Week 20: Staying Tuned

This week's Bible reading plan is as follows:

• Sunday: 1 Samuel 12:1-13:23; John 7:1-30; Psalm 108:1-13; Proverbs 15:4
• Monday: 1 Samuel 14:1-52; John 7:31-53; Psalm 109:1-31; Proverbs 15:5-7
• Tuesday: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 15:8-10
• Wednesday: 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4; John 8:21-30; Psalm 111:1-10; Proverbs 15:11
• Thursday: 1 Samuel 18:5-19:24; John 8:31-59; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 15:12-14
• Friday: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15; John 9:1-41; Psalm 113:1-114:8; Proverbs 15:15-17
• Saturday: 1 Samuel 22:1-23:29; John 10:1-21; Psalm 115:1-18; Proverbs 15:18-19

Our S.O.A.P. this week is from the Gospel of John:

Scripture: John 7:25-27
"Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, 'Isn't this the man they are trying to kill? But here he is, speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Could our leaders possibly believe that he is the Messiah? But how could he be? For we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will know where he comes from.'"

Observation:
This is the reasoning of unbelief. The crowd of people gathered in Jerusalem for this feast day had heard much of Jesus' teachings and miracles. But they were applying logic, which was flawed by incorrect assumptions, to determine whether they should accept Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah. Jesus was, they incorrectly assumed, too "ordinary" to be the Messiah.

Application:
Jesus wants to meet us amid the ordinary circumstances of life, but sometimes we don't see him because we are expecting only to encounter him outside our normal routines. When we start our day, we often proceed with our "Jesus Detection System" in the off position because we assume he won't be showing up amid the normal events or our lowly lives. Yet that's exactly where he most often meets us!

My goal this week is to stay tuned when I am about my daily routines...because that's exactly where I should expect to encounter Jesus.

Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you for meeting us in the ordinary events of life. Please help me stay tuned in and constantly expectant. I do not want to miss a single instance in which Jesus would be present to me. I pray in his name. Amen!

Have a great week!

Faithfully,
Chuck