December 09, 2020: SOAP #4024:  1Timothy 5-6; Titus 1-3

SCRIPTURE:  1Timothy (NIV) 5:4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn, first of all, to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

OBSERVATION:  As I read the scriptures, passages that tell me how to please God always stand out to me.  What does He like?  What makes Him happy? 

In the verse above, I see two things: caring for one’s family is a starting place for living a life that pleases God.  This is not something we grow into as our Christian life matures.  This is where it starts.  This is a “first of all.”  The first people to notice that something is different now that we have become a Christian should be our parents. 

The second thing I notice is that God cares for the older generations.  They are important to Him, and He wants them to be important to us!  If we love God, our goal should be to make Him smile.  We should look to do those things that bring Him joy—that make Him smile.   

APPLICATION:  The Holy Spirit is working to make us like Jesus.  We can count on Him to show us specific things to do to honor the seniors among us. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, use me to bless a senior citizen today.  Use me to speak kind words of acceptance and encouragement.  May I express your love for them through some deed of kindness.   Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

Personal update:  The doctors removed most of the fluid from my lung cavity today.  I can breathe much better!   Praise the Lord.  They are doing lab tests on the fluid to see what antibiotics would best serve to control infection.  Being on a COVID ward means I am isolated and can only talk to Sharon over the phone.  I am so thankful for cell phones!!!  As of now, I feel perfectly healthy.  I am blessed to be in the Lord’s presence and have shared some wonderful times of prayer over the phone. (Thank you, Doug for helping Sharon with our car today!)