Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 22, 2022: SOAP #4433:  Exodus 3-5; Luke 22

SCRIPTURE:  Exodus (NIV) 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

OBSERVATION: Before the days of mechanical warnings, the phrase, “Stop. Look. Listen.” was a slogan used to help people who knew little English to stay alert while crossing railroad tracks.

How many times did Moses look at this bush before he realized that this was not a mirage?  How long was it burning before Moses went to see?  It was not until Moses went out of his way to see that he heard God speaking.

APPLICATION:  In the world in which I live, I can get so busy that I do not have time to stop and look at a burning bush.  I can drive by so fast that I do not even give it a second glance. I can miss a blessing God has for me or I can miss passing along a blessing from the Lord to someone else. 

There are verses in the Bible that can be like the burning bush.  I need to take a second look.  I need to Stop, Look, and Listen.  I need to stop my activities, look again at the Word, and listen to what God is saying to Leon.

PRAYER:  Lord, slow me down.  Draw me away from the business of life.  As I stop to look into your Word, I want to hear what you are saying to me.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 20, 2022: SOAP #4431:  Exodus 1-2; Psalm 88; Luke 21

SCRIPTURE:  Luke (NIV) 21:37 Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, 38 and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.
Luke (NIV) 19:47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.

OBSERVATION: As I was reading Luke 21 today, I recalled that I had recently written a SOAP on a verse very similar to verse 37.  (Note above.)  This truth is noted twice in these important days just before His crucifixion.  Repetition is a way of noting importance.  It was important that Jesus taught.  It was important that people hear. 

The fact that He was faithful to teach at the temple shows that it was easy for people to find Him.  He was not hiding.  Jesus was available; He was findable. 

APPLICATION:  Jesus is still available; He is still findable.  I have found that Jesus still has a daily ministry.  I must allow the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus through His word.  God wants His word to be a daily part of my life.  The same Jesus that taught at the temple meets with me in the pages/verses of the Bible.  The Holy Spirit guides my thoughts as I meditate on the scriptures. 

PRAYER:  Lord, you still have a daily ministry to me.  Holy Spirit, you daily open the scriptures to me to reveal Jesus and His will for my life.  I am blessed!  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 20, 2022: SOAP #4431:  Genesis 49-50; Psalm 8; Luke 20

SCRIPTURE:  Psalm (NIV) 8:1 A psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. … 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

OBSERVATION: In the heavens we see the glory of God.  We can see His majesty, His vastness, His omnipresence, His justice, His greatness, His artistry, His exactness, His command of using fire and water and matter and space.  His variety in using the elements.  He is amazing!  

BUT where do we see God’s love, His mercy, His grace.  God is just as Loving as He is Holy.  Love is just as important to God as Holiness.  The heavens are full of expressions of God’s holiness.  Where do we see God’s love? 

And that is why God is so mindful of man.  In God’s dealing with man, we see the full expression of God’s love!  God’s love expressed in holy forgiveness.  Being loving did not mean that He would stop being holy.  A perfectly holy sacrifice would need to be made that would cover the offence of man’s sin.  So, God Himself makes the sacrifice!!! 

APPLICATION:  How grateful I am that what God did for man, He did for me!  How could I resist His loving offer of forgiveness?  Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the payment for my sin.  His loving and holy presence is living in me.  He is working to develop His character in me.  As people can see the expressions of God’s greatness and holiness in the heavens, I want people to be able to see expressions of God’s love in me.

PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, having experienced your loving forgiveness, I make you the LORD of my life.  May your life in me be seen by those around me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 19, 2022: SOAP #4430:  Genesis 47-48; Psalm 10; Luke 19

SCRIPTURE:  Luke (NIV) 19:47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.

OBSERVATION: It was just a few days before Jesus was to be crucified.  But Jesus was not out taking it easy and preparing himself for the days ahead.  “Every day he was teaching … ”   I believe it was the way of Jesus preparing His disciples for the hard days ahead.  The day of the crucifixion would be hard on the disciples.  While He would be away, He left them with His words, with His teachings.  He did not take a day off from teaching. 

