Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
November 06, 2022: SOAP #4721: Job 31, 32; Galatians 5,6

SCRIPTURE:  Galatians (NIV) 5:13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

OBSERVATION:  The calling of God is a calling to freedom.  It is God’s will that we live in freedom.  It is God’s design for man to live in freedom.  It is freedom that gives us the opportunity to please God.  To have freedom means we have choices.  We use our freedom in making choices.  God could have made man to be robots, programed to do just those things and to speak just those words that honor God.  But a robot cannot love. 

God created man to be loved and to love Him in return.  God desired fellowship with people who choose to respect and honor Him.  He wanted the praise and glory from creation beings that was not programed.  It would come from people who used their reasoning powers and moral choices to come to the conclusion in their thinking that He was worthy of praise and glory!  

Sin had enslaved people to think and do evil, but the death of Jesus freed us from the slavery of sin.  Now we worship God in freedom!  

APPLICATION: Satan uses my freedom to tempt me to sin, but I use my freedom to honor God by resisting the temptation!  The verses above tell me to use my freedom to serve others.  The Ten Commandments tells me what I am NOT to do to others—murder, lie, steal—the Spirit tells me I AM to serve others in love.  In love I make choices that honor God and in love I serve “my neighbor.” 

PRAYER:   Holy Spirit, help me to use my freedom in ways that honor you.  Help me serve others in ways that move them closer to you.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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