Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 21, 2024: SOAP #5314:  2Kings 6,7; 2Chronicles 20; 1Timothy 3

SCRIPTURE:  2Chronicles (NIV) 20:3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to enquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.

OBSERVATION:    The Kingdom of Judah was about to be attacked by a “vast army.”  Jehoshaphat had good reason to be alarmed, but he knew where to go. 

Read to verse 30 and see how God spoke to them, telling them what to do.  Read how it worked out for Judah’s good and God’s glory. 

APPLICATION:  As I read this passage, here are some questions to ask myself: 
Am I serving the same God Jehoshaphat was serving?
Do I remember what God has done in the past?
In prayer, do I recount what God has done in the past?  (vs. 6-9)
Do I give God thanks and praise for the past before asking for help?
Does God know that I am thankful for His past help? 
Does God know He can expect praise when He answers the present request?
Do I lay out my problem to God? (vs. 10-11)
Where is my focus?  …on God in heaven or someone on the internet? (vs.12)
Do I believe God has an answer? Am I open to the Spirit speaking? (vs.14-17)
How am I responding to God’s instructions? (vs 18 worship, vs 19 praise)
How long does it take me to obey? (vs 20)
How am I approaching my problem?  With praise?  (vs 22-23)
Have I made known what God has done for me? (vs 26-27)
What did I do when I joined with other believers? (vs 28)
How are others responding to what God has done for me?  (vs 29-30)

PRAYER:  Lord, thank you for showing me how Jehoshaphat prayed.  Thank you for the assurance that you will answer—that you still respond to faith.  Lord, thank you for the desperate times that force us to rely on you.   Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 19, 2024: SOAP #5312:  2Kings 4,5; Psalm 83; 1Timothy 2 

(Reworked for today from 2011)

SCRIPTURE:  1Timothy (NIV) 2:4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men…

OBSERVATION:  I remember as a very young boy, our family lived in Texas where my dad attended College.  In the summers we would stay with my grandparents in Kansas where my dad helped with the farm work.  I remember being awakened one night by Uncle Urban who had driven out to let us know that the Arkansas River was flooding and would soon be at our door.  We had to leave in a hurry.  I remember the long drive as we followed my uncle to his home.  He knew which bridges were already underwater and which roads would lead to crossable bridges.  We trusted him and followed him readily.  He was our way out of trouble.  He was the only one who had come from a place of safety and knew the way to take us with him back to that place of safety. 

APPLICATION:  Having a great desire to escape the judgment coming on sin, I am so glad that Jesus came from a place of safety and made the necessary sacrifice to provide me peace with God.  He not only knows the way to heaven, He is the way—the only way!   Sometimes I look for short-cuts, but He knows the best places to cross the rivers.   

PRAYER:  Lord, You are the only one who came to where I am from where I want to be.  You are the only one who knows the way to heaven!  You are the way!  I place my life in your hands and I trust you.   Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 19, 2024: SOAP #5312:  2Kings 1-3; Psalm 82; 1Timothy 1

SCRIPTURE:  1Timothy (NIV) 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

OBSERVATION:    For those desiring to be like Jesus it would be good to note the purpose statements Jesus made throughout the Gospels.   What Paul wrote here to Timothy is the same thing Luke recorded in his gospel (Luke 19:10):  “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  

APPLICATION:  Knowing the purpose statements of Jesus will help us better understand the life He is now living in us. 

Why is our attention drawn to someone who may not know Jesus as Lord and Savior?  It is because the One living in us came “to seek and to save” that person.  God is giving us the joy of sharing in His special plan.  His purpose is becoming our purpose. 

If we have a strong urge to pray for a missionary or a lost relative, we can know that is Jesus being Jesus in us. 

PRAYER:  Lord, Help us not to miss any opportunities today to speak to someone about your great love.  May we experience the joy of the Holy Spirit leading us and speaking through us.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 18, 2024: SOAP #5311:  1Kings 22; 2Chronicales 18,19; Colossians 4

SCRIPTURE:  Colossians (NIV) 4:16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”

OBSERVATION:   In closing his letter to the church in Colossae, Paul adds a personal comment to Archippus.  Archippus had received a personal assignment from the Lord and he needs to take it seriously.  It should not be left undone.    

If I start “a ministry” with the idea of serving the Lord, that is good but that is not nearly as important as having a ministry given to me by the Lord.  If I start it, then I will be evaluating it to determine if I should continue or look for something else to do.  BUT if the Lord assigned that ministry to me, I cannot leave because it is hard.  He sent me there!  He gave me that ministry!  I must be committed until HE directs me otherwise. 

APPLICATION:  The SOAP ministry was not my idea.  It was first presented to me by Pastor Dayton, and the next morning God made it clear that this was HIS assignment for Leon!    I am not asking God to help me with my ministry.  I am making myself available for God to use me in HIS ministry! 

