Sunflower Faith

My Daily Life Journal Reading

If you use the Life Journal and participate in the daily readings, I would like to hear from you and your perspective on each day’s reading. Please feel free to join in the linky that I post below, so others too, who uses the Life Journal/or SOAP method to read the bible can participate.

Don’t feel obligate to have to blog about each passage to be read, but if anything, feel free to share those passages that have the most impact on you that day.

There maybe some days that you may read your daily reading and find nothing to jot down in your journal or on your blog and that’s okay, but there maybe other days, that you will find yourself inspire.

This is about you being encouraged to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, and spending each day with Him, You and Him.

I also have a November bookmark with this month’s readings, that you are more than welcome to download and print for your own use, to keep up with the daily readings.

It is my prayer and hope that this will be an encouragement to establish a personal daily reading as well.

To find out more about using the S.O.A.P. method, here’s a link to an ehow article and here’s the link to the Life Journal to find out more what it is, and how you can use it for your own daily bible readings. If you don’t want to order the journal or if it’s not available through your local church, another method is simply, buy a journal or notebook or even blog about your life journal readings.

Disclaimer: I am not personally affiliated with the church that the link goes to, but merely share it as a resource of what the Life Journal is, how to order it.
Today’s Life Journal Reading is from: Psalms 121 and Mark 9 and Mark 10 using the NKJV bible.

Scripture: Psalms 121

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Observation:

The closest that I can describe it, is that I’ve been going through what I felt was a spiritual famine: God was near but I felt from Him. This was a reminder to be though, that no matter what the circumstances, He is always faithful and a strong foundation and though others may abandon, He is the only true source of help and strength.

People are human and they will fail or have their own lives to work with, but our Father is beyond all that, we, each and everyone of us, no matter what time or season or lives are, are a top priority to Him. We may try to define Him on imperfect, human terms, but the truth is that, He is not bound by what we are bound.

Because He is above all, we truly can and should rely on Him to see us through anything and everything that our lives are going through.

Application:

I need to be strong and perservere; What I’m going is nothing new or unique and He has already seen the outcome in the end and I need to show trust and faith on my part in our Father in Heaven. I’m never truly alone, because our Father in Heaven is there and He loves us for us, imperfections and all.

Prayer:

Father, I pray in Your Name, to give me strength and much needed comfort; These days, I feel alone and spiritual starve for Your word and I ask and give You, in faith, all that weighs heavy in my heart. Help give me strength and insight, where I am so weak and unable to see what You already know and just have faith on my part that I don’t need all the answers, but just need to trust that all is in Your glory and in Your glory alone and it’s for NO ONE to take personal credit or glory for.

In Your Son’s name I pray, amen.

Scripture: Mark 9

Mark 9
Jesus Transfigured on the Mount
1 And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”
2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— 6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.
7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” 8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.
11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
12 Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”
A Boy Is Healed

14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe,[a] all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”[b]
Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection

30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. 31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” 32 But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.
Who Is the Greatest?

33 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”
Jesus Forbids Sectarianism

38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”
39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is on our[c] side. 41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
Jesus Warns of Offenses

42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— 44 where

‘ Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’[d]

45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— 46 where

‘ Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’[e]

47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire— 48 where

‘ Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’[f]

Tasteless Salt Is Worthless

49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire,[g] and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

Oservation

This is a strong reminder of how as Christians, we must act not only with each other, but with the world, particularly. We live in a skeptical and cynical world where, it’s becoming more and more issue of not only sharing our faith, but living our faith.

We live in a hurting and broken world and as we not only just listen or watch the news, but from the people around us, we do have to ask ourselves sometimes, when people look at us, do they see our Father in Heaven in and through us and something different, or when they look at us, will they go, “What’s the difference, what they say they are is no different than if I weren’t a Christian?”

Do our lives and actions, leave people wanting to know Christ better, or feeling, they don’t need to be a Christian so what’s the reason? If we live our lives that leaves room for doubt, it’s like salt that rather than enhances and encourages others to want a taste, is so bland and no different from the rest of the world, that it leaves people feeling, why bother seeing what having “salt” in their lives will make.

Being a witness isn’t someone else’s job; Some people don’t even bother going to church or say why bother, for many, we, who walk the streets and live our lives day to day, are walking churches for those who don’t know or don’t want to know Christ.

We maybe the closest to church, some may even care or will or get to have in their lives.

Application

Be more aware of the impact not my words, but my actions too, have on the lives of the people and the community around me. I am a walking billboard for Him and yes, we are all imperfect and make mistakes, but we are also accountable for hiding behind our imperfection and mistakes to not reach out to others who feel they are just too imperfect or beyond the reach of God.

We live, work and deal with Rehabs, Magdalenes and Sauls in our lives, who feel that they are beyond hope. You, me, we, maybe God’s way of showing them, there is hope and salvation.

Prayer

Lord, I pray and hope that we remove every reason, excuse and comfort, to be Your voice and instrument and reach out to others, like others may have, when we were imperfect, loss or wrong, and touch their lives as others have touched ours.

Lord, Help us remember, that there was someone who didn’t use an excuse or reason or “didn’t want to get out of the comfort zone” to reach us and lead us to You and so we are Your tools, not our own tools to be.

Help us remember when we cook in our kitchens, what a difference, using that seasoning makes to convince others to eat our cooking, or why we enjoy one food after another, and use that as living reminders that like that favorite food we can’t resist, so should our walk with You be, so others can know of hope and salvation and faith in You.

Chefs share their favorite recipes to entice and to expose people to new tastes in food, and so….so should we with our Christian walk; Being a Christian is not something to horde but to be shared with everyone; Chefs don’t cook for themselves, they cook for the world and as Christians, I pray and hope we remember that too, Lord!

In Your Name I pray,
Amen.