Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer

September 17: Ezekiel 42-44; Revelation 22

Scripture: Ezekiel (NIV) 44:15 But the priests, who are Levites and descendants of Zadok and who faithfully carried out the duties of my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD. … 23 They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and to show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.

Observation: Is it worthwhile to serve God? Is it worthwhile to remain faithful serving God when others serve their own interests? These verses show that God has special honor and assignments for those who prove faithful. Those who remain faithful have special opportunity to minister to the Lord which prepares them for higher ministry to people. The context shows that the Levites who did not remain faithful had ministry at a lower level.

Application: When pressures of life squeeze in on me, my feelings often control my thoughts. It is then I must remember that God is with me and is working through all things for my good and His glory. He uses the pressure to form me into the person He created me to be. Knowing that helps me remain faithful.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, ministering to you gives me strength to minister to others. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer

September 16: Ezekiel 40-41; Psalm 128; Revelation 21

Scripture: Revelation (NIV) 21:7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But the cowardly, then unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

Observation: The next to the last chapter in the Bible makes it clear: there are not three possible destinations for man, only two!

Application: I do not have three possible destinations for the end of my life. There is not a good one, a bad one, and an in between one. One is to be avoided at all costs. The other is greatly desired. I was headed for the fiery lake, and was helpless to change my destination. But God loved Leon so much that He sent his Son, Jesus, to make the only acceptable payment for my sins. He now lives in me and as I live in His righteousness I can enter the great city described in the chapter above. God changed my destination!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am amazed at how you love me! Thank you for making the legal provision to cover my sins. Thank you for preparing a place for me. Thank you for being my God and making me your son! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer

September 15: Ezekiel 38-39; Psalm 145; Revelation 20

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 145:8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

Observation: The LORD is gracious; he is inclined to give even to those who are undeserving. The LORD is compassionate; he is moved to action by the troubles of others. The LORD is slow to anger; his anger is fierce and righteous, but is not his first reaction. The LORD is rich in love; his love far surpasses any other love.

Application: God, being God, could be any way he wants to be. If he was not holy and loving, he could be a terror to his creation. His moral character controls his omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. But my God is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and loving! What an honor to serve such a God!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, what can I say but you are amazing! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer

September 14: Ezekiel 36-37; Psalm 110; Revelation 19

Scripture: Ezekiel (NIV) 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Observation: If one reads the history of Israel, it becomes clear that by themselves they cannot live in a way that pleases God. They were driven out of their land because they broke God’s laws. But the Lord promised that He would restore the Jews to the land He had given them. But in doing so, He would place His Spirit within them. How important it is for them to have the Holy Spirit living and working in their lives. The Spirit will teach them what is acceptable and motivate them to do what pleases the LORD.

Application: How important it is for me to have the Holy Spirit living in me and for me to learn to hear and follow His voice. I am not able to live up to God’s expectations without Him. In God’s design I can only fulfill His plan by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Like a car cannot fulfill its planned purpose without fuel in its gas tank, so I can only fulfill God’s planed purpose for me with the Holy Spirit living in me.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, how I need you! Teach me and motivate me to be what I was designed to be. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer

September 13: Ezekiel 33-35; Revelation 18

Scripture: Ezekiel (NIV) 34:30 “Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people,” declares the Sovereign LORD. 31 “You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God,” declares the Sovereign LORD.

Observation: Here God is speaking to the nation of Israel. He is speaking of a time when they would be gathered to their land and would enjoy its bounty.

It can be a joy, and maybe a cause for bragging, to claim an important person as a friend, but it is an honor when they claim us as their friend. Who is making the claim makes a difference!

Application: It gives me peace to say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” But that is nothing compared to when I hear the Sovereign LORD say, “You are my sheep, and I am your God!”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, to claim you as my Father is special to me. But to know that you claim me as your son means so much more. Indeed, I am highly honored to know you claim me as belonging to you! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer

September 12: Daniel 3-4; Psalm 81; Revelation 17

Scripture: Daniel (NIV) 3:21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace….
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Observation: These verses are speaking of the same men! In the first verse, at the king’s command, they are being thrown into a fiery furnace which had been heated so hot that it killed the men who threw them in. In the second verse, a short while later and at the same king’s command, they are being promoted. What a change! It was a change brought about by God.

Application: The God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is my God too! I need not fear what man can do to me. God may not deliver me from the fiery furnace, but He is able to sustain and protect me in the furnace. And should God not deliver me, like the three men said above, “If he does not” I will still serve no other god!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are able to bring me promotion from the very people who earlier have tried to destroy me! I can trust you to work out things for my good and your glory! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer

September 11: Daniel 1-2; Revelation 16

Scripture: Daniel (NIV) 1:17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds…
20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

Observation: In verse 4 the king sent these men with others to learn “the language and literature of the Babylonians.” But these men who honored God in their diet had a Special Teacher. Not only did they hear what the Babylonian teacher was saying, this Special Teacher helped them with knowledge and understanding of what they were being taught. Yes, God gave them an unfair advantage!

Application: Whether I receive any benefits or not, it is always right to honor God. But I usually find that God honors those who honor Him. As I take pleasure in making Him look good, He takes pleasure in making me look good. He helps me excel.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, sometime today I will have opportunity to honor you. May I speak up clearly and boldly on your behalf. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer

September 10: Lamentations 3-5; Revelation 15

Scripture: Lamentations (NIV) 3:19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Observation: It seems like trouble comes easily to our memory. We do not have to try to think about trouble. It seems our minds are programmed to ponder trouble. As we think about the bad things that come our way, we become depressed. But those who know the Lord, have something to “call to mind.” I may not be able to stop thinking about trouble by trying to stop thinking about trouble. But I can actively place my thoughts on something else.

Application: Today I will find hope as I actively think about the LORD’s great love, His compassion which never fails, and His great faithfulness. How can I be depressed when I consider the greatness of the LORD!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, when I think about trouble, I often make it bigger than it really is, but when I think about you, I can never make you bigger in my thoughts than you really are! Indeed, you are amazingly great! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer

September 9: Lamentations 1-2; Obadiah; Revelation 14

Scripture: Obadiah (NIV) 3 “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
4 Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.

Observation: God was speaking through Obadiah to the nation of Edom. Eastons Revised Bible Dictionary says, “After an existence as a people for above seventeen hundred years, they (Edom) have utterly disappeared, and their language even is forgotten forever.”

Application: I rejoice when I hear about God’s promises to heal, help, restore, and bless being fulfilled. I am reminded that God is FAITHFUL to keep his promises. However I must not forget that God is also faithful to fulfill his promise to judge sin.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the FAITHFUL God! You are faithful to bless those who repent AND you are faithful to punish those who do not repent. May those who know and love you rejoice when you bless our nation and not be surprised when you send judgment on the sins of our nation. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Pastor Leon’s SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer

September 8: Jeremiah 42-44; Psalm 48; Revelation 13

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 48:10 Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.

Observation: Praise for God can be found wherever His name is known. People who know the Name of the Lord always have reason to give Him praise. Sometimes it is in little things and sometimes in the big things one can see God’s righteous deeds.

Application: Wherever I go in the world I find many things for which to praise God. And I always find that people who know the Name of the Lord are praising God. I need only to join with them.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are worthy of praise at every place on earth. With confidence I can say that there is no place I will be today where you are not worthy of praise! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!