My S.O.A.P. Box: Counting the Cost

Showing posts with label Counting the Cost. Show all posts

Friday, January 2, 2026

Counting the Cost of Following Jesus - Matthew 16:24-26

Matthew 16:24-26
“If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

At first glance, these words sound simple. But if you’ve ever tried to live them, you know they are anything but easy. They are beautifully clear, and wonderfully uncomfortable at the same time.

Take a minute and seriously look at what Jesus says:

My Blog's Purpose

This blog really started out as something simple. I was just trying to keep track of my daily Bible study notes—little thoughts, insights, and questions that came to me as I read. I wanted a way to look back at what I’d learned and remind myself of what God had been teaching me. At first, it was just for me. Then I thought, Why not put these online so I can reach them from anywhere? That’s when I started using Google’s Blogspot.com. Before long, I realized that if I was already writing and sharing online, maybe someone else might benefit from what I was learning too. Maybe my thoughts could encourage someone, or even spark a conversation that would help me understand God’s Word better. That’s really how My S.O.A.P. Box came about. It’s a collection of those reflections—personal thoughts that grew out of my own time in Scripture and in everyday life. They’re not meant to be deep theological studies or scholarly commentaries. They’re simply what happens when an ordinary person sits down with God’s Word and listens. The name comes from the S.O.A.P. Bible study method: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. It’s a simple way to slow down and really engage with what you’re reading. That’s what I try to do in each piece—look at what God is saying, notice what stands out, think about how it applies to my life, and end with prayer. My hope is that as you read through these pages, you’ll be encouraged to spend time in the Word yourself. Maybe something here will speak to your heart, help you grow in your faith, or simply remind you that we’re all learning and walking this journey together. If these thoughts of mine can help you draw a little closer to God, then this blog has done exactly what I hoped it would.