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

January 31: Exodus 28-29; Acts 7

Scripture: Acts (NIV) 7:35 This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, “Who made you a ruler and a judge?” –this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

Observation: The Jewish leaders were jealous of the way God was using Stephen. They rounded up some false witnesses who would lie and brought Stephen to trial. When the High Priest asked for Stephen to answer the charges, Stephen gave an overview of the history of Israel. In this verse he points out that even though Moses had been earlier rejected as a leader, 40 years later God speaks to him from a burning bush and sends him back to the very people who had rejected him!

Application: Rejection from men does not mean that God is through with me. Past failure does not hinder God from using me later. I have to keep my ears open to God’s voice. I must keep my focus on the future.

Prayer: Lord, You are amazing. You use us even when others see nothing good in us. I am so glad you have the final say! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 30: Exodus 25-27; Acts 6

Scripture: Exodus (NIV) 25:40 And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.

Observation: Moses was up on the mountain in the presence of God. He was being told the specifications for each part of the tabernacle. He was also being shown the pattern.
As I recall my grade school years. I have many memories, some good and some bad, of the black board, or chalk board. The teacher would explain a math concept or a phrase in a sentence. Then she would write it out on the black board. She would solve the problem or diagram the sentence while we watched her. Then she called us to the board to demonstrate our level of understanding.

Application: What God did for Moses, and what my grade school teachers did for me, is what God wants to do for people today. It is good for us to read the Bible and listen to sermons. And we definitely need the Holy Spirit living inside. But we also need something we can see. We need a pattern to follow. So the Bible tells us to be faithful in meeting with other believers. As the church gathers, we find people to be our pattern and our lives become a pattern for someone else.

Prayer: Lord, may my life be a faithful pattern for someone who wants to please you. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 28: Exodus 21-22; Psalm 12; Acts 4

Scripture: Exodus (NIV) 24:12 The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction. “

Observation: At God’s command, Moses had taken the 70 elders with him up on the mountain. The Israelites who remained on the desert floor saw great evidences and manifestations of God’s Presence. The 70 who climbed the mountain saw God! They saw His beauty. They enjoyed His fellowship. And now in this verse, God calls Moses even higher. It was there God gave Moses the 10 commandments and the plans for the tabernacle.

Application: Being in God’s Presence is an enjoyable blessing. But God does not call me into His Presence only to bless me, but to make me a blessing. Like Moses was given the Commandments and Tabernacle plans for the nation of Israel, God blesses me with things that He then uses to bless others.

Prayer: Lord, Your plan is not only to bless me, but to include and enable me to share Your joy in blessing others! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 28: Exodus 21-22; Psalm 12; Acts 4

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

Observation: Silver that has been purified in an earthen furnace, then purified again, and then purified again up to seven times, would surely be considered pure. Generation after generation, decade after decade, year after year, God’s Word is placed in earthen furnaces—in the hearts of people.

Application: God’s Word is not put in the furnace to make it pure, but to prove it is pure. It can take the heat! And those who hide it in their hearts discover that they too can take the heat. It continues to be proven pure time and time again.

Prayer: Lord, Your word is pure. It remains trustworthy and true. It continues to be proved a good foundation for every life. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 27: Exodus 17-20; Acts 3

Scripture: Acts (NIV) 3:3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he [a lame man] asked to receive alms.
4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John and said, “Look at us.”
5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
8 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God,

Observation: Peter and John did not have what the lame man requested, but they believed they had something much better. Peter and John valued what they had to give and their actions proved it. They believed the lame man would like what they had. They did not see him as an interruption keeping them from getting to their prayer time, but as an opportunity for God to be glorified.

Application: Do I value what I have enough to stop and offer it to others? When I see someone with a need, do I quickly hurry on hoping they will not ask me for help? Do I believe God is able to work through me? Can people look at me expecting to receive something?

