Why are Jews the Chosen People?

During Dinner last evening with my family, the following question was brought up: Why are Jewish people the Chosen People?  Out of all of the peoples of the world, why did God choose them?

So while I haven't been able to update this blog as frequently as I would like, I decided to combine what I responded with to my family as well as incorporate it into today's SOAP.

Scripture
Deuteronomy 7:7-9

It was not because you are more numerous than all the peoples that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you; for you are really the smallest of all peoples. It was because the Lord loved you and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn to your ancestors, that the Lord brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.  Know, then, that the Lord, your God, is God: the faithful God who keeps covenant mercy to the thousandth generation toward those who love him and keep his commandments...

Observation
God loved them because he made a promise to Abraham and his descendents because Abraham proved his faithfulness and love of God when he was tested.  This is what setup the Jewish people to be God's chosen people.  They were chosen to be the people where the Messiah would fulfill the prophesies and bring about salvation for the not just the Jews, but the rest of the world.  They were not chosen because they were saved.  They were not chosen because they would have a fun life full of pleasures and dancing ponies.  They had it rough.  They were enslaved.  They wandered around a desert for 40 years.  They were constantly attacked.  Many Jews died.  Being the Chosen People didn't mean you were safe and they didn't have an automatic ticket to heaven.  And not only that, God placed a pretty high standard on them compared to the rest of the heathen world.

Here's a pattern that someone pointed out that I thought was interesting:
Adam: God made a marriage covenant
Noah: God established a household covenant
Abraham: God established a tribal covenant
Moses: God established a national covenant
David: God established a national kingdom covenant
Jesus: God established a universal covenant (I added this one)


Application
Everyone thinks they're special.  So when we ask the question "why are they so special?", it's a bit selfish and humbling and sort of puts us in our place before God as we then become like the smallest of people.  Then we should realize that we are indeed special because through Jesus Christ, we are all now chosen people.  All you have to do is have faith.


Prayer
Lord, thank you for your glory on Earth and in Heaven.  You fulfilled the prophesies and brought salvation to all peoples of the Earth.  I pray that I continue to strengthen my faith in you and I pray that you help me continue to strengthen the faith in my family and friends.  Help me to understand my role in life and how I can better help others come to know your Glory and Salvation.  Amen.

Jesus Curses a Tree

Scripture
Mark 11:12-14

The next day as they were leaving Bethany he [Jesus] was hungry. Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, he went over to see if he could find anything on it. When he reached it he found nothing but leaves; it was not the time for figs. And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!” And his disciples heard it.

Observation
It is interesting that Jesus is shown here to what appears to be angered at a tree, and thus curses it so it will no longer fruit.  A few verses later (20-26), Jesus and the Apostles walk by that same tree and it is withered. Peter notices this and mentions that to Jesus, the tree he cursed is now withered!

At first, this could be a disturbing passage, that Jesus was angered at something that seemed trivial (he was hungry) and then cursed it because it didn't have any figs at that time, plus the verse mentions it wasn't even the right time of year, so it would be silly for Jesus to expect it to have figs.

So one can then conclude that Jesus knew the tree wasn't going to have figs, but purposefully let the Apostles to the tree and cursed it in front of them and this was all part of his plan.  He didn't do it out of spite, out of willy-nilly anger.  He did it on purpose and with a plan.  The plan is revealed in verses 23-26:

Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.”

Cursing the tree was a lesson to the Apostles.  And it's a lesson to all of us!  What first appears a bit ugly and disturbing is actually very beautiful and encouraging!  The sacrifice of the tree gives us all hope!

Application
How many times have we prayed to be healed, or prayed for a loved one, or prayed for something but in the back of your mind you're doubting. While God knows better than you, this scripture teaches us that we should believe and not doubt.  Our prayers can be powerful.  But note the little condition Jesus puts on this statement that "when you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions." which is a little prelude to our Lord's Prayer.

So, when we pray, pray with belief!  Do not doubt!  And most importantly, forgive those you have grievance with!

Prayer
Lord Jesus, you have taught us how to pray.  Help me to pray how you taught, pray with belief and pray with no doubts, pray with no hatred in my heart and pray with forgiveness of others.  Help all those who seek you through prayer and help us all in truly believing in you and what you promise.  I ask this through my Lord Jesus Christ, amen!

