Persistent and Patient

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“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”  “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.””  - Revelations 14:13

We long to be content and satisfied in our persistent search for the opportunity to remove stress from our lives.  Each of us are driven by the desire to have a life filled with rest and relaxation, rather than the stress of bills, work, school and living up to the expectations of others.  Each year we long for a small break from the monotony of life – a vacation where it’s just you and the clock, with no commitments, obligations or schedules.  Free time and no limitations on your ability to pursue peace and rest.  You look for it on weekends, but it is fleeting and hard to capture with the busyness of each week catching up to the freedom and rest promised by the 48 hour siesta.  You plan for vacation, but life often times gets in the way and the reality of finances sets in, and plans are changed, sacrifices made.  For all of the pursuits we have in life, the pursuit of wealth and free time are captured in the mind of most.  Wealth – in order to create the freedom from the busyness of life; and free time – to pursue the moments of joy and rest that elude most of us in life.

Are you caught on the roller coaster of life?  Working hard to make money, to create wealth, to free up time, so you don’t have to work so hard.  It’s the most common lifestyle in existence today.  People go to work to pay the bills, while they try to save enough to avoid having to work.  The outcome for 98% of the population is going to be a never ending pursuit of financial freedom, ending one day unfulfilled.  The issue is not that we will not be independently wealthy, it’s that we are not content in what the Lord has provided.

God doesn’t promise wealth or independence.  For in doing so, we create a separation from our dependence upon Him for our provisions.  He is our rest, our peace and our contentment.  Realizing the purpose of God’s plan for your life to spread His love, His word and His grace presents the possibility to find peace in this life.  We all struggle to find meaning and fulfillment in life because we are looking to create it ourselves, by our own means.  When we discover that He gives it freely to those that chose to serve Him, the stress and anxiety of finding peace can be eliminated.  Your peace comes in knowing that You are expanding His eternal Kingdom, and you come to realize that the rest you pursue in this life is temporary and unfulfilling. 

Sure, you could spend more time on the golf course, the boat, the beach or in the wine country.  Nothing’s wrong with that, but it isn’t lasting.  These temporal pleasures and relief points are waning in comparison for building up the Kingdom of God and storing treasures in heaven for your eternal life.  Persistence and patience in this life, coupled with a servant’s heart and humility will deliver an eternity of rest and peace in the company of our Savior and God Almighty.  The world will tell you to live for today, I’m suggesting you live for your afterlife.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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Be a Good Neighbor

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“Why do you make me look at injustice?  Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?  Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.” – Habakkuk 1:3

Habakkuk is my neighbor.  He and I were walking around the sub-division the other day and he shared this conversation with me.  Of course I’m being facetious, but in reading one of the most overlooked books in the bible one can quickly come to the conclusion that the same questions that perplexed Habakkuk are on the minds of millions of people today.

“God, where are you?  Why aren’t you stepping into the corruptness of our society and delivering justice to those who inflict evil on the world?”  Sound familiar?  Has this thought ever crossed your mind in the middle of watching the evening news or reading the daily diatribe of injustice that is happening all over the world.  One could easily take a position that God is absent, not interested or even worse non-existent.  Why doesn’t He defend Himself against the unrighteous as in the days of old?

The Lord answers Habakkuk in chapter 2:3, “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.  Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”  God is sovereign and we are to trust in His timing, His plan and His reign over all creation.  Nothing goes by without His knowing, and the evil that is in the world today will be brought to justice in due time.  Those that seek His love, His grace and mercy will find it; and those who chose to pursue their own gods and their own righteousness will be dealt with on His watch.  We are to trust in Him, and continue to do His work while we are able.  Keep in mind what we are told in 2 Peter 3:9, “…Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”   If God loves you enough to deliver you from the pit of hell, he loves your neighbor as much.  Who is your neighbor?  In God’s eyes you have 6.3 billion neighbors, so we better be busy about sharing His love.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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Who Created You?

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“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”   – Matthew 16:25

Why were you born?  I’m not talking about the act your mother and father performed, I’m referring to the spiritual reason you were put on this earth.  At the point of conception a miracle was performed and your cells began forming immediately and by the time the fertilized egg reaches the uterine wall it is over 100 cells and the beginning of bone cells, tissue cells, nervous system cells, blood and muscle cells are already forming.  This process is miraculous in and of itself, but is not without purpose or guidance.  Your form did not take place randomly, there is an exactness to every single point along the creation cycle.  Many have studied these physical development stages of the gestation period, but how many are evaluating the spiritual development during this critical part of a person’s life?

