Tag Archives: faith

A Servant

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Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 03, 2025: SOAP #5569:  Numbers 32-33; Mark 10

SCRIPTURE:  Mark (NIV) 10:42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

OBSERVATION:   The world had gotten things upside down.  Jesus put them right side up.  In man’s eyes, rulers are the greatest.  In God’s eyes, servants are the greatest. 

Jesus had come to serve the will of the Father, and to serve man by making the payment for sin.  And in being the servant/slave of all, He clearly was the greatest of all! 

People who have been given authority should use it as a tool to increase their service to others.  Their decisions and their actions should be for the benefit others.       

APPLICATION:   I am a servant of the Most High God.   It is all about Him!  I must remember how Jesus answered the question about which was the greatest commandment: 

Mark (NIV) 12:29  “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

PRAYER:   Lord, what an example you set!  I am amazed at the great extent You went to serve me.  May my life be used to serve your purposes.   Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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My Loving Lord!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 02, 2025: SOAP #5568:  Numbers 30-31; Mark 9

SCRIPTURE:  Mark (NIV) 9:7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

OBSERVATION:   Peter, James, and John had accompanied Jesus up the mountain.  They saw his garments glow super white.  They saw Elijah and Moses present to talk with Jesus.  Peter suggested they build three shelters, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.  Then a cloud enveloped them, and they heard the voice of God.  He was not speaking to Jesus; He was not speaking to Moses; and He was not speaking to Elijah.  He was speaking to them!

They were words of identification: “this is my son!”  This is someone special.  God the Father was identifying with Jesus.  
They were words of relationship:  “Whom I love.” I have an emotional tie to Him.  I expect you to treat Him as someone very special to me. 
They were words of direction:  “Listen to Him.”  Do what He says.  Make sure you can hear His voice. 

APPLICATION:   God the Father may be speaking to someone else, but He has been definitely talking to me.  Fifteen years ago, He told me to drive a school bus.  Two weeks ago, He told me my season for bus driving was over.  I continue to write the SOAPs and I am now living and listening day by day for further direction. 

Do I respect God?  I must identify with Him as my Father.  I must love His Son as my Lord.  I must listen to Him and do what He says! 

PRAYER:   Jesus, my relationship with you starts with acknowledging that I am a sinner and I need the forgiveness you provide through your death on the cross. But that is only the beginning!   Because what follows is a life-long loving relationship learning how to live as Your friend and discovering the joy of having you for my best friend.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Especially when only God is watching!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
February 28, 2025: SOAP #5565:  Numbers 24-27; 1Corinthians 13

SCRIPTURE:  1Corinthians (NIV) 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

OBSERVATION:   Put prophecy, wisdom and faith in verse 2 and generosity and sacrifice in verse 3 – all on one side of God’s scale.  Then put love as the lone quality on the other side.  It will not be balanced!  What is it about love that makes God give it so much value?  I asked the Lord and He dropped these words in my heart: 

Having prophecy, wisdom, faith, generosity, and sacrifice makes people love you.  Having God’s love makes you love others. 

APPLICATION:   The important thing is not how much others love me, but how much I love others!   It is not about being so “nice” that people love me, it is about being so full of God that I love people, especially those hard to love. 

PRAYER:   Heavenly Father, surely, no one has ever loved you the way you have loved us. I am certain that I have never loved you the way you have loved me.  Holy Spirit, help me grow in loving God.  Help me faithfully express my love to God by loving those around me, not only in the big ways, but especially in the little ways, and when no one is watching but You.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Serving A Faithful God!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
February 27, 2025: SOAP #5565:  Numbers 21-23; Mark 6-7

SCRIPTURE:  Mark (NIV) 6:49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

OBSERVATION:   To me, this verse is a strong indication that they had taken along with them one or two of the left-overs from the earlier dinner. They had in the boat evidence of God’s miraculous provision.  They had in the boat evidence that Jesus could impower them to do as He commanded, after all, it was He who commanded them to feed the 5000, and then He provided the food for them to do so.  It was He who told them to go to the other side, and He would empower them to do so.

