Introduction Greetings! How are you and how's it going? How have you been? I hope that you are doing well and that you are drawing near to God every day more and more! One way we can draw near to God is through reading His Word. Can you think of other ways that people can draw near to God?
So for today's meditation I am using the SOAP method. What is the SOAP method? Each letter of the acronym SOAP stands Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. Let's get started!
Scripture Today I am reading Proverbs 20. Proverbs 20 verse 6 (can be written as Pr. 20:6) states: "Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?" This was taken from the NKJV, or the New King James Version. What does this verse say? What does this verse mean? These are questions that we will look at in the next section.
Observation When we practice the observation phase, we are reading the Scripture, and looking at what the Word is actually saying. We seek to answer what does this verse say? And, what does this verse mean? When I read this verse this morning, I felt like God (the Divine Author) was saying that faithful people are hard to find; that they're rare jewels. Gems. Most people toot their own horns. I think God is saying or showing that people will disappoint us at times. No one or very few are ever 100 % there for us all the time.
Application In this section we might answer the question of "how might I apply this verse to my life?" For me, I let this verse encourage me to rely upon and depend upon the Lord for my everything. Let me appreciate the goodness of people when they do enter my life. Let me examine my own life, and ask for God's help to improve in areas of faithlessness or inconsistencies I may have (which I do)! Finally, let me ask the Lord to grow me into a faithful person for His kingdom and for His glory.
In what area or areas do I need more faithfulness? Areas of need that came to mind were money/finances, marriage/relationships, and work/school.
Another question that came to mind was how can I take steps practically to grow or move towards greater consistency? Some ideas that came to my mind were tithe, budget, and be accountable (money/finances); honesty, integrity, emotional intelligence and empathy (for marriage and relationships); and complete assignments on time, increase the quality of my work, and exercise more creative expression (for the work/and school category).
What about you my dear reader? What does this verse say and mean to you? How might YOU apply this verse (or any of the Scriptures you have read) to your life today? Are there any areas in your life where you might need more faithfulness? Or more consistency? What are those areas? What steps can you take on a practical level to grow and/or move towards greater consistency in your life? Know that God wants to help you and walk with you on this journey of life. In the next step, we pray and ask God for His help. I'll be offering 2 possible prayers.
Prayer Both before and after reading Scripture we can pray, to ask God to open our eyes, hearts, and ears to "hear" His Word and to be "open" to Him. We can pray to ask the Lord for help to apply His Word to our lives. That is a prayer that He loves to answer, because He wants us to know Him. Here are two sample prayers for you to pick from, or you can say your own prayer using your own words from your own heart and mind.
Blessing Prayer~May the Lord grant me the ability to operate with integrity in every area of my life. May the Lord help me operate with more consistency and dependability also. Amen.
Personal Prayer~Dear Lord~Would You please help me become more aware of how I can become more consistent, more faithful, operating with integrity in all that I do? Help grow me into a more dependable person for others. I trust You Lord that You will do Your work in me in my life Your way in Your time, for Your Kingdom and for Your glory. Into Your hands I commit my spirit afresh and anew again today Lord. Amen. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Love, Moe
Conclusion Thank you so much for joining me today via online for our little devotion time together. I pray you were blessed and felt more drawn to the Lord. He loves you unconditionally and He knows you personally. May I encourage you dear reader to keep reading the Word of God (also known as the Holy Bible) and pray to keep knowing Him more and more. God bless you always. He will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast on Thee (refer to Isaiah 26:3). By the way, when it says him it means him or her so women are included in this verse also, just so you know! Much love, from southern California, Monica.
