📧 In today’s email..

• 📕 Today’s reading

• 🙏 The SOAP Devotional of the day

• 🎄 Give an Angel Tree with Prison Fellowship

📕 TODAY’S READING
Ezekiel 13-15; Psalm 136; John 5

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🙏 SOAP DEVOTIONAL
SOAP: scripture, observation, application, prayer

Today’s SOAP Devotional by Jacob Coyne

S - SCRIPTURE: John 5:6 (NIV):

"When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?'“

O - OBSERVATION:

In this passage, Jesus encounters a man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been sick for 38 years. Despite the pool’s reputation for healing, the man had not been able to reach the water in time to be healed. When Jesus asks, "Would you like to be made well?" it seems like an obvious question—of course the man wants healing. But the man’s response shows his focus is still on the pool, explaining why he can't reach it in time. Instead of addressing the man's circumstances, Jesus shifts his focus. He commands the man to rise, pick up his mat, and walk. In an instant, the man is healed—not by the pool’s power, but by Jesus' word.

This story highlights Jesus' authority over sickness and our need to respond to His invitation with faith. Often, we can become so focused on our limitations and external solutions that we fail to see that Jesus Himself is the source of our healing and wholeness. His question to the man is also a question for us: “Do you want to be made well?” It is not just physical healing but also spiritual restoration that He offers.

A - APPLICATION:

This passage challenges us to examine our own hearts. Do we truly desire healing, or have we become comfortable in our current situation, even if it’s painful? Like the man at the pool, we can become focused on the wrong solutions to our problems, waiting for circumstances to change when Jesus is standing before us, ready to heal us in His way and in His time.

Are there areas in your life where you’ve been waiting for something or someone else to bring healing—whether it’s physical, emotional, or spiritual? Jesus is asking you today, “Would you like to be made well?” He invites you to shift your focus from the external and trust Him. Take the step of faith, like the man who picked up his mat and walked, knowing that Jesus can bring healing in ways we least expect.

P - PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, thank You for being my healer. I confess that I sometimes look to the wrong things for solutions to my problems, and I miss Your invitation to be made whole. Help me to trust You, to hear Your voice, and to respond in faith. Heal the areas of my life where I have been waiting for breakthrough, and give me the courage to pick up my mat and walk in the new life You offer.

Amen.

From today’s sponsor: Prison Fellowship

🎄 Angel Tree Christmas 🎄

Christmas can be a very painful time of year for a prisoner’s child. They might see other families celebrating together and miss their mom or dad even more than usual. They might even wonder if their mom or dad in prison still thinks about them.

This is why we are excited to share Prison Fellowship Angel Tree with you. Angel Tree exists to reconnect families, deliver Christmas gifts, and share the Good News of the Savior’s birth with families shattered by crime.

As we approach the holiday season, would you consider giving to bless a prisoner’s child with an Angel Tree Christmas?

What is a SOAP?

For each day of Bible reading, we do a SOAP devotional to go deeper into the word of God. We always provide an example SOAP from one of our authors, but we highly encourage you to do your own SOAP with today’s reading. God wants to speak to you personally, and will highlight a passage of today’s reading that’s just for you.

Here’s how it works:

S – SCRIPTURE
Physically write out the Bible verse
You’ll be amazed at what God will reveal to you when you
slow down to write or meditate on what you are reading!

O – OBSERVATION
What do you see in the verses you’re reading?
Who is the audience? Is there a repetition of words? What words stand out to you? What is the main lesson or theme?

A – APPLICATION
When God’s Word becomes personal
What is God saying to me today? How can I apply what I just read to my life? Are there any changes I need to make?

P – PRAYER
Pray God’s Word back to Him
If He has revealed something to you during this time in His
Word, pray about it. Confess if He has revealed some sin that is in your life. Take time to thank Him for His goodness in your life.