Proving He Loves You

Daily Thoughts – September 26^th  

 

“Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens.”–” Genesis 19:24 (in context)

The cities were filled with sin.  Man slept with man and woman with woman.  Rape, incest, murder, evil thoughts and actions were pervasive throughout the population of the city.  The corruptness had become the norm and righteousness was hard to find.  The pleas of Abraham had been for the Lord to show mercy if only 10 righteous people could be found in the entire city (Genesis 18:16-33).  It was not to be and we know the rest of the story.  In an instant the Lord destroyed the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as no righteousness could be found within their walls, except Lot and his family.  Was the Lord justified in destroying these cities?  How can you answer anything but yes when you are contemplating the actions of the Lord.  He is justified in every action ever taken by His own hand.  He is the designer, creator and author of life, death and all that is in between.  Who can tell Him that He is wrong in His actions?

For I propose to you that the society in which we live, the acceptance of our culture has become so complacent and accepting that unrighteousness once again abounds within the walls of each city.  Should we be looking heavenward for the streaking flares of sulfur raining down upon our cities any day now?  Are you convinced that the population of Sodom and Gomorrah were much worse than the cities of our 21^st century?  Certainly, there are more than 10 righteous people inside of your city walls, and you are likely one of them.  Is this what keeps the Lord from pouring out His wrath upon our very existence?

There is a significant reason that God has not destroyed the earth again, despite the evil, corruption, sadistic and deplorable sinful lives of mankind.  That reason is the one we call Jesus Christ.  For you see, the wrath of our Lord; which was poured out on Sodom, it was poured out on the Philistines, it was poured out on the Egyptians, it was poured out on the entire world in the flood of Genesis 6; was also poured out on the very flesh of God’s own Son.  Take that in for just a moment.  We are no better than those of Sodom and Gomorrah, or those of Egypt, or those that ridiculed Noah.  We as a society in general have turned our back on serving the Lord with everything we have, and we have chosen to pursue the pleasures of the world instead.  The wrath of God that you and I so rightfully deserve for our thoughts, our actions and our sinful nature would be death, devastation and destruction of catastrophic proportion.  This overwhelming wrath of the Lord, the pain and suffering we deserve, was delivered to one man who did live perfectly righteous in every way.

The sacrificial lamb for our sins was slaughtered because you and I deserