The Light Shining in Our Darkness | A SOAP Devotional by Pastor Jamie

Read Isaiah 29 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2029&version=NLT   Isaiah 29:13, 19- And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

In 1 Laodicea 2:4 it says, "Don't humble yourself. Don’t stand out. Hide who you are. Blend into the culture as much as possible. Play it safe. Live out your faith as quietly as possible and so no one can see it.” Of course, I'm joking as this isn't a book of the Bible and there is no verse like this! Isaiah declared there was plenty of evidence of the people he was speaking to of having a significant gap between what they said and what they actually did, a gap between their words and deeds. In order to experience "fresh joy" humility and repentance was required. In the Book of Revelation the church in Laodicea, for instance, was known for being lukewarm as evidenced by only reaching out to God when they were in a crisis. God became a lucky rabbit's foot to rub when they were in a bind, but not for guidance in everyday living and ongoing relationship. $3 worth of God was more than enough, thank you very much. God was the gift that stayed locked away in the closet, but never for daily use and enjoyment. Isaiah said God wanted His people's lips and hearts in synch with one another, which could lead to that abiding sense of fresh joy.

A number of years ago many people believed that it was impossible for female pole vaulters to get higher than 10 feet. These people said it was simply "physically impossible" for women to go any higher than that. Irene Spieker first accomplished this feat in 1979. The current world record pole vault for women is 16 feet 7 inches. In other words, the "impossible" has been far exceeded time and time again. Like Jesus the prophets were always raising the bar by inviting God's people to come up higher by going low in humility, to not settle for so little from their own lives. They could in fact go higher, dig deeper, adventure further as they learned how to better cooperate with God on the journey of faith. Getting our lips, hearts, and minds in alignment as we seek to worship and serve Jesus Christ in spirit and truth means going low in humility in the service of receiving fresh joy from God.

(By Teresa of Avila- 1515-1582) O My God! Source of all mercy! I acknowledge Your sovereign power. While recalling the wasted years that are past, I believe that You, Lord, can in an instant turn this loss to gain. Miserable as I am, yet I firmly believe that You can do all things. Please restore to me the time lost, giving me Your grace, both now and in the future, that I may appear before You in “wedding garments.” Amen.

How well are your words in alignment with your heart and mind? How might going low help lead you to fresh joy?    Pastor Jamie