November 17, 2019: SOAP #3636:  2Cor 7-10

Scripture:  2Corinthians (NIV) 9:7 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:  In Chapters 8 and 9, Paul is complimenting those in Corinth for being givers and encouraging them to give in a special offering for people in need.  It is good to note that the wonderful promises made in verse 8 are made to givers.  This is emphasized a few verses later…

Scripture:  2Corinthians (NIV) 9:10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Observation:  God gives seed to the sower, not the hoarder!  Some grain is meant for making bread, but the purpose of seed is to be sown.

Application:   In verse 10 I read that God gives seed for sowing to the ones who are already sowing.  They had been faithful in sowing with the little they had, now God will increase their ability to sow even more!

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, as my knowledge of your Word increases, so my faith increases.  You have proved these scriptures in our lives again and again.   Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

November 16, 2019: SOAP #3635:  2Cor 3-6

Scripture:  2Corinthians (NIV) 6:16 …For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 17 “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Observation:  With even a limited understanding of God, God’s offer is so far beyond what we should expect—who would ever knowingly reject His offer?   He asks us to separate ourselves from the world.  And this God of creation will consider us His sons and daughters and we will be allowed to consider His as our Father!   He even sends His Son to die in payment for our sins!!!

He will live with us and experience life with us.  We will live with Him and experience life with Him.  He will share our daily life and we will share His daily life!  Who could refuse God’s offer???

Application:   What an honor that the God of all creation wants to share my daily life!  He is my Father; I am His son!

Prayer:   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to help me become more aware of your presence in my daily life.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

November 15, 2019: SOAP #3634:  Job 41, 42; 2Corinthians 1, 2
 (Rework from November 8, 2010)

Scripture:  1Corinthians 2:2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

Observation:  Paul did not use mental gymnastics to force those living in Corinth to accept Jesus as Lord.  If he could manipulate their thinking to believe in the Lord, when he moved on to another town, someone would come along that would manipulate their thinking to believe in something else.

Paul wanted their faith to be based on something that could withstand the challenge of the world’s wisdom.  He wanted their faith based on God’s power.  He wanted them to know the Presence of God’s Spirit in experiencing the power of God at work.

Application:   I want God’s Presence in my life to be demonstrated by His Spirit at work in and through me.  Then when people see what God does in and through me, their faith will not be in me, but in the God working in and through me.  Obviously, what God does in and through me, He can do in and through them too!

Prayer:   Lord, may Your Presence in my life encourage the faith of others as they witness You at work in me.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

November 14, 2019: SOAP #3633:  Psalm 149; 1Corinthians 15, 16   (reworked from March 30, 2015 #1943) 

Scripture:   1Corinthians (NIV) 15:21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Observation:   In this we see that the Omnipotent (all powerful) and Omnipresent (everywhere present) God is also Omniscient (all knowing and all wise).   He knows how to be perfectly Holy and perfectly Loving at the same time!  Man was created sinless yet yielded to temptation and became sinful.  God could not just wipe out sin and pretend it never happened.  A proper holy payment had to be made to equal the sinfulness of sin.  The proper payment (eternity in hell) would be required from everyone who sinned.  That is unless someone without sin would offer himself to be sacrifice on behalf of the sinners.  The loving God sent His Son to be that very sacrifice!

Application:   In Adam, God’s holiness demands I pay for my sin by spending eternity in hell.  In Christ, my penalty has been paid and I will spend eternity in heaven in the Presence of a Holy and Loving God!   It is truly amazing!

Prayer:   Heavenly Father, I cannot wait for Thanksgiving—my heart overflows with thanksgiving today!   Father, thank you for Jesus!   Jesus, thank you for dying and resurrecting!  Holy Spirit, thank you for leading me to Jesus! Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

November 13, 2019: SOAP #3632:  Job 39, 40; 1Corinthians 13, 14

Scripture:  1Corinthians (NIV) 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Observation:  True love is other-centered.  Self-love destroys.  Love works to makes us strong as we work to make others strong.  Love works to makes us good as we work for the good of others.

One of the laws of the harvest is that we reap what we sow.  When we sow love into the lives of those around us, we will reap a harvest of love.

Application:  It is great when love flows out of a happy heart.  It is great when feelings of love fill and overflow my heart.  But there are times when love must flow contrary to feelings.  The greatest love is a choice.  It is a choice for the highest good of the other without consideration of how it affects me.

Prayer:  Lord, let your great love flow through me.  My love for you motivates my love for others. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

November 12, 2019: SOAP #3631:  Job 37, 38; 1Corinthians 12

Scripture:  1Corinthians (NIV) 12:20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

Observation:  The smallest gland in the body is the pineal gland, about the size of a grain of rice.  It is located beneath the brain and sets sleep patterns.  Until a few minutes ago, I did not even know there was such a gland as the pineal gland.  But if mine had not been working properly, I would have had major problems.

