Monthly Archives: August 2011

He is worthy!

Posted on by
Reply

August 31: Ezekiel 12-14; Revelation 5

Scripture: Revelation 5:11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.
12 In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshipped.

Observation: Worship is a major theme in the book of Revelation. From reading the verses above, everyone participates. John, chapter four tells us that God is looking for worshippers—for worshippers who worship in spirit and truth.

Application: In past years, I have enjoyed some good times of playing football, but I do not consider myself a football player. In the same way, God is not satisfied that I worship Him once a week, or when someone else is encouraging me to do it; God wants Leon to be a worshipper! It starts with the first commandment: to love the Lord my God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Prayer: Lord, I do not have to wait until I get to heaven to be a worshipper. My heart is full of appreciation for you and all you have done for me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

TUESDAY SOAP: His door is already open!

Posted on by
Reply

August 30: Ezekiel 8-11; Revelation 4

Scripture: Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

Observation: Usually when I read the Book of Revelation, I stop at the end of chapter three and then pick up later with chapter 4. So I never noticed that in the space of four verses we find reference to two different doors.

The first is for Jesus to enter and He is waiting for us to hear Him knocking and open it for His entrance. The second door was for John to enter; it was already open!

Application: Jesus is the open door to heaven for all who receive Him as their Savior (accepting His death as the payment for their sins) AND Lord (accepting Him as their master or owner.) When I open the door to my life, I find he has already opened the door to God’s kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for dying to pay for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and do not deserve your great love. Please forgive me and be the Lord of my life. I open the door to my heart. I welcome you into my life. I commit my life to please you by loving you and living in such a way that makes you feel at home. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

The Invitation

Posted on by
Reply

August 29: Ezekiel 4-7; Revelation 3

Scripture: Revelation 3:15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. …
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Observation: They did not hate God, but they really did not love Him either. But the same cannot be said about God! He who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us, loves us enough to rebuke and discipline us! He is passionate about us.

We shut Him out of our homes, our work places, our schools, our celebrations and even a 911 Memorial service, but He stands at the door and knocks. He awaits our invitation!

The joy of love is to be loved by the one you love; that the one you love wants your presence and help. So the One Who loves us does not run off, but stands knocking at our door, awaiting our invitation.

Application: “God loves me just as I am, but too much to leave me that way.” He corrects me for my good. When I hear His voice, it is for me to open the door.

Prayer: Lord, I invite you into my day. I want you to participate with me in each activity. It is a joy to have you with me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Able AND Willing

Posted on by
Reply

August 28: Ezekiel 1-3; Revelation 2

Scripture: Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Observation: The individual messages to each of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3 follow the same outline. Each ending shows us the Holy Spirit is/has been speaking to the churches; we need to be listening. God is not some distant disinterested deity. He is with us, interested in us, and speaking to us!

Application: God knows life is not easy and there are tough choices, but He has designed me to overcome and has special blessings for me when I do.

Prayer: Lord, I know I cannot overcome depending on my own strength, but you are with me and have already overcome the things I have yet to face. You are able and willing to help me. Thank you, Lord! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

The Touch

Posted on by
Reply

August 27: Jeremiah 52; Revelation 1; Psalm 143-144

Scripture: Revelation 1:17 When I saw him (Jesus), I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.
18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Observation: The hand that broke the bread and multiplied the fish, the hand that touched the blinded eye now touched John. The touch was not just a casual touch of a friend, but a significant touch, a touch full of meaning. It was such an important touch that John mentions it here in his writings. It was a touch of presence. The touch was Jesus way of saying, “I am here.”
Along with the touch came the assuring words, “Do not be afraid.” John’s courage was not to be based on who John was, but on who Jesus is.

Application: The courage I have to face the issues of this day is not based on my strength or wisdom. It is not based on my ability to figure things out and to come up with a workable plan. As I pray, read His Word, and meditate on Him, I feel His touch and sense His presence. I look ahead into this day actively acknowledging the fact that Jesus is with me and will be with me all day long; my faith is in him.

Prayer: Lord, I am depending on you. From my point of view, I cannot see ahead around the bend. From your point of view, nothing is hidden. In faith I am moving ahead counting on you to show what to do. Amen.
(P.S. Lord, reach through me to touch someone in need today.)

