Break the Chain

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“Then David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished." – 1 Chronicles 28:20

What are you committed to? 
Where does the devotion of your heart lie?

Each morning you awake and are aware of the things that must be done throughout the day.  These items roll through your mind.  Your thoughts are overwhelmed with the day’s agenda and tasks that much be accomplished.  Referencing a day timer or Outlook calendar you see the meetings that will guide your footsteps from this moment on.  Coupled with the commute, dinner and a healthy 8 hours sleep each day, you suddenly realize that you truly only get 1 to 2 hours a day of  “free time”.  That window of time that is completely yours, to do with as you please.  Perhaps you find a nice warm blanket, a good book and curl up in your favorite chair with a cup of tea.  Perhaps you take the newspaper outside with a glass of wine and sit on the back deck and relax.  Some grab the remote and lose themselves in the emptiness of television to clear their mind of the days accumulation of priorities and projects.  How many reach for the Bible, God’s Holy word and dive into learning more about Him and His plan for your life? 

We often ask “What is my purpose?”  “What shall I do for God?”  “Why am I here?”  or some derivative of this age old question.  There is a part of each of us that realize that we are created for a purpose, that it is not randomness that we are who we are and that we are placed right where we are for some reason bigger.  The problem is that we aren’t taking the time to understand, study, learn and comprehend the answer to these questions in life.  We ask the question, but I challenge you to ask yourself – “Do you really want an answer?” 

God’s design, His Masterpiece and work is laid out for each of us to take on.  The challenge for us is to pursue it with every breath, every thought and every desire.  Remove the clutter, the distractions and the busyness from your life if you are truly seeking His purpose.  Shift your priorities from doing the work of mankind to doing the work of the Lord and let His plan start to reveal itself in your life.  We look at the ancient hero’s of the Bible (other the Jesus Christ, Himself) – Abraham, Moses, Noah, Joshua, Job, Daniel, David, Solomon, Paul, Peter, John, Ruth and Esther; just to name a few.  What did each of these have in common?  They pursued the Lord.  They chased after His purpose in life, rather than their own purpose.  Certainly, they all had their shortcomings, weaknesses and faults; just like you and I do.  But, they knew where to turn for the answers to their questions and they knew how to get back in line with God’s plan for their life. 

They were devoted to serving God first, and the world second.  They put everything at risk and pursued God’s plan with a vigor, with passion and relied heavily on His promises.  They trusted in the scriptures, the Commandments and held them in high esteem.  They received their confidence, strength and courage to take on the worldly view each and every day, because the scriptures promised He would be there with them.  When they rose each morning, there was no day timer or schedule to stick too.  They rose to meet God and serve Him with their day, and the people around them were going to hear their message from the Lord.

We look at today’s society and quickly become discouraged and saddened.  But, should we be surprised?  We have completely flipped our priorities upside down and pursue our own personal joy, desires and dreams first, and give God the leftovers.  I tell you this day, and let it be known, this world is going to continue on it’s downward spiral into the depths of unrighteousness and depravity as long as we are willing to keep God’s will and plan as an afterthought right behind our plan.  Your part is to change your behavior and seek Him with everything you have.  If all of us take on this attitude, you’d be amazed at how different this world will become.  It’s up to us and the message we pass on to our children to break the chain of self-righteousness and once again seek a life devoted to serving God.  Now, you’ll do one of two things: 1) Ignore this message and get back to your day timer or 2) Stop and pray for God’s wisdom in how to take on this day.  If you choose #2, then take the step to share this with a friend who might also benefit from the challenge.

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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A Test of Endurance

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

Life is filled with the “I want to’s”.  Even in our prayers we tend to get into a rut of asking for things and telling God Almighty what we would like Him to do.  I propose that we are better fed by quieting ourselves and hearing from Him what He would like to do through us.  Pursuing God is a daily choice we all have to make.  It isn’t something that is turned on today and then coasts through the rest of life. 

Many of us become interested in something and start off excited and ready to take on the new challenge.  A few weeks in, the excitement wears off and reality sets in.  Often times these new projects become secondary priorities, third priorities and eventually cease all together.  Now, on the other hand when someone makes a commitment to something, we often times see less excitement at the onset and more dedication of their time and effort.  A commitment is for the long haul, it’s requires endurance more so than an excitement.  Recently I took the kids to watch an Ironman competition in our city.  I watched as these men and women of all ages swam 2.5 miles, road their bikes 112 miles and then ran 26 miles, all in the course of one day.  Every one of these athletes had dedicated the last year or so to prepare for this event.  This dedication and total commitment pushed through the pains, muscle cramps, dehydration and desire to quit that might have cropped up now and then.  Looking into their eyes as they would run by, there was a determination to not give up, despite the obstacles between them and the finish.

Paul the Apostle, when speaking to the elders in Ephesus, encouraged them to pursue the life that Christ had laid out for them.  In Acts 20:24; Paul confirms that he himself is in a race to complete the task given to him by the Lord Jesus.  We are to take up our cross each day.  I do not believe this is intended to be literal, but rather metaphoric for your purpose.  You see, for Jesus Christ that cross represented His purpose.  He came to die for your sins and mine.  So for him to tell them to take up their cross and follow Him, was to tell them to find their purpose in life and dedicate it toward pursuing Jesus Christ.  It takes a commitment to pursue Christ because despite everything we learn each day, there is so much more to learn the next.  You will never have learned everything there is to know about following Him.  There will be obstacles, there will be times when you feel you can’t go on and want to give up.  This is where you need to deny your thoughts and focus on God’s eternal plan.  The race is long and takes endurance to complete.  You must run with the confidence of the Savior though to finish strong in the Lord.    

Prayer:
Almighty God,
I am Your workmanship.  In You, I find my purpose for living.  Help me today to live out that purpose in all that we do, that others might see You through me.  In Your name I pray – Amen
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©Sondove Enterprises, 2011