Reflection:
1. God wants us to be persistent in our prayers. Has there been a prayer you gave up on because it wasn’t answered in your timing?
2. How has your prayer life been recently? What are some things you can do to improve?
3. Some people see God as unjust. How do you view God’s goodness and why?
SOAP is an acronym for the following:
● Scripture - choose the scripture you will be reading and studying
● Observation - write down what you observe about the passage, i.e., the context of what is happening
● Application - how can you apply what you just read into your life?
● Prayer - write down a prayer and spend time listening to God
So how practically can you do that? Here’s an example:
S – Scripture: Colossians 1:5-8: “The faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you inheaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.”
O– Observation:
● When you combine faith and love, you get hope
● We have to remember that our hope is in heaven ... it is yet to come
● The gospel is the word of truth
● The gospel is continually bearing fruit and growing from the 1st day to the last
● It just takes one person to change a whole community ... Epaphras
A – Application: Something that stood out to me today was how God used one man – Epaphras – to change a whole town!!! I was reminded that we are simply called to tell others about Christ ... it's God’s job to spread the gospel, to grow it, and have it bear fruit. I felt today’s verses were almost directly spoken to (church): “all over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.” Isn’t it fun when God’s Word becomes so alive and speaks directly where we are at?!!!! My prayer today is that all of us involved in this 5-week challenge will understand God’s grace and have a thirst for His Word.
P – Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me to be an “Epaphras” ... to tell others about you and then leave the results in your loving hands. Please help me to understand and apply what I have read today to my life personally, thereby becoming more and more like you each and every day. Help me to live a life that bears the “fruit” of faith and love, anchoring my hope in heaven, not here on earth. Help me to remember that the BEST is yet to come!
Can’t wait to see how GOD is moving in your life!
Pastor Patrick
Next Week… We want to help you build strong relationships in this new year! This Sunday is one that will set you up for a strong year of healthy relationships!
