You need some soap, Dude

Intro

Let’s talk a little bit about hygeine

Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live.

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that is why we recommend it daily.

Bath twice a day to be really clean, once a day to be passably clean, once a week to avoid being a public menace.

Cleanliness is close to godliness

I am not going to say this has happened in my house, but maybe you know someone that has done this before. When pressured to bathe, they get wet and dry off and call it good.

Does this work?

Why not?

You need soap

Watch Video

Reading the Bible is the same way.

We need it

It’s good for our soul

It benefits others around us when we are in the Word.

Maybe we feel pressured to do it

parents, Sunday school, pastor

So we are tempted to just do it so we can mark it off the list

Read a chapter real quick - let it was over us like water

But is that good enough?

Does it wash away the germs/sin?

Does it lift our soul?

Does it have the benefit of affecting others thru us?

Just like water is not enough for cleansing our outward body, just reading the Bible to say we did it is not good enough for your soul

You need soap!!!

A secret recipe - handed down from generation to generation - guaranteed to take the stink out of your soul and cause to you fly with wings as eagles

Here is the secret recipe:

S = Scripture

Read it!

maybe just 1 verse, or a paragraph or a chapter

O = Observation

What did you observe?

talk about, write it down, think about it.

A = Application

How does this apply to my life personally?

P = Prayer

Pray about it!

Pray for God to work in you and thru you with what you just read

And that is it!!!

Clean and smelling good! GUARANTEED!

What do you say we try it? Hand out cards

Let’s look at one of the verses I gave you to read this last week:

SCRIPTURE:

Read it: Luke 6:31

Luke 6:31 NIV

31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

OBSERVATION:

What does it mean?

However I want to be treated, do that

It’s not how they treat me, but how I would want to be treated that determines my motivation in interacting with other.

It made me think that we have been thinking wrong all along.

We say walk a mile in their shoes 1st

Instead, tho, it would be much easier to imagine they are in your shoes cuz you know exactly how you would want to be treated in that specific circumstance.

In fact, if we all did this, the world would be an ok place to live!

Instead we do the opposite, demanding THEY treat us good the way we want to be treated 1st, and then WE will respond in like. But it never works!

We will die waiting for this!

But what if I act 1st?

APPLICATION:

How do I act this out?

I know that sometimes I will fail

I know that even if I do this, others may still fail

When someone is talking when I am talking?

When a child in children’s church is disrupting class during worship:

I look past the behavior and start to look at him.

I notice he is covering his ears

I get down on his level

I ask him if the music is too loud? Then I make an adjustment.

PRAYER:

So I read the scripture, observed what all it meant, thought how I could apply it, now I need to pray

God help me really see others. I never know what they are really going thru and unless you tell me, I might ever know. But I do know how I want to be treated by others. I want them to feel like they are valued and important. I want them to know that there are solutions to their problems and the most important solution is you. Help me to show them all this as this is what I want to be shown. Thank You for your Word and Your wisdom, Amen.

I encourage you to try it this week. As you continue to read the verses for the new year that I gave you

And then notice how it makes you feel inside. I promise, it will do your soul good!!!