If it was important for Jesus to do this “every day” then it is important for His followers to be listening to Him “every day.”

APPLICATION:  When I am facing hard days, I need to spend time sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to His words.  However, I often do not know when I will be facing hard times, so I need to spend time hearing His words every day! 

Twelve years ago when I started writing SOAPs, I foolishly wondered if God would give me something every day!  I have discovered that the question is not, will God speak to me every day?  The question is, will I listen every day?” 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, I like to sing “And He walks with me, and He talks with me; and He tells me I am His own.”  I remember when you told me that you like to sing that song also.  You sing it about me.  You love it when I walk with You and talk with You and tell You “You are my one and only God!”  What an honor, that You speak to me!   Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 18, 2022: SOAP #4429:  Genesis 44-46; Luke 18

SCRIPTURE:  Genesis (NIV) 45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be ploughing and reaping. 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. 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God…

OBSERVATION: Joseph’s brothers saw Joseph as the one they sold into slavery.  They remembered Joseph as the victim of their evil intentions.  Joseph did not see himself as a victim.  Joseph saw himself from God’s perspective.  God had sent him to Egypt!  He was in Egypt on a mission.  There was a reason.  He was there on purpose! 

Joseph’s family would need a place of provision; the people of Egypt would need a plan for provision.  Joseph was God’s instrument in meeting these needs. 

APPLICATION:  I am God’s child.  He has me where He wants me.  He has used good things and the bad things to move me to the locations where I can best serve Him.  (Romans 8:28)

I serve my family best as God’s servant; I serve the people around me best as God’s servant.  (…including the SOAP readers.)

Note:  We serve our families best as God’s servant; we serve the people around us best as God’s servant.   

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, I am yours.  You have used the good and bad in my life to position me for usefulness.  It is my joy to serve you.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 17, 2022: SOAP #4428:  Genesis 42-43; Psalm 5; Luke 17
(Reworked SOAP from January 17, 2010)

SCRIPTURE:  Luke (NIV) 17:3 So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”  

OBSERVATION: Does Jesus say that the person who does the offence should repent?  Yes, but that is not the message in this passage.  Jesus is not speaking to the one offending, but to the one offended.  Notice, Jesus did not say “watch them,” but “…watch yourselves.”  This is what to do when your brother sins against you. 

The emphasis is not on what the offender should do, but on what the offended should do.   The offended is not to evaluate the sincerity of the apology.  (How could someone be sincere if they repent seven times!)  If the offender can return seven times, obviously the offended party did not cut off any contact.  In this verse, The Great Forgiver is telling the offended to forgive!  

APPLICATION:  Without forgiveness, things can never be settled.  As mercy triumphs over justice, so forgiveness triumphs over offence.  Nothing can change what has happened.  There is no way to go back and do it differently.  Acknowledgment and repentance may settle the issue in the heart of the offender, but only forgiveness can settle it in the heart of the offended.

Forgiveness does not have to be requested, or even acknowledged, to be given.  This is not forgiveness requiring a promise of future perfection.  This is not forgiveness that holds a grudge.  (How would I like for God to hold a grudge against me?) Forgiveness flows from a forgiven heart. 

PRAYER:  Lord, if there is anyone in the universe who knows about forgiveness, it is You!  You told us to request forgiveness from you in the same way we forgive others.   Let my forgiveness of others show how much I need, appreciate, and value your forgiveness.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 16, 2022: SOAP #4427:  Genesis 39-41; Luke 16

SCRIPTURE:  Genesis (NIV) 40:23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
Genesis 41:1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: …
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings….
14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

Romans (NIV) 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

OBSERVATION: The life of Joseph shows me that God can be trusted to take situations, good and bad, beyond my control and work them together for good.  Joseph did not mistreat others because he had been mistreated!   The bad things that happened to Joseph provided Joseph with good opportunities to let God be glorified. 

Joseph is a great example of good things and very bad things working together to bring about good. 

