Think You Would Throw the Stone

Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  - John 8:10-11

We have all come to the point in life where we had to go outside of our immediate feelings and take the “high road” so to speak.  Not easy and most of the time avoided.  Christ knelt in the dirt of a street in Jerusalem where a group of authorities had gathered around a woman.  With anger in their eyes and hatred in their hearts they were determined to unleash their own version of wrath upon this woman for the sins she had been guilty of.  His blue eyes cut through the anger, the venom and the superiority which poured forth from their hearts.  His words forced upon them the reality of the truth in their hearts.  The truth they knew in their heart is that they were just as guilty of sin as was the woman before them.  Each of them came to the same conclusion and walked away reconsidering their anger.

So many of us struggle with accepting and loving those that we see as blatant sinners.  Can you honestly look at any other person with eyes of judgement without first looking at your own sinful actions?  You can dislike their actions, their choices and their disregard for God’s commandments, but what gives you the right to condemn them?  If you live as if your sins are forgiven through God’s grace and treat others as if their sin is not, are you not extending your authority beyond your rightful place?  God alone can judge a man’s soul for eternity and though you and I may feel as though we understand God, we are completely wrong.  For God is beyond human comprehension.

Love them.  Forgive them.  Help them to understand the righteousness that God has made available through His loving grace and forgiveness.  A truly fulfilling love of Jesus Christ will create within you a heart with a desire to serve and follow His commandments in all of their truth and righteousness.  Sin becomes apparent and one is driven to their knees with a desire to be forgiven, redeemed and made whole within. 

You need to know, regardless of where you are in life, what you are holding onto and what you have done; that you are a child of the one true God.  You are worthy of His love, His forgiveness, grace and salvation from the past that haunts you.  Christ tells you, as He told the woman on the streets of Jerusalem, “Neither do I condemn you, go forth and sin no more.”

Your Best Friend

Friendships aren't born, they are created over time.  Strength comes from trust, love, humility, honesty and sacrifice.  One typically will go out of their way to help a friend whenever possible.  There isn't a blood bond, but many times there is a heart bond that is even stronger.

Take a moment to evaluate your friendships.  Ask yourself what is the foundation, what is the basis of your friendship.  What are you putting into it, and what are you expecting to get out of it?  What have you given up, what have they?  What are you willing to give up to keep it?

Now evaluate your relationship with God.  What is the foundation and basis for your relationship?  What are you putting into it, and what are you expecting from Him?  What have you sacrificed to follow Him?   What has He sacrificed for you?  What are you willing to do going forward to keep your relationship with God?  What do you expect Him to do for you going forward?

John 3:16 tells us "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.  That whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but shall receive eternal life."

He has given it all for you.  Are you willing to do the same for Him?  There is no more valuable relationship in your life than to strengthen this relationship first and foremost.

Starting Over

Born again?  When Nicodemus came to Jesus and asked “How can a man be born when he is old.  Certainly he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb” (John 3:4)  When you were born, you came into this world having spent 40 weeks developing in your mother’s womb.  You drew blood, nutrients and oxygen through your mother’s umbilical cord as your body developed from a single egg.  Within days that egg, once fertilized, split into two cells, then four, then 8, 16, 32, . . . . and so on.  With each doubling of the cell count, God’s hand was forming different parts of who you would become.  Your nose, eyes, hands and feet became perfectly formed the way He so chose, based on what He had in mind for your life.  Eventually hair follicles grew and eyebrows, lips and finger nails – He made you exactly the way He wanted to.  You did not do this, nor did your mother or father.  Certainly, they started the process, but God created you.

At the point of birth though, you began a journey that reacted to the stimuli of the world.  You cry, you laugh, your personality was formed based on the love, compassion and struggles of your infant years.  As your brain gathered data from your surroundings, God’s original Masterpiece was being transformed into something less perfect by His standard.  The world was your university and where your knowledge was drawn from.  The more you learned from those around you, the less you listened to God inside of you.  Therefore the separation you feel from the Holy One is creating the tension in your life.  You have experienced perfection and your mind knows the original feeling of being held in the God’s hand.  The time you spent with Him during the creative process inside the womb formed your original thoughts and dependencies.  Life is a struggle because you realize there is more than what this world can offer you.

God is the only one who can fill that burning desire in your heart for more.  Money, fame, prosperity, sex, drugs, adrenaline and other people cannot fill that void.  For you see God wants to re-create within you a new thing once again.  Now that you are older and have formed your own perspective on life and views of the world, He wants to build upon the passion that He put inside of you.  Only God can draw this purpose from you.  What He put in your heart and mind can be drawn upon to fulfill a purpose that He designed from your original creation. 

How can a man be born a second time?  By accepting and acknowledging God as the sole creator and Lord of your life.  It is not a physical re-birth, but a psychological and mental re-birth.  Giving of one’s self to God Almighty, to be used for His original intent and to live for Him rather than for the world.  This is the new thing He will create, this is the re-birth of a child of God.  Haven’t you been sitting on the sidelines long enough, wondering what you should do with your life?  It completely rests in your hands to make that decision today.  Accept Jesus Christ as God’s only Son, sent to save the world from our sins, and create a way for us to live eternally with God the Father.  Accept Him as Savior and Lord of your life, and give Him back control, so He can use your life as it was intended from the beginning.

I hope live

When the world stops for just a moment, and your breath is taken away by the sudden realization that you are not in control, what do you do?  It's beyond comprehensible to believe that you actually have control over the events in this life.  Can you choose not to blink, not to breathe, not to swallow, not to love?  Certainly, but because you are not really in control, all of those will happen anyway.

Three weeks ago I met my youngest grand daughter for the first time.  Today we lay to rest one of my best friends.  The greatest thing is that in both instances, I am witnessing the grace and love of my Savior in action. A child is born into this world, not of their own doing, but of the forces around them.  A child takes their first breath, not because they want to, but because they have to.  A child is instantly immersed into this world with no understanding or knowledge of what lies ahead, and through their life experiences will become who God has intended them to be. I propose that 99% of us step into our eternal rest, outside of our own doing.  For it is destined for each and every one of us once to die.  We can force an acceleration to this event, but we can't avoid it.  It's not in our control to say we will live forever.

What happens between birth and death is the purpose of this life.  It is either lived to bring His love to others or it is not.  There is no other real purpose.  Sure we get up in the morning and take on the day's challenges with drive, ambition and desire to succeed; but there is no real eternal purpose in that.  If, in this life we are looking for the real purpose, it is in loving others, helping others, sharing His grace and love with those we meet and leave them with the realization that we just passing through.

I hope you are able to laugh today.
I hope you are able to love today.
I hope you are able to forgive today.
I hope you are able to live today.
Be blessed my friends.

You can't hide

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:8-9

It is so easy to justify our actions at times, and create the illusion that everything is ok. If you are like me, you are really good at putting on the false impression that life is good when you are breaking inside. How many of us have been in the middle of an argument when the phone rings. Picking up the phone the attitude changes, the voice changes and the pleasantries come out. Most of the time it's pretty easy to deceive others into believing that everything is just fine.

The problem is that when we try this with God it doesn't work. I chuckle as I think about the times in my life when I have tried to put on the righteous face for prayer time, when I know my heart is bitter, angry or hurting. How silly of us to think that God doesn't really know what's going on inside of our hearts and minds. I believe it is His desire to hear us bring that before Him, and seek His help in forgiving or dealing with our problems. You need to realize something, there is nothing, yes nothing, that you can bring before God that is going to make Him stand back in amazement or disgust. He created you, and before you drew your first breath, He knew you. 

Do you believe that? Do you believe that God created you? If so, than you must also believe that the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth is not surprised when you have done something wrong. After all, what makes you any different than the 20 billion or so people that have come and gone on this earth over the several thousand years since Adam and Eve were in the garden? Is there something different about you that no other human being in history other than Jesus Christ himself has possessed? Face it, you're not coming up with any original sins. The things you struggle with, I struggle with and so do millions of others. The key for you to realize as a confessed believer in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, you have the power and authority to bring those sins to God Almighty, with a heart of true repentance and receive complete forgiveness. Yes, complete forgiveness.

God promises us in Psalm 103:12, "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." So here is your geography challenge for the day. If God throws your sins as far as the east is from the west, how far would you have to travel to retrieve that sin? Folks, (tongue in cheek) we all have a long way to go to overcome our sinful nature, and walk perfectly in God's eyes. As a matter of fact - you never will, so quit deceiving yourself. Take a few moments each day to come before God with a repentant heart, seeking righteousness, and truly ask for forgiveness. In doing so, God removes the unrighteousness as stated here in 1 John. Try it tonight before you go to bed. Stay strong and be blessed. 