Christian Chains

Scripture
Acts 26:28-29

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You will soon persuade me to play the Christian.” Paul replied, “I would pray to God that sooner or later not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am except for these chains.”

Observation
What would Paul think about Christianity today?  I think he would be happy at how far and wide Christianity has spread.  We have come a long way since Paul was imprisoned and defending himself in court.  In some ways, Christianity has spread just like he wanted.  Many have listened to him and many have become like him without the chains. But unfortunately, people are still persecuted for being a Christian.  People are still killed for being a Christian.  How lucky are we to live in a nation where we have freedom of religion?  Yet even with that freedom, we are slowly being persecuted more and more. When will these chains finally come off, from all those who have suffered because of Jesus?  Well, I think the answer is simple, when Jesus returns and when we are resurrected on the last day.

Application
We must not give up hope.  I think a time is coming that we will be given even more challenges and it will be more difficult to be a Christian even in our great country.  There might come a time where we need to make a choice.  Do I listen to Paul and follow Jesus and risk being put in chains?  Or do I go with the flow, stay quiet and deny Him?  While I know we will each be challenged about our faith during our lives, this challenge could reach new levels.  Are we strong enough to meet that challenge?  I know I'm not strong enough on my own.  But with Jesus, I know I am strong enough.

Prayer
Jesus, stand beside me this hour and the next.  Help me to defend our faith in you and the good news that you bring.  How can people be so against the Good News?  It doesn't make sense except for the Evil One and his lies. Help defend me against satan and all his fallen.  Protect my family and my friends.  Keep all of us strong to do your Will.  If I should be challenged with my faith, I pray that you are there to help me face that challenge and to never deny you.  This I pray in your name, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Be Not Afraid

Scripture
Acts18:9-11

One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city.” He settled there for a year and a half and taught the word of God among them.

Observation
Do not be afraid.  This is a powerful message that God gives to us.  Do not be afraid, for I am with you always.  Do not be afraid, for I go before you.  Be not afraid... one of my favorite songs/hymns at church.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snmwD6d9Xo4

I applaud all those people that have the courage to stand up to society today and with love, tell the truth.  I don't see this often, but I've been very impressed with our current Pope Francis and his ability to speak with love and understanding and yet still speak God's truth.  It seems to upset people on the extreme left and right, but I think that means he's doing it right.

Application
How can I better proclaim the Good News? I usually avoid confrontational talk, but I should be better prepared to defend and proclaim the Good News when appropriate instead of just sitting or standing silently, looking on.  I should practice what I would say in different situations, so I don't say something completely offensive, or don't say anything at all. Everything should be approached with love, knowing that God will be with me when I need to speak on His behalf.  I'm still not sure how to do this, but I will be looking for ways to improve.

Prayer
Lord, help me to not be afraid of speaking your truth.  Help me to not be critical or shutdown when I hear people speaking your truth. I know I barely understand anything about You, and I'm just a human with faults.  You make me better.  Thank you for everything you do and I will follow you.   Amen.

Should we hate our family?

Scripture
Luke 14:26

If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Observation
Is Jesus really telling us that we must hate our father, mother, wife, children, siblings and ourselves? What does he mean?  We can look back to Abraham, he was willing to give up his own son's life for God, though he wasn't enjoying it and his heart was broken, he put God above all others and his will remained true to God.  That's what this means.  God is everything and we cannot put anyone else above Him, not even ourselves.  Jesus is using strong language here to get this point across.  To trust in Him and to follow Him, wherever it leads.  I still struggle with this passage because I think fanatics can take this to an extreme.  You can't take this out of context from the rest of the bible.  Beware of evil masquerading as your salvation.

Application
When God calls, we are too busy.  We find excuses not to heed his call.  I too often find myself in this situation where God is calling me, but I have better things to do.  Usually with church. Sports, camping, events are always getting in the way of going to church.  We try and make different times, go on Saturday evening instead of Sunday morning, or go Sunday evening.  But if church doesn't fit our schedule, it loses out. Am I putting Him above all things?  I would make a very poor disciple.  We are invited to His house dinner, but will we come or will we excuse ourselves with some lame reason like those in Luke and those in my own life? We must remain vigilant and steadfast to God's will and this requires prayer.  Don't lose sight that God is more important than sports or camping.