Writing SOAPs is a simple idea that has expanded far beyond my initial thoughts.  It’s success is based on two things:  God’s faithfulness, and my faithfulness.  He has been faithful to give me a word for each SOAP, and for 14+ years I have passed them in a daily SOAP. (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) 

If God has given you children, then complete the ministry as a parent as unto the Lord.  If God has given you neighbors, then complete the ministry of being a neighbor.  May your neighbors soon learn that Jesus is living next door!  

PRAYER:  Lord, may everyone who reads these SOAPs be encouraged to be faithful in the simple things you give them to do.  Our faithfulness allows you to use these ministries far beyond our initial dreams.  Lord, may I faithfully complete my assignment.  Amen. 

Pastor Leon   Making friends for time and eternity!   
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Personal Note:  Here is a quick update on what is happening in my life. 
–This is the last week of bus driving for summer school.  Summer school is only morning classes for four days each for three weeks. 
–On Thursday I have an appoint with my regular doctor for an annual check.
–Next Thursday I have an appointment for a stress test on my heart.  The results are needed to get my Department of Transportation physical for bus driving next year.    
–A biopsy appointment has not been scheduled; I have not been informed why but God is in control!!!   😊    
–Thanks for your prayers.  God has given me this SOAP assignment and He will complete it!!!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 17, 2024: SOAP #5310:  1Kings 20,21; 2Chronicles 17; Colossians 3

SCRIPTURE:  Colossians (NIV) 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

OBSERVATION:     Before Paul gives a list of instructions on how the Christians in Colosse should live, he states their current status.  They “have been raised with Christ” and being dead to sin their lives are “now hidden with Christ in God!”  They have died to their old way of living and now with the Resurrected Life of Jesus living in them Paul tells they how to live out their new life. 

They are not to follow all his instructions in order to arrive at this status.  But since they have this status this is how they should be living.  This is how to live to honor Christ. 

APPLICATION:  As we read the remainder of chapter 3, we see that where I am in Christ affects how I think.  It affects my attitude.  It affects how I treat others.  It affects my family life.  It affects my work life.  

My relationship of being “raised up with Christ” makes a difference every day in every part of my life.  It is not something I leave in the church building when the service is over.  It is not something I leave at home when I walk out the door. 

Jesus is the treasure that makes all life and all eternity meaningful and worth while.  He is more than worth any sacrifice needed to gain His pleasure. 

PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, I want my life to bring honor and joy to you.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 16, 2024: SOAP #5309:  1Kings 17-19; Colossians 2

SCRIPTURE:  Colossians (NIV) 2:9 For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fulness in Christ, who is the Head over every power and authority.

OBSERVATION:   Every characteristic that qualifies as “Goddness” can be found in Jesus.  Nothing is lacking!   No one could possibly be more “God” than Jesus.  He is just as “God” as the Father and the Holy Spirit. 

When we receive God’s forgiveness and place Jesus as LORD of our lives, He brings all He is into our lives.  His fullness makes our heart His home. 

When Satan tempted Jesus, He died to human desires to do things the easy way.  In the garden He prayed, “Not my will but thine be done.”  When I die to the human temptations, I allow Jesus to be actively living in me.  He has finished with death and now lives the Resurrected Life.  The life Jesus lives in me is His Resurrected Life!   Wow!!!

APPLICATION:  Only in Christ can I reach the fullness God intended when He created me.  I was made to share fellowship with God and apart from Him, I will always be empty.  Even when my life is filled with other people and things, it will still be short of its intended design. 

It is as I die to myself—the human temptation to prove who I am, the desires to please myself, and my pride—it is then that the Resurrected Life of Jesus residing inside shines through, and I reach the full intention that God had when He created Leon.  Wow!!!

PRAYER:  Lord, place all the things in my life in their proper relationship to you.  May my life find its fullness in fulfilling your design for me.  Help me have the strength to say “No” to temptation and “Yes” to your will, even in small things.  May I bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face!  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 15, 2024: SOAP #5308:  1Kings 16; 2Chronicles 15,16; Colossians 1

In reading the assigned passages, I came across this SOAP from 2010.  Among so many possibilities for today’s SOAP, my heart is stirred to repeat this one.

Stuck in the middle of a historical passage, we have a nugget of pure gold.  It is not about era in which King Asa lived—not about the social/economic/political events.  It has to do with the nature of the One Who created all things and how He interacts with those He has created.

SCRIPTURE:  2Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him….

OBSERVATION:  What is He doing?  He is continually scanning the earth.  He is keeping an eye on His creation.  There is not a thing that He misses.  Nothing can hide from Him!

What is He looking for?  He is looking for those “whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”  He looks beyond actions to the heart.  It is out of the heart that actions come.