It's Too Complex for Mankind

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding"  Job 38:4

Think, don’t react, just think for a moment about everything around you.  Take a look at the trees, the bark on the trees, the heartwood and sapwood inside of the tree, the budding flowers as new leaves are formed, the roots stretching far underground and of course the leaves on the trees.  It draws nutrients from the soil, water from earth and from the sky, carbon dioxide from the air and distributes all of this throughout the entire ecosystem of it’s structure so that every part gets exactly what it needs to survive.  It’s branches grow toward the light, it’s roots extend in every direction to provide strength and support, it’s leaves fall off and are recreated and each one is unique in it’s design.  Tell me who designed this infrastructure and ecosystem so perfectly.  Was it Pascal, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Aristotle, Socrates  . . . . .   You get my point, right? 

We know the formula for water, but can we create it?  Can you tell me how to create a single grain of sand or dirt?  Where do I go to learn how to create wood? 

There is a Creator of everything that makes up this incredible sphere called earth, and the universe around us.  He spoke it into being.  There was nothing but an expanse, He spoke and it began.  He is the only one who has created water, soil and air.  He formed the trees, the rocks, the mountains and the depths of the oceans.  He created light from nothing, to shine through the darkness.  The perfection of everything around could not just happen in such intricate detail to sustain itself in perfect harmony. 

Why do we continue to believe that we are here simply by happenchance?  We were created by God with unbelievable, intricate detail as well.  There is nothing about you that is not known by Him.  He has created to do amazing things.  It’s time to recognize that God is God, He made you perfectly, and He doesn’t make mistakes.  Today is your day to make use of everything He has given you.  Ready, Set, Go !

His Creation - Welcome Kimber Elizabeth

His Creation

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” – Jeremiah 1:5


The amazement and wonder of a child’s eyes as they first come into the realization that they have a brother or a sister sharing their home.  I was incredibly blessed by our Father in Heaven once again yesterday (October 4^th, 2015) with the birth of my newest Grand Daughter – Kimber Elizabeth Dicker.  I was in the waiting room with her Great-Grandmother, her Grandmother, her Aunts and Uncle (my children), and her Sisters (my Granddaughters, all 3 of them), when her Father, William, came down to tell his little girls that there was a new baby.  The joy, the happiness and love in their little faces was unbelievably precious as they hugged their Daddy. 

It was about 25 minutes later, when William came down stairs to the waiting room and asked me to join him.  As we walked into the labor/delivery room; my emotions were in my throat.  I first saw my oldest, my baby girl lying on the hospital bed, exhausted, yet so and full of love.  My heart pounded in my chest to come to her and hold her, and help her find rest, peace and comfort.  Then my eyes shifted to the newborn babe, Kimber Elizabeth was placed into my arms for the very first time.

As a Grandfather, the first time you see the child of your child is a surreal experience.  Your mind is flooded with the memory of when her mother was born, 26 years ago.  In that moment while I looked into the beautiful face of Kimber, I recalled, crying over Jayme when she was born, and promising her the world.  Kimber’s eyes were wide open, she stared up into mine and cooed while sucking her fist.

This child in my arms at that very moment, was closer to God the Father only 1 hour earlier than she will be throughout the entire rest of her life.  She was created by Him 40 weeks prior for a unique purpose that only she can fulfill.  He has blessed her with everything she will need throughout her life on this earth.  He whispered to her spirit for the last 9 months the secrets of His Love, His Kingdom and His Peace.  Kimber had been in the presence of God the Father only moments before she lay in my arms, and as I prayed over this child, the very spirit of the Lord was flowing through the room. 

We all enter this world, and take our first breath.  From that moment on, there is no moment in your life where you will be filled with the same closeness to heaven.  The feeling is real though, and buried within each of your souls.  You too spent 9 months with the Father in isolated development before birth.  At the heart of each of your souls, you know what His love is like and what it is to be unconditionally loved.  For each of us we spend our entire lives looking to fill that void, that emptiness inside, because we know what is should be like.  Yet, everything around us we try falls short of the intimacy with God the Father that is ingrained subliminally into your being. 

