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

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

Scripture: Exodus (NIV) 2:5-9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe…She saw the basket… She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” “Yes, go,” she answered. And the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.”

Observation: It was too dangerous to keep him at home. Moses mother made a floating basket and placed him in the Nile River. She had to put him in a place out of her control, but not out of God’s control! What she gave up, was returned to her with all the protection of the army that before would have destroyed what she loved. (And she was paid to do it!) As an Israelite baby boy, the army of Egypt was determined to kill him; now as Pharaoh’s grandson, the army of Egypt was determined to insure that nothing would harm him. Pharaoh had given the order that all boy babies should be thrown into the Nile. But the Nile became the place of salvation for Moses and Pharaoh’s house the place where he grew into manhood! Moses ate Pharaoh’s food from Pharaoh’s table; he wore Pharaoh’s clothes and studied under Pharaoh’s teachers.

Application: I believe God enjoys taking what is set to harm His children and not just making it harmless, but completely changing it so that it is now designed to bless His children. The situation that once held great danger now holds great blessing!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you love to take what is dreadful and make it glorious. Out of what once caused fear, you bring joy. Help me never forget! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

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

Scripture: Luke (NIV) 20:17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone?’ 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed. (KJV…ground to powder.)”

Observation: Jesus, the promised Messiah, the One prophesied in their holy writings had come to them, but was rejected by the religious leaders. Now Jesus is the Head of the church; He is the chief stone from which all others are set in place.

Application: As a sinner I must come to the Rock and be broken in repentance. I am broken as I fall on that Rock, and in my brokenness I find forgiveness, healing and wholeness. If I refuse to repent, the Rock will fall on me and crush me, grinding me to powder. People who refuse to repent greatly underestimate the awesome power and majesty of the Rock that is about to fall on them. Today is the day of salvation!

Prayer: Jesus, you have not hidden greatness of your love and your willingness to forgive. And neither have you hidden the terribleness of sin and the great judgment about to come. Thank you for clearly showing both sides of the truth! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

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

Scripture: Genesis (NIV) 48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.

Observation: Israel, previously known as Jacob, knew that he was dying. But he knew something else; he knew that the God who had been with his grandfather Abraham, and with his father Isaac, and had been with him throughout his life—that same God would continue with Joseph. He also knew that God would take his descendants back to the land God had promised them. In a short time, Joseph would return to the Promised Land to bury his father Israel. Years later, Joseph’s body would be carried out of Egypt by the Israelites when they left under the leadership of Moses.

Application: It is good to be able to face one’s death with confident assurance that the God who has been with us will also be with our children. It is good to know that when our part is over, God’s plans will continue on.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, our time on earth is short, but when we are gone, your presence and plan will continue. Help me be faithful during my time here. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 18: Genesis 44-46; Luke 18

Scripture: Genesis (NIV) 45:7 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 had been attacked by jealous brothers and placed in a pit. They then sold him as a slave to people traveling across the wilderness. He was taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of sexual attack so he was put in prison. In this verse Joseph is now revealing himself to his brothers who have come to Egypt to buy food for their family. He summarizes all that happened to him in three (3) words: “…God sent me…”

Application: I can look back in my life and remember several times when I complained to God about things that God was using to position me to do His will. Of course I did not see it that way at the time. I did not enjoy what was happening, but “God was at work.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have been faithful to work in my life. Holy Spirit, help me to recognize what you are doing through my troubles. And when I cannot recognize what you are doing, I want to walk in faith that you are surely at work for my good and your glory. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

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

Scripture: Luke (NIV) 17:1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.

Observation: It is impossible to live in this world and not be tempted to sin. Temptation seems to surround us. But as great as temptation is around us, greater is He that is within us!

Application: The key to overcoming temptation is not in keeping myself in a “temptation free” zone (I do not believe there is one in this world), but in keeping the Great Overcomer as the LORD of my life. The desire to be like Jesus on the inside must be greater than the desire aroused by temptation on the outside. Letting my mind dwell on the temptation gives it a place on the inside. Filling my mind with God’s word and praise makes it hard for temptation to get a foothold in my mind. Jesus has already met every temptation and overcome it. He already has the victory. He will not help me just try to win over temptation; He has established His victory in me by His Presence!

