Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

January 21: Exodus 1-2; Psalm 88; Luke 21

Scripture: Luke 21:1 NIV As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.
2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.
3 "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others.

Observation: Other people who might have been watching would have noticed and commented on the large amounts placed in the offering by the rich. They would not have given much, if any attention to the small amount given by this widow. Jesus ALSO SAW what others overlooked!

Application: First: I may not be able to do what I see as the most important thing, but I can be sure that the Lord also sees and appreciates what I do. Second: I will miss a lot of life if I only see the big things. I must also see what others might consider insignificant.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see things as you see them. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

January 20: Genesis 49-50; Psalm 8; Luke 20

Scripture: Psalm 8:1 NIV O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Psalm 8:9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Observation: David ended this song with the same words as he began. In between these two verses he speaks of the heavens and earth. He speaks of man who has been given responsibility over God’s earth. Everywhere man looks he can see God’s handiwork.

Application: EVERYTHING I see today will either be something God made, or something that a man carrying God’s image made by using what God made. It will be impossible for me to have my eyes open and not see God’s handiwork. Even the evil I may see will only be the misuse of what God has made, and will be done by someone who carries the image of God.

Prayer: Oh Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! May I remember that EVERYTHING I see displays your handiwork! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

January 19: Genesis 47-48; Psalm 10; Luke 19

Scripture: Psalm 10:17 NIV You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry

Observation: What a wonderful thing to know: God hears. And it is not just the powerful or the loud that God hears. He hears the heart cry of the weak and sickly. He does not just hear; he listens. Their cry is not just noise to be ignored; he understands what they are saying.

Application: It is good to be reminded that God hears. First, He hears me when I am in trouble or discouraged. Others may not have time to listen or may not understand, but God has the time and He understands! Second, He hears the same cries I hear. I am limited in resources and understanding. I often do not know how to respond, but God is not limited and He understands perfectly. He can use me or someone else. When I hear the cry of the afflicted or the discouraged my ears are tuned in to what God hears.

Prayer: Lord, I remember how Ethel Waters used to sing about your eye being on the sparrow. I know you are watching me and I know you hear me. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

January 18: Genesis 44-46; Luke 18

Scripture: Genesis 45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!
5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.
6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping.
7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

Observation: Joseph was looking at the big picture. The details about how the brothers had mistreated him and sold him into slavery could be easily forgiven because Joseph now saw and understood God’s purpose.

Application: When I have trouble forgiving, it is because I am NOT looking at the big picture. My mind is caught in a web. I keep focusing on the details of what happened to me. I keep re-thinking how I was mistreated. I keep remembering how bad I felt. Only when I see the big picture of how God fwants to bless me and make me a blessing to others, including the ones who caused the hurt—only then can I do like Joseph and forgive.

Prayer: Lord, I am thankful that you, the Greatest Forgiver, live in me! I want to become as quick to forgive others as you have been in forgiving me. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

January 17: Genesis 42-43; Psalm 5; Luke 17

Scripture: Luke 17:15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
18 Was no-one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Observation: On my regular school bus route, very few of the students say, “Thanks” when getting off the bus. The two or three that do almost every day stand out in my mind. To me, it speaks well of their parents. I have also noticed that those who follow someone expressing thanks are more likely to do the same. It is not like saying, “Thank you,” is hard to do, they had just not thought about it.

Application: To say, “Thanks,” costs me nothing! It is really the least I can do. I need to make sure I express appreciation for every act of kindness shown to me today. I can use new words and phrases; and I can verbalize them with a tone of voice that communicates sincerity. I can look them in the eye.

Prayer: Lord, I can start with you. Thank you for your many expressions of kindness to me. May my appreciation be seen in that I pass them along to others. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

January 16: Genesis 39-41; Luke 16

Scripture: Genesis 39: 1 ¶ Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did,
4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.

Observation: Joseph had been sold by his brothers into slavery. Surely the Lord’s presence was a comfort to Joseph. Sometimes just knowing that God knows what is happing to us helps us through tough times. But the Lord’s presence brought more than just a feeling in his heart; it brought visible blessings that others could see. Potiphar could SEE that Joseph had God’s approval and blessing.

Application: I am thankful for God’s presence in my life. He brings me peace. I am also thankful that His blessings can be seen by others. God wants the blessings He gives me to be a blessing to others too.

Prayer: Lord, may others see your blessings on my life, and may they benefit from them. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

January 15: Genesis 37-38; Psalm 7; Luke 15

Scripture: Genesis 37:28 NIV So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

Observation: God had given Joseph a grand vision of his parents and brothers bowing before him. But now Joseph is sold by his brothers into slavery. Where was the God of the vision? How could God let this happen? But because we know the rest of the story, we know that God was uniquely positioning Joseph so that he would be immediately available to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. He did not have to clear his calendar or finish up any pressing business deals. He ended up in jail from which he could be called into Pharaoh’s throne room at a moment’s notice! The evil intentions of Joseph’s brothers did not hinder God’s promises, but rather worked to help fulfill them!

Application: Here is the question for me. Is there any man too powerful to do anything that God cannot use to further His very purpose for my life? Because I am coming to know God, the answer is simple—NO! All things (good and bad things) work together for my good because I love God and am called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Prayer: Lord, like it is written in Psalm 118:6: You are on my side; I will not fear. What can man do unto me? Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Carefully Watched

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

January 14: Genesis 34-36; Luke 14

Scripture: Luke 14:1 NIV One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.

Observation: Jesus was always being carefully watched. Some watched him because they needed something, some because they were just curious and some because they loved him. In this passage Jesus was being watched by people who were critical of Him and were looking for a way to accuse Him of doing something wrong.

Application: People watching me have various motives too. But the most important one watching me is Jesus and He is carefully watching me because He loves me! He is watching to protect me, to reward me, and to enjoy me. He is the Watcher of Leon! J

Prayer: Lord, how comforting to know you watch me. I am never out of your eyesight. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

January 13: Genesis 31-33; Luke 13

Scripture: Luke 13:20 NIV Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?
21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Observation: The Kingdom of God like the yeast must be worked through until every portion of the flour, salt, and whatever else has been put in the mix is affected by the yeast. In the bakers hands the dough is kneaded until it is thoroughly mixed. The ingredients are not just thrown in a bowl and then placed in the oven. The baker takes time to pull, and stretch, and roll, and squeeze, and even letting it set aside in preparation for the oven.

Application: God is the Baker and is working His Kingdom into every area of my life. He stretches me, pulls me, and rolls me until His Kingdom has been worked through my entire life. Then he lets me set on the counter until the right time to be placed in the oven. But who wants to eat dough that has not been baked; who wants to take from my life that which has not been tested and proved.

Prayer: Lord, have your perfect way in my life. I know even in the hard times, you are working for my good and your glory! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

January 12: Genesis 29-30; Luke 12

Scripture: Luke 12:15 NIV Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Observation: The King James Version reads: “…and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” The tenth command is “Thou shalt not covet.” (Exodus 22:17)

Application: My attention was drawn to “all kinds of greed.” I have usually thought of greed as applying to finances or possessions. Now I see that it can apply to God’s blessings to another, the honor someone else has received, the success someone else enjoys, the abilities someone else has, etc. I am most susceptible to greed when someone is given what I feel I deserved, or when I have been overlooked.

Prayer: Lord, help me rejoice in every blessing, victory, honor give to another. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!