There is nothing in this world that will do.  Relationships, sex, drugs, work, alcohol, partying, rebellious behavior, money nor material objects will ever fill this void.  They all bring temporary pleasure, which fades in time and is often times replaced.  The problem isn’t in these things, or in your desire to be filled, to be satisfied.  No, the problem is in the example that has been set.  The bar has been set so high in your Psyche, that nothing will achieve it in this world.  Eternity with God the Father is the only thing that will satisfy this longing.  A relationship with Jesus Christ will bring you as close as you can possibly come in this life.  For the perfect love that He brings will overcome anything the world may bring against you.  Each step you take closer to the Savior is an expanding realization that you are coming closer to God the Father, and rekindling the intimacy you once shared. 

Welcome to our world Kimber. Follow your heart lil one, and stay upon the righteous path, which leads to Jesus.  Do not fear, for you have a loving family right here to help guide you every step of the way.  I love you more – Pops.

 

           

© Sondove Enterprises, 2015
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com

Is Gog Emerging

“And I will set My glory among the nations; and all the nations will see My judgment which I have executed and My hand which I have laid on them." – Ezekiel 39:21

Three words that people often times forget about when they think of the Lord: “smite”, “wrath” and “forsaken”.  Perhaps because we don’t want to think about that part of God’s character because it creates fear and requires that we actually try to abide by His guidelines.  There is references throughout the scriptures that God is Holy, Perfect and Righteous and at the same time Vengeful, Jealous and Omnipotent.  As such, as is demonstrated in Kings and Judges and throughout much of the Old Testament; He has very little tolerance for those that choose to refuse Him and the love He has offered to the world. 

  In the times before the Messiah came to the earth, mankind dealt with the realization that there was a God through the Prophets: Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Zephania, Zecharia and Malachi just to name a few.   They were intercessors and communicators from God to the children of Israel and Judah, delivering instructions on how to live within God’s plan, and what would happen if they did not.  Kings, Priests and Governments listened intently to their every word to better understand how to serve the one true God, or in some cases how to battle against His people.

  So, did God’s character change?  Is God still a God of wrath, judgment and vengeance?  The answer is unequivocally – Yes.  The book of Revelation was revealed to John, the beloved, while banished to the prison Isle of Patmos.  In this book Jesus Christ, Himself, reveals to John what will happen in the last days.  War, pestilence, suffering, death, destruction and inhumane acts from one upon another will envelope the earth and those that remain during the tribulation.  There is much discussion on whether that includes or does not include the believers and followers of Jesus Christ.  Many, including myself, believe we will be taken up before the tribulation, but there are just as many that believe we will all go through tribulation and then be drawn up.

  The reality is that the day is coming that God will unleash His wrath once again upon the earth’s inhabitants that have refused to accept His love and saving grace.  The time is coming when according to Ezekiel 38 and 39, we will see God, Himself, defend Israel in a manner of such magnificence that all mankind will know that it was God and nothing else.  As tensions mount in the Middle East, are we nearing the realization of a prophecy from 2700 years ago before our very eyes?  As we watch the unveiling of events in the high tension areas of the world, one must wonder if we aren’t drawing ever so near to the last days. 

  This then begs the question about your own salvation.  Should war break out in the Middle East, and God shows His wrath upon those that attack Israel, where do you stand in your belief and relationship with Jesus Christ?  Based on the current tensions in Russia, Syria, Turkey, Iran all surrounding Israel; war is very likely.  Will it take the actual realization of this war to convince you that the Bible and all that is within is God’s own Truth revealed through man?  If you reference other prophecies from Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel or others, you will find the majority have already come to be.  Is that enough to convince you of His existence?  What is it that you are waiting for?  

  God’s wrath and judgment are very real and will bring bitter pain and suffering to those who refuse to follow Him.  The scriptures of war, destruction and vengeance in the Old Testament are all the proof you should need that mankind cannot withstand the wrath of God and I can only believe that come tribulation and ensuing judgment day will be greater than anything recorded in the scriptures of old.  You are right in fearing God, but you are also covered by the grace and love of Jesus Christ as your mediator and intercessor between you and God.  He has taken the wrath intended for you and I and carried it to the cross where He became the sacrifice for our iniquities.  Therefore, we will not receive the full wrath of God as we deserve, as those in the Old Testament did (reference the Midianites, those in Sodom and Gomorra, and the Philistines).  We experience the full love, grace and mercy of the Lord in our life, because we follow the One True Messiah – Jesus Christ.