November 10, 2016: SOAP #2534:  Job 35, 36; 1Corinthians 7, 8

Scripture:  1Corinthians (NIV) 8:1 … We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.  3 But the man who loves God is known by God.

Observation:   Knowledge and love—two very important personal characteristics.  We need both, but love is must have priority.  Knowledge can make a person feel more important than others because of what they know.  Knowledge can be seen in a person’s speech and actions.   Love is seen in self-sacrifice.  No one who has ever walked on earth has had knowledge equal to Jesus, God’s Son.  Yet we do not talk about His knowledge, but His love.  He did not impress people with his knowledge, but with His love.

Application:   Love motivates me to serve God and others.  Knowledge is important because it makes me more useful to God and to others.  Knowledge must always be ruled by love.    Perhaps the best every-day example is a loving parent who uses their knowledge to guard and guide the young child they love.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, help me keep first things first!  Help me possess and apply the knowledge I have in love.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

November 9, 2016: SOAP #2533:  Job 34; 1Corinthians 4-6

Scripture:  1Corinthians (NIV) 4:3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.  4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.  5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time, each will receive his praise from God.

Observation:   Paul knew that people were judging him and his ministry.  He would not let their criticism and condemnation stop him from doing what God had given him to do.  Fruit can be misjudged if eaten before it has had time to ripen, so Paul knew that many things need time to mature before the goodness or badness can be seen.  And in the final say, only the Lord can truly judge for He alone knows the motives of the heart.

Application:  When things do not work the way I hoped they would, I can trust that the Lord will be the final judge.  I can trust Him to give time for maturing.  I can trust Him to know my heart.  I also need to be careful about judging things around me.  Someone has said we tend to judge other by their actions but ourselves by our intentions.

Prayer:  Lord, you are the perfect judge.  By your Holy Spirit, help me to judge correctly.  Help me to see things as you see them.  Help me to be patient and encouraging to others growing in ministry.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

November 8, 2016: SOAP #2532:  Job 33, 1Corinthians 1-3

Scripture:  1Corinthians (NIV) 1:4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.

Observation:  What God was doing in the lives of the believers in Corinth was always a source of rejoicing for Paul.  They had received God’s grace which was noticeable in their speaking and thinking.  People around them could see the difference—they talked differently and they considered life’s problems from a different point of thinking.  God’s enriching presence in their lives was making a difference.

Application:   How can Christ live in me by His Holy Spirit and it not affect my speaking and my thinking!!!  As I grow in Christ, every thought and word comes under His evaluation.  I come to trust His judgment of everything in my life more than my own judgment.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, help me to pause and listen before speaking and doing.  I want to proceed in life expecting to hear what you are saying.   Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

November 7, 2016: SOAP #2531:  Job 31, 32; Galatians 5,6

Scripture:  Galatians (NIV) 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.

Observation:  There are several verses in the Bible about how we are to treat those around us.  Many know the Golden Rule:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. (Matthew 7:12)   Jesus summarized the last 6 commandments with: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39)   Then Jesus raised the bar by commanding His disciples:  Love one another as I have loved you. (John 13:34-35) In his letter to the Galatians, Paul gives some understanding how we are to apply Christ’s command.  We are to carry each other’s burdens.

Application:   The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write this, so I am confident that the same Holy Spirit can lead me to the burdens God would have me carry for my brother or sister.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, today help me fulfill the law of Christ.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

November 6, 2016: SOAP #2530:  Job 30; Psalm 120; Galatians 3,4

Scripture:  Galatians (NIV) 4:15 What has happened to all your joy?…

Observation:   Joy is a special characteristic of the presence of God.  The Psalmist said that in His presence is joy.  (Psalm 21:6)   Jesus promised His joy to his follower’s joy.  (John 15:11, 17:13)   Paul knew something was wrong with the Galatians because they had lost their joy.  The joy they once had from trusting Jesus for their salvation had been lost in believing their salvation depended on how well they kept the law.

Application:  When I worked as a hospital corpsman in the US Navy, we usually started evaluating patients by considering their vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and breathing.  Those signs are not life, just signs that life is present.  I see joy as a spiritual vital sign.  Lack of joy, or joy that is easily disrupted, can indicate my faith is weak.  On the other hand, strong joy that is hard to be dampened can indicate a deep-seated faith that God is in control and is working through everything for my good.

Prayer:   Thank you Lord, for giving me your joy.  I know that being joyful pleases you and makes what I have attractive to others.  Let your joy be seen in me. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

November 5, 2016: SOAP #2529:  Job 28-29; Galatians 1-2
Reworked SOAP from March 11, 2010

Scripture:  Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Observation: Paul said he was crucified (past tense) with Christ.  I do not hear Paul saying he is (present tense) living a “crucified” life.   Paul was obviously not dead.  There was enough life in Paul to write a letter to the Galatians.  If Paul was not living a “crucified” life, then what life was Paul living?  Paul wrote, “…but Christ lives (present tense) in me.”  It is the same old body, but a different Paul.  Old friends would have recognized Paul, but after only a few minutes, they would also recognize something different.  It was not an updated life Paul was now living.