Application:  There are no dispensable parts in the body of Christ.   Everyone needs and deserves appreciation.  The honor I give to the most visible member of the body of Christ—the honor I give to the one I consider the most valuable is the same honor I am to give to every member of the body of Christ.  I do not set the value of a member and I do not set the value of a member’s contribution to the body.

Prayer:   Jesus, you set each member’s value when you died for them.  Holy Spirit, you set the value of their contribution as you work through them.  Help me appreciate and encourage them.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

November 11, 2019: SOAP #3630:  Psalm 122; 1Corinthians 9-11

Scripture:  1Corinthians (NIV) 9:9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely, he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the ploughman ploughs and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
Romans (NIV) 10:15 And how can they preach unless they are sent?

Observation:  In the Kingdom of God the value of money is enhanced.   It provides and avenue for us to express our appreciation.  It is an acceptable harvest for those sowing spiritual truth.  It is not wrong for it to be an expected harvest.  Those receiving spiritual seed sown into their lives should willing and joyfully return a “material harvest” to those sowing.  They should expect to do so.

Money is one way of sending those who carry the gospel to places of spiritual darkness.  (Romans 10:15)

Application:   The tithe is God’s money (Malachi 3:8).  He directs that it be brought into the store house.  How I invest my money, the remaining 90%, is an important part of being in God’s kingdom.  I use it to provide for my family and myself.  I believe God would have me save a portion for future needs.  AND it is my joy to invest in the Kingdom of God.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, I have been faithful but still have much to learn.  One thing I have learned—you are more faithful than I am.  I have taken your challenge to prove you (Malachi 3:10), and you have proved faithful!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

November 10, 2019: SOAP #3629:  Job 35, 36; 1Corinthians 7, 8

Scripture:  1Corinthians (NIV) 8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God.

Observation:  Knowing and loving—both are important but what a difference.  Knowledge can make us proud.  True love makes us humble.  We can be proud of what we know.  But when we love we become aware of how little we know about the focus of our love.  We ever desire to learn more about what we love.  Walking in love, we use our knowledge to better serve the ones we love.

God’s knowledge of those who love Him is limitless.  If He desired, He could use that knowledge to destroy me, but He uses it in love to correct me and build me up.

Application:  To be known by God!  What a comforting and inspiring thought.  The one who knows me best loves me most!  He knows the difference between my reasons and excuses.  And He uses that knowledge for my benefit.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, what a blessing—to know that Your knowledge of me is complete.  I trust you!  I trust your leading.  In your wisdom and love you work through everything for my good.  May my life bring you glory.   Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

November 09, 2019: SOAP #3628:  Job 34; 1Corinthians 4-6

Scripture:  1Corinthians (NIV) 4:7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Observation:  These are good questions for people who think they are better than others.  For people who think they have arrived at their status in life by their own skills.

Who made each of us different from everyone else?  None other than God.
What do we have that we did not receive?  Nothing.  Either we received it as a gift, or we received the skills to gain what we have.
So, what reason do we have for boasting?  None.

Application:   Instead, I have every reason to walk humbly.  Thanksgiving should be a hallmark of my life.  Serving others with the gifts I have received from God gives purpose to my days.  And I should make myself available to the gifts God has given to others.  Humility is important for passing along what God has given me AND for receiving from others what God has given them.

Prayer:   Heavenly Father, it is for me to walk humbly before you and humbly within the body of Christ.  Help me dispense your gifts in a way that is easy for people to receive.  Bless others with the gifts you have placed in me.  Bless me with the gifts you have placed in others. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity! 

November 08, 2019: SOAP #3627:  Job 33; 1Corinthians 1-3

Scripture:  1Corinthians (NIV) 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”

Observation:  On some tests I have taken, I have scored somewhat high in the areas of math.  I enjoy working with numbers (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) but easily recognize my limitations.  I understand basic math and enjoyed working with the beginning levels of algebra.  But that is as far as my understanding goes.  There are some math words about which I have no clue:  logarithms; calculus; trigonometry; etc.  They far exceed my math abilities.

God’s wisdom far exceeds man’s wisdom.  He perfectly understands not only physical laws and their limitations, He perfectly understands the laws of the spiritual world.  He understands how spiritual laws can affect the natural world.  Many miracles are just a spiritual law trumping a natural law.

God looks at the problems I bring Him in prayer with a full understanding of what is available in both the physical and spiritual world to solve that problem.

Application:  As I grow in my understanding of God and the spiritual world, I need to see my problems in the light of Who God is, how much He loves me, and what God has available.

Prayer:  Holy Spirit, help me go through this day knowing that you are with me.  I want to walk in confidence that you are more than willing and able to help me face this world.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!