May 12, 2021: SOAP #4178:  2Samuel 21-23; 1Thessalonians 1

SCRIPTURE:  1Thessalonians (NIV) 1:6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore, we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

OBSERVATION: These verses describe early church growth.  In a day when much of the Bible had not been written and what was written was not available to the believer, their lives set the example for others to follow.  

Those in Thessalonica imitated Paul and what they knew about the Lord Jesus.  Their lives became examples for believers in Macedonia and Achaia.  Their lives were the original audio-visual presentation of the gospel.  People could hear a witness of Jesus.  People could watch how their lives changed by accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. 

APPLICATION:  I should live my life as an audio-visual presentation of the gospel.  Listen to how I talk.  Watch how I live.  Without ever opening the Bible, people should hear and see enough in me to make them want to know more. 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, impress in my mind and heart how I should talk and live.  May your presence in me make me a witness for Jesus.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

May 11, 2021: SOAP #4177:  2Samuel 19, 20; Psalm 55; Matthew 28

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 28:11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’

OBSERVATION: The chief priests and the elders used good money for bad.  Money that had been given to the Lord at the temple.  Money for sacrifices.  Money for offerings.  They took good money and gave it to Judas to betray Jesus and then to the Roman soldiers to spread a self-condemning lie!   (It must have been a large amount of money because it influenced the soldiers to spread a lie that could have sentenced them to death!) 

APPLICATION: Much money today has been stained by sin.  I have heard that much money even has traces of drugs on it.  Who knows where the dollars in my wallet have been and how they have been used? 

The religious leaders of Jesus day used good money from the temple to perpetrate a lie.  May I use bad money from today’s economy to perpetrate the truth! 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, the use of my money shows a picture of my heart.  The picture shows I like to eat, as much money goes to food.  The picture shows that I need clothing and my automobile needs gas.  But Oh, God, may the picture show how much I love you!  May you be pleased with the money you have placed in my care.  May I use money to bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

May 10, 2021: SOAP #4176:  2Samuel 18; Psalm 56; Matthew 27

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 27:17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. 19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”

OBSERVATION:  In the verses that follow this passage we read of the “governor’s soldiers” mocking Jesus. (26-31) Those “passing by hurled insults at Jesus. (39)  The “chief priests, teachers, and elders” mocked Jesus (41-43) And the robbers crucified with him “heaped insults” on Jesus. (44)  It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of a crowd and leave all reason behind.

But not Pilate!  And not the centurion responsible to carry out the crucifixion nor the Roman soldiers with him.  (54)  They were not so emotionally affected by getting rid of Jesus that they could not see truth.  The Holy Spirit spoke to Pilate through his wife!

APPLICATION: God gave me the Holy Spirit to live inside me and guide my thinking.  Sometimes His voice is not as loud as the voice of the crowd, but He is definitely present to guard me from serious mis-steps.  He may speak through my conscience; He may speak through a heavy feeling; He may speak through a brother or sister in Christ; like Pilate, He may speak to me through a family member; He may speak through a pastor or Bible teacher; He may speak through Bible reading; He may remind me of something in my past. 

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, it is to my peril to ignore your speaking into my life. I know you are working for my good.  You are making me into the image of Jesus.  You are developing me to be attractive to my Heavenly Father.  Train me not to miss your message, no matter how it comes. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

May 09, 2021: SOAP #4175:  2Samuel 17; Psalm 71; Matthew 26

SCRIPTURE:  Psalm (NIV) 71:1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame…  7…you are my strong refuge.
3 Be my rock of refuge, …you are my rock and my fortress….
5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence…

OBSERVATION: Yesterday the Lord showed me that He is our hiding-place, our comfort, and our shield.  In the Psalm for today, the psalmist, probably King David, declares God to be his refuge, his rock, his fortress, his hope, and his confidence. 

These are in His presence.  This is the way the psalmist saw God!  This is what God was to the psalmist!  In the psalms we see the author having times of great joy and times of deep depression.  Sometimes he was the hunter but many times he was the hunted.  Whatever his circumstances these truths remained:  God was his refuge…strong refuge.  God was his rock and fortress.  God was his hope and his confidence! 

These were personal to the psalmist!  These were not something he had read about.  This was his personal experience! 

APPLICATION: God does not give these to me and then let me run away on my own.  These are not like something I put in my pocket as I walk away, something to keep until I need it.  These blessings are mine as long as I stay in His presence! 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, your presence is with me all day and all night, in health and in sickness, in abundance and lack, when I am joyful and when I am discouraged.  Holy Spirit, you have been faithful to help me remember WHO is always with me!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

May 08, 2021: SOAP #4174:  2Samuel 15, 16; Psalm 32; Matthew 25

SCRIPTURE:  Psalm (NIV) 32:6 You are my hiding-place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
2Corinthians (NIV) 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
Psalm (NIV) 7:10 My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.

OBSERVATION: God does not show me a hiding-place.  God does not tell me where to find a good hiding-place.  God is my hiding-place!

God does not give me a sympathy card for comfort.  He does not even give me a scripture for comfort.  God does not pat me on my head, tell me that I will make it through the sorrow, then send me off.  No, God is my comfort!

God does not give me a shield.  God does not show me where to find a good shield.  God is my shield! 

APPLICATION:  These, and other things, are available to me through the presence of God in my life.  I value the presence of God.  God is with me when I am alone.  I want my words and my actions, in public or by myself, to demonstrate how I value His Presence. 