Prayer
My Lord, we are all so very busy these days.  I am busy.  None of that matters.  Only you matter.  Help me keep this perspective each and every day.  Help me to keep your day holy. I pray I can become a better disciple as we are all called to be your disciples.  Mother Mary of God, pray for me.  All the angles and saints in heaven, pray for me.  Jesus, save me.  Amen.

How Much More Are We

Scripture
Luke 12:22-34 (only 22-24 here)

He said to [his] disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life and what you will eat, or about your body and what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important are you than birds!"

Observation
Luke 12 in general is pretty amazing, it was hard to pick out which verse to reflect upon.  I ultimately choose this one because it is the one that I remember most and it is so comforting. Isn't it great knowing that God loves us so much!? We go about our lives, worrying about so many things. Sometimes we barely have time to breath.  From our home, our work, the volunteer stuff we do, family activities, sports, school, friends and on an on.  Sometimes we can get bogged down and feel like we can't do enough, there's not enough time, we don't have enough money, etc.

Application
Sometimes we need to take a step back, take a little breather.  Reflect on our life and what we've been doing.  Prayer is so important with this and is one reason why we should do this every day, multiple times a day!  From this passage, we know that God loves us and will take care of us.  We just need to trust in Him and follow His guidance.  Sometimes we push Him out because of our busy life and that's when things can go wrong.

Prayer
Lord, help me to realize how much you love me.  Help me to realize that you will take care of me.  I thank you so much for your love and blessings.  I give up to you all of my worries, all of my fears, all of my shortcomings.  Help me to understand how much more there is to life than what I've been worrying about. Feed me Lord!  Amen.

On Being Blessed

I've spent way too much time today on this and was going to simply not write anything, but I feel I should write something.  I obviously failed at reflecting on a more consistent basis.  But again, I think I may have solved this and hopefully I can get to this at least a few times each week.  This time I've set aside time each day at work.

Scripture 
Luke 11:27-28

While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

Observation
I picked this verse because this struck me as, wow, is this down-playing Jesus' mother and her role?  And I started doing research and this is where I spent a lot of time on this.  I was then going to avoid this verse as it is controversial but decided what the heck.  Mary is a very important figure to Catholics as well as Orthodox and some Protestant churches.  I found out that this is the verse that many non-Catholics use to down play Mary, mother of God.  Depending on the translation, some Bibles will show some affirmative in Jesus' reply in the form of something like "Yea, rather..." or similar (KJV).  Jesus affirms that his mother is blessed, but he goes deeper to say that hearing the word of God and observing the word is being blessed and that's what's important to us. The Greek word used there is an affirmative word to what the woman is saying.  Also, just a few chapters back you have the passage that states that all generations will call her blessed.  So Jesus is not contradicting scripture or saying that Mary is not important here.  But he is explaining how we can be blessed which is deeper and more important to us than simply stating the fact that Mary is blessed.  Which is kind of a "duh, of course she is, but if you want to know how you can be blessed, here's the formula."

Application
Sometimes we worry too much about other people when we need to first look at how we are.  How we are observing God's word and how we are obeying Jesus.  It's easy to point fingers at others and to see greatness in others without realizing that those who are wicked and those are blessed won't help my salvation at all so I should be focused on what's important first, my soul. I struggle with this as I can easily say that I care more for my children's souls than my own, or my wife's soul.  I want to put them first even before myself.  But I can't really help them, until I have helped myself.

Prayer
Lord, help me listen to you and to do your will always.  Help me understand you so I can then help my family understand you.  Help me to do your will so I can help my family do your will.  I pray that you guide me and protect me from those who would wish to do me evil. Be my guard, for no evil can surpass you.  Amen.

The Harvest

Well, it's been quite awhile since my last blog. I think I figured things out and should hopefully be back on track!

Scripture

Then I looked and there was a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man, with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.  Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.”  So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. 

Revelation 14:14-16

Observation
Well, there you have it. I'm pretty sure we want to be part of that harvest, and not the one that comes after. Armageddon.

