Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 29, 2026: SOAP #6082: Isaiah 57-59; Psalm 103; 2Peter 3

SCRIPTURE:  2Peter (NIV) 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

OBSERVATION:  This is the closing verse of Peters second letter to the church.  It is God’s desire that we grow in our knowledge of Him.  He loves to reveal Himself to His people.  Today my attention was drawn to the phrase, “…grow in the grace…”  God wants me to grow in grace. 

First: I must grow in my understanding of grace.  It is God’s unearned and undeserved favor.  By faith I have received the forgiveness that His amazing grace has provided.  God is kindly disposed to me.  He recognized His Son, Jesus, living in me as the Lord of my life. 

Second: I must grow in living a grace filled life.  God’s grace is a foundation for my trust.  I can look at everything through God’s grace.  I live because of God’s grace so I should live in honor of God’s grace.  Others should see the difference God’s grace makes in my life.  God’s grace in my life should result in a life of thanksgiving!

Third: I must grow in giving grace.  I have received grace; I should be graceful to others.  God loves to give grace to me, but even more He loves to give grace through me.  Kindness and forgiveness should be readily extended to those around me. 

[Personal thought: “Grow in grace:” that means I should be more gracious today than at any previous time in my life!  At 78 years of age, I should be an expert in being gracious!] 

APPLICATION: Thoughts of God’s amazing grace should be mixed with all my thoughts.  They should be a part of every conversation.  Gratitude for God’s grace easily mixes with an attitude of thanksgiving.   Even when going through the toughest times, I have sufficient reasons to be thankful for God’s grace. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, your grace has been abundantly provided by your Son, Jesus.  Holy Spirit, help me grow in grace.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 28, 2026: SOAP #6081: Isaiah 53-56; 2Peter 2

SCRIPTURE:  2Peter 2:20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”

OBSERVATION:   We rely on doctors to deal with truth.  We want them to discover the truth, reveal the truth and help us deal with the truth.  We are happy when they give us a “good report.”  We may not be happy with a “bad report,” but we should be appreciative.

The Bible is a book of truth, truth about God, truth about man and truth about their relationship.  For the Bible not to tell us about sin is much worse than a doctor not telling us about a fatal disease in our body. 

APPLICATION: It is good to have escaped the corruption of the world.  I know that could only come through a relationship in which Jesus is my Savior and I accept his death on the cross as the payment for my sins. 

It is also good to be warned about the possibility of getting entangled again in the corruption of the world.  I know that I can only remain free through a relationship in which Jesus is my Lord, and I choose to only do what pleases him. 

PRAYER:  Lord, two things I pray: first, thank you for providing the way of escape from sin; and second, help me not get entangled in it again.  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 27, 2026: SOAP #6080: Isaiah 50-52; 2Peter 1

SCRIPTURE:  2Peter (NIV) 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is short-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

OBSERVATION:  Christianity is both an outside religion and an inside relationship.  The early church had no Bibles, so God anointed several leaders to write the history of Jesus and the church and others to write letters describing how having Jesus living in our lives would affect our lives. 

Having Jesus living inside makes a big difference.  I want my life to be a comfortable home, so I need to begin aligning my life with His character.  (Like verses 5-7 above.)   It may seem like a very difficult thing to do, but it is not all that hard.  Jesus is more interested in our lives having those characteristic than we are!  And He now lives inside where those changes need to be made.  And as He lives inside and helps us make those changes, the outside of our lives (note: verse 8) began to be seen on the outside.  Others see the changes in our conversation and actions. 

APPLICATION: Verse 8 above tells us that this is a process and we grow in “increasing measure.”  Just having Jesus living inside makes a big difference, but God expects growth.  He designed our physical bodies to grow.  All living things grow.  The church is to grow, and believers are to grow.  We are to become better at expressing love and joy and peace etc. 

PRAYER:  Lord, what a great thing you did for me when you forgave my sins and moved into my heart as my Lord and Savior.  Now I want to do something for you; I want to grow in my response to you.  I want to grow in expressing your life in me.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 23, 2026: SOAP #6076: 2Kings 20; Isaiah 38-39; Psalm 75; 1Peter 2

SCRIPTURE:  1Peter (NIV) 2:21  To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

OBSERVATION:  A thought came strongly to my heart as I was reading this passage.  This letter was written to people who did not have a Bible.  In the Jewish synagogue they would have had access to some scrolls of Jewish scripture.  They may have had access to copies of some letters that had been sent to the early churches. 

Letters like this taught them about the church being the body of Christ in whom the Holy Spirit lived.  Passages like the one above taught them who Jesus is and what He had done for them.  Holy Spirit anointed preachers and teachers used such passages to proclaim truth, but the scriptures had not yet been gathered into one authoritative book. 

APPLICATION: Surely God would have had a plan to help those whose sins had been forgiven to live as His children!  Yes, He did!  He sent the Holy Spirit to live in the heart of each new believer! 

His presence within gets excited when we hear and follow truth.  His presence within draws back when we start to slip into error.  He guides us into truth.  We may not have a Bible, but we all have the Holy Spirit!   We must learn to listen to Him! 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, Father God, in His wisdom, sent you to live in our hearts to teach us and help us recognize truth.  Guide my thoughts and my steps.  Show me truth and help me glorify Jesus with my whole life. Oh, the joy of having you in my life. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 19, 2026: SOAP #6072: 2Kings 17; 2Chronicles 28; Psalm 46; James 3

Scripture:  Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,   though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

OBSERVATION:  Why is it that we will not fear?  It is not because the reasons mentioned are not frightening.  Surely the earth giving way and the mountains falling into the sea are frightening.  In the natural, it would be impossible not to fear when seeing such calamity.

The reason for not fearing is found in verse one.  We do not fear because we have Someone Who is better than “ever-ready.”  (In the USA “ever-ready” is the brand name of some flashlight batteries.)  I have had some “Ever-ready” batteries that were useless to me because they were home in the drawer when I was stuck on the side of the road with a dead flashlight.  But it is not that way with God!  He is not only “ever-ready,” He is “ever-present!”

APPLICATION: I may have to wait for a police officer, or an ambulance, or a fire truck; but I never have to wait for God to arrive, He is “ever-present!”  I may be called the “first responder” to an emergency, but I can rest assured that the “Ever-present” One is not only with me as I travel, but that He is already there when I arrive. 

PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, You are my “ever-present help.”  Remind me of Your Presence when I get anxious about my limitations to meet what is needed.  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon
Also on:  https://soapsbyleon.com

Nore #1:  This was my first full day home from the hospital.  I stayed in the house all day.  I have had a few complications but am so much better than yesterday and have improved through the day.  I am looking forward to worship in the morning. 

Note #2:  Jesus is the one who started me writing SOAPs.  I depended on Him to write the SOAP when I was in the hospital.  If you have received any blessing while reading the SOAPs, give all the glory to Jesus!  He died for our salvation and the scriptures tell us that it is by HIS strips we are healed.  The Holy Spirit is present among us to work out things beyond our control and ability.  God alone gets all the glory!