Be Gentle in Love

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“You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand supports me; your gentleness has made me great.” - Psalm 18:35

While she ran through the streets, they tormented and chased after her.  Her eyes were filled with tears and her mind rushed with the fear for her very life.  She came around the corner and realized that she had come to a dead end.  The walls that boxed her in on 3 sides were tall and impossible to scale.  Her persecutors quickly caught up with her and formed a human wall across the only opening, blocking her path of escape.  As she cowered in the corner, the men began to assemble, removing their coats and gather stones about them.  Their anger resounded throughout the streets, and their eyes were black with venom as they spat insults and accusations at the young woman.  Then one man stepped forward and knelt down near the side wall.  His eyes were different than those around him, soft, gentle and warm.

  Immediately, their attention was drawn to this man. They asked the man, “What shall we do with her?”  No anger, no cynicism; he wisely replied, “If any of you are without sin, let him throw the first stone.”  Causing them to re-evaluate their circumstances and their own lust filled, deceitful heart, until they all walked away.  He proceeded to forgive her sins and send her on her way (John 8:3-11).  A protector, a supporter and a gentle comforter, Jesus Christ came to bring salvation to all mankind.

  As a father of 5, and a grandfather, there have been numerous opportunities when one of my children stood before me heartbroken, ashamed and embarrassed for something they had done.  When these events have come upon our household we have to make immediate decisions on how to react.  There are two choices: 1) Condemnation and anger, laying guilt and shame down upon my own child; or 2) Cradle them to my chest, comfort, love and discipline with compassion, while reassuring them of their value and forgiving the action.  To which of these do you believe results in a positive influence on their lifestory?  I’m sure you recognize the obvious answer to the question is #2.  Through loving comfort, discipline and forgiveness we have the opportunity to build a stronger character in our children.  I can personally state that I know gentleness leads to love. 

  Albeit` through a non-physical presence we know that God the Father loves us in this way.  I feel His love, His gentle strength and His forgiveness in my life when I screw up. His word is true and promises our salvation and the redemption of our sins, if we will only give it to Him through an acceptance of His Son, Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  I draw upon His word as my shield in times when I am faced with troubles, and grasp His right hand to pull me out of the mire.  Praise God for His grace and gentle loving guidance in our lives.

PRAYER:
Heavenly Father,
  We come today Lord seeking Your loving grace, Your gentleness and strength; Your peace and mercy as was promised within Your Word. We claim our rights to Your spirit of salvation and glorious redemption, and ask that You convict each of us to focus on those areas in our life where we need to put on Your gentleness in dealing with others. Help us to be authentic representatives of Your Son, Jesus Christ throughout our life. For it is in Your Name I pray - Amen  

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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One Supreme Authority

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“Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord— that you alone are the Most High over all the earth" – Psalm 83:18

He slept in that morning.  The night before had 

been filled with dining and dancing, and his head still throbbed from the spirits he had consumed in celebration of his promotion.  For years he had his eye on that corner office with the President title on the door.  He had worked in this company since he was 18 years old and here he was 35 years later reaching the pinnacle of his career.  Work had been his passion.  He left his wife and daughter in that small white house on Chestnut street when that little girl was only 7.  He was scared, confused about his priorities and made a bad decision that had haunted him for years and now all he had as proof of his former life was an 8x10 photo of her on her wedding day.  He sat on the edge of his bed and wept over her picture as the emotions overwhelmed him. 

There was a point in his life when things seemed in control.  He married right after high school, had a solid job for such a young man and was a proud father within 2 years.  Choices and bad decisions left him alone and his entire world turned upside down.  He lost his faith, his love for others and poured everything he had into his career.  Well, here he was.  He finally made it to the top, and as he looked around his Manhattan condominium he realize he was all alone at the top.  The friends who drank the night away with him only 8 hours ago were long gone.  He walked to the closet and with very depressed, evil intentions knelt down and reached for the handle of the gun case.  Then he caught a glimpse in the dim light, and he reached for the Book instead.  As he brought it out of the closet, he fell back on the floor, his back lying against the bed. 

The cover was torn and tattered.  His Dad carried it daily to and from work, to the war and back and was seen in his large easy chair reading it every morning as long back as the man could remember.  Right up until his death, this book saw him through the ups and downs of life, the struggles of raising the kids, the bankruptcy and the many struggles they had face in life.  Now here it was in the hands of his son, and it sat collecting dust in the corner of the closet for the last 25 years.  As he opened the book, it fell to the 83^rd Book of Psalms.  The anger expressed by David towards mankind, especially his enemies, leaps from the pages.  And then he gets to the last verse and it all comes rushing forward.  His life had been spent combatting with God for control, for authority and for praise.  He had taken all of the accomplishments in life and selfishly proclaimed them as his own doing.  Despite his continued success in his career, he refused to give glory to the Lord, to the ultimate authority and creator of all things.

This explained the emptiness, the hollowness and loneliness in his life.  This explained his self-centered choices in life and his hatred for mankind in general.  Lowering his face into his hands, he cried out to the Lord in shame, begging forgiveness and asking for the opportunity to serve Him.  The rush of emotions overwhelmed the man as he fell face first to the floor and poured out his life of sinful actions to the only Lord, the ultimate Authority, the One who sits upon the throne in heaven.  In a moment his life had become one with purpose, one with blessing and one with the opportunity to change the world for the good.

