August 14, 2019: SOAP #3541:  Jeremiah 16-17; Psalm 96; John 16

Scripture:  Jeremiah (NIV) 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10 “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”

Observation:   God is the perfect judge.  He judges us according to our actions.  But more than our actions, He searches our heart and our thoughts.  He is not only interested in what we do; he is interested in why we do it.

Application:  Many times, when people condemn us for our actions, we respond that our heart is right.  We claim to have the right motives, even if our actions do not work.   We can be glad that God sees our heart.

Then there are other times when what we want to do is far less than what we do.  We try to cover it up, but our heart is full of hatred and our mind full of ugly thoughts.  We do not want God to see our heart.

Prayer:  Lord, I know that you are the perfect judge.  Your holiness will not allow you to be less than perfect in judging.  You see my actions and you know my heart.  You know my thoughts.  And best of all, you love me completely!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

August 12, 2019: SOAP #3538:  Jeremiah 13-15; John 15

Scripture:  John (NIV) 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
3  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4  Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Observation:  When something I do not like happens to me, or I miss something I wanted to attend, or I lose something I really liked—In those times I can feel that God must be punishing me.  I probably did something He did not like.  But according to verse 2 above, God may be working in me to make me more fruitful.

God must have known that some of his children would think like me, so He quickly added verse 3 to reassure us that we are already clean.

His pruning is not to rid us of something bad; pruning often involves cutting back healthy growth.  The pruning is to make room for more fruit!  The energy of the plant is being focused on that which will bear large, healthy fruit, not just more leaves.

Application:  It is a blessing to receive from the Lord and enjoy His abundant supply.  It is easy to look at God’s generous supply and be thankful for His blessings.  But…may I never lose sight of this…
…if I want my life to be a blessing to Him, I must allow Him to remove things from my life.  The loss may open doors for future fruitful ministry.  The amount of time I invest in one activity/ministry might be better invested in another ministry.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, I trust my life to you.  Do your pruning as will be most fruitful for your kingdom. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

August 12, 2019: SOAP #3538:  Jeremiah 10-12; John 14

Scripture:  John (NIV) 14:28 [Jesus speaking] “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave.

Observation:  In John 14-16 we read of Jesus speaking to his disciples just before going to the Garden of Gethsemane where he would be arrested the night before the crucifixion.  In these chapters Jesus, “God the Son,” spoke of the other two members of the trinity.  He spoke of “God the Father” and of “God the Holy Spirit.”

John 3:16 shows us that the Father’s priority was sending Jesus to die for our sins.  In the verse above we see that Jesus’ priority was doing “exactly what the Father commanded Him.”

Application:   I should be as careful to do God’s will as Jesus was in doing His Father’s will.  It is not a “hit or miss” proposition.  It is not an “on again/off again” life.  Reading of the life of Jesus in the Gospels will show me His commitment to the Father.  I need to listen to the Holy Spirit as I read the Bible.  I then then need to listen to the Holy Spirit as I go through my day.  He will show me how to live out my commitment.  The scriptures will become alive in me.

Prayer:  Holy Spirit, I need your presence and guidance to faithfully live the life you intend for me.  Find me committed like Jesus.  Anoint me to minister like Jesus and for His glory.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

August 12, 2019: SOAP #3538:  Jeremiah 7-9; John 13

Scripture:  John (NIV) 13:21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.” …
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.

Observation:  There are so many arguments I could have given Jesus for standing up and publicly shaming Judas Iscariot for what he was about to do.  Judas was opening the door for the greatest pain and sorrow Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man would ever experience.  Judas was opening a door he would not be able to close; he tried by returning the money received for betraying Jesus.  His great remorse would lead to suicide.

Jesus had lovingly washed Judas’ feet along with the other disciples.  And now to identify his betrayer, Jesus uses a custom often used by a host to single out a favored guest—he takes some bread, dips it into a bowl of flavoring and hands it to Judas.  Other than the one asking the question, no one would expect what Judas was about to do.

The actions of Jesus expressed His heart and character, not the heart and character of Judas.  He was always in control of his emotions and choices.

