Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 17, 2024: SOAP #5249: 1Samuel 19; 1Chronicles 7; Psalm 59; Matthew 4

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Mark (NIV) 3:14 He appointed twelve—designating them apostles— that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach

OBSERVATION: These verses contain Jesus basic method of ministry. First part was teaching and preaching about the kingdom. The kingdom is a structure of authority with a king. Jesus helped them understand the Kingdom of God by telling them stories (parables) from everyday life.

The second part was demonstrating that authority. Since he was not setting up an earthly government for the nation of Israel, He demonstrated the authority by healing, driving out demons, and miracles. The authority of the kingdom of heaven made big differences in their earthly lives.

A third very important part of Him ministry was choosing disciples who would be with Him and then He could send them out.  They would hear every sermon and watch Him do the miracles.  He would ask them questions and they could ask Him questions. 

APPLICATION:  It is interesting to note that the church in the book of Acts was established following these same principles. Teaching, demonstrating, and discipling.  May it be said that the church in the 21^st century is still using the same principles. 

Note:  this ministry should start in our homes.  Teaching God’s Word, demonstrating how our faith is lived, and training our children. 

PRAYER:  Lord, use me to proclaim and demonstrate your word.  Use me to help others make your word a central part of their daily lives.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 16, 2024: SOAP #5248: 1Samuel 18; 1Chronicles 6; Psalm 11; Matthew 3

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

OBSERVATION: The One who had willingly emptied Himself of His God-ness to live on earth as the Son of Man, was now empowered by the same Holy Spirit who was present at creation (Genesis 1:2). This was the same Holy Spirit the angel spoke of when explaining to Joseph, that Mary’s pregnancy was the work of the Spirit of God. (Matthew 1:18 & 20). The Holy Spirit was a major part of Jesus life and ministry.

APPLICATION:  I am called to be like Jesus. But I am often not sure how Jesus would live in the USA in 2024. The specifics are not always obvious. I need help in living like Jesus in my clothes, in my family, in my city, at my age of 76.  Jesus only lived 33 years as a man on earth.  How do I live like Jesus as I grow older?  Obviously, I need the Holy Spirit to be active in my life. I need Him to speak to me in ways I can understand.  I need Him to open the riches of God’s Word, the Bible to my heart and mind. 

I need to be like Jesus in hearing and following the Holy Spirit.  I need to pay attention to the soft impressions the Spirit brings to my mind. 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, you understand every day of my life as you understood every day of Jesus’ life on earth.  As I move through this day, reveal to me how I can best honor Jesus.  And, through these SOAPs, make me a blessing to others.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 15, 2024: SOAP #5247: 1Samuel 17; Psalm 9; Matthew 2

SCRIPTURE:  Psalm (NIV) 9:9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

OBSERVATION: What a wonderful privilege to know the Name of the Lord.  His nature is revealed in His name.  It is a nature that will never change.  We can always count on Him being true to His Name!  

The Lord does not have a refuge in some hidden location where He can take us to escape our troubles.  HE is the refuge.  He does not take us someplace safe and leave us. HIS PRESENCE is the refuge!   Psalm 23:5 tells us he “prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies.”

He is a place of safety, a place to be refreshed, a place to find help and comfort.  He is a strong defense.  I can sleep at night for He guards my perimeter.  He surrounds me with His presence.                       

APPLICATION:  What a refuge!  My God does not prepare a place of refuge; He is my refuge.  My God is my refuge in the time of trouble.  He is my refuge in the time of trouble! Like the turtle’s shell, my REFUGE is always with me!

PRAYER:  Lord, you are my refuge.  You are an ever-present help in the time and the place of trouble! (Psalm 46:1) You do not have to take me out of my trouble to give me peace. You do not need to take me to a different location.  You are my peace! (Ephesians 2:14) Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 14, 2024: SOAP #5246: 1Samuel 15-16; 1Chronicles 5; Matthew 1

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

OBSERVATION: Joseph was a righteous man.  Mary was pregnant. She had already broken the marriage engagement.  Joseph would do what a righteous man would do.  He also would set aside the engagement.  But he was also a good man who loved Mary.  He did not want her to be humiliated.  He would not make a big scene, so everyone would know how much he had been hurt. He would do it quietly.

