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

April 25: 1Samuel 30, 31; 1Chronicles 10; Matthew 12

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 12:20 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; 21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.

Observation: Amazing characteristics are found in Jesus. He walks in great power, but in gentleness. He does not carelessly break that which is weak. He does not snuff out the smallest remainder of a flame that has almost gone out.

Application: I have often benefitted from the gentleness of Jesus. His patience has been shown me many times. Instead of putting me down for becoming distant—instead of putting out the flame of love almost gone, He has breathed on me to revive the flame.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your gentleness and patience in dealing with me. You are amazing! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Loved!

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

April 24: 1Samuel 28, 29; Psalm 109; Matthew 11

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 109:26 LORD my god, help me. Save me because you love me.
27 LORD, let my enemies know that you yourself have saved me. You have done it with your own hand.

Observation: David was in trouble from his enemies. He wants to see God’s judgment on them. But David is probably aware that he is not guiltless. David cannot pray, “Save me because I have lived so perfectly.” He prays, “Save me because you love me.” And I hear David saying, “Do not let your salvation prove how wise and strong I am, but how wise and strong and loving you are!”

Application: How wonderful it is to know that God loves me! His greatest motivation is not how perfectly I perform, but that I am His child and He loves me.

Prayer: Lord, I am amazed at how much you love me! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 23: 1Samuel 27; Psalm 141; 1Chronicles 9; Matthew 10

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 10:32 What about someone who says in front of others that he knows me? I will also say in front of my Father who is in heaven that I know him.
33 But what about someone who says in front of others that he doesn’t know me? I will say in front of my Father who is in heaven that I don’t know him.

Observation: I see four parties mentioned in these verses. The first pair is someone talking and someone listening here on earth. The second pair is in heaven. What we say about Jesus to others here on earth makes a difference in what He says about us to His Father in heaven.

Application: In a conversation, who is doing the talking is important. But just as important can be who is doing the listening. If someone is talking about me, I cannot think of anyone I would rather have talking about me than Jesus. And if Jesus is talking about me, I cannot think of anyone I would rather have Him talking to than to our Heavenly Father! Of course, how He talks about me depends on how I talk about Him. Hmmm.

Prayer: Lord, I do not want your name to sound strange in my mouth. May those around me expect to hear me talk about you! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

I wonder how many remember this little chorus…

Let’s talk about Jesus; the King of kings is He;
The Lord of lords, supreme; throughout eternity;
The Great I Am, the way; the truth the light the door.
Let’s talk about Jesus more and more.

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

April 22: 1Samuel 25, 26; Psalm 63; Matthew 9

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he felt deep concern for them. They were beaten down and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is huge. But there are only a few workers.
38 So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest field.”
10:1 Jesus called for his 12 disciples to come to him. He gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every illness and sickness.

Observation: Jesus felt deep concern; he felt compassion for the people, so what was the plan? His plan was to send workers with His message and in His authority.

Application: God has sent me to the people around me because He loves them. When I talk to those around me, I am talking to people who were created in God’s image and are greatly loved by God.

Prayer: Lord, when I am bothered by what someone says or does, remind me of how much you love them and how special they are to you. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 21: 1Samuel 24; Psalm 57, 58; 1Chronicles 8; Matthew 8

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 8:2 A man who had a skin disease came and got down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said, “Lord, if you are willing to make me clean, you can do it.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing to do it,” he said. “Be clean!” Right away the man was healed of his skin disease.

Observation: The man had heard enough to know that Jesus could heal the skin disease. But would Jesus be willing to do so? Would Jesus be willing to do it for him? How Jesus’ words must have stirred his heart.

Application: I can see that many times I have had the same doubts. There was no doubt about Jesus being able to provide what I needed, but was He willing to do it for me? Satan was quick to remind me of my failures and how I had no right to expect God to help me. I needed Jesus to speak into my spirit, “I am willing!”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the many times and many ways you have helped me. Thank you for your willingness to help me. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

Friends, For some of you, your Resurrection Celebration Day is coming to a close. For those in the USA, it is just beginning. What a special privilege it is for me to share the Living Word from a Living Savior! It is sent out to Living People who are a part of the Living Church! May the daily SOAPs encourage your Life in Christ, helping it to be ever new! Leon J

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

April 20: 1Samuel 23; Psalm 31,54; Matthew 7

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do what my Father in heaven wants will enter. …
24 “So then, everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise man. He builds his house on the rock.
25 The rain comes down. The water rises. The winds blow and beat against that house. But it does not fall. It is built on the rock.