If you believe that God is the creator of life, like I do, than you must believe in His ability to perform miracles.  You must admit that this creative process is nothing less than amazing when taken into consideration, relative to the intricacies and phenomenal structure of the human anatomy.  Realizing that God creates every person with a spiritual mind, a desire to recognize Him and His Kingdom on earth; where does this essence get lost?  From the point we are born, our focus, our values and our knowledge comes from the worldly perspective.  At some point the presence of God becomes a choice point rather than a given.  But there is always that yearning, that longing within each of us to reach for something beyond ourselves.

That is the inherent purpose, life that God has planned for you since creation.  He created you uniquely for a purpose.  Your choices to pursue your own direction in life will continually expand the gap between you and He.  By choosing to focus your attention on your life plan and your desires, you are impressing upon God that you know better than He does what works and doesn’t work.  To truly grasp the plans God has for you in this life, it takes a conscious effort to refocus away from your desires in life and pursue the life that Christ has demonstrated.  Jesus promises in Matthew 16:25 that by focusing on His plans for your life, and giving up your plans you are on the way to uncover the purpose He has placed inside of you. 

You agree that He created you, now ask yourself why He created you.  It wasn’t to fulfill your desires in life, was it?  I think you understand that He created you for a purpose, you’ve waited long enough to discover that purpose.  Start today to follow His lead and live for Him, and soon your purpose will present itself, but you need to want it.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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He’s Got Your Back

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“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”    – Leviticus 19:18

   

I entered into the business opportunity not on the merit of the person setting across the table from me, for I knew I could not trust him, but on the understanding that God would defend me if it didn’t work out.  The gentlemen had a proposition that was a sure win and presented his pitch over breakfast at IHOP.  His words, “Trust me.” should have been a red flag but I pressed forward anyway.  In my mind I told myself that I didn’t need to trust this gentlemen, I needed to trust God.  When I signed the papers I looked at the gentlemen and calmly told him, “If I lose everything, you’ll have to reconcile it with God on the day of judgment”  His eyes were as big as silver dollars and his smile was gone.  For once, I saw someone actually in fear of God.  Of course the business didn’t succeed and within 18 months we wrote it off and moved on.  As for the gentlemen from across the table, he’s going to have to stand in front of God one day and explain himself; deep down inside that makes me a little happy.

In school I remember I could always count on my brother to have my back.  He is 3 years older than me and when trouble was afoot, I knew he would stand by me.  I had incredible confidence for a Freshman just walking into a high school of 1600 kids.  My brother’s reputation as a tough, strong Senior helped out tremendously when my smart aleck mouth went amuck.  It didn’t happen often, but I was never afraid of the older kids who’s path I might cross.  Then, he went away to college and it became very obvious to me that he wasn’t there for me anymore.  I quickly learned to keep my mouth shut and mind my P’s & Q’s to make it through the next 3 years.

God will always be there though.  It’s comforting to realize that we do not have to carry out vengeance in our lifetime.  It’s the natural reaction when someone wrongs you though.  Your intent is to make sure that they are dealt with justly and that their insolence does not go unpunished.  In reality, God sees every motive, every desire and every action.  He knows exactly what was on the other person’s heart when certain things happen.  In many cases it is an honest mistake, in other situations it is an intentional act to hurt you or someone close to you.  Either way, we must find the faith and strength in knowing that God will deal with that person, despite how much we may despise them at any moment.  God’s always got you back and the Bible is proof that He’s willing to “smite” people who cross those that He loves.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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Get the Most from the Day

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“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21

Making the most of every moment of life.  We are each given this day, 86,400 seconds, to live for Christ, to do something that will help advance His Kingdom and represent His love to others.  If you were blessed enough this day that your feet landed on the floor, than God has given you one more day to do something for Him.

Paul’s statement to the church at Philippi was to live every moment of every day for the One who gave it all away for them.  Paul was in chains, in a prison cell when he wrote this letter.  Yet, even in this lowly place, he found that God was still capable of using him.  Your circumstances in life are simply opportunities when viewed through the lens of His purpose and serving others.  Living for Christ is not easy, it was never promised to be.  It takes effort, humility, sacrifice, patience and above all a desire to serve.  Taking one’s eyes off of themselves and focusing on those in need, those who are hungry and searching for God’s love.

We tend to focus our attention on the things in our own life that must be taken care of and spend little time focusing on how to help others.  Today, make the commitment that you will change that.  You are only given a short amount of time on this earth to make an impact for God Almighty.  Once you have passed away, it’s much more difficult to share His love with others.  Therefore, if your feet hit the ground in the morning, seek the opportunities to present Christ to another, so when you stand before the Lord one day, His voice will echo through the halls – “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://www.10minutereader.com