John Ocker

SOAP Day 71 - Anxiety

S - "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad." O - I have felt defeated in my life by anxiety a few times, or was just deeply troubled and didn't know what to do next.…

Proverbs 12:25 (ESV)

SOAP Day 71 - Anxiety

S - "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad." O - I have felt defeated in my life by anxiety a few times, or was just deeply troubled and didn't know what to do next.…

Proverbs 12:25 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 68 - Your Way may be known

S - "that your Way may be know on earth, your saving power among all nations." O - God blesses us and shines on us so that His Way (Jesus) may be known on earth and His Son can save among all the nations.…

Psalm 67:1 (ESV), Psalm 67:2 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 67 - Raises the dead?

S - "Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?" O - Great question by Paul. I would have to answer that this is what humans do - atheists, even theists. We make God into something…

Acts 26:8 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 65 - My Refuge

S - Psalm 64:10 O - I need to rejoice in the Lord, His character, His nature, His grace is my refuge. God is my key to safety. My Refuge is the one who declined the safety of Heaven to hang on a cross…

Psalm 64:10 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 64 - Earnestly?

S - Psalm 63:1 O - How earnestly do I seek the Lord? Does my soul thirst for you? Does my flesh faint for you Lord? As if I was in a desert? A - I will print this Psalm and meditate on it and confess…

SOAP - Day 59 - Reward for the righeous

S - "Surely there is a reward for the righteous." O - Crazy that we get a reward for righteousness that was clearly God's Grace and had nothing to do with us deserving it or even requesting it. A -…

Psalm 58:11 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 58 - It is not in me

S - "It is not in me"- O - Joseph models humility and wisdom here. God is the one with the plan. God is the one who makes sense of the impossible to understand, not us. A - Am I trusting God to reveal…

Genesis 41:16 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 57 - Not Of Any Value

S - "But I do not account my life of any value..." "if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God." O - Jesus knew…

Acts 20:24 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 56 - Whom Paul Proclaims

S - "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims." O - Evil spirits aren't concerned with people who know about Jesus. These guys were clearly fans of what they heard about Jesus' life, but they didn't…

Acts 19:13 (ESV), Acts 19:15 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 53 - Forbidden by the Spirit

S - "forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the Word in Asia..., but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them." O - The Spirit of God would not allow these men to preach the Good News in Asia or Bithynia.…

Acts 16:6 (ESV), Acts 16:7 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 46 - Stand in God's Way?

O - The question behind this question, "who was I that I could stand in God's way?" Is this - I'm the one who says can God really forgive that person? The answer is of course God forgives anyone that…

Acts 11:17 (KJV)

SOAP - Day 45 - God's Favor

O - None of God's people win the land or receive His saving favor by their own sword or their own arm. His right arm, His right hand, the light of His face have brought about His favor. A - My victories…

Psalm 44:3 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 40 - As a Memorial

O - Our prayers and our financial offerings are all accounted for by God. In verse 4 it says that ascended as a memorial, literally in the Greek, "remembered." This is cool that God heard all Cornelius'…

Acts 10:4 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 39 - Discipleship Plan

O - I can see some of God's plan for discipleship unfolding in this chapter. The preaching of the Word needed to happen, but the widows physical needs were important as well. We need to ask God to help…

Acts 6:2 (KJV)

SOAP - Day 38 - Commit Your Way

O - Just looked this up in the Hebrew, if I'm reading it right (that's a pretty big IF), it looks like it says "Roll you on, in the way of Yahweh, Trust in You and He will do." I like it. I need to roll…

Psalm 37:5 (ESV), Psalm 37:6 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 37 - With You!

O - I cannot do this abundant living on my own. Without You, I find no refuge. Without You, no feasting on the abundance of your house. Without You, no drinking from the river of delights. Without You,…

Psalm 36:7 (ESV), Psalm 36:8 (ESV), Psalm 36:9 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 36 - Worthy to Suffer

O - rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name (Jesus). A - When someone laughs at my faith or mocks me for believing the Bible, I need to remember this verse and thank…

Acts 5:41 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 35 - Speak No More

O - No other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. The religious leaders did not want word of the miracle to spread, so they wanted people to stop speaking the name of, Jesus (Acts…

Acts 4:17 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 32 - Presented Himself Alive

O - Jesus presents himself alive to them after suffering and dying, by many proofs. He appeared to them during 40 days and continued speaking to them about the kingdom of God. A - 40 days to look at,…

Acts 1:3 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 31 - Open Your Mouth

O - When does God want us to speak up? Here it says to open our mouths for the mute - those that can't speak up for themselves and defend the rights of the poor and needy. A - Who around me needs a voice?…

Proverbs 30:5 (ESV), Proverbs 30:6 (ESV), Proverbs 31:8 (ESV), Proverbs 31:9 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 30 - Every Word True

O - every single Word from God proves true - whoaa! Can you imagine if everything you said was true or came true. I'd be in a world of hurt because I say things without thinking. God never says anything…

Proverbs 30:5 (ESV), Proverbs 30:6 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 29 - Give to the Lord

S - Ascribe (Give) to the Lord - glory and strength, the glory due His Name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. O - This passage reminds me that as I meditate on God's greatness, His holiness…

Psalm 29:1 (ESV), Psalm 29:2 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 26 - Answer/Don't Answer

O - Okay, this looks like an iron-clad conundrum - don't answer a fool according to his folly/answer a fool. At the risk of sounding foolish, it would appear that discernment is needed. A - I need discernment…

Proverbs 26:4 (ESV), Proverbs 26:5 (ESV)

SOAP - Day 25 - Knowing God

O - . Jesus says here that eternal life is that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. The Greek (as our pastor recently pointed out) is often limited when translated to…

John 17:3 (ESV)