Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
February 28, 2023: SOAP #4835: Numbers 24-27; 1Corinthians 13

(reworked SOAP from 2010)

SCRIPTURE:  1Corinthians (NIV) 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres….
13  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

OBSERVATION:  This chapter gives the best explanation of love that can be found as the Author of real love inspires the Apostle Paul to write.  This love is not the physical attraction I feel when I am close to someone that pleases me.  This love is not the emotional satisfaction I experience when working with like-minded people.  This love is the choice I make that puts others ahead of me.  One of the best expressions of this love can be observed in the living out of the marriage vows because this is the love promised before God in the marriage covenant.

APPLICATION: From reading this chapter one thing is clear: love is not easy.  If you think differently, read the passage again.  Love is best shown in our dealings with those who get under our skin, but that is not easy.  Love is best shown when I would rather be angry, but again, that is not easy.  Love is best shown in how I deal with people who misuse me, and again, that is not easy.

Obviously, this love is beyond my human potential.  If I am going to love like this, I need help…lots of help!  So, I pray…

PRAYER:   Lord, the only hope I have of expressing this love is if You love through me.  Lord, today, I surrender myself to you.  I believe your life was given on the cross as payment for my sins.  Forgive me.  Live in me.  Thank you for accepting me as your child. Love through me today.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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