S.O.A.P Study Method
I hope you‘re eager to deepen your relationship with the Lord this year. Here‘s my daily devotion system, which may prove helpful. If you want, text me and let me know how things are going and what God is doing in your life…would LOVE to hear about it!! 912-282-0187
Something I do is Life Journaling. I use the S.O.A.P. method of writing out the devotions. It may take you 30 min each day, the goal is to have daily encounters with the Lord…don’t be surprised if while your devotion is going on God calls to your mind some other scripture for you to read or brings to your mind things you may need to be praying about or repenting of, etc….God’s word is living and active…expect to be challenged and transformed as you dig into God’s Word!!
- Scripture…read through the scripture for the day and write out a verse or a passage that God draws your attention toward…don’t just write out the reference, but the whole verse…(i.e. don’t write out John 3:16…write out “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16)
- Observation… write about these things: who was the original audience, who were they writing about, what were they writing about…what would it have meant to the original hearers of the word?
- Application… write out how this passage applies to your life today…what did YOU learn from this passage and how will it impact your faith today?
- Prayer… write out a simple prayer…ask God to reveal Himself to you in new and real ways, to help you apply what you have studied to your life and to draw closer to Him, etc…these will be different each day and should come from the heart!
That’s how I do my daily devotions. I hope this benefits you all, and if so, I hope you decide to share that with me! Let me know if you have any questions or comments! Thank you for taking time and having the desire to “Go Deeper” with the Lord this year! See you soon!!
Pastor Jimmy Griffith
Youth Advent 12/20
“Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.”
These lyrics celebrate the promises God kept and the hope we have because of Him: that Jesus came to bring healing, peace, and life to the world. We can choose to experience that same healing, peace, and life in Jesus today, too!
Youth Advent 12/19
Can you even imagine discovering that Jesus had been born? And the shepherds didn’t keep quiet about what they saw! After meeting Jesus, they praised God and spread the word that the long-awaited Messiah was finally here!
These shepherds weren’t people of power or great influence; they were just regular people who were going about their regular, non-glamorous lives. In fact, shepherds were considered lowly in society and in the culture of the time. But God chose them to be some of the first to see His Son, experience the birth of hope firsthand, and share the Good News! From this, we learn that anyone, no matter who they are, can be used by God to tell others about Jesus.
The song “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is often sung during the Christmas season. The lyrics talk about the role of the shepherds in spreading the Good News of Jesus’ birth! It also encourages us to go and share the Gospel everywhere, just like the shepherds did.
Now, “go tell it on the mountain, over the hills, and everywhere that Jesus Christ is born!”
Youth Advent 12/18
Shortly after Jesus was born, the wise men brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. While these might seem random, each gift had significance. The meanings of the gifts foreshadowed the identity of Jesus and His life!
The gift of gold pointed to Jesus’ royalty. Obviously, gold is an appropriate gift for Him because gold is the “metal of kings.” This gift from the wise men acknowledged that Jesus was the King of kings.
The gift of frankincense showed that Jesus was the great High Priest. In fact, it showed that Jesus was God in human form! Incense was used in the temple for worshiping God. Incense mixed with oil was used to anoint the Israelite priests. It was also part of the meal offerings of thanksgiving and praise to God. Through this gift, the wise men acknowledged that Jesus was fully God and fully man!
The gift of myrrh represented Jesus’ death. In that time, myrrh was used for embalming the deceased. This might seem like an odd gift to give to a newborn baby, but in this case, it was not. The wise men acknowledged that Jesus would die a brutal death to save humanity. He would live a life as an acceptable and worthy sacrifice for the sins of all humans.
The wise men preached the Gospel with the gifts they gave. Their gift-giving told the story of how God Himself came down from Heaven as Lord and King to fulfill God’s plan and die for us. They brought their best and gave gifts appropriate for the Savior of the World who was bringing hope to the world. The same hope that we celebrate at Christmas time!
Youth Advent 12/17
Herod investigates more and asks the historians where the Messiah was born. They tell him Bethlehem. Herod then asks the wise men to find the Messiah and report back what they discover. Even though Herod tells the wise men he just wants to worship Jesus, he really wants to put an end to any threat. His fear will cause him to act irrationally.
Sometimes, our fears and anxieties do the same. They often cause us to think irrationally and even act illogically. While a little fear or anxiety can be helpful or even healthy at times, they can also quickly become unhelpful and very unhealthy for us as well. When we face these fears and anxieties, reminding ourselves of God’s truth can help us. Remembering the promises of God can help combat those unhelpful thoughts!
In the hymn “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” we sing about the birth of Jesus bringing “tidings of comfort and joy.” Because of the birth of Jesus, and knowing that Jesus is WITH us, we too can have comfort and joy. We can rest knowing He will comfort us in our fears and give us joy in the midst of our anxiety.
Youth Advent 12/16
In Matthew 2, we’re introduced to the wise men. We don’t know very much about them. But, we do know they were from the East, probably near Persia, and studied stars. Upon discovering the star over Bethlehem, the wise men were instantly filled with hope and left everything to follow that star. They knew the significance of it—that it represented the birth of the Messiah (meaning the anointed one or chosen one)! After centuries of waiting for this King to come, He had finally arrived! Matthew tells us their response to this Good News was to go worship this King. They left behind everything to follow this
star because of their hope in this Savior.
Their hope in the Messiah outweighed their hope in anything they’d find in the world. So many times, we try to find hope in relationships, possessions, hobbies, or money. The wise men left all of these behind because they knew that their ultimate hope was in Christ.
This Christmas, we can have that same hope. The Messiah has come to us. He has lived a life we couldn’t. He has died the death we deserve, and He has risen for us! This Christmas, we can celebrate no matter what we find ourselves facing in this season with this same hope!