Guest SOAP post from Kimarie.
The reading for Tuesday is John Chapter 10 .
Scripture:
John 10:24-27
“Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, ‘How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.’ ”
Observation:
When people are faced with the truth of God’s existence and His plan for salvation through Jesus Christ, there are only two responses: belief or unbelief. There is no middle ground. Jesus uses the example of sheep hearing the voice of their own shepherd, to show the difference between believers and unbelievers. He actually tells the Jews who were questioning Him that they could not hear His voice – could not understand all the works that proved He was God – because they were not His sheep. In contrast, God’s people will always hear His voice and follow Him.
Application:
I must not become discouraged when people around me remain firm in their unbelief, even when faced with all the evidence of God’s truth. My actions and words are to show God’s work in my life and to speak of His truth. However, I should not fret and worry that I’m not doing or saying enough to make people around me believe. I can take great encouragement from this passage that it is not my voice that ultimately matters – only God’s voice can save.
Prayer:
Dear Father, thank You for Your salvation and grace in My life. Thank You for making me Your sheep so I can hear Your voice. Please work in the hearts of those I know who do not believe in You. If it be Your will, cause them to hear Your voice so they can follow You. Help me to trust Your perfect plan. Give me the strength to be an obedient, faithful witness of Your salvation in word and deed.
Kimarie blogs at The Cardamom’s Pod about her large family’s adventures in homeschooling, homesteading, and more. She lives in the country with her husband, their 9 children, and an ever-changing assortment of pets and farm animals.
What about you? What did you see and hear in your reading of John 10?
Be sure to record your own SOAP observations and feel free share your own thoughts or a link to your thoughts, here, too.
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