Calling Out To God

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Oh, thank God—he's so good! His love never runs out. All of you set free by God, tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression, Then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas. Some of you wandered for years in the desert, looking but not finding a good place to live, Half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion. Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God. He got you out in the nick of time.... Some of you were locked in a dark cell, cruelly confined behind bars, Punished for defying God's Word, for turning your back on the High God's counsel— A hard sentence, and your hearts so heavy, and not a soul in sight to help. Then you called out to God in your desperate condition; he got you out in the nick of time.... Some of you were sick because you'd lived a bad life, your bodies feeling the effects of your sin; You couldn't stand the sight of food, so miserable you thought you'd be better off dead. Then you called out to God in your desperate condition; he got you out in the nick of time.... Some of you set sail in big ships; you put to sea to do business in faraway ports. Out at sea you saw God in action, saw his breathtaking ways with the ocean: With a word he called up the wind— an ocean storm, towering waves! You shot high in the sky, then the bottom dropped out; your hearts were stuck in your throats. You were spun like a top, you reeled like a drunk, you didn't know which end was up. Then you called out to God in your desperate condition; he got you out in the nick of time.... If you are really wise, you'll think this over— it's time you appreciated God's deep love. Psalm 107 [MSG]
• O: Why do we always wait until times are at their hardest to call out to God for help? And when we do, how great is it of Him to always come to the rescue?
• A: Just after 9/11, when thousands of people died and millions of others were affected by the attacks on our nation, there was a massive outcry to God. When disaster strikes -- hurricane, earthquake, tornadoes, floods -- we turn to churches for assistance with cleanup, food, and shelter. Recently I heard a traveler with car problems mention that he was contacting local churches to ask for help with the repairs. When times are tough, we call on God for help. When we suffer great loss, we call on God for comfort. When we are in dire need, we call on God to provide. But when things are going well -- we're prosperous, happy, and successful -- we seem more likely to credit our own hard work than the good grace of God. When we have our fifteen minutes of fame, whom do we credit? When was the last time you saw someone in a crowd caught by a TV camera call out to God? Not likely, but I'll bet you can't count how many times you saw someone wave and mouth "Hi, Mom." I love my mom, and I miss her dearly, and she did a great job of raising me and molding me into the man I am today. But the reason she was so successful in doing so was because she was a Godly woman. She taught me to love, respect, and fear the Lord. She taught me to give thanks in all things. She taught me to call out to God in praise as well as in need. To my mother I owe so much, but to my God who blessed me with such a wonderful mother, then continued to bless me with an awesome wife and two great kids, and gave me the ultimate gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, I owe everything. To Him I call out in worship and praise, "I love You, God! Thank You for Your mercy and grace!"
• P: Lord, You've given me so much in life. So much that there's nothing I "need" right now. To You, God, I call out with thankfulness.

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Excuses or Blessings?

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: What you've been shown here is somewhat like a letter in a sealed envelope. If you give it to someone who can read and tell her, "Read this," she'll say, "I can't. The envelope is sealed." And if you give it to someone who can't read and tell him, "Read this," he'll say, "I can't read." Isaiah 29:11-12 [MSG]
• O: Excuses accomplish nothing.
• A: It seems that I get this from my own employees regularly. I ask them to do something and their first response is to tell me why they can't. Not to ask for further instruction. Not to ask for assistance. But to say that they just can't do it. And they are more often than not just lame excuses with no basis in reality. People who have received repeated training will try to tell me that they don't know how to do the simplest of tasks. Excuses. Not reasons. We can be like that with God. "I can't tithe because I have bills to pay." "I can't go to church because I have to work on Sunday." "I can't pray in front of a group because they'll laugh at me." All of them excuses, and God knows it. We are only fooling ourselves when we try these lame excuses. And what do we gain? A little extra fun money? A couple extra hours of sleep on Sunday? But at what cost? Since starting to tithe, I have seen God bless the 90% that I don't return to Him. I seem to have more money between paydays than in the past, and there is no earthly logical reason for it (especially with the cost of gasoline driving the price of everything up). Church has changed our lives -- you can see it in my entire family. The excuses cost you more than just doing what is right. And it's the same at work, as I've promoted newer employees because of their productivity while reducing the hours of tenured Associates. The excuses have cost them hours and money, while getting the job done has paid rewards to others.
• P: God, You've taught me a lesson that works both spiritually and professionally. By putting an end to the excuses and returning to You that which You have given me, I have been blessed. And by putting those same principles in place at work, I have seen Your blessings there, as well.

