 85% gold ring it would bend all over your finger and probably break right off. It doesn’t make sense that such a pliable metal is sold for so much money. Why is it so expensive?
Because we decided it was. Back in the day, someone found a rare rock that was yellow and shiny and decided to hold on to it at any cost. They thought it was beautiful. They kept it.
Now let’s talk about God.
He made man to be something that reflected everything that He is, and man went ahead and became something … well, broken. Because of sin there isn’t really a good use for us either. We are horrible reflections of God on a regular basis. We are useless in our own ways, instead of showing the world God’s love and promises we are hateful, deceitful, selfish.
But because God is crafty (hello, the Creator of all) He puts value on us. He found us to be so valuable that His son died for our lives. Through Christ we are worth far more than what we should be valued at. We are able to become new creations. We are no longer broken creations. When we are in Christ, we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We become God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).
Basically, if we are to God what gold is to us we can be secure in what He has done and no longer need to find our worth elsewhere. We don’t have to impress anyone, or be the best at our work, or need other people to love us. We can rest, assured that we know how much we’re worth to God.
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