What does He want to do?  He wants to strengthen those hearts.  He blesses the good heart with even more good.  When He sees a person whose heart is going in the right direction, He encourages them by providing extra strength to fulfill His righteous desires.  

APPLICATION:  I need to be reminded that God is looking at my heart.  Sometimes I erroneously think that He is like people around me who can only see what I do.  People criticize my failures, but a merciful God sees my heart.  He loves me!   People laud my accomplishments, but a holy God sees my heart.  I cannot fool Him! 

PRAYER:  Lord, as your eyes “range throughout the earth,” I know you see me.  My heart is yours.  Strengthen me to do your will.  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 14, 2024: SOAP #5307:  1Kings 15; 2Chronicles 13,14; Philippians 4

SCRIPTURE:  Philippians (NIV) 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

OBSERVATION:  These two verses go together!  If I do the first, He does the second!  

Here we are not only told not to be anxious, but we are given the cure for anxiety.  I cannot stop thinking anxious thoughts by trying to stop them.  I must actively start thinking and talking to God.  In anxiety I am thinking about things I cannot change.  I need to be thinking about Someone who has the power to change all things.  I can thank Him for all He has done for me in the past, and all His promises.  Being thankful for God’s past actions in my life builds faith for my present troubles! 

I can present my requests to the One who is able to do something about them, and He is able to set His peace in my heart and mind.  With His peace in my heart and mind, I do not need to understand how He will do it.  I just know that it is in His care.  He is trustworthy.  It is His word; I am to present my requests to Him!!!   I am not to present my possible answers and let Him choose the one He likes best.  NO, I am to present my requests to Him.  I am to trust Him to come up with the appropriate answer. 

APPLICATION:  My actions flow from my thoughts.  Anxious thoughts often result in anxious actions.  But when the “peace of God” guards my heart and mind, my actions will flow out of a heart and mind at peace!   I will not be responding to the trouble in my circumstances but to the peace in my heart. 

PRAYER:  Lord, you are never anxious and never at a loss for what action to take.  And YOU live in my heart.  I have set you as my Lord.  I want the peace of your presence to establish a calm in my heart and mind and actions.   Amen! 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 13, 2024: SOAP #5306:  1Kings 13,14; 2Chronicles 12; Philippians 3

SCRIPTURE:  Phillipians (NIV) 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

OBSERVATION:    Many changes begin to be worked into our lives when we become a Christian, a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.  Generally there is not much change in our physical appearance, but there are big changes in our thinking.  And the more I live and the more I grow in understanding God’s word, the greater the changes come in my thinking. 

In the verses above Paul introduces a new way of thinking.  We are to see ourselves and think about ourselves as citizens of heaven!   And more than that; the Savior is coming back for us!  

APPLICATION:  We eagerly await His return to this planet that treated Him so badly on His first visit.  His return will not be to a humble manger as a baby, but as King of kings and Lord of lords.  He is coming to establish His kingdom in love and righteousness. 

There have been many events that I eagerly awaited, but none so grand or important as HIS return to earth!   What a day that will be!!!   May I live each day believing this could be the one for His return!

PRAYER:  Lord, as your child, as your servant, as your son, and as a citizen of heaven, I eagerly await your soon return.  I want you to find me a faithful servant, joyfully carrying out your assignments. Use me to encourage and strengthen the faith of those who love you, and to help others enter Your kingdom.   In Your Wonderful Name I pray,  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 12, 2024: SOAP #5305:  1Kings 12; 2Chronicles 10,11; Philippians 2

(too good not to repeat)

SCRIPTURE:  Philippians (NIV) 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed— not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence— continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

OBSERVATION:  Living the Christian life is not something to be taken lightly.  People will be drawn to God according to what they see in me and what they hear from me.  I am to live out my salvation with “fear and trembling.”  Eternal issues are involved, for my own life and for the lives of those around me. 

It is important to me, but it is even more important to God!   He knows the weakness of flesh that has been tainted with sin.  He knows that I cannot be trusted to work out my own salvation.  But it is so important to God that He joins me to work out my salvation!!!   Amazing!!!  The One who lived this life perfectly is now living in me!  

APPLICATION:  Any excuse that I have ever made that the Christian life is too hard is proof that I did not understand it.  Being a Christian is not me trying to copy His life.  Being a Christian is allowing Jesus to live His life in me!  

Even though I try my best, I can never succeed in perfectly living the Christ life.  The only one who ever succeeded in perfectly living the Christ life if Jesus Himself.  Any success I will have is when I let Jesus live His life in and through me!  

PRAYER:  My prayer: a Worship chorus: Jesus, be Jesus in me.  No longer me, but Thee.  Resurrection power, fill me this hour.  Jesus be Jesus in me!  (Unknown) Amen

Pastor Leon
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