The reading for Friday is Matthew 13: 1-35.
When it is time to read, please start first by praying and thanking God for His many blessings. Be specific.
Next present your requests to Him. Ask Him for whatever you want and need.
Third, ask Him to guide you in your reading, so that you will hear his message for you today.
After you read, record your SOAP observations and then listen for three minutes. Set a timer and just listen to what he might be sharing. Don’t ask. Don’t thank. Just listen. (You can pray more after you listen, if you like.)
Here is what I heard in the reading:
Knead the yeast, and encourage others to do the same
Scripture: Matthew 13:33
He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Observation:
Sharing the kingdom of heaven with others, one by one, will make a huge difference. One little spark can set a beautiful fire.
Application:
This one leapt off the page at me and reminded me of the beginning of Blogging Through the Bible in 90 Days. When I first came up with the idea and decided to pursue it, I had a handful of readers and I hoped to have 20 people do it with me. I told my husband that if just one finished, my job would be done and God would have used me.
I asked 12 bloggers to help spread the word. Only one didn’t respond to my request for help. And the rest worked the yeast, shared the challenge, and hundreds ended up reading with me that first session. This month we just finished our third session and had a team of 41 volunteer mentors who helped even more read the entire Bible in just 90 days!
I can only imagine how that experience is going to impact each reader who is going to share her experience with others, sharing the amazing story of what happened in her life as she read, and the story will grow to impact others who will read and share.
And I think about Blogging Through the Gospels and how many are jumping in with SOAP. It’s a simple idea that allows God’s love, and an understanding of Him, to grow.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you so much for using me and inviting me to ask others to help and be used right alongside me for your glory. Blogging about you has been so much fun and has definitely helped me to grow in my faith, just as you promised when you inspired me to post my SOAP observations for the very first time!
Please continue to show me how to knead the yeast and bring about results that honor you. Thank you for guiding me and helping me even through my mistakes.
Please help those who want to serve you see just how you can use them, too.
I love you God. I love serving you, God. Please help me to keep it up in just the way you desire.
How else can you use the internet to knead the yeast and reach more for Christ, either by sharing with those who haven’t heard or by encouraging those who have to deepen their understanding?
Let’s be the yeast together! Tell me about your ideas or jump in and help with mine.
If you’d like to be a guest SOAP’er on MomsToolbox, please send me an email using the contact button. Include SOAP in the subject line. I’ll be in touch with the details.
What about you? Did you hear something different in this passage? Please share with the rest of us, if you are comfortable doing so. Feel free to leave your thoughts, or a link to post with your thoughts, in the comments. If you do link a post, please include a link in your own post back to this post so your readers can see what others had to say, as well, and potentially join us.
Didn’t start reading or Blogging Through the Gospels with us? That’s okay, join in anytime. Each Sunday evening I post the reading schedule for the week ahead and each evening I post the next day’s reading assignment and devotional. Feel free to jump in where we are anytime and blog or journal along using the SOAP format.
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