Friends, For some of you, your Resurrection Celebration Day is coming to a close. For those in the USA, it is just beginning. What a special privilege it is for me to share the Living Word from a Living Savior! It is sent out to Living People who are a part of the Living Church! May the daily SOAPs encourage your Life in Christ, helping it to be ever new! Leon J

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

April 20: 1Samuel 23; Psalm 31,54; Matthew 7

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do what my Father in heaven wants will enter. …
24 “So then, everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise man. He builds his house on the rock.
25 The rain comes down. The water rises. The winds blow and beat against that house. But it does not fall. It is built on the rock.

Observation: Jesus knew what he was talking about. He came to do the will of the Father. He said that the works he did were really the Father’s works and the words he spoke were also the Father’s. Doing the Father’s will led Him to the cross and the grave. It also led him through the resurrection back to the glory at His Father’s side.

Application: The first work of being a Christian is to believe. I must believe that the work of Jesus on the cross is the full payment for my sins. Forgiveness is amazing grace offered to me which I receive by faith. That my life belongs to Jesus can be easily seen by others as I do what He directs. Salvation starts in my heart but finds expressions through my actions and words. If there is no outward expression, there is probably no inward life. After all, faith without works is dead.

Prayer: Lord, not just a hearer, but a doer is what you expect from me. May my hands and feet please you as much as my heart. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 19: 1Samuel 22; Psalm 17,35; Matthew 6

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 6:14 Forgive people when they sin against you. If you do, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Observation: What a terrible thing—to be unforgiven. What a wonderful thing—to be forgiven. Sowing forgiveness into others prepares a harvest of forgiveness for me to reap. Sowing un-forgiveness into others prepares a harvest of un-forgiveness for me.

Application: When I have trouble forgiving people, I need to remember that I have The Great Forgiver living inside me. I must remember that forgiving is a choice and forgetting is a process. Until it is forgotten, I must remember it as forgiven. I cannot afford to have God withhold his forgiveness from me!

Prayer: Lord, You are The Great Forgiver! Help me to be like you. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 18: 1Samuel 20-21; Psalm 34; Matthew 5

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 5:20 For I say unto you…
22,28,32,34,39, and 44 But I say unto you…

Observation: Jesus would tell them what the law said—then he would tell them what he said. The law said not to kill; Jesus said not to hate. The law said not to commit adultery; Jesus said not to lust. The law dealt with outward actions, but Jesus dealt with the mind and heart. Jesus’ priority was the inside!

Application: If not a single person had been able to live up to the Law, how could I ever be able to live up to Jesus standards? The answer is “Jesus!” He would die as a sinless sacrifice to pay for my sins and He would, by His Spirit, live inside of me to enable me to overcome sin’s temptation. He works in me from the inside out.

Prayer: Lord, today, I celebrate your amazing sacrifice! You are an Amazing Savior! You are the perfect answer for my every need! You change my actions by changing my heart. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 17: 1Samuel 19; 1Chronicles 7; Psalm 59; Matthew 4

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 4:24 News about him spread all over Syria. People brought to him all who were ill with different kinds of sicknesses. Some were suffering great pain. Others were controlled by demons. Some were shaking wildly. Others couldn’t move at all. And Jesus healed all of them.

Observation: As I drive around the Wichita, Kansas area, I see so many health specialty facilities. There are hospitals, and rehabilitation hospitals. There are orthopedic hospitals and those that specialize in spines. There is the Cancer center. We have optometrists and dentist. We have hospital floors for children and other floors for the elderly. There are hospitals for the mentally ill and for giving birth. But this verse says that Jesus healed all of them!

Application: I appreciate the doctors and their search for answers to diseases that plague their patients. I have never met a doctor who felt they had all the answers. I have never met a doctor whose expertise has not been challenged. I have never met a doctor who has never lost a patient to death. Yet Jesus, “healed all of them.” With Jesus, hope never runs out! The hope we have in Jesus reaches even beyond the grave! For that I am so glad and so thankful!

Prayer: Lord, It is good to trust you. You are the great healer. Thank you for the hope you give us. Thank you that though sickness may seem to take us to the grave, it cannot go with us through the grave! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 16: 1Samuel 18; 1Chronicles 6; Psalm 11; Matthew 3

Scripture: 1Samuel (KJV) 18:5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely…
1Samuel (KJV) 18:14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.
15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.
1Samuel (KJV) 18:30 …David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

Observation: David was young, but wise. He did not act foolishly. His wisdom was appreciated by others because they could see it in his actions. Wisdom comes more with maturity than with age.

Application: Wisdom is communicated to me through daily reading the Bible and in listening to the Holy Spirit who is my constant companion. The wisest thing I can do is to listen to Him and do as He directs. The Gospels show the life of Christ while he lived here on earth and since I am presently on earth, I find wisdom from learning how he lived. Wisdom should be seen in my actions.