BUT GOD STOPPED HIM!   There was a higher purpose in what was happening.  Joseph was to be a part of something much greater than he ever dreamed.

APPLICATION:  I am glad to know that God can stop me.  Sometimes when God stops me, it is because I am about to make a fool of myself.  God kindly steps in and corrects my direction.

At other times when God stops me, it is because He has a higher purpose.  He is allowing me to be a part of something much greater.  He says “No,” because he is saying “Yes,” to something far better.  If He allowed me to move ahead with the “first,” there would be no possibility of the “best.”

PRAYER:  Lord, I trust you to see what I cannot see.  I trust you when you say “No” as I trust you when you say “Yes.”  You stopped my old way of Bible reading to open time for me to write daily SOAPs.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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My Personal SOAP Saga:  NOTE:  The SOAPs are my personal devotions with the Lord each day.  This one is a repeat from last year.  God is speaking to me today through this SOAP from the past.  He wants me to hold steady and trust Him to work through the tomorrows.  I don’t know about tomorrow, but I know He is with me and will be with me.  A high laboratory test indicates that further checking is necessary.  So Friday (April 19) I will be having a MRI to check the prostate.  In advance, I say “Thank you, for your prayers.”  I will keep you informed as I move forward in Jesus.   😊  

Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 13, 2024: SOAP #5245: 1Samuel 14; 1Chronicles 4; 2Corinthians 13

SCRIPTURE:  2Corinthians (NIV) 13:11 Finally, brothers, good-bye. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

OBSERVATION: As Paul signs off this letter to the church at Corinth, He gives four short exhortations and a promise.  He exhorts us to (1) live the best we can, (2) pay attention to Paul’s directives, (3) mutually respect one another, and (4) not allow conflict to come between us.  Then there is the promise; and what a great promise it is:  And the God of love and peace be with you!

APPLICATION:  The God, who gave us the greatest expression of true love the world has ever seen, is with me!  (John 3:16)  He loves me and He loves through me. 

The God, who establishes peace in the midst of turmoil, is with me!  He is the wall-breaking peace maker!  (Ephesians 2:14)  

PRAYER:  Lord, thank you for your presence in my life.  Thank you for expressing your love and peace in and through me.   Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 12, 2024: SOAP #5244: 1Samuel 13; 1Chronicles 2-3; 2Corinthians 12

SCRIPTURE:  2Corinthians (NIV) 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?…
 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

OBSERVATION: It is a fact that we have hands and feet; that we can see.  But there is another fact that can only be understood with special revelation.  It is a fact, but just not as obvious.  That these parts are present in the body is obvious, but how they got there must be deduced from an outside source.  Here the Bible says that the parts of the body were designed and placed by God, just as He wanted them to be.   They are present at His pleasure!

APPLICATION:  Being securely attached means that the life of the body flows to me, and through me.   If it does not flow through me, it will soon stop flowing to me.  I need to keep the lines in both directions open and unclogged by resentment  or unforgiveness. 

As members of my physical body cannot move themselves to another location in my body, I cannot move myself from one part of the body of Christ to another part without doing harm.  Physical transplants require a skilled surgeon.  Spiritually transplanting one believer from one body to another requires the work of the Holy Spirit. 

PRAYER:  Lord, you have placed me in your body “just as you wanted me to be.”  Sometimes it was not clear to me why you sent me where you did, but now I am so glad I had the clarity of mind to follow you.  You had a plan for me and prepared me to do your will.  Holy Spirit, help the SOAP readers to trust your leading and find the joy that comes in doing as you direct.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 11, 2024: SOAP #5243: 1Samuel 11-12; 1Chronicales 1; 2Corinthians 11

SCRIPTURE:  1Samuel (NIV) 12:21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.

OBSERVATION: Samuel gave a short review of their history, of how God had delivered them so many times. Then he explains that God is not so much true to Israel as He was true to “His Great Name.”  God will always act according to His character.  God would not reject Israel because He was keeping the promise He made to Abraham.  God had chosen Abraham and his descendants because God was true to the promise He made to Adam and Eve when they had to leave the garden of Eden because of sin.

APPLICATION:  I can trust God’s promises because God is true to Himself. His reputation is on the line. God is faithful to Himself. If I harbor sin in my life, God will be faithful to His holiness to judge that sin. If I repent, God will be faithful to His love to forgive and restore.