Application:   Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world!  (IJohn 4:4) He has a greater influence on what flows out of my life than what I am facing in the world.

Prayer:  Holy Spirit, may Jesus shine out of me.  When circumstances try to control my response, help me let Jesus shine through me.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

August 10, 2019: SOAP #3537:  Jeremiah 5-6; John 12

Scripture:  Jeremiah (NIV) 5:11 The house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me,” declares the LORD. 12 They have lied about the LORD; they said, “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine. …
15 O house of Israel,” declares the LORD, “I am bringing a distant nation against you — … 17 They will devour your harvests and food, devour your sons and daughters; they will devour your flocks and herds, devour your vines and fig trees. …

Observation:  The USA is not Israel, so prophetic words to Israel cannot be specifically assigned to the USA.  However, for years we have claimed the God of Israel as our God.  Clearly our nation would not exist without His intervention!   His character has not changed!  He remains the Holy Judge.

In the news today, I heard what was reported as good news.  The number of aliens arrested at our southern border has declined last month in July.  Only 82,049 were arrested!  (Down from 104,367 in June.)

For comparison, an army division is 10,000-20,000.  So, in one month we were invaded by an army of 4 to 8 divisions.  For comparison, the USA part of the invasion force on D-Day was 73,000. (23,250 on Omaha; 34,250 on Utah; and 15,500 airborne troops.)  Last month we were invaded by more people than we sent into Europe on D-Day!  That is not good news; that is judgment!

Application:  WAKE UP, America!  God is holding us accountable for the millions of babies we have aborted.  We cannot count on our government to develop a plan to deal with God’s judgment.  But we can count on God to mercifully respond to repentance.  We can count on God to give wisdom in how to respond to our new neighbors.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, HELP!  We desperately need your help!  Holy Spirit, draw us to repentance and a place of mercy.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

August 09, 2019: SOAP #3536:  Jeremiah 3-4; John 11

Scripture:  John (NIV) 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 “And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”

Observation:   Prayer is the personal expression of a relationship with God.  In the above passage, Jesus expressed his relationship with the Father for the benefit of those close by who would hear His prayer.

They heard the loving, unbroken relationship of a Son to His Father.  They heard the confidence that the Son had in the Father—confidence that the Father always heard his prayers.  They heard the Son’s desire that people know that Jesus was on earth because He was sent by the Father.

What Jesus was about to do, was an expression of the Father’s love for people.

Application:  As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus has sent me.  It is important for people around me to know God.  God sends me to them so that they may see Him at work in my life and desire Him to be in their lives also.  When I have opportunity to pray in public, I should pray so that people listening to my prayer desire a closer relationship with my Heavenly Father.

Prayer:  Holy Spirit, so work in and through my life that people can easily see Jesus.  Love people through me.  Minister to them through me.  Use me to draw them to our loving Heavenly Father.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

August 08, 2019: SOAP #3535:  Jeremiah 1-2; John 10

Scripture: John (NIV) 10:2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 … the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 … his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 … 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, … 27 My sheep listen to my voice; …

Observation:   When the conviction of the Holy Spirit begins working in a person’s heart, they become aware that God is calling them.  Their response to His “voice” is the beginning of a new life.  Continuing to recognize that “voice” and responding is the determining factor in one’s spiritual growth.

In the early church, there were very few copies of the Old Testament and they were kept in the temple and synagogues.  The individual homes did not have written scriptures.  Listening and hearing was more important than reading.

Today, many believers have their own copy of the Bible; they can read God’s Word.  But it is still vital that they learn to recognize God’s voice.

Application:  It is in hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking in my heart that I come to understand how the written Word is to be applied in my heart.  Until I understand how the written Word applies to me personally, it remains just so many words on a page in a book.

As I learn to hear God speak to me personally when I read the Bible, I become familiar with His voice and can recognize it at other times during my day.  God loves to hear our voice as we talk to Him; but even more He loves that we hear His voice when He talks to us!