Application
Hmmm... don't worship the beast. Accept Jesus Christ as your personal saviour. Love God. Love your neighbor. Be good and do good. There's my simple formula for helping to ensure you are part of the good harvest. Oh, and try and help others be part of that harvest too.

Prayer
My God, I love you and all you do. Forgive my wicked ways and I humbly beg my Lord Jesus to come to me and save me. I know I'm not worthy and nothing I can do would change that, only by your grace and love can I be saved. I am the camel and you will guide me into the eye of the needle. Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy. Amen!

True Freedom

Scripture
1 Peter 2:13-17

Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good. For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish people. Be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God. Give honor to all, love the community, fear God, honor the king.

Observation
We attain true freedom by being servants to God. We are instructed to follow our own human institutions for the Lord's sake and in doing good for His sake we are honoring God and everyone around us. But by following and being subject to human institutions, we need to be careful we don't practice what is evil in God's sight.

Application
Today many people are thankful for the freedoms we have in our wonder country, the USA. As Christians we are instructed to follow our government laws and to be subject to their will. But that doesn't mean we have to do any works that would be evil in the sight of our Lord and we shouldn't. We should always approach everything for the sake of our Lord. This will most assuredly cause us to suffer if we don't follow mainstream evils that are allowed due to our "freedoms". We risk being mocked, ridiculed, sued, thrown in jail or worse. But today's scripture shows us that even for slaves who are suffering, that we should endure it like Jesus endured His suffering and we are assured the grace of God and this is the true freedom that we must seek.

Prayer
My Lord, Heavenly King Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth, hear me, your humble servant, help me to endure the trials ahead of me because of my love for you. I pray that you protect my family and my friends from all evil but I ask if we are to be subject to evil that we are able to endure it for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Conversion of Sinners

Scripture
James 5:19-20

My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Observation
This reminds me of those guys at sports games with their signs held high stating that Jesus is the Messiah and another guy on a loudspeaker non-stop talking about how we should repent for our sins, yada, yada, yada.  I personally don't think those guys are heard or listened to, maybe every once in a while someone happens to listen in says to themselves, wow, that guy is right, what have I been doing with my life? But they are definitely annoying more people than not and most are probably already Christians.  Well, they're taking this scripture to heart that's for sure.  I have no desire to do anything like what those evangelists are doing, for one, I doubt I could talk non-stop like that and just go on and on an on.  Plus, I don't remember Jesus or any of his disciples standing on a platform and yelling at everyone in hearing to repent.  (maybe I don't remember those verses?)  I believe Peter was quite the preacher but I do believe he always spoke to the people in context to who they were and they would listen, I guess there was this one time where it didn't work out too well, except one guy actually listened (I think he became the first bishop of Rome). But again, no bull-horn.  Not saying it's wrong to use a bull-horn, it just might not be the best way to get people to listen to the truth. Jesus and his disciples talked to people and it seems the majority of those people usually wanted to listen. People gathered around to hear what they had to say.  I don't think I've ever seen people gathered around the guy with the bull horn at the local sports game.  Usually people are trying to avoid that person and not make eye contact.

Application
So, if I think standing with a bull horn is a bit extreme and not very worth while, then how do we apply this scripture to our daily lives in a meaningful way? I also don't know if this is the best way, but I need to be better and just standing up for my beliefs and being able to back them up when people are "mocking" the Lord or our Christian ways.  I know those moments when someone, usually a friend, says something that is just so wrong you want to say something but are afraid of saying anything as you don't want to rock the boat.  I need to do a better job at just making sure when something like this happens that they know I disagree in a polite and respectful manner and see if they would like to listen to more on what I have to say about the issue... where they want to listen to me.  I have atheist friends, agnostic friends and friends who call themselves Christian but don't live a Christian life (or try to, can't say my life I'm living is perfectly Christian, it's not). I want to make a bigger impact to their lives by being their friends and showing them Jesus and hopefully someday they want to listen and we can talk.  And hopefully the Lord will fill my mouth with the right words to say... I'm usually very bad at that. Might not be the best way of doing this, but it's the way I think I can do.  Maybe I can do more.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, I want to first thank you for everything you have given me especially in helping me keep my faith in you.  I ask that you grant me the words to defend you when people around me blaspheme, deny or mock you. Help me be a better defender of our faith of your truth and more importantly to help others learn of that truth to bring them closer to you.  Thank you Jesus!  Amen.