Prayer: Lord, may I not just have wisdom, may I, like David, behave myself wisely. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 15: 1Samuel 17; Psalm 9; Matthew 2

Scripture: 1Samuel (NIV) 17:37 The LORD saved me from the paw of the lion. He saved me from the paw of the bear. And he’ll save me from the powerful hand of this Philistine too.” Saul said to David, “Go. And may the LORD be with you.”

Observation: The struggles David had encountered as a shepherd in saving his father’s sheep from the lion and the bear were now faith builders as he took on saving the Lord’s name from the taunts of this giant. David was young but mature. He was able to take the truth learned in one life experience then later apply it to a similar, but different experience.

Application: I can see this truth worked out in my life. Many times God was working in my life not only for the present situation, but in preparation for the future. And surely God is doing that now; bring me victory that will build my faith for that which is to come. God wants me to mature to where I can apply the old lesson and not need to relearn it.

Prayer: Lord, may I be mature enough to take lessons learned from my past and apply them to my present. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 14: 1Samuel 15-16; 1Chronicles 5; Matthew 1

Scripture: 1Samuel (NIV) 15:22 But Samuel replied, “What pleases the LORD more? Burnt offerings and sacrifices, or obeying him? It is better to obey than to offer a sacrifice. It is better to do what he says than to offer the fat of rams.

Observation: King Saul and the Israelites were to totally destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions. But they saved the King and the best of the sheep and cattle. They saved everything that was valuable but totally destroyed everything that was worthless and weak. (verse 9) When confronted by the prophet Samuel, King Saul responded that they had kept the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord.

Application: My obedience is very important to the Lord, and should be to me also. I should use my mind to determine how to best obey, rather than to think up excuses for not obeying. I cannot pay off the Lord for my disobedience. I cannot do something special for Him in order to make up for my disobedience. However if I confess my sins He is faithful and just and will forgive AND cleanse me from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9) Being cleansed from all unrighteousness would include the desire to disobey again. And as this week I celebrate the death and resurrection of my Lord, I should be reminded of the great suffering my sins caused Him. To think I have an easy out of sin shows that I do not appreciate His cross and have not accepted the principle of the cross in my life where I can say “no” to what I would enjoy in order to say “yes” to what pleases Him. In so living, I discover the joy and reward for obeying Him.

Prayer: Lord, if I call you “Lord” then I must obey. Sadly, when I disobey you I am confessing with my actions that you are not my Lord. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 13: 1Samuel 14; 1Chronicles 4; 2Corinthians 13

Scripture: 2Corinthians (NIV) 13:11 Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind; live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Observation: As Paul signs off this letter to the church at Corinth, He give a four short exhortations and a promise. He exhorts us to (1) live the best we can, (2) pay attention to Paul’s directives, (3) mutually respect one another, and (4) not allow conflict to come between us. Then there is the promise; and what a great promise it is!

Application: The God, who gave us the greatest expression of true love the world has ever seen, is with me!!! The God, who establishes peace in the midst of turmoil, is with me!!!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your presence in my life. Thank you for expressing your love and peace in and through me. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Weaponless

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

April 12: 1Samuel 13; 1Chronicles 2-3; 2Corinthians 12

Scripture: 1Samuel (NIV) 13:19 There weren’t any blacksmiths in the whole land of Israel. That’s because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews might hire them to make swords or spears!”…
22 So not one of Saul’s or Jonathan’s soldiers had a sword or spear in his hand when he went out to battle. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had those weapons.

Observation: When the Philistines were dominating Israel, they made sure the Israelites did not have any weapons with which to defend themselves. It was to their advantage to have the citizens of Israel weaponless and defenseless.

Application: The devil works in the same manner. It is to his advantage to keep Christians from reading God’s word. It is to his advantage to keep Christians from praying. It is to his advantage to keep Christians from praise and worship. It is to his advantage to keep Christians isolated and not joining with other believers.

Prayer: Lord, you never intended for only leaders to have the necessary weapons to defeat the devil. Help me to take advantage of what you have provided for me. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

What God Has Done!

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

April 11: 1Samuel 11-12; 1Chronicales 1; 2Corinthians 11

Scripture: 1Samuel (NIV) 12:24 But be sure to have respect for the LORD. Serve him faithfully. Do it with all your heart. Think about the great things he has done for you.
25 But don’t be stubborn. Don’t continue to do what is evil. If you do, both you and your king will be swept away.

Observation: Saul was now king, and Samuel was stepping out of the way. Samuel ends his farewell speech with these words. They were to serve the LORD respectfully, faithfully, and wholeheartedly. They were to be careful not to forget what God had done.

Application: Today much of our nation’s history has been re-written as though God had nothing to do with it. So the new generation taking leadership does not look to God for wisdom and help because they do not remember how God gave wisdom and help in the past. Our national leaders need only to take a tour of our nation’s capital building to see how God has been the key player in our history.

Prayer: Lord, continue to remind me of my personal history. May you find an appreciative heart for the things you have done for me. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!