APPLICATION:   So often, we need but to look around to find evidence of God’s great intervention in our lives.  In our homes, we have “basketfulls” of left-overs from some previous miracle.  Let’s not let our hearts become “hardened” so that we forget and cannot see what is so obvious.

God told me that my bus driving was over.  He did not say that my living in His provision was over.  As long as I am faithful to do as He directs, I can rest assured that He will continue to provide.  My faith was not in the bus company, my faith was in God.  My faith is still in God.  What He provided through the bus company, He will now provide through another source—probably for the next six months or a year, through the VA as a pension from cancer that is associated with agent orange being used in the areas we traversed in Viet Nam.  When this gets cleared up, God will provide through another means!  That is the way He is.  I am faithful to do as He says; He is faithful to provide and do what is needed for me to complete His assignment. 

PRAYER:   Lord, keep me in step with you, not lagging behind nor running ahead.  May I live and move with an awareness of your wonderful presence.   Amen

Pastor Leon
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Who is in your boat?

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
February 25, 2025: SOAP #5563:  Numbers 17-18; Psalm 29; Mark 4

SCRIPTURE:  Mark (NIV) 4:37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

OBSERVATION:   At least three of Jesus disciples were fishermen. (Peter, James and John) Quite probably others were too.  So, as people with knowledge and experience, they knew what a storm could do to a small boat.  They were afraid.  They looked at their environment.  They looked at their boat.  They probably heard fear filled comments of those who were not fishermen.  Surely, they were frantically bailing out the water from the waves breaking over and swamping the boat.  This was a serious situation!   They had every reason to fear.  It would have been unnatural not to fear. 

BUT there was something that could overcome such fear.  Faith!  Not faith in their ability as fishermen, nor faith in people on the shore.  Only faith in Jesus!  …and He was present with them!!!!    He was already in their boat!!! 

APPLICATION:   We all face storms that can swamp our physical bodies, our family relationships, our finances, whatever boat we are in.  We are powerless against them.  We all face trouble that only Jesus can solve. 

Is Jesus in your boat?  You are either in a storm, or a storm will be coming.  We all have faith, but where is your faith?  The object of our faith must be worthy and capable.  Jesus is both!   I invite you to pray with me…

PRAYER:   Lord, I need you in my boat.  You see the things that are beyond my ability.  I place my faith in you to forgive my sins.  Make me clean in my heart and mind.  I set you as the Lord of my life. 

Pastor Leon
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Oh, what a change!!!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
February 2, 2025: SOAP #5540:  Exodus 33-34; Psalm 16; Acts 9

SCRIPTURE:  Acts (NIV) 9:19 …Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who caused havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. 23 After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him,

OBSERVATION:   What a change!  Paul was on a trip to Damascus to take those who believed in Jesus as prisoner and take them before the religious court, probably to kill them.  That is the way it started, but Jesus interrupted Paul’s trip and Paul came to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah for which the Jews were waiting.  Before leaving Damascus, he preached powerful sermons proving that Jesus is the Christ.  He even became a target of being potentially killed

APPLICATION:  No one can change a life like Jesus!  When He comes into a person’s life and is given the place as Lord, He makes changes!   Our nation is presently undergoing great changes as we have a new president!   Every day, the news has stories about how President Trump has changed something.  But the political changes are small compared to the changes Christ brings to our lives.  2Corinthians 5:17 says “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.  The old has gone, the new is here!”

PRAYER:  Lord, what a special blessing it is to be a “new creation” in you.  Life is not boring with you because every day you have something new for us.  Being faithful in reading your word, in prayer, in consciously being aware of your presence all day long keeps us spiritually alert for a new adventure with you.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Programmed for Victory

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 23, 2025: SOAP #5529:  Exodus 6-8; Luke 23

SCRIPTURE:  Exodus (NIV) 6:6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’” 9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.

OBSERVATION:   What promises!   And consider who it is that is making these promises!   It is none other than The Creator of the Heavens and Earth!   If anyone had the power to keep such promises, GOD DID!!! 

If God almighty made such a promise to me, I believe I would be shouting, and dancing, and having a happy party!!!  But not the Israelites, no. They were so discouraged, they did not even hear the promises, or Who it was making such great promises!   We often criticize them, but we must be careful. Because we do the same thing!  