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, one of your favorite songs that you love to sing: “And she walks with me; and he talks with me; And they tell me I am their own.  And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.”  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

August 07, 2019: SOAP #3534:  Zephaniah 1-3; John 9

Scripture:  John (NIV) 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.

Observation:   This chapter contains an interesting encounter with a blind man during which the blind man was healed by Jesus spitting on the ground, making some mud, placing it in the man’s eyes, and then telling him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.  This led to people asking questions.  He gave them the best answer he knew, but they were not satisfied, so they took him to the Pharisees.  The Pharisees asked more questions, even questioning the man’s parents.  When Jesus heard about the questioning and the man being thrown out by the religious leaders, He revealed Himself to the formerly blind man.

All of this started as Jesus “went along.”  The journey became more important than the destination.

Application:  I need to be careful to take advantage of opportunities that I encounter as I am in route to my intended destination.  That which may seem like an interruption to my journey, might turn out to be the main reason for the journey.

Prayer:  Holy Spirit, keep me aware of the opportunities that come my way as I am “going along.” May my eyes and ears be open to those around me.  May my heart be sensitive to their needs.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

August 06, 2019: SOAP #3533:  Habakkuk 1-3; John 8

Scripture:  John (NIV) 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

Observation:   In considering this passage in the past, I noted that Jesus carefully did what the Father directed; He was sent by the Father.  He was here to do the Father’s will.

Today, my attention was drawn to His statement that the One who sent Him, was also with Him.  According to His own words, “He was not left alone.”  The Heavenly Father was with Jesus.

Jesus was aware of the presence of the Omnipresent God.  Even as he laid aside His deity to live as a man on earth, he had fellowship with His Father.  He often spoke to and with Him.  His awareness of the presence of His Heavenly Father can be seen in many places.

Application:   As Jesus did not live His life on His own, so He has designed that I do not live my life on my own.  He has promised to never leave me or forsake me.  He has sent His Holy Spirit to empower me to minister to others in His name.  I am not here on my own.  Jesus and the Father have made me their dwelling! (John 14:23) My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit!

Jesus did not drop me off, leave me on my own, promise to check up on me from time to time, and finally promise to return later to take me where He lives.  He sent me here; He remains with me; He does His work through me.

Prayer:  Jesus, it is you and me—we are in this together!  My desire—to always do what pleases you! Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

August 5, 2019: SOAP #3532: 2Kings 23; 2Chronicles 35; John 7

Scripture:  2Kings (NIV) 23:25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength…26 Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger.  27 So the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also from my presence as I removed Israel, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, ‘There shall my Name be.’”

Observation:  In being faithful to His promises to Abraham, God would later send His Son, Jesus, through Israel to the world to die for the sins of man.  But long before that, the sins of Manasseh had SO ANGERED God, he would send them into exile to the Babylonians.  Yet the heart of Josiah SO PLEASED God, that God postponed the judgment until after Josiah’s death.

Application:  In 2008 I wrote: “This is where America stands today.  We can turn to God and He will postpone punishment, but not remove it.  44+million babies have been sacrificed on the altar of convenience.  Those created in the very image of God have been destroyed and discarded.  Punishment may be postponed, but not escaped. The Lord will bring in an illegal alien into our country, one for every aborted baby.  This can be seen in that our national leaders seem to have their hands tied from some invisible force stopping them from taking any logical and effective measures to close our southern boarders.”

Today (2017) we have a president who stands against abortion and has placed Godly men in key positions in courts and in his administration.  The flood of illegal aliens from our southern border has slowed tremendously.   Unlike Israel, I know of no prophecies about a future assignment for the USA.  When God’s judgment comes on our nation, I fear it will not be to preserve us like Israel, but to punish us like Babylon.

(9/2019 update) The slowing (above) was temporary.  In January through June of 2019 there have been 500,000+ US Border Patrol, Southwest Border apprehensions.  Note:  the last year for which I could find statistics was 2015 with 638,169 abortions.

Prayer:    Heavenly Father, although there are no prophecies for the USA, there are many great prophecies for the church!!!   Thank you for making me a part of your church!   Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!