Keep Faith

Scripture
Hebrews 13:7-9

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching. It is good to have our hearts strengthened by grace and not by foods, which do not benefit those who live by them.

Observation
The original disciples and those that came before us in faith must be remembered. The fact that they are no longer here should not cause anyone to lose faith.  Jesus still lives and doesn't change, he never changes.  What he taught when he was alive remains true today.  Many people are coming along these days and saying they have the answer and leading people astray to false teachings.  We must keep the faith and keep walking with Jesus.

Application
It is tempting to try out new ways of doing things to find help.  Much of what people can find these days are "Spiritual Guidance" and I see young people today drawn into this thinking.  It's a dangerous path as it doesn't incorporate Jesus, but our own will and our own spirituality and how we relate to the "universe". Being "spiritual" doesn't necessary mean it's a good thing.  Jesus is the light and the way and the truth.  Without Jesus we can be toying with the "spiritual" that is dangerous and evil.
We are always looking for the quick and easy fix and being a Christian, being a follower of Jesus is many times not a quick and easy fix for what we have to suffer through in life, matter of fact, sometimes we are called to suffer.

Prayer
My Lord, Jesus Christ, forgive my sins and save me from the fires of hell.  I plead for your guidance, your truth and your way.  I plead for your help in ensuring I keep my faith in you.  I am weak and always looking for the easy way. I beg you to forgive my wretchedness and weakness and I ask to draw upon your strength to take the right path even if it's the hard path.  I love you Lord and all that You do.  Amen.

Have Faith

This post is a day late as I forgot to post it...

Scripture
Hebrew 11:33-34

Who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained the promises; they closed the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword; out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders.

Observation
It was difficult for me to pull out a specific verse or set of verses from Hebrew 11.  This chapter is all about having faith in God. Similar to what I previously discussed in my last post. I really like this chapter, the detail and all the references to other scripture.

I have always felt that if you put faith in God, that everything will work out in the end. Sometimes this is difficult to do, especially when life is throwing you curve balls. But then we must remember that it is during these times that it is even more important to have faith.

Application
Sometimes I think I know what's best for myself and my family.  When we pray for something, for God to help us in some way to alleviate some problem, sometimes the way God answers our prayers is totally different than what we had in mind He should do.  But God's answer is always better.  He sees the big picture, he knows us best and he knows how we'll handle situations and knows things we couldn't even begin to grasp.

Prayer
Lord, I have faith in your Truth, in your Justice and in Your plans for me. Help me to never waiver in my faith in You. Amen.

Are We Saved "By Faith Alone?"

Scripture:
Hebrews 10:39

We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.

Observation:
This brings to mind a common misunderstanding and confusion that exists about Catholics.  I would like to discuss the "Catholic" viewpoint of this simple phrase "Are we saved by faith alone?"  The short answer to this is "Yes we are!" and this passage reminds me of that.

For some reason, many people believe that Catholics don't believe in this and that we preach that we must earn our way into heaven. Let me be clear, this is not part of Catholic doctrine. So if you hear this, just know that it is false. Catholics have always taught that you cannot earn you way to Heaven.
(Now some of this misunderstanding could be the fault of some pretty shady practices that were done back in the day by some shady Catholics, but that in no way means that Catholic doctrine ever condoned this. Catholics are made up of humans... you know a bunch of sinners who make mistakes and do stupid things.)

Here's a much better and eloquent explanation of the Catholic teaching on this subject:
http://jimmyakin.com/library/justification-by-faith-alone.

Application:
I must continue to heed God's call and not ignore or dismiss the signs he has graced upon me.  I believe the more you recognize God in your life, the more you'll see Him.  All faithful Christians are disciples of Jesus.  We must remember to keep listening to Jesus and do not be afraid.  For we are Saved!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, my High Priest in Heaven, advocating for me as the Lamb of God, the ultimate sacrifice perfected so that my sins may be forgiven and that I may be able to enter Heaven through God's Grace. I am Justified through You.  Help me become a better disciple, let me do your Will and show Your Way to the people around me. Amen.

