S. O. A. P.

Here’s your 90 second AM devotional!

S-cripture

Joel 2:13

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.

O-bservation

The prophet of God named Joel spoke for God and said to the people of Israel, who had strayed from The Lord and had fallen prey to the worship of idols, that they were to rend, or open up their hearts to The Lord. God is slow to react and loves relentlessly. He in no way longs to send calamity our way.

A-pplication

Calamity in any form is an attention getter. As a boy my mom would come up behind me and thump me on the back of my ear with her thumb and middle finger when I was acting up. Bam! Calamity!! She had my attention. But it was not my mother’s desire to bring me calamity. She was more ready to spoil me. And sometimes Love does that. God DOES NOT want to bring calamity on us in order to get our attention. All He asks is that we open our hearts (the seat of our human will) to Him. He doesn’t want us to put on a show on the outside for others. Like we’re “All In.” NO. it has to come from the heart first. If real change is going to happen … “It Has To Be An INSIDE JOB.”

P-rayer

Dear Jesus,

I know full well that man looks on the “Outward Appearance,” and so it’s easy for me to play to the outside. But I also know that dressing up the outside when my heart is running from You is kind of like “Painting Rust.” Today I’m ready for an “INSIDE JOB.” Amen