APPLICATION:  Knowing us as well as He does, He has given us a whole book filled with His promises!   If we forget we can go back and read them again!  

And knowing us as well as He does, He has given us the Holy Spirit to accompany us throughout our lives!   He accompanies us 24 hours a day.   He teaches up; He reminds us; He guides us!   We are never left alone.  We must apply what we have been given.  

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ who suffered and died in payment for our sins.  We are so blest!    AND thank you for your Word, written and available.  It teaches us to live in victory.  AND thank you for the Holy Spirit!  His presence assures us that we will always have someone to guide us and remind us of what you have said.   Heavenly Father, you have programmed us for victory and you have provided for our victory.  We rejoice.  Amen 

Pastor Leon
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Obedience/Provision

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 08, 2025: SOAP #5515:  Genesis 20-22; Luke 8

SCRIPTURE:  Genesis (NIV) 22:11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

OBSERVATION:   In obedience to God’s command, Abraham had taken his son, Isaac, to the mountain designated by God to sacrifice him to the Lord.  This was the son they had hoped for and prayed for through many years of Sarah’s barrenness.  This was the son God had promised.  This was the son God had given them.  Was Abraham willing to sacrifice something so precious and special?  Did Abraham hold God in even higher regard than he did his own son?    

The answer was YES.  And as Abraham was beginning the action, God stopped him and there in the thicket they saw a ram which was then sacrificed in the place of Isaac.  What relief and joy must have flooded the heart of this 100+ year old father!!! 

APPLICATION:  What God speaks to my heart through this passage, is that God is faithful to provide for me when I am faithful to do as He says.  My obedience and God’s provision are strongly tied together.  My obedience gives me confidence that I please God as well as brings joy to God in accomplishing His will.  It makes Him kindly disposed towards me. 

This ministry of SOAP is a modern example of this.  SOAP was not something I was excited to do.  But it was clearly God telling me to write SOAPs.  The sacrifice of my way of doing my daily devotions in no way compares to Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, but the miraculous provision sometimes overwhelms me as the ram in the thicket surely did Abraham. 

PRAYER:  Lord, when I know that I am doing your will, I know I can count on you for the needed provision.  Your provision may come through a job I can do for which I will receive a paycheck (like driving a school bus).  It may come through the work of my hands (like planting a garden or harvesting fruit trees).  It may come like manna from heaven or a money gift through the mail.  But however you provide, it comes in response to my faith and it is received with thanksgiving and praise.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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HE made it all; HE lives in me!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 04, 2024: SOAP #5327:  2Kings 15-16; Hosea 1; Hebrews 1

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews (NIV) 1:10 He [God speaking to Jesus] also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”

OBSERVATION:    In these verses, God is speaking through the author of the book of Hebrews the same thing He said through the apostle in John 1:3  “All things were made by him and without Him was not anything made that was made.” 
This work of His hands will perish.  It will wear out like a suit of clothes.  It will all change, but JESUS will never change!   He eternally remains the same! 

APPLICATION:  Pick any day in the future; pick tomorrow, or a day next week, or next year, or 50 years from now, or 1000 years from now…Jesus will be the same!   He will be just as loving then as He was when He died on the cross for our sins.   He will be just as holy then as He was when He paid the price for our sins.  He wants us to know that God loves us!  He wants us to be holy, free from the stains of sin.  Because of His death, He forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness!  (1John 1:9) 
What a mistake to let my attention be captivated by that which is going to change and perish rather than keep my attention focused of Him who never changes!!!  What a mistake to focus on the temporary things rather than on the Eternal One!!! 

Note: Your circumstances have changed. They will change again. Some changes will be better and some worse.  Know that He will use the changes to change you for His glory.  Keep your attention on HIM who never changes.  He is with you and will be with you through all the changes.  Keep your ears open to His voice and your hand in His. He loves you!  Amen

PRAYER:  Lord, whatever happens in this temporary world does not change the truth that you, the unchanging God, have made me your dwelling place.  I can always count on your presence.  “You walk with me, and you talk with me, and you tell me I am your own…”  Amen

Pastor Leon
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