It's Tough Being a Good Christian

Scripture
Psalm 101:2-5

I act with integrity of heart
    within my household.
I do not allow into my presence anything base.
    I hate wrongdoing;
    I will have no part of it.
May the devious heart keep far from me;
    the wicked I will not acknowledge.
Whoever slanders a neighbor in secret
    I will reduce to silence.
Haughty eyes and arrogant hearts
    I cannot endure.

Observation
Do I sometimes not act with integrity within my home?  Yes
Do I sometimes allow anything base, or wrongdoing into my life? Yes
Do I sometimes allow wickedness into my life? Yes
Do I sometimes gossip? Yes
Do I sometimes look at others like I'm better than them? Yes

Application
I must recognize the wicked person that I am and cast him out. I can't do it alone. I'm too weak. I need first of all, Jesus.  With Him I am strong enough.  He has sent me a wonderful wife to help and really good friends to help as well.  I must remember that I need them to help me.

Prayer
Dear Lord, forgive my wicked ways. Stand beside me and keep me strong so I can do your Will. I am weak and constantly need Your help. Never leave me, always be at my side. Have mercy on me. Amen.

Remain Steadfast

Scripture
Hebrews 3:12-13

Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin.

Observation
We must be wary each day of falling into sin. Sin is a trap and if you don't fight it daily, it can easily overcome.  This reminds me of an old native american proverb I learned in the Boy Scouts when I was a boy, I have no clue if it's a real native american proverb, that's just how it was presented to me.  It goes something like this:
Everyone is born with a stone (or diamond) in their stomach with sharp edges.  When you do something evil, the stone turns, causing you pain and reminding you that evil is wrong and you should stop. As the years go by, if you continue to do evil and ignoring the pain, the stone continues to turn but slowly the sharp edges wear becoming smooth. Before long, doing evil no longer hurts.

Application
Praying daily helps me to be cognizant of my sins and my failures and to ask for forgiveness. Attending Mass helps me stay faithful to God and helps me to continue down His Path. Reading scripture helps me to stay strong and encouraged. All of this helps me to not rebel against God's Will. Doing penance helps me to do good and to show how sorry I am.

Prayer
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things.  I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God have mercy.

Rejoice for Salvation but Beware

Here's my first attempt at using SOAP with today's readings of the Life Journal Reading Plan (see previous post for details).  I won't be good at this, so bear with me.

Scripture
Jude 1:5-7
I wish to remind you, although you know all things, that [the] Lord who once saved a people from the land of Egypt later destroyed those who did not believe. The angels too, who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains, in gloom, for the judgment of the great day. Likewise, Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding towns, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual promiscuity and practiced unnatural vice, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Observation
The readings from this plan over the last couple weeks seems to align with what's going on in our country today.  This is a bit eerie to say the least.  My take is that while Jesus came down to save us, that we must still be vigilant and follow the Lord's Will and don't loose sight of the Truth of who we are, how we're made and how we are to behave.  To do otherwise is risking eternal damnation. Let's not be fooled by those around us and the false love that is being preached.

I feel pulled in different directions with what is going on with our society today, everyone is preaching love, yet I sense hatred behind that preaching no matter which side you are on.  It can be a very confusing time right now, especially for our children and this is what I worry the most about is my children and how they are absorbing everything going on.  I don't have control over them in school and anything outside of our home.  I must trust they are doing the right thing as their growing minds can easily be affected by what's going on contrary to our belief's as Christians and especially as Catholics.

Application
I must continue to love all those around me, but I must continue to oppose anything that is contrary to the Lord's teachings.  I cannot put blinders and and just hope everything will turn out OK. I must be involved somehow.  Right now, that's making sure everyone in my family has everything they need to be prepared for the world and the onslaught of heathen choices available that might look great on the surface but will lead them down dangerous paths.  We have a manual on how to live and behave and we should now more than ever start to rely on it.

Prayer
Lord, I praise Your Name and ask that you Bless my family and friends and help us to do your Will and remain vigilant to your Word. Help us remain strong when it is so easy to be weak. Help us remain convicted of your Love when it's so easy to dismiss it and rely on the false love of others. Help us to not stray from Your Path and avoid paths that lead away from You. Help me to be a better teacher to my family. Help me to be a better student of You.  I pray this in Your Son's Name, my Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The Bible, A Reading Plan and SOAP

The Bible
Yesterday, I learned from Trever that he's going through a reading plan through YouVersion which has more translations of the Bible than I can shake a stick at.

