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

June 14: 1Kings 15; 2Chronicles 13,14; Philippians 4

Scripture: 2Chronicles (NIV) 14:11 Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, LORD our God for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”

Observation: King Asa’s army had shields and spears and bows; the enemy had many more men plus 300 chariots. But Asa had something more—he had faith in God! So he did the logical thing. He did what people who have faith in God naturally do—he prayed! The next verse gives the rest of the story: “The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah.”

Application: What seems logical for me to do demonstrates where my faith rests. What is the first thing I do when faced with a challenge? Do my actions line up with my confession?

Prayer: Lord, to quote King Asa, “LORD, there is no one like you! I rely on you, and in your name I face the challenge before me. LORD, you are my God; do not let the devil and the temptations of my flesh prevail against you!” Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

June 13: 1Kings 13,14; 2Chronicles 12; Philippians 3

Scripture: Philippians (NIV) 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Observation: A runner forgets the starting line and propels himself/herself forward with all their energy toward the finish line where the prize will be awarded to the winner. Every ounce of energy available is used for the purpose of finishing the race. Every other thought for the moment is put out of the mind. During the race the runner is physically and mentally consumed with one desire.

Here Paul reveals his heart’s single desire. Everything has become subservient. There is but one thing for which he now lives. All else is forgotten and left behind. He expends every effort in pushing ahead.
Paul’ goal is to cross the finish line with Jesus completely developed within, even the power of Christ’s resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering. (verse 10)

Application: Too many priorities sometimes confuse me. I am not always sure which one comes first. Like Paul, I need to live my life with one supreme priority. I want Jesus to have control in me and to express Himself through me. Then Jesus sorts out the other priorities and flows through me in loving and serving my family, my church, the bus driving, and the world around me.

Prayer: Lord, clearly your one priority on this earth was doing your Father’s will. Here I read that Paul had one priority also. Lord, you are my one and only priority! My life is yours! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

June 12: 1Kings 12; 2Chronicles 10,11; Philippians 2

Scripture: Philippians (NIV) 2:25-30 29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.

Observation: While on a mercy mission to Paul from the church at Philippi, Epaphroditus became sick. Surely Paul, through whom God had provided many miraculous healings, prayed for him many times, but he became so sick that he almost died. Paul was obviously so concerned about Epaphroditus that he was greatly relieved when he recovered; Paul sent him back home. Paul writes that God’s mercy to spare his life saved Paul “sorrow upon sorrow.” (vs 27)
Paul did not condemn Epaphroditus for a lack of faith, but commended him for risking his life for the work of Christ. Paul writes about him as though he was wounded in battle and deserved a Purple Heart. The church was instructed to joyfully welcome him back home and to honor people like him.

Application: Epaphroditus was sent by the church of God; he was doing the will of God; he was with the Apostle Paul who had a great healing ministry; yet he became ill and the illness progressed until he almost died! Being in the center of God’s will does not guarantee that I will never face sickness or trouble. I need to be careful to honor such servants of the Lord who experience sickness or trouble.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, check my heart and my attitude when I sail through troubled waters and help me be an encourager to others. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

June 11: Song of Solomon 5-8; Philippians 1

Scripture: Philippians (NIV) 1:14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Observation: Not just Paul’s life, but also the fact that he was chained in prison was having a wonderful effect on other believers. They were becoming “more bold to speak the word without fear” as the King James Version of the Bible reads. I like the New International Version way of saying “dare all the more.” They were willing to take risks to share the good news about Jesus.

Application: Here are two worthy goals: First, when unbelievers see my life, may they easily understand that I am the servant of Jesus Christ. Second, when believers see my life may they gain boldness to speak up for Jesus! May they be willing to risk rejection or persecution in order to proclaim the gospel.

Prayer: Lord, may the world easily see that I belong to you, and may my life encourage other believers to speak up for you. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

June 10: Song of Solomon 1-4; Ephesians 6

Scripture: Ephesians (NIV) 6:5 Slaves obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

Observation: The instructions in these verses apply to all who owe their time to another. They clearly apply to an employee’s attitude toward their boss and job.
The way we treat someone over us is a testimony of what is happening in our lives. On the basis of our new-birth we have become joint-heirs with Christ and an integral part of the kingdom of heaven. So whatever our job, others should be able to see our devotion to God.
We should treat those over us with appreciation. We should work to please them just as we work to please Christ.
Paul realizes that it is a heart matter. How sad to hear people talk about their boss away from work quite differently than they would if the boss was nearby! There is a lack of respect, which means that there is no sincerity in the heart while they are at work.

Application: As an employer serving the Lord, I must be very careful in how I pay my employees (Colossians 4:1). However as a school bus driver my salary has nothing to do with how I accomplish my task. I am working for the Lord! His smile is my greatest reward! If I am a good servant for the Lord I will be a good servant for my earthly boss. And since I am God’s servant, I am finding how an earthly boss treats this servant of His is more His responsibility than mine.