God will keep His promises to Leon and every SOAP reader, not because He was true to people in the Bible days, but because He IS true today to His Name, His character.  He has been, is, and will be true to Himself every day.  The eternal God does not change!  (James 1:7). The Israelites knew what God did, but Moses knew why. (Psalm 103:7)   When we truly know God, not just about God, we grow in understanding how and why He works.  (Proverbs 9:10)

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, teach us your ways.  Holy Spirit, help us walk in truth.  Jesus, reveal the Father to us.  For we pray in your name, Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 11, 2024: SOAP #5243: 1Samuel 11-12; 1Chronicales 1; 2Corinthians 11

SCRIPTURE:  1Samuel (NIV) 12:21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.

OBSERVATION: Samuel gave a short review of their history, of how God had delivered them so many times. Then he explains that God is not so much true to Israel as He was true to “His Great Name.”  God will always act according to His character.  God would not reject Israel because He was keeping the promise He made to Abraham.  God had chosen Abraham and his descendants because God was true to the promise He made to Adam and Eve when they had to leave the garden of Eden because of sin.

APPLICATION:  I can trust God’s promises because God is true to Himself. His reputation is on the line. God is faithful to Himself. If I harbor sin in my life, God will be faithful to His holiness to judge that sin. If I repent, God will be faithful to His love to forgive and restore.

God will keep His promises to Leon and every SOAP reader, not because He was true to people in the Bible days, but because He IS true today to His Name, His character.  He has been, is, and will be true to Himself every day.  The eternal God does not change!  (James 1:7). The Israelites knew what God did, but Moses knew why. (Psalm 103:7)   When we truly know God, not just about God, we grow in understanding how and why He works.  (Proverbs 9:10)

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, teach us your ways.  Holy Spirit, help us walk in truth.  Jesus, reveal the Father to us.  For we pray in your name, Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 10, 2024: SOAP #5242: 1Samuel 8-10; 2Corinthians 10

SCRIPTURE:  1Corinthians 10:3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

OBSERVATION: Often the toughest strongholds to overcome are the arguments and pretenses in the mind. If not careful, a person can become a captive of a thought processes that hurt them. Thoughts must be taken “captive.” The mind can become a battlefield.

On the battlefield facing Goliath (1Samuel 17), the Israelites were thinking, “How BIG Goliath looked compared to themselves!”  David was thinking: “How small Goliath looked compared to God!”  David’s part was the sling and the rock.  God’s part was the results.

APPLICATION:  The biggest battle I will fight today will be in my mind. I am not a mind, but I have a mind. I must take control of my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about something, but I can start thinking about something else. The strategy is “thought replacement.” I must replace thoughts about my big problem with thoughts about my big God! The Bible never tells me how to feel, but often tells me how to think.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank you for the “helmet of salvation.” Being your child, and having your Holy Spirit sharing this life with me makes a BIG difference in how I think! Amen

NOTE:  This is a repeat from several years ago.  Today, it speaks to my spirit as I am struggling with the decision to continue driving a school bus.  Some thoughts tell me, “Do it another year.”  Other thoughts tell me, “It is time to stop driving the bus.”  But the bottom line is that God specifically told me to drive a school bus and He has not specifically to me to stop.  

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 9, 2024: SOAP #5241: 1Samuel 6-7; Psalm 72; 2Corinthians 9

SCRIPTURE:  2Corinthians (NIV) 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

OBSERVATION: Those who appreciate what God has done for them look for ways to do something that pleases the Lord.  The above verse provides a good way to please the Lord.  We can give.  But it is more than just giving, it is how we give.  We should give generously and cheerfully. 

God loves this kind of giver so much that He makes sure they will have all that they need to continue giving generously and cheerfully. 

APPLICATION:  When we learn to give generously and cheerfully, we should not be surprised if God does not bring extra blessings into our lives.  We may want to save those extra blessings for a rainy day.  But God is providing for us to “abound in every good work!”  He is making sure that we can continue to give generously and cheerfully!  

PRAYER:  Lord, it pleases you when your people are generous and cheerful.  May SOAP readers bring joy to your heart by being generous and cheerful givers.  Show them today how to use what they have for your glory!   Amen.

Pastor Leon
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