Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
August 2, 2026: SOAP #6086: 2Kings 21; 2Chronicles 33; John 4

SCRIPTURE:  John (NIV) 4:7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

OBSERVATION:  This woman had something Jesus wanted.  Water, but He really wanted more.  He wanted her.  Jesus was not so much interested in what she could give Him, but in what He could give her.  She could give him water from a well, but He could give her living water! 

In my limited study of various religions, it seems the emphasis is always on what the worshipper can do or give their god.  The sacrifice is always made by the worshipper.  What a difference that the one true God is really interested in what He can give me!   

She came by herself to draw water, normally that was a social time for friends.  She had been married five times and was now living with a man not her husband; that was probably the reason no one wanted to accompany her to the well. (vs 18.)  But the next time she came to the well, the whole town came with her! (vs 30.)  What a change!!  What Jesus did in her could be seen by the whole town…just like the testimonies of the miracles in West Africa. 

APPLICATION: More than once I have discovered that when Jesus was asking me for something He was really wanting to give me something!  I need to remember that by nature Jesus is a giver.  It is foolish to withhold from Him what He desires.  When He sees the nature of a giver in me, He opens His treasures to me. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, three things you are teaching me: 1. You are teaching me to give.  2. You are teaching me the joy of giving.  3. You are teaching me that you always out give me!   Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 31, 2026: SOAP #6084: Isaiah 63-64; Psalm 107; John 2

SCRIPTURE:  John 3:6 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (Note verses 23 and 24)

OBSERVATION:  In John 3:16 Jesus is speaking with an inquisitive seeker.  We read that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Becoming a Christian is responding to the great love that God has for us. It is singing, “Oh how HE loves me!” We love Him because He first loved us! We are responding to His great love for us.

However in John 14:21 Jesus is speaking to His disciples.  Here it is God responding to our great love for Him!  We have come to know and love Him. Our love for Him is clearly seen in that His commands are priority in our lives. It is God singing, “Oh how he loves me!”

APPLICATION: It is an ever widening spiral. At the center is His great love for me. He gives His Son to die for me. I respond in love, beginning to learn and keep His commands.  He sees my response of love and is so joyful that He reveals even more of Himself and His plan for me. I respond in such appreciation and amazement that I love Him even more! I begin to sacrifice my wants in order to fulfill His wants. He sees my increased love for Him and He reveals His heart to me. I am so enamored with His great heart of love that I am willing to decrease so that He may increase. And on, and on it goes! Ever more and more loving revelation on His part; ever more and more loving surrender on my part.  It is a ever-growing, never-ending story of love.

PRAYER:  Lord, loving you more, bringing greater joy to your heart—that is what life is all about!  Now, how can I make you smile today?  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 31, 2026: SOAP #6084: Isaiah 63-64; Psalm 107; John 2

SCRIPTURE:  Psalm (NIV) 107:19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 20 He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. 21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. 22 Let them sacrifice thank-offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.

OBSERVATION:  “He sent forth his word and healed them.”  Surely Jesus fulfilled this prophetic scripture.  In the first chapter of the gospel of John, we read that the WORD was in the beginning.  The WORD was with God and the WORD was God!  The WORD became flesh and lived among us.  We read in the gospels that a major part of the ministry of Jesus was healing. 

As in the gospel days when Jesus walked the earth, we are seeing amazing healings happening today through the written WORD contained in each SOAP.  Within the last year, many thousands of people in West Africa have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, their faith settled by witnessing the many healings that God is doing among them. 

APPLICATION:  Never hold back from praying for someone who is sick, especially if they ask.  God is working among the Muslim people because they ask.  They see the healing power of God and they ask for the SOAPs to be brought into their community.  Many have experienced the healing power of God merely by reading the SOAPs. 

Healing provides an open door through which Jesus can gain access to someone’s heart.  If God has healed you, be ready to give your testimony.  Let them know we serve a healing God!  

PRAYER:  Lord, through my testimony, may people see you as a loving God who cares for people.  You use your power on behalf of people.  You are not waiting for us to serve you, but you wait to serve us.  Your love and power are amazing.  Amen

Pastor Leon    
Making friends for time and eternity!   
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 30, 2026: SOAP #6083: Isaiah 60-62; John 1

SCRIPTURE:  John (NIV) 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  He was with God in the beg beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men…. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

OBSERVATION:  God anointed men throughout the ages to write the scriptures which we call the Bible, the written Word of God.  From the verses above we understand that Jesus is the true Word, the living Word of God.  Throughout history we can find people who valued the Bible.  They protected it.  They hid it, They translated it.  They printed it.  They shared it.  They wanted everyone to have it.  How valuable is the written Word of God! 

In my understanding, there is only One Thing Greater than the written word of God—the LIVING WORD OF GOD!  To

APPLICATION: To have a Bible, the written Word of God, or even to have a portion of it and not to read it, and meditate on it, and pray over it.  What a tragedy.  To miss out on the wisdom and encouragement, and comfort available is such a loss. 

But an even greater loss would be to have the LIVING WORD OF GOD living in my heart and not to talk with Him, not to seek His wisdom, not to develop and maintain a continual relationship with this lover of my soul…there could be no greater loss in all of eternity!  

PRAYER:  Lord, what a blessing, what a fellowship to have you share this life with me!  You walk with me and you talk with me, and you tell me that you are my God and that I belong to you!  I am blest beyond measure.  When I do not have a Bible, I am never without your presence!  You are always with me!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
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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!   
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