Observation: Jesus knew what he was talking about. He came to do the will of the Father. He said that the works he did were really the Father’s works and the words he spoke were also the Father’s. Doing the Father’s will led Him to the cross and the grave. It also led him through the resurrection back to the glory at His Father’s side.

Application: The first work of being a Christian is to believe. I must believe that the work of Jesus on the cross is the full payment for my sins. Forgiveness is amazing grace offered to me which I receive by faith. That my life belongs to Jesus can be easily seen by others as I do what He directs. Salvation starts in my heart but finds expressions through my actions and words. If there is no outward expression, there is probably no inward life. After all, faith without works is dead.

Prayer: Lord, not just a hearer, but a doer is what you expect from me. May my hands and feet please you as much as my heart. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 19: 1Samuel 22; Psalm 17,35; Matthew 6

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 6:14 Forgive people when they sin against you. If you do, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Observation: What a terrible thing—to be unforgiven. What a wonderful thing—to be forgiven. Sowing forgiveness into others prepares a harvest of forgiveness for me to reap. Sowing un-forgiveness into others prepares a harvest of un-forgiveness for me.

Application: When I have trouble forgiving people, I need to remember that I have The Great Forgiver living inside me. I must remember that forgiving is a choice and forgetting is a process. Until it is forgotten, I must remember it as forgiven. I cannot afford to have God withhold his forgiveness from me!

Prayer: Lord, You are The Great Forgiver! Help me to be like you. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 18: 1Samuel 20-21; Psalm 34; Matthew 5

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 5:20 For I say unto you…
22,28,32,34,39, and 44 But I say unto you…

Observation: Jesus would tell them what the law said—then he would tell them what he said. The law said not to kill; Jesus said not to hate. The law said not to commit adultery; Jesus said not to lust. The law dealt with outward actions, but Jesus dealt with the mind and heart. Jesus’ priority was the inside!

Application: If not a single person had been able to live up to the Law, how could I ever be able to live up to Jesus standards? The answer is “Jesus!” He would die as a sinless sacrifice to pay for my sins and He would, by His Spirit, live inside of me to enable me to overcome sin’s temptation. He works in me from the inside out.

Prayer: Lord, today, I celebrate your amazing sacrifice! You are an Amazing Savior! You are the perfect answer for my every need! You change my actions by changing my heart. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 17: 1Samuel 19; 1Chronicles 7; Psalm 59; Matthew 4

Scripture: Matthew (NIV) 4:24 News about him spread all over Syria. People brought to him all who were ill with different kinds of sicknesses. Some were suffering great pain. Others were controlled by demons. Some were shaking wildly. Others couldn’t move at all. And Jesus healed all of them.

Observation: As I drive around the Wichita, Kansas area, I see so many health specialty facilities. There are hospitals, and rehabilitation hospitals. There are orthopedic hospitals and those that specialize in spines. There is the Cancer center. We have optometrists and dentist. We have hospital floors for children and other floors for the elderly. There are hospitals for the mentally ill and for giving birth. But this verse says that Jesus healed all of them!

Application: I appreciate the doctors and their search for answers to diseases that plague their patients. I have never met a doctor who felt they had all the answers. I have never met a doctor whose expertise has not been challenged. I have never met a doctor who has never lost a patient to death. Yet Jesus, “healed all of them.” With Jesus, hope never runs out! The hope we have in Jesus reaches even beyond the grave! For that I am so glad and so thankful!

Prayer: Lord, It is good to trust you. You are the great healer. Thank you for the hope you give us. Thank you that though sickness may seem to take us to the grave, it cannot go with us through the grave! Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

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

April 16: 1Samuel 18; 1Chronicles 6; Psalm 11; Matthew 3

Scripture: 1Samuel (KJV) 18:5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely…
1Samuel (KJV) 18:14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.
15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.
1Samuel (KJV) 18:30 …David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

Observation: David was young, but wise. He did not act foolishly. His wisdom was appreciated by others because they could see it in his actions. Wisdom comes more with maturity than with age.

Application: Wisdom is communicated to me through daily reading the Bible and in listening to the Holy Spirit who is my constant companion. The wisest thing I can do is to listen to Him and do as He directs. The Gospels show the life of Christ while he lived here on earth and since I am presently on earth, I find wisdom from learning how he lived. Wisdom should be seen in my actions.

Prayer: Lord, may I not just have wisdom, may I, like David, behave myself wisely. Amen

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!