Author Archives: SOAPs by Leon

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About SOAPs by Leon

At the end of my first year in Bible College, the Lord sent me into the US Navy. It was at a serviceman's center in San Diego where I met and married Sharon. During the final years of the ten years I spent in the US Navy, most with the US Marine Corps as a hospital corpsman, I became the pastor of Bayview Chapel A/G in Kaneohe, Hawaii. After 17 years, the Lord sent us back to my birth state, Kansas, where we were pastors of Andover Assembly of God for 20 years. In retirement, the Lord has given me two assignments: first is to write these daily devotions. You are being allowed to eves drop in on what He is saying to me. You will notice the applications are usually in the first person. The second assignment is to drive a school bus. What a privilege to serve others in this practical way and to interact with people outside the church environment. My heart smiles as I continue to joyfully serve my God and others. :) A third assignment from the Kansas Assemblies of God is to be the ministry coordinator for the Kansas Senior Adult Ministries. My wife, Sharon and myself enjoy traveling around the state of Kansas, visiting the churches and encouraging ministry to senior adults and the ministries of senior adults.

Trust–it just makes sense!

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September 3: Ezekiel 20-21; Psalm 111; Revelation 8

Scripture: Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Observation: Anyone who has some concept of the greatness of God’s power and hatred of sin is wise to fear Him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning, but there is so much more. As we follow His directives, our understanding increases. Our understanding of life, of who we are, of why we are here, of suffering, of tribulation, and so many other things begins to logically find its place around our faith in a loving Creator.

Application: I want to grow in my knowledge of God and understanding of the world into which He placed me. I believe God knows what is happening and has a plan for this world and for me. The more I understand about His wisdom and love, the more I can trust Him with matters that I do not understand. It just makes so much sense!

Prayer: Lord, the more I know you, the more logical it is to trust you with things I do not understand. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

What a day that will be!

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September 2: Ezekiel 17-19; Revelation 7

Scripture: Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing round the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God,
12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

Observation: It appears that every being in heaven is involved in this time of worship. It starts with those who have personally experienced this great salvation proclaiming that God is the author and provider. The angels and elders and four living creatures, all who have not personally experienced the forgiveness of sins, respond to the proclamation of the redeemed with their own statement.

Application: I want to be a part of that great gathering!!! And in preparation, I want to be a part of small gatherings of God’s people as they prepare their worship for that great assembly. And I do not want to show up alone; I want to take others with me.

Prayer: Lord, What a day that will be! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

…as You really are!

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S.O.A.P.

September 1: Ezekiel 15, 16; Psalm 70; Revelation 6

…as You really are!

Scripture: Revelation 6:12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red,
13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig-tree when shaken by a strong wind.
14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Observation: As I pondered the awesome wrath of God displayed in creation, I noted that the people on earth seem to have no question as to what is happening. They are not experiencing some quirk of nature; this is not a storm on the face of the sun; this was the wrath of God the Father “who sits on the throne,” and the wrath of Jesus, “the Lamb.”

Application: How foolish to ignore this awesome God who sent His Son to die for my sin. He wants me to serve Him because I love him, but he loves me so intensely that he reveals His holy and awesome anger.

Prayer: Lord, There are times I am so taken with your love that I do not consider your holiness and how continued sin raises your anger. Help me to know you as you really are. Amen.

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

He is worthy!

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August 31: Ezekiel 12-14; Revelation 5

Scripture: Revelation 5:11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.
12 In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshipped.

Observation: Worship is a major theme in the book of Revelation. From reading the verses above, everyone participates. John, chapter four tells us that God is looking for worshippers—for worshippers who worship in spirit and truth.

Application: In past years, I have enjoyed some good times of playing football, but I do not consider myself a football player. In the same way, God is not satisfied that I worship Him once a week, or when someone else is encouraging me to do it; God wants Leon to be a worshipper! It starts with the first commandment: to love the Lord my God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Prayer: Lord, I do not have to wait until I get to heaven to be a worshipper. My heart is full of appreciation for you and all you have done for me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

TUESDAY SOAP: His door is already open!

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August 30: Ezekiel 8-11; Revelation 4

Scripture: Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

Observation: Usually when I read the Book of Revelation, I stop at the end of chapter three and then pick up later with chapter 4. So I never noticed that in the space of four verses we find reference to two different doors.

The first is for Jesus to enter and He is waiting for us to hear Him knocking and open it for His entrance. The second door was for John to enter; it was already open!