Prayer: Jesus, You are the Great Overcomer, You are the Great Victor. Help me live in your victory. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 16: Genesis 39-41; Luke 16

Scripture: Genesis 39:2 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 of all that he owned…

Observation: Jealous brothers sold Joseph into slavery to some Ishmaelites headed to Egypt. When they arrived in Egypt, they sold Joseph to Potiphar.

People removed Joseph from his family. They removed Joseph from his home. They removed Joseph to another country/nation. They even removed Joseph from being a free man. But they could not remove Joseph from the LORD’s presence or from the LORD’s favor! Even as a slave, Joseph prospered! He prospered in the very place he was a slave!

Application: I can prosper and enjoy the presence of the LORD wherever I am. My circumstances cannot stop God’s blessings—even His favor. What people do to me is not greater than the blessings God desires to pour out on me. What they mean for evil, God uses for my good and His glory!

Prayer: Lord, it is my privilege to serve a God whose power to bless is greater than man’s power to destroy. Your power to bless cannot be stopped by man! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

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

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 7:17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Observation: The LORD’s righteousness—what a great reason to praise the LORD! God is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere), and eternal (no beginning and no end). It is frightening to think of an all-powerful god who is selfish, lawless and hateful. There could be no escaping his anger or displeasure. But our God is righteous!!!

Application: I have a great reason to praise the Lord! I can trust that He will always deal with me according to righteousness! He will never be unfair. He will always do what is right. I must remember that even when He deals with me according to His great love, His actions will be righteous. He is holy!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for finding a righteous way to lovingly forgive me. In sending your Son, Jesus, to die for my sins, you acted in both righteousness and love! You are amazing! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 14: Genesis 34-36; Luke 14

Scripture: Genesis (NIV) 35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.

Observation: Jacob and his wives and children were headed back to Bethel, the place God first appeared to him when he was leaving home, running from his brother. God had promised to be with him, wherever he would go, and God had been faithful. Along the way, Jacob and those with him had collected some idol gods and items that represented those gods. It was now time to put them aside and commit to the One True God. Then God did what only God could do…He did what we would expect Him to do for those totally committed to him…He put terror on all who might be inclined to harm Jacob and his family. He was their shield of safety.

Application: I live in a day when much important information about me is on the computers at the bank, at the doctor’s office, at the office where I once had a mortgage on our home, at the government offices, and other computers all hooked together by the internet. It is obvious to me that there is only one real source of security. The One who protected Jacob is still protecting people. He has protected me many times. And even when His path leads me through times of trouble and suffering, the reward on the other side makes it well worth trusting Him!

Prayer: Lord, you are my security and protector. I can trust you to care for me even as you cared for Jacob. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 13: Genesis 31-33; Luke 13

Scripture: Luke (NIV) 13:23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

Observation: The first word that caught my attention was the word “many.” Many will try to enter, but it will be too late. What was once open to “whosoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved” is now closed; the opportunity has passed. The second thing that caught my attention was “make every effort.” This is too important to miss. One should make every effort!

Application: The third thing that caught my attention was a thought that came to mind, “If they should make every effort to enter, then I should make every effort for them to know and have opportunity to enter.” It is important to them; it should be important to me!

Prayer: Holy Spirit, speak to my heart and mind to make me aware of opportunities I have to acknowledge you publically, or speak to an individual. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

January 12: Genesis 29-30; Luke 12

Scripture: Luke (NIV) 12:29 [Jesus speaking] And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Observation: Before God created Adam and Eve on the sixth day, he created the earth with just the right environment for man. He knew what man would need, so he engineered/designed just the right settings into which he would place man. (Evolutionist believe that through trial and error man developed to fit into the environment that just happened to be there. Creationist believe that the environment was pre-designed to fit the needs of the man who would be placed there.) There can be no question; God knew what was needed to live.

Application: I am discovering that God still knows we need “such things.” And He is still able to provide “these things.” When I discover how I can best benefit God’s kingdom, I discover I can trust Him to take care of the “these things” He already knows I need.

Prayer: Lord, to live my life for the benefit of your kingdom—that is my goal. Then I can trust you to take care of all of the “these things.” Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!