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Keep God's Earth Beautiful

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Isaiah 24:1-6
• O: See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants- it will be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The LORD has spoken this word. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth languish. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. [ISAIAH 24:1-6 NIV]
• A: We have not taken care of the Earth that God has given us. He gave it to us (through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden) to be good stewards of, and we have caused pollution and broken the laws of nature. We have destroyed the forests and plowed the fields under to make way for progress. We have developed equipment and machinery to improve our lives while at the same time destroying the bounty that God has given us. God's green Earth has been wrapped in gray skies by the pollution we keep pumping into the air. I'm no "tree-hugger," and could not be labeled an environmentalist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do believe that man will one day pay the price for our poor stewardship of God's Earth.
• P: Lord, for what little that we might be able to do to become better stewards of your Earth, I and my family want to help. From cleaning up the trash around the pond, to turning off unused lights more, reducing driving by consolidating or eliminating errand trips, and trying to reuse and recycle to eliminate landfill waste, please help us to inspire others to be more conscious of how our actions affect the Earth and those around us.

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God's Provisions

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Genesis 1:31; 1 Timothy 6:17
• O: God created heaven and earth from nothing. Out of the void of space, He thought the world into being. He filled it with forestation and livestock -- fish and animals of all kind. Then He created man to watch over, protect, and enjoy His creation. Then He created woman so that man would not be alone. And, in God's eyes, it was good.
• A: As a child growing up, I was a generally happy kid. Looking back, I remember that mom and dad frequently sacrificed so that we (their four kids) might have all that we needed and most of what we wanted. In fact, I've always told people that I had a good childhood, that mom and dad gave me everything I needed and wanted without spoiling me. Funny thing is, when I think about it, I didn't have all of the things that kids today expect and frequently take for granted. The Atari 2600 came into popularity during my childhood. The first home television game system, really, it was groundbreaking technology. Soon followed by Intellivision and Colecovision, they were the must have games of my childhood. But I never had one. A friend of mine had one, but not my family. Mopeds became prominent during my teen years, and the legal driving age was 14. Again, a friend had one, but no one in my family. In fact, we never even had cable television during my childhood. Growing up about halfway between Hamilton and Cincinnati, we pulled in twelve different stations using an over-the-air antenna. I've learned in adult life that most cities don't have access to such a large array of free television. The point to all of this is that I always remember childhood as a happy time, and having everything I wanted and needed. But I clearly didn't have all of the latest gadgets and toys. I had family, I had friends, and I had God. As a family, we did things together. We played games, and went camping and on other vacations together. We went to church regularly. We went to drive-in movies together (anybody remember those?). The bottom line is, I had a good childhood because my family taught me to enjoy and appreciate the things that God had provided. Creation, friends, family. Things that man cannot create and that you cannot find on the store shelves. Later in life, as an adult, I've enjoyed many of the tech gadgets created by man, but I'm still far from a materialistic person. Above all else, I still enjoy the gifts of God above all else. The view from here is good.
• P: Lord, Thank You for providing for myself and my family; for meeting all of our needs, and even satisfying some of our desired. Thank You for giving us your wonderful creation and for teaching me to enjoy and appreciate it. And most of all, Lord, Thank You for blessing me with a childhood in a family where family was indeed more important than the latest, greatest big thing.

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