Prayer: Lord, I believe you can do amazing things. I believe you can use me. May I not see people as unwanted interruptions in my busy schedule, but as people you love and want to help. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 26: Exodus 14-16; Acts 2

Scripture: Exodus (NIV) 15:11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

Observation: The Israelites had been hopelessly trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea. At the Lord’s command Moses had lifted up his staff and God, with a strong wind, parted the waters providing the Israelites a way of escape. After the Israelites were safe on the other side, God instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea and the sea returned to its normal shores, drowning the Egyptian army. No wonder they were singing. No wonder Moses wrote a song containing the above verse. No wonder Moses’ sister, Miriam led the women in dancing with tambourines. No wonder…

Application: There is no god like my God! He is perfect in holiness! His actions are awesome! In perfectly amazing love, He Himself provided the perfectly holy sacrifice to pay for my sin.

Prayer: Lord, I agree with Moses: There is no one like You among the gods. There is no other god like You! You are amazing. No wonder I love You! No wonder I want to tell others about You! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 25: Exodus 12-13; Psalm 21; Acts 1

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 21:11 Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13 Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

Observation: God is exalted in His strength. If the LORD was depending on someone else’s strength, he would exalt in their strength. But His strength is more than sufficient for anything needed. His strength far exceeds the strength of any other. He is not just powerful; He is all-powerful!

Application: I do not have to depend on my own strength. I too can exalt in the strength of the LORD! It is important to have Him on my team. It is MUCH MORE important for me to be on HIS team.

Prayer: Lord, I exalt in YOUR strength! You are not only willing to help me; You are more than able to help me. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 24: Exodus 9-11; Luke 24

Scripture: Angels here are speaking to the first visitors at the empty tomb. Luke (NIV) 24: 6 “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee
7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
8 And they remembered his words…

Observation: “Remember,” the angels told them. …and they remembered! One can only remember what has been previously entered into the mind. If they had not been with Jesus earlier, they would have had nothing to remember.

Application: Remembering is bringing to my active memory what I have previously placed in my memory. If I do not read the Bible, I will not be able to remember God’s Word when I need it. The Holy Spirit will not bring to my remembrance what I have not placed there. It is like having a financial crisis and going to the back to draw out funds from my savings account. I can only withdraw what I have previously placed there. If I have not placed anything there, I will have nothing to draw out. Having God’s Word in my mind is MUCH MORE important than having money in a savings account!

Prayer: Lord, what a wonderful part of creation is memory! When my memory is filled with your Word my memory is a valuable resource. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 23: Exodus 6-8; Luke 23

Scripture: Exodus (NIV) 7:20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood.
21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt….
24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.

Observation: In reading through the book of Exodus, our attention is mainly focused on the plight of the Israelites. It is good to pause and consider the Egyptians. They suffered terribly under the results of the bad decisions of their leader.

Application: Our lives are greatly affected by the decisions of our national leaders. In our nation we presently see many people whose lives are negatively affected by our governments attempt to implement a new health care law. I am sure that every nation can give similar examples. Leaders should help us live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness because this is good and pleases God. (1Timothy 2:1-4)

Prayer: Lord, I pray that you will reveal yourself to our leaders. May they not be able to ignore your presence and your will. I pray that you will be glorified in their lives and decisions. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 22: Exodus 3-5; Luke 22

Scripture: Exodus (NIV) 4:29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

Observation: The people were relieved to know that God had seen their trouble and was concerned. God was aware of their trouble. God was not only aware, He was concerned. It was important to Him. Nothing had yet been done to free them from their bondage, but just knowing that God was concerned caused them to bow down and worship.

Application: I know God is omniscient (all knowing) so he is aware of my problems. I know that is truth. But there are those times when He reassures me that He knows. He is concerned and is going to do something about those problems. What a relief it is to be assured that God is aware and concerned.

Prayer: Lord, I sing with relief, “I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all of my burdens down at your feet. And anytime I don’t know what to do, I just cast all my cares upon you.” Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!