Where are you with God?  Is He your authority?  Is He given credit for your success?  Is God at the center of your decisions?  Have you come to the point of serving Him in the manner in which He deserves or like our example above, are you captured in the fallacy that you alone are responsible for your talents, skills, success and accomplishments?  There is only one supreme Authority and Lord on Most High and His name is Jehovah, and is to be praised.  Give serious thought to your relationship with God and make amends as necessary today.
             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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It's in the Water

 “who {God of Jacob} turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water " – Psalm 114:8

70 – percent of the earth’s surface covered by water
100 – percent of life forms require water for sustenance
97 – percent of all water is contained in the oceans
55 to 78 – percent of the human body is comprised of water (based on size & age)
326 million cubic miles - total volume of water in the earth’s hydrosphere (water on, under and over the surface of the earth)

“Daddy, where do we get water from?”
“God”
“No, I mean, who makes it?”
“God”
“Uggg…Dad…I mean who makes the water we drink?”
“God”
“You just don’t get it, Dad.”

This was the conversation at dinner between my 7 year old and me a few years back.  He was finishing off his glass of water and the question just popped into his head.  I knew he wanted to know what companies or people made water in bottles and specifically where the water in the kitchen came from; but I thought it would be a good teachable moment.
 

  Genesis 1:2 tells us “…the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.”  Water is and always has been.  It is a sustaining source of every known life form on earth and represents nearly 78% of the human body of a newborn baby, 60% of the adult male and 55% of the adult female.  It is the formation of the two most prevalent elements in the universe – Hydrogen (2 parts) and Oxygen (1 part).  There is evidence across the Milky Way of the existence of water, ice or water vapor; and believed to exist in other galaxies as well.

God created the waters, parted the waters, water came from rocks to nourish God’s people, God flooded the earth for a new start (from the waters), God communicated to Gideon at a pool, God brought peace and rest to Elijah, God healed the lame in the waters of the Bethesda pool, Jesus is baptized in the water, Jesus turned water to wine, Christ washes the disciples feet with water, Jesus walks on water, Peter walk on water and Jesus gives water to the woman at the well.  These are just examples of biblical references to the water of the earth.  As an element of God’s creation, it is recreated and reborn through the water cycle daily.  We see in 2 Peter 3:5, “But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.”

Water has always demonstrated the purity, cleanliness, refreshing/filling, and life changing element that God brought to all people.  It is one of the key resources that man does not create.  You cannot survive without it, and people are dying all over the globe because they cannot get access to it.  So the next time you lift a glass or bottle of water to your lips, pause and think about who made the water you are partaking of.  Not whose name is on the bottle, or which water utility service is in your local community, who actually made the water.  It can only be made by the hand of the God just for you because He loves you so much.

PRAYER:
Lord Almighty,
Thank you for your magnificence and awesome wonder through your creation.  You created the heavens and the earth, and separated the waters.  You have brought each of us into this world through the miracle of birth from the amniotic waters and sustained our lives through the consumption of fresh water.  We acknowledge your gift to us every time we lift our glass we know that you have provided for us.  In Your name we pray. - Amen
             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2010
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Just Trust Him

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“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." – Isaiah 40:31

I love sports.  I was playing softball years ago and in the middle of the game the strangest thing happened.  I played shortstop, an infield position between second base and third base, and was quite capable of stopping most balls hit near my area.  I recall the memory as clear as yesterday.  We were all in ready position as our pitcher released the pitch towards home-plate.  Suddenly, from nowhere a bald eagle swooped down near home, leveled off and flew straight at me near shortstop.  He went right over my head and then flew off into the black night sky.  I fell to the ground it was so close.  The sheer size of the eagles wing span was unbelievable, and the grace and power that it flew with was inspiring.  Its bright white head and tail feathers and yellow pointed beak will forever be etched in my mind.  Needless to say, the batter proceeded to hit the ball on a hard line drive that went right past me, but I had seen one of God’s awesome creations really close.

The eagle’s wings are designed in such a way to allow for flight to the extreme heights (seen as high as 15,000 feet above sea level).  Often times I will look and see an eagle soaring high in the sky. Effortlessly the great bird coasts on the thermals and current of the invisible wind with its wings spread wide and grand.  In this manner the eagle is trusting in the principals of flight and the aerodynamics by which it was designed.  He knows when to conserve strength and ride on the wave of wind, and when to use his awesome, powerful wings to propel himself through the gusts or turbulent cross winds. 

There are days when I get out of bed and think to myself, “How will I ever make it through this day.”  The pace of life is often times unbearable and leaves me exhausted, even before my feet ever hit the floor in the morning.  I’ve come to appreciate this verse through personal experiences when it is difficult to find a renewed strength.  I trust in the Lord and His purpose in my life to be my strength.  I’ve come to the realization that when I trust God’s plan, I am able to move forward with conviction and strength that is well beyond my physical abilities.  When I focus and trust in my own abilities, my strength is quickly exhausted and I often fall short of accomplishing that which I set out to do.

I propose that each day you seek the direction God has for you.  Trust in knowing His plans and purpose and your strength will be renewed as you set out to take on the world.  Allow God Almighty to elevate your perspective from your own myopic view of life to His grander perspective, and then seek that which He has set out for you.

Prayer:
Loving Father,
I come to You this morning seeking Your will in my life.  I acknowledge Your presence and I trust in Your plan.  You have given me grace by which I am called Your son and You have spoken Your word to my heart to reach the world.  I long to serve You in a manner that is worthy of Your glory, and I ask for Your renewed strength in my life to fulfill that purpose.  In Your name we pray – Amen


             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
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