Application: Jesus is the open door to heaven for all who receive Him as their Savior (accepting His death as the payment for their sins) AND Lord (accepting Him as their master or owner.) When I open the door to my life, I find he has already opened the door to God’s kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for dying to pay for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and do not deserve your great love. Please forgive me and be the Lord of my life. I open the door to my heart. I welcome you into my life. I commit my life to please you by loving you and living in such a way that makes you feel at home. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

The Invitation

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August 29: Ezekiel 4-7; Revelation 3

Scripture: Revelation 3:15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. …
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Observation: They did not hate God, but they really did not love Him either. But the same cannot be said about God! He who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us, loves us enough to rebuke and discipline us! He is passionate about us.

We shut Him out of our homes, our work places, our schools, our celebrations and even a 911 Memorial service, but He stands at the door and knocks. He awaits our invitation!

The joy of love is to be loved by the one you love; that the one you love wants your presence and help. So the One Who loves us does not run off, but stands knocking at our door, awaiting our invitation.

Application: “God loves me just as I am, but too much to leave me that way.” He corrects me for my good. When I hear His voice, it is for me to open the door.

Prayer: Lord, I invite you into my day. I want you to participate with me in each activity. It is a joy to have you with me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Able AND Willing

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August 28: Ezekiel 1-3; Revelation 2

Scripture: Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Observation: The individual messages to each of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3 follow the same outline. Each ending shows us the Holy Spirit is/has been speaking to the churches; we need to be listening. God is not some distant disinterested deity. He is with us, interested in us, and speaking to us!

Application: God knows life is not easy and there are tough choices, but He has designed me to overcome and has special blessings for me when I do.

Prayer: Lord, I know I cannot overcome depending on my own strength, but you are with me and have already overcome the things I have yet to face. You are able and willing to help me. Thank you, Lord! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

The Touch

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August 27: Jeremiah 52; Revelation 1; Psalm 143-144

Scripture: Revelation 1:17 When I saw him (Jesus), I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.
18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Observation: The hand that broke the bread and multiplied the fish, the hand that touched the blinded eye now touched John. The touch was not just a casual touch of a friend, but a significant touch, a touch full of meaning. It was such an important touch that John mentions it here in his writings. It was a touch of presence. The touch was Jesus way of saying, “I am here.”
Along with the touch came the assuring words, “Do not be afraid.” John’s courage was not to be based on who John was, but on who Jesus is.

Application: The courage I have to face the issues of this day is not based on my strength or wisdom. It is not based on my ability to figure things out and to come up with a workable plan. As I pray, read His Word, and meditate on Him, I feel His touch and sense His presence. I look ahead into this day actively acknowledging the fact that Jesus is with me and will be with me all day long; my faith is in him.

Prayer: Lord, I am depending on you. From my point of view, I cannot see ahead around the bend. From your point of view, nothing is hidden. In faith I am moving ahead counting on you to show what to do. Amen.
(P.S. Lord, reach through me to touch someone in need today.)

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Vital Signs

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August 26: Jeremiah 50-51; 3John

Scripture: 3John 11 Dear friends, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

Observation: Faith and love have this in common: both are inner qualities that are proved by outward action. Actions are the “vital signs” of both. Heartbeat, respirations and brain waves are not life, but are considered vital signs that life is present. Without those vital signs a person is declared dead. James 2:17 tells us that faith without works is dead. And the same is true of love. As I remember from a High School poetry assignment:
A bell is not a bell till you ring it;
A song is not a song till you sing it;
And the love in your heart was not put there to stay;
Love is not love till you give it away! Oscar Hammerstein II

Application: I have seen trucks on the road with a sign on their rear bumpers: “How’s my driving? Call: _____“ Maybe I should have a sign: “How’s my living?”

Prayer: Lord, I want you to be easily seen in and through me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Our Trademark!

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August 25: Jeremiah 37-39; Psalm 79; 2John

Scripture: 2John 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.
6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

Observation: John is referred to as “John the Beloved” because he was so close to Jesus and in the Gospel which bears his name, he refers to himself, not by name, but as the one “whom Jesus loved.”

Jesus had expressed the ten commandments by summarizing them into two: the first about loving God and the second about loving people. Jesus had even given them His own commandment that they were to love each other as He had loved them.

Now, as he is writing a short letter to the church, we can see that John got the message: Love is the reason Jesus came and love is to be the trademark of His people.

Application: Love must be my priority. My love for God becomes visible as I obey His commands. My love for others becomes visible in my words and actions. Unlike the wife in the waiting room last week whose words to her elderly husband were full of exasperation and impatience, may my words be full of God’s love.

Prayer: Lord, you have shined your love into my heart; now help me to shine it out to others. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!