Which Bible edition should I use?  Here's a good article to help determine which Bible editions are right for you and it goes into some detail of why we have so many different editions.  While this article is from a Catholic based view, it's really for everyone, it's universal.  See what I did there? :)

Bible Translation Guide

I really like the bottom line though... literally. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of that article it states:

So, which bible is the best?  Perhaps the best answer is this: The one you'll read.

Bada Boom.  I love it.

Anyway, I'm not here to study Bible edition history, I'm here to just read it and absorb it so I'm going to use NABRE (New American Bible, Revised Edition) which is a relatively new edition (2011) which is being used by Catholics everywhere in the United States now.  Here's more information on that edition.  If I stick with this, I'll probably switch to another Bible as it's good to get different perspectives, like the article I mention above says.

A Reading Plan
So now I'm going to start that same reading plan that Trever is following, it's called the Life Journal Reading Plan.  I've never done anything like this before, well except when I did the Bible Study Fellowship, a long long time ago.  I've wanted to do another Bible study as I had some negative experiences during that time... that's when I found out that Catholics weren't as loved everywhere like I thought... I suppose I should have realized that, the whole Reformation and everything ya know.  I wasn't a very bright lad when it came to theology back then... still not actually.  But I digress...

Anyway, that plan is available through the YouVersion website and I'm basically starting in the middle since it goes from Jan 1st - Dec 31st but with that plan you end up reading the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice through that time.  I'm not planning on starting from the beginning so I'll just pick up from now.

SOAP
Trever taught me the S.O.A.P. method of studying scripture... well, not study exactly but how you read it and how it applies to you.  This isn't about trying to understand that particular translation over another, what did the people of that day really mean by those verses, which words being translated were literal or was it a dynamic translation, etc. This is about simply reading scripture and letting it absorb into my heart, mind and soul.

SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer.  It's rather simple really.  For Scripture, just choose a verse or verses that stuck out to you during your reading.  Make an Observation about why it struck you so. Apply that scripture and observation to your life and then write Prayer about what you just learned.

I was going to do one today, but I wrote way too much already, so maybe I'll start tomorrow...

Tickled By God

This blog was inspired by a good friend of mine, Trever Esko, who shared his blog with me. I didn't know he had a blog, basically a personal journal of contemplation's on scripture.  I really enjoyed his day to day blogs and thought I should do something like that.  I don't know what exactly I'm going to do, but I'm sure it will form over time and change, or maybe not.  I'll let the Lord guide me but this feels right.

I was going to name this blog "Searching For Truth" which is what we should all do.  Truth doesn't change over time.  God is Truth.  But alas, searchingfortruth.blogspot.com was already taken.  Then it hit me, I'll name it "Tickled By God".  The name was available and so starts my own blog.

Why "Tickled By God" you might ask? This name was inspired by something that happened to me in which I'll share some details with you now.

Back in September of 2011 I found myself alone and walking on a street at night.  I believe it was raining, I wasn't quite sure where I was at the time, but I was definitely not happy. I had just committed a horrible sin and couldn't believe what I had just done. I was so embarrassed that even to this day, I don't like to reveal what that sin was. I was extremely depressed and angry with myself as I felt the world closing in around me.  I started to pray, fervently, that God would forgive me and help me figure out what to do.  I was lost and troubled.  I soon felt chills throughout my body, like He was answering my prayer and His Holy Spirit  was flowing over me.  I immediately felt joyful that God was with me and I was not abandoned... But I was so sad and kept asking for His forgiveness... and then a strange thing happened.  The feeling throughout my body, those "chills" I felt, they started to tickle... a lot... I was very confused and didn't know what to make of it... why was God doing this to me?  The tickling didn't stop and continued to increase in intensity.  What's going on?  It was tickling so much, it was almost torture and then... I woke up.  In my bed, next to my beautiful wife.  The sin I committed was just a dream! Was I just tickled by God? Was this His way of saying "Wake up idiot, you are only dreaming"?  I was so relieved that it was just a dream, I think I laughed out loud.

And so this blog is dedicated to the One who tickled me.