The things in Joseph’s life worked together for Joseph’s good; he became second in charge of all Egypt.  They worked together for Egypt’s good; they had food to eat during a time of famine.  They worked together for good for Joseph’s family; they moved from a land of famine to Egypt where food was available.   They worked together for everyone’s good!!!

APPLICATION:  Joseph had to be willing to let God’s plans be worked out in his life.  Joseph did not let bitterness hinder him from reaching out to others.  I must look for the new opportunities that trouble brings my way.  In the darkness of my troubles, the light of Jesus can shine even brighter. 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, what you did in Joseph, do in me.  Help me to see the bigger picture when the world around me draws my attention earthly things.  Help me live with heaven in view.  Amen.

Pastor Leon Ma
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 15, 2022: SOAP #4426:  Genesis 37-38; Psalm 7; Luke 15

SCRIPTURE:  Luke (NIV) 15:1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering round to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.”

OBSERVATION: When something clean and pure contacts something dirty and contaminated, it is expected that the dirty will contaminate the clean.  But in this verse, we see the pure sinless Jesus purposefully intermingling with sinners.   Jesus even reached out and touched the lepers.  He did not get leprosy, but they were made clean!  (Luke 5 & 17)   Jesus did not become contaminated, but sinners left forgiven, and lepers left clean!

APPLICATION:  When I confessed my sins to Jesus and invited him into my life, He did not become contaminated, but I became forgiven and justified — just as if I had never sinned!   Amazing!

1John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

In the verse above, John was writing to believers.  Obviously, God wants His children to be free from sin.  How foolish to hide sin and to pretend I have never sinned.  How wise to confess my sins and let Jesus do what only Jesus can do—forgive and cleanse!

PRAYER:  Lord, I am so glad you are willing to intermingle with sinners.  Although you hate sin, you are not afraid of it.  Your righteousness is greater than sin!   When I confess my sins, you both forgive me and cleanse me!  Your death pays for my sins; your love forgives me; and your life lifts me to live as your child!   Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 14, 2022: SOAP #4424:  Genesis 34-36; Luke 14

SCRIPTURE:  Luke (NIV) 14:12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

OBSERVATION: Jesus was having a meal in the home of a “prominent Pharisee.”  Jesus gave some financial advice.  People will speak kindly of you when you invite them to your home.  They may even later invite you to their home.  They will “repay” you according to their ability. 

But Jesus had a better investment.  It was an investment with a sure return.  It was an investment that would pay off when it really counted!  Investing in those who cannot repay you is an investment that will mature when you arrive in heaven!!!  

APPLICATION:  When I do something for those who cannot repay me, it is noticed by the ONE who will certainly repay me.  Repayment I receive in this life will be a blessing now.  But the repayment I will receive in heaven, will last for all eternity!   

Everyone has opportunity to invest for the future in the Kingdom of God.  There are many ways to invest money, but if one does not have money, surely, they have some time they can invest in a child, a young person, an elderly grandparent, or neighbor.  The opportunities to invest in the kingdom are numberless! 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, show me the opportunities available to me for investment.  On resurrection day, may I have valuable returns to lay at the feet of Jesus.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 13, 2022: SOAP #4423:  Genesis 31-33; Luke 13

SCRIPTURE:  Genesis (NIV) 32:9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”

OBSERVATION: Jacob had left home in fear of his brother’s threats to kill him.  Now he is returning home and will soon meet his brother Esau who is coming to meet him with 400 men.  In fear, Jacob did a very logical thing—he prayed! 

First, Jacob began his prayer by reminding God of His command for Jacob to go back home and of His promise to prosper Jacob.  Then Jacob spoke with humility of how far God had brought him.  Third, Jacob mentions his fears about Esau.  Last, Jacob ends his prayer by reminding God of His promises! 

APPLICATION:  To face trouble without remembering what God has promised is foolish.  If God has given promises about my future, then I can trust God to take care of my present!   If God has promised to prepare a place for me, then I can trust him to take care of the journey to get me to that place!

PRAYER: Oh, Lord!  How important it is for me to know your word and your promises to me.  Making them a good part of my prayer life is one way of letting you know that I cherish your words; I have not forgotten what you have said to me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
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