Monthly Archives: November 2011

What A Book!

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November 20: Matt 5-7

What A Book!

Scripture: Matthew 4:3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Observation: Jesus, the Complete Word of the Father made flesh, answered the devil with the written word!!!! What a joy for us who look to Jesus as our example. He only used what WE have available! The Living Word was using the Written Word to overcome the devil’s temptation.

Application: No book is more important for me to know than the Bible. In it God reveals Himself to me. In it He speaks to me. He gives me encouragement and comfort, wisdom and knowledge, guidance and understanding. It is my proven sword to fend off Satan’s attacks.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the Bible. Thank you for your example in using the written word in overcoming Satan’s temptations. Teach me to do the same. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Until

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SOAP for November 19: Matthew 1-4

Until

Scripture: Matthew 2: 13 ¶ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

Observation: Joseph was told to go and told to stay until he was specifically told to return, which happens in verse 20. It was not up to Joseph when to return, nor up to his interpretation of the circumstances, but God’s clear word of direction.

Application: Stay there until I tell you… It is tempting to let trouble, or lack of success, or simply the desire for change set my times, but Joseph was sent to a location and told to stay “until.” When I have been given specific directions, I should stay “until.” If I went somewhere just to check it out, then I could probably leave for the same reason. But, if the Lord sent me, I have to stay!

Prayer: Lord, my commitment is to remain faithful where You have placed me until I am certain that You are directing me otherwise. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

He Came To My Side!

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November 18: Ps 124, 2Cor 11-13

He Came To My Side!

Scripture: Psalm 124:1 If the LORD had not been on our side— let Israel say—
2 if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us…

Observation: Who can think of all the possible scenarios if “the LORD had not been on our side?”

Application: I know that the emphasis is not so much Him being on my side, but for me to be on His side. But sometimes in His grace, He comes to my aid even when I am not walking in His perfect will. In fact, that is what Calvary was all about. Jesus came to the side of sinners in order to bring them to His side of righteousness. Think of it: “if the Lord had not been on my side” at Calvary, I would still be lost in my sin!

In reading the New Testament and better understanding the great judgment to which I was headed, and the great gulf that separated me from God, and the great grace that brought the LORD to my side — surely I can sing this with more appreciation and feeling than ever the psalmist. Surely I each can add many of my own verses to this great anthem.

Prayer: Lord, only you know where I would be if you had not come to my side. Thank you for coming to my side! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Whatever action necessary…

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November 17: 2Cor 7-10

Whatever action necessary…

Scripture: 2Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Observation: What a difference between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow is being convicted of the wrongfulness of the action taken. It leads to acknowledging the wrong, restitution if possible, and receiving forgiveness. On the other hand, worldly sorrow is being sorry one was caught. There is little if any acknowledgment that the action taken was wrong. The blame is placed on others. When whatever consequence is finished, there is little to prevent a reoccurrence.

Application: God desires me to be truly sorrowful for my sins and quick to repent. He wants me to be sorry enough to take whatever action necessary to stop sinning. He wants me to receive His forgiveness and walk on as a child greatly loved by his Father and whose love for his Father is well known.

Prayer: Lord, instead of making excused and blaming others, I need Your help to see sin as you see it. What a great price you paid that I might be forgiven! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

My Future

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November 16: 2Corinthians 3-6

My Future

Scripture: 2Corinthians 5:4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Observation: What a grand purpose God had in making us! Here we see the purpose God had in creating man was not to live in mortality but immortality! This earth suit in which we dwell was created to be temporary. We will soon be clothed with that which cannot die!

Application: My expectations of the future have a great influence on how I cope with my present circumstances. My expectation of coming before a Holy God makes me want to be sure that my sins are forgiven and that Christ is living in my heart. I do not have to get all my rewards in this life; God will have all eternity to take care of matters. My expectation of coming before a Loving God makes me want to please Him by loving those around me. If it costs me to love, I recall how much it cost Him to love me.

