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

October 19: Job 5; Psalm 108; Acts 10-11

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 108:1 My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.

Observation: Our God is steadfast; it is proper for his servants to be steadfast also. People can count on a God who is steadfast. God can count on a person whose heart is steadfast. Circumstances will not change a steadfast heart.

Application: That I am going to praise God is not a question. That decision has already been made.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are worthy of my praise and worship. When I gather with other believers, or when I am by myself, I want to worship you with all my heart, because that is what you deserve. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

October 18: Job 3-4; Acts 8-9

Scripture: Acts (NIV) 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
Acts (NIV) 8:25 When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

Observation: The Jews had a history of looking at the Samaritans as second-class people. They would travel out of their way to make sure they did not set foot in Samaria. But God did not see them this way! In John 4 we read that Jesus was compelled to go through Samaria where he met the woman at the well and stayed two days. In the verses above I believe we see a change in the thinking of the believers towards the Samaritans. The Jewish apostles in Jerusalem sent Peter and John to check out what God was doing in Samaria. Then on their return to Jerusalem, they stopped in many of the villages of Samaria to tell them about Jesus!

Application: God is interested in removing prejudice from my life. I must learn to see every one as He sees them. The death of Jesus on the cross can pay for their sins as it has paid for mine.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you loved the world so much that you sent Jesus. The early church was willing to send Peter and John. Today may that same love send me to someone who needs you. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

October 17: Job 1-2; Acts 6-7

Scripture: Job (NIV) 1:8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” …
Job (NIV) 2:3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

Observation: Between these two verses, everything has changed for Job. He has lost his oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, sons and daughters. His whole world has turned upside down. Everything has changed, but one thing has not changed – God’s testimony of Job!

Application: May God be able to say the same thing about me when I am in public or when I am alone. May God be able to say the same thing about me when I have abundance or when I am broke. May God be able to say the same thing about me when I am healthy or when I am sick …at home or in the hospital …when everyone affirms me or when everyone shuns me.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, what you say about me is more important that what anyone else says about me. I want you to find me faithful in all situations. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

October 16: Malachi 3-4; Psalm 148; Acts 5

Scripture: Acts (NIV) 5: 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Observation: It is good to know that as we witness what happens around us, the Holy Spirit witnesses the very same things. There is nothing that can be hidden from Him, so He sees what we see PLUS so much more. He sees the things that happened before we arrived on the scene.

Application: If I do not understand what I am witnessing happening around me, I need not worry. There is another Witness that understands everything perfectly. I can leave things in His care. He will make sure I understand what I need to know. I can trust Him to give me what to say and what to do.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit. I can rely on Him to understand my circumstances and to guide me to speak and act appropriately. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

October 15: Nehemiah 13; Malachi 1-2; Acts 4

Scripture: Malachi (NIV) 2:10 Have we not all one father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?

Observation: People who know that God created the heavens and the earth; and that He created man, should see each person around them as part of God’s creation. People deserve respect because they are the handiwork of God and carry His image.

Application: How I treat others demonstrates what I believe, not what they believe. How I treat others is a demonstration of the respect I have for their Creator, who is also my Creator.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me today to treat others with respect, whether they deserve it or not. I want to do it because I respect you, our Creator! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

October 14: Nehemiah 11-12; Psalm 1; Acts 3

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Observation: This choice blessing of the Lord is for those who "delight" in His Word! They have disciplined themselves enough to moving past the "have to" of reading God’s Word. They are eager to get into the Word. They are disappointed when they are interrupted. Instead of being quick to close The Book, they want to read just a few more verses. Like special food, they do more than just eat it, they savor it! As the day progresses and becomes night, they think back and "savor" the Word again and again in their thoughts.

Application: As I allow good routines and habits to shape my life, more and more I find times of Bible reading and study that began because of duty, and because I know it is good for me —those times change to delight as God’s Spirit reveals Himself through His Word! Time in the Word is time well spent!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, what a great benefit I have every day, spending time in your Word. Every day you give me something special from your Word. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

October 13: Nehemiah 9-10; Acts 2

Scripture: Nehemiah (NIV) 9:31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. 32 Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes… 33 In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong.

Observation: The Israelites had gathered to confess their sins. This chapter is a historical review of God’s interaction with them. In this prayer, we see much of the character of God. Their great and awesome God is gracious and merciful. These are expressions of his love. But he is also just and faithful, which are expressions of his holiness.

Application: It is good for me to know to Whom I am praying. It is good for me to know His character. When I know His character, I am better able to understand His answers to my prayers. I am better able to understand the world He created and how He interacts with His creation.

Prayer: Holy and Loving God, You are always faithful and true to Your character. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

October 12: Nehemiah 7-8; Acts 1

Scripture: Nehemiah (NIV) 8:10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Observation: “…the joy of the LORD is your strength” is one of those phrases in the Bible that many can quote but only a few of us remember the context. In the context of this verse we find that the people were beginning to grieve because they heard God’s word read to them and they were beginning to understand how much they had sinned. The LORD gets joy when people listen to His word and gain understanding in what it means. The LORD gets joy when people respond properly to His word. And what gives joy to the Lord is the same thing that gives strength to His people. So the people were told to stop grieving and start celebrating. Like a small child likes to repeat things that brings a smile to its parents face, so we should enjoy doing things that causes our Heavenly Father to smile!

Application: One way to bring joy to my Heavenly Father is to become familiar with His word and to gain understanding in what it means and how it should be applied to my life. And I am finding that what brings joy to Him brings strength to me!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for providing your Word and making it available for me to read. Jesus, thank you for giving me an example of how I am to live out the Word in my daily life. Holy Spirit, thank you for providing understanding as I read. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

October 11: Nehemiah 5-6; Psalm 146; Luke 24

Scripture: Nehemiah (NIV) 6:11 But I [Nehemiah when people were trying to distract him from God’s assignment] said, “Should a man like me run away?” … 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me… 15 So the wall was completed…in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this…they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

Observation: Nehemiah knew that God had given him the assignment to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Of course God’s enemies had people around to intimidate him and keep him from succeeding in his mission. Some people even claimed to bring a word from God, but Nehemiah was able to see through their words. By holding true to God’s word and following through with his assignment, the completed wall became a testimony to those around that God was working with them.

Application: The better I know God’s word, the better I will be able to judge words brought to me by others. Satan will introduce thoughts into my thinking from something someone says, or something I read, or something I hear on the radio or TV. I must determine what is of God and what comes from satan. When I obey God, His work through me can be a testimony to the Great God I serve!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want my work to be a testimony to your great wisdom, your mighty power, and your continual presence in my life. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

October 10: Nehemiah 3-4; Luke 23

Scripture: Nehemiah (NIV) 4:12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

Observation: People have not changed much since Nehemiah’s day. There are still people today who feel like the more they repeat something the more it will be believed as true. It can be a trap that older people fall into. And when people do not have a very rational position they sometimes rely on repetition. There are politicians who run advertisements that say the same thing over and over. They are hoping that the more people hear it the more they will believe it. I have also noted that many statements that are continually repeated are statements of doubt and fear rather than faith. If I am going to repeat something, I want it to be a statement of faith!

Application: I need be careful not to say the same thing over and over. I need to expand my knowledge and explanation of things I feel are important. I need to grow in my understanding of what God’s word says about those matters.

Also I need to be careful that I place proper importance on things I hear repeated. I should not just ignore them because I have heard them all before. On the other hand I need to remember that just because one person repeats it does not mean that everyone is saying it.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, how I need your help in correctly understanding what happens around me. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!