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Vital Signs

Posted on by
Reply

August 26: Jeremiah 50-51; 3John

Scripture: 3John 11 Dear friends, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

Observation: Faith and love have this in common: both are inner qualities that are proved by outward action. Actions are the “vital signs” of both. Heartbeat, respirations and brain waves are not life, but are considered vital signs that life is present. Without those vital signs a person is declared dead. James 2:17 tells us that faith without works is dead. And the same is true of love. As I remember from a High School poetry assignment:
A bell is not a bell till you ring it;
A song is not a song till you sing it;
And the love in your heart was not put there to stay;
Love is not love till you give it away! Oscar Hammerstein II

Application: I have seen trucks on the road with a sign on their rear bumpers: “How’s my driving? Call: _____“ Maybe I should have a sign: “How’s my living?”

Prayer: Lord, I want you to be easily seen in and through me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Our Trademark!

Posted on by
Reply

August 25: Jeremiah 37-39; Psalm 79; 2John

Scripture: 2John 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.
6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

Observation: John is referred to as “John the Beloved” because he was so close to Jesus and in the Gospel which bears his name, he refers to himself, not by name, but as the one “whom Jesus loved.”

Jesus had expressed the ten commandments by summarizing them into two: the first about loving God and the second about loving people. Jesus had even given them His own commandment that they were to love each other as He had loved them.

Now, as he is writing a short letter to the church, we can see that John got the message: Love is the reason Jesus came and love is to be the trademark of His people.

Application: Love must be my priority. My love for God becomes visible as I obey His commands. My love for others becomes visible in my words and actions. Unlike the wife in the waiting room last week whose words to her elderly husband were full of exasperation and impatience, may my words be full of God’s love.

Prayer: Lord, you have shined your love into my heart; now help me to shine it out to others. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

My love for God

Posted on by
Reply

August 23: Jeremiah 31-32; 1John 4

Scripture: 1John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Observation: God’s love is demonstrated in that He sent His Son, Jesus into the world. Our love is to be expressed, not just in returning it to God, but in loving those around us.

God’s love for us was proved before we were ever able to return it. His love for us took the risk of not being returned. Our love for Him can never reach that level because we are certain of his love before we ever reach out in love to Him.

The God kind of love causes us to reach out to others before we know how they will respond. We love them without any guarantee they will return our love.

Application: The proof of God’s love for me is that He sent His Son. The proof of my love for God is that I love the people around me. My love for the people I can see is proof of my love for the God I cannot see.

Prayer: Lord, I want my love for you to be visible. May it be seen in my love for those around me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

It’s my turn…

Posted on by
Reply

August 24: Jeremiah 33-34; Psalm 74; 1John 5

Scripture: 1John 5:3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

Observation: It cannot be ignored: to love God means that we keep His commands. To some, that thought seems cumbersome. We are willing to say we love God, but when it comes down to actually doing some of the things He says, well that is too inconvenient and we might miss out on something we really like. How can we say we love God and not take time to read His Word, the Bible?

Instead of proving our love for God, we want God to further prove His love for us by overlooking our sins and understanding how tough it is to live by His rules. Instead of thinking about the things we can do to prove our love for Him, we think of all the additional things He can do to prove His love for us!!! And this after He has already given His Son to pay for our sins by His death on the cross!!! Duh!

Application: He has already proved His love for me; now it is my turn to prove my love for Him! If I really love God, keeping His commands is not burdensome. It is a joy to do things for those I really love. It pleases me to do those things that please the ones I love. It makes me smile to make them smile.

Prayer: “I love you Lord, and I lift my voice To worship you, Oh my soul rejoice; take joy, my King, in what you hear; may I be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.” (Laurie Klein) Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

What Evidence?

Posted on by
Reply

August 22: Jeremiah 28-30; 1John 3

Scripture: 1John 3:10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Observation: God looks at the heart, but we can only see the outside. So John gives us two standards by which we can know is really a child of God. It is not what they say, but what they do. It is not that they say they love God, but that they love their brothers and sisters.

Application: If I was on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me? Would there be any witnesses that saw me doing what is right and loving my brothers and sisters? There is no way I can live my life for Jesus without others noticing.

Prayer: Lord, may the truth that my life is all about you be evident to everyone around me. May people see what I do and glorify my Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!