PRAYER:  Lord, of all my possessions, nothing, absolutely NOTHING, compares with you. You are my hiding place!  You are my comfort!  You are my shield!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

May 07, 2021: SOAP #4173:  2Samuel 13, 14; Matthew 24

SCRIPTURE:  2Samuel (NIV) 14:1 Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.

OBSERVATION: Absalom, the king’s son, had been away from his father, the king, for three years.  He had fled because he had caused the death of another of the king’s sons.  David had been in grieving but had been comforted.  Now he longed for Absalom.   

There was someone close enough to King David to know his heart, It was Joab.  Joab took steps to restore the relationship between King David and Absalom.   

APPLICATION: As I read the above verse, I asked myself, “Do I know King Jesus well enough to know His heart?  Do I know what bring Him great joy?  Do I know what causes Him to be sad?” 

When I see thing happening in my neighborhood, my city, my country do I know how they affect the heart of Jesus? 

Or do I even care?  Is my mind so taken with thoughts about how I am affected that I do not even consider how they affect Jesus? 

PRAYER:  Jesus, may I be to you as Joab was to King David.  Holy Spirit, lead me in how to get involved when I see something that causes King Jesus pain. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

May 06, 2021: SOAP #4172:  2Samuel 11, 12; Psalm 51; Matthew 23

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 23:8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’, for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father’, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher’, for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

OBSERVATION:  Among the many characteristics of a valuable servant is “useful.”  A useless servant has no value.  The more useful, the more value. 

The trouble with being useful is that we may feel used.  We may feel like people take advantage of us without replacing any emotional support.  They may not express and appreciation for our service.   If people cannot use us, we may feel useless and we lose our sense of self-worth. 

APPLICATION: Every member of the body of Christ is useful.  Every member of our physical body is useful as it was purposed.  God has placed each person in the body of Christ to fulfill a purpose.  All are not leaders in the church, but all are important, and all have leadership potential—we can all lead by our example.  Every leader should set the example of being a servant, a useful servant. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, you judge my leadership not by how many people are under me, but by how many people I am under. –not by how many people I control, but how many people I serve.  Holy Spirit, make me a useful servant. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

May 05, 2021: SOAP #4171:  2Samuel 10; 1Chronicles 20; Psalm 20; Matthew 22

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

OBSERVATION: The above verse ends the passage that begins: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son…”  (Matthew 22:2) 

In this parable, I believe Jesus is speaking of God the Father and himself, God the Son. 

The Father said, “I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”  He had taken care of all the details and everything was ready except for one detail: guests.  The emphasis of the parable is that the Father will not have His Son dis-honored because of empty seats at the marriage.   

APPLICATION:  I note the lack of mention of what we today put as the most important part of a wedding.  There is no mention of the bride!  Of course, she is there; it is a wedding.  But the emphasis is on the son.

I am thinking that the “marriage supper of the Lamb” mentioned in Revelation 19:9 will be more about the Lamb/Groom than the bride.  The Heavenly Father is preparing a marriage supper to honor His Son.  The bride will be clothed with the righteous garments provided by the Son’s death on the cross!  The Father will be displaying the work of the Son!  Every person present will be a display of God’s grace as expressed through the Son! 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, help me to be a good display of the work of Jesus while I live here on the earth.  Use me to bring other guests to the celebration! Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

May 04, 2021: SOAP #4170:  2Samuel 8,9; 1Chronicles 18,19; Matthew 21

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

OBSERVATION:  The blind and lame came to the temple, but they did not come to the temple; they came to Jesus who was at the temple.  It was not that they were at the temple that they were healed, but that they were in the presence of Jesus! 

APPLICATION:  It is the presence of Jesus that breaks every fetter and sets the captives free. 

Handle Price had us singing, “Anything can happen because Jesus is here.”  “Miracles can happen because Jesus in here…” 

Jesus has made me His dwelling place—now I need to live, to think, and to talk, and to act like that is true. 

PRAYER:  Lord, you have promised to never leave or forsake me.  You will be facing everything I will face today.  Your presence makes the difference.  I am counting on you to be you!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

May 03, 2021: SOAP #4169:  2Samuel 7; 1Chronicles 17; Psalm 2; Matthew 20

SCRIPTURE:  2Samuel (NIV) 7:1 After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” 3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you.”

OBSERVATION:  Later that night, the LORD gave Nathan a message for David.  David was not to build a temple for God, but David’s son would have that responsibility and pleasure.  David was wanting to build a house for the LORD, but the LORD was going to build a house (lineage) for David!  

However, in the above passage, David was concerned about the honor of God.  David saw that he received more honor than God.  David lived in a beautiful palace while the ark of God was in a tent.  So, David talked to the prophet Nathan about this inappropriate situation.

APPLICATION: Today, God does not live in a tent, or a beautiful palace, or a grand temple.  He lives in the hearts of people; He lives in me!  Like David, I should be concerned about God’s dwelling place.  Is God properly honored by living in me?  People visiting Jerusalem could clearly see that God was honored in Solomon’s temple.  Their God was an all-glorious God!  He was worthy of a glorious temple!   My life should display God as all-glorious and worthy!

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, may the people who know me, know that I serve an awesome God who is entirely holy and extremely loving.  May they see I honor you and treat you with the highest respect.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!