Prayer: Lord, with all my heart I can sing: “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus; life’s trials will seem so small, when we see Christ. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase. So bravely run the race, till we see Christ.” Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

The Classroom of Life

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November 15: Job 41, 42; 2Corinthians 1, 2

The Classroom Of Life

Scripture: 2Corinthians (NIV) 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Observation: Here we have two descriptions of God: “…the Father of compassion” and “the God of all comfort…”

Application: It is hard to wrap my thoughts around all these two phrases contain. It is difficult to grasp their full meaning by simple reading them on the pages of a book. But it was when my mom died, and later when my dad died that I began to see the depth in these verses that I had often so quickly passed over. The Holy Spirit teaches in the classroom of life. It is in daily living that we gain greater understanding.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, be my teacher. Bring things to my remembrance and help me understand. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

A New Song

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November 14: Psalm 149; 1Corinthians 15, 16

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 149:1 ¶ Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.

Observation: The book of Psalms ends with a crescendo of praise. Here in the first verse of the next to last chapter we are encouraged to praise the Lord when we meet together. Congregational singing gives strength to our praise. Although the old songs are well known here the Psalmist tells us to sing “NEW” songs. God made Himself known in special ways when those old songs were written, BUT He has not stopped working. He continues to work among us today. We should have many reasons to sing NEW songs!

Application: Most of the new songs I hear in church today come from a new generation. Although some of the songs are difficult for me to follow, my heart rejoices as I watch and hear them praise the Lord I love. I am blest to hear new expressions of eternal truths that I have sung for years. Hearing those truths expressed with new words and new melodies is like laying down the King James Version and picking up the New International Version or The Message. The words may be different, but the truth is the same!

Prayer: Lord, hear my heart as I stumble through the NEW songs. May I see the new songs as an indication that You are reaching my children’s generation. I will rejoice with them with a grateful heart and today write a new song that I can sing. It may not be something others will sing with me, but it will be from my heart. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Delight

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November 13: Job 39, 40; 1Corinthians 13, 14

Scripture: 1Corinthians (NIV) 13:6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Observation: My attention is drawn to the word “delight.” This week our granddaughter’s school was out for a day and we were privileged to have her in our home. While she was painting some plaster-of-Paris things “Nandi” had prepared, she was quite critical of her own work and told us how a teacher had criticized her art work in school before the class telling her how bad it was. She had worked very hard on it and she felt quite hurt. The Lord brought her to the right place because the true art experts, Nandi and Papa, took great delight in the work of this budding artist with so much talent.

Application: What a wonderful thought to know that my Heavenly Father delights in me as I delight in my granddaughter. Also, when love reigns in my life, my delights will not be in doing evil or in hearing evil reports but will be aligned with God’s delights.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, please check me when I begin to take joy in things that displease you. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Similarities and Differences

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November 12: Job 37, 38; 1Corinthians 12

Scripture: 1Corinthians (NIV) 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

Observation: It is a fact that we have various body parts, but there is another fact that can only be understood with special revelation. That these parts are present in the body is obvious, but how they got there must be deduced from an outside source. Here the Bible says that the parts of the body were designed and placed by God, just as He wanted them to be. They are present at His pleasure and His design!

Application: There is no part of my body that is before my eyes more than my hands. (What an excellent place to have a reminder of the vows I made to my wife.) The similarities of my hands cause them to work together well, but their differences enhance their usefulness.

God designed me so similar to those around me, yet so different. The similarities help me interact with them. The differences make me valuable and useful in my family, my work place, and my church.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for both similarities and differences. May you be blest as I fulfill your calling on my life. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

For His Glory!

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November 10: Job 35, 36; 1Corinthians 7, 8

Scripture: 1Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Observation: Here is a good scripture to take as one to build my life around; however I cannot build my life around it if I do not build my day around it.

Application: Even the things I consider insignificant things like eating and drinking need to be done for the glory of God.

Prayer: Lord, I want to live my life in a way that makes you look good. May people readily see that I consider it a high honor to serve You. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!