There was no directory containing downloads with the patches needed to correct things in Paul’s life.  It was a whole new operating system!

Application:  Jesus said we must be born again.  It was not a new body I needed, it was a new life.  As Christ was crucified (past tense), I too have died (past tense) to my old life.  As Jesus lives (present tense) He now (present tense) lives in me.  Jesus earthly life is in the past.  Jesus now lives (present tense) with complete victory over all temptation, over the devil, and over the grave!  And that is the life He now lives (present tense) in me.  And that is the life I now live (present tense) with Him!  Wow!

The more I attempt to live a God-honoring life in my strength, my wisdom, my will power, the more I prove that I cannot do it.  He must live His life in me.  My challenge is to allow the Holy Spirit to direct me in living Christ’s post-resurrection, victorious life.

Prayer:  Lord, by your Holy Spirit, live your life through me today.  May you be seen in all I say and do.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

November 4, 2016: SOAP #2528:  Job 26-27; Mark 15-16

Scripture:  Mark (NIV) 15:40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.  41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

Observation:   My attention was drawn to the women.  They had no responsibility in what was taking place around the cross.  There was nothing for them to do.  They were free to stand and watch.  They were free from any assignments.  They were free to move around as they wanted.  They were just doing what they wanted when they arrived at the tomb early in the morning to put spices around the body.  They were the first ones in the empty tomb!

Application:   It is good to have responsibility.  It is good that others can count on me to do my part.  BUT sometimes it is good not to have responsibility.  Sometimes it is good to be free to do whatever might be needed in the moment, or to do what seems right and good.  NOTE:  These women did not use their freedom to stay home or keep off to themselves!   Sometimes I can interact with small children and direct their attention to things that will not get them in trouble.  Sometimes I can visit with a person sitting by themselves.  Sometimes I can wash dishes.  Sometimes I can pray with someone kneeling in a corner.  Sometimes my freedom allows me to see the beginning of a great miracle.

Prayer:   Heavenly Father, I have had responsibility and I have had times of freedom.  Find me faithful in both.  Help me to glorify you in my times of freedom.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

November 3, 2016: SOAP #2527:  Job 25; Mark 13-14

Scripture:  Mark (NIV) 14:10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.  11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So, he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Observation:   Every day is full of opportunities, opportunities to do good or evil.   Judas was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.   What we look for is usually what we find.

Application:   I want to spend my day looking for opportunities, opportunities to bring joy to my Heavenly Father.  I want to look for opportunities to make Jesus look good.

Prayer:    Holy Spirit, I need your help to identify the opportunities that will come my way today.  I need your wisdom as to how I can make the most of each opportunity.  I need your gifts working through me so that people will recognize your presence.  “In my life, Lord, be glorified today!” (Bob Kilpatrick) Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

November 2, 2016: SOAP #2526:  Job 23-24; Mark 11-12

Scripture:  Mark (NIV) 12:1 He then began to speak to them in parables…

Observation:   It had been a couple of busy days.  Jesus had entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to the cheers of the people.  The next morning, he entered the temple and drove out the money changers.  He left the city for the evening, then returned the next morning.  The religious leaders wanted to know by whose authority he had driven the money changers out of the temple.  He asked them a question about John’s authority to baptism—a question they would not answer.  Then Jesus began to do what he seemed to enjoy the most: He told them a story.  He wrapped the truth in a simple, real-to-life, easy to remember story.

Application:   The stories that Jesus told help me remember the truth he was teaching.  He still speaks to me in illustrations from my daily life.  Help me to relate stories that portray your truth to others.

Prayer:   Heavenly Father, as I read your Word and look at the world around me, your Holy Spirit shows me so many beautiful, yet simple illustrations of your truth.  You are amazing!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

November 1, 2016: SOAP #2525:  Psalm 121; Mark 9-10

Scripture:  Mark (NIV) 10:28 Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!”  29 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no-one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.  31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Observation:  There are some important principles to note in this passage.  First, heaven notices the sacrifices made for the gospel.  Second, God is no man’s debtor.  We sacrifice because we are responding to the sacrifice He has already made for us.  But He takes it personally and repays us in this life.  Third, it is worth-while to follow Jesus!   Fourth, I can expect to be persecuted as My Lord was.  Fifth, His rewards extend into eternity!

Application:   I have found the above principles working in my life.  I have not been able to out give God.  I am not wealthy in comparison to many, but I am able to give and can be more generous now than in the past.  (Generosity is not based on how much is given, but how much remains.)

Being faithful to tithe has proven to be a wise financial practice.  It is the foundation of my financial plan.  My retirement is based on tithing.  I am so glad I learned this principle early in life and so glad that I have been faithful to tithe in difficult times.

Prayer:   Heavenly Father, It is my privilege to serve you.  You bless me so much more than I deserve. Your generosity and faithfulness far exceeds mine.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!