Prayer: Lord, it is my pleasure to serve you. May I be faithful and diligent is performing the tasks you have assigned me to do. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Being Wise

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

June 9: Ecclesiastes 10-12; Psalm 94; Ephesians 5

Scripture: Ephesians (NIV) 5:15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Observation: Paul’s words to the church in Ephesus are good for any church in any day. We must be wise because the days are evil. Recently I have heard several words of encouragement that God is going to do great things in and through his church. I have a concern in my spirit that as we rejoice in this word we really are not ready for the hard times we are about to face in the world and especially in our nation. As we endure the hard times, we will find God doing miracles in response to our faith. As our economy worsens, we will need to trust God to be our miraculous provider. As the health care systems collapse, we will have to trust God to be our miraculous healer. As religious freedom is taken from us, we will find a worthy God miraculously strengthening us in times of persecution. As world systems fail us, we will find we can trust a miracle working God to never fail.

Application: Wisdom for me is to keep my eyes on Jesus and not let them get focused on the things in the world. Wisdom for me is to keep my ears tuned to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom for me is to not put off until tomorrow what I believe God wants me to do today.

Prayer: Lord, I believe the troubling days ahead for our nation can be exciting days for your church. Help me to walk in faith ever listening to and obeying the Holy Spirit. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

…a life worthy!

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

June 8: Ecclesiastes 7-9; Ephesians 4

Scripture: Ephesians (NIV) 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Observation: Paul did not see himself as a prisoner of Rome, but a prisoner for the Lord. His ministry continued in prison just as it did when he was out of prison. In fact, Paul had a greater ministry in prison than he did when out of prison. The letters we have today were written in prison. It was there he had time to write. We can all thank God that Paul spent time in prison. His focus was not on himself, but on those to whom he was writing and for whom he was praying. He wanted their lives to demonstrate the honor it is to be a child of God.

Application: It is good for God when those around me can see in my actions and in my speech how greatly I have been honored in being called a child of God. Being called a child of God is not insignificant!

Prayer: Lord, what a high honor is mine—to be your child. May my actions and words show how I value being your child. May I live a life worthy of this honor. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

June 7: Ecclesiastes 4-6; Psalm 18; Ephesians 3

Scripture: Ephesians (NIV) 3:10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Observation: All creation could see that God is mighty, strong and powerful. But God wanted to be seen as loving. This is the high purpose of God in dealing with man! This wise God found a way to raise sinful man, whom He loved, from being destroyed by sin. God made it possible for fallen man to be raised to a place of holiness and honor. He took man’s sin but did not become sinful! He died as payment for the sins of the world yet death could not hold Him!

On judgment day, no one will be able to accuse God of giving any man a special deal. The payment made by God’s Son, Jesus will be clearly seen as more than sufficient to pay for all the sins of those who have accepted him as their Lord and Savior.

Application: With great wisdom, God demonstrated His great love for me in that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. (See Romans 5:8)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, What wisdom! What love! What a plan! What a privilege it is for me to be included! Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins. Thank you for saving me from the effects of sin. You are my Savior and Lord! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

June 6: Ecclesiastes 1-3; Psalm 45: Ephesians 2

Scripture: Ephesians (NIV) 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Observation: God’s purpose in working with fallen man is to demonstrate His love. This omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God needed a way to demonstrate how much He could love. He chose to do it by forgiving and raising a fallen mankind! He created something He loved. His creation broke His heart and set itself outside the boundaries of His holiness. Yet this God, with great wisdom, reached out in love by becoming a man, living free from sin, and paying the perfect price for sin. Then with this great incomparable grace he restored sinful man to a place of guiltlessness and favor. No comparable love can be found in all creation! It is amazing love being expressed in amazing grace!

Application: God uses my sins to demonstrate His loving forgiveness. God uses my weaknesses to demonstrate His strength. God uses my imperfections to demonstrate His completeness. So, should I continue to sin so that God can continue to forgive me? Absolutely not! Part of the proof that God is really living in me is that my character is changing to one of hating sin and loving righteousness.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, your great love is seen by lifting me up and seating me in heavenly places. You are continuing to change my heart to love holiness and hate sin as you do. What great changes! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

June 5: Proverbs 30,31; Psalm 33; Ephesians 1

Scripture: Proverbs (NIV) 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Observation: After the introduction to the book of Proverbs in the first chapter, the first proverb given (Proverbs 1:7) has to do with the fear of the LORD. Here in the last chapter, the next to last verse we also read about the fear of the LORD. After all of the wonderful characteristics listed in the previous 20 verses about the wife of noble character, the writer ends with the fear of the LORD.

Application: Characteristics that I see as naturally accompanying the fear of the LORD include: a humble strength; a servant-hearted leader; and a loving resolve to do what is right. Such people are greatly appreciated and often praised. These characteristics bring joy to the heart of the LORD!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the emphasis you showed me in the book of Proverbs on “the fear of the LORD.” May it be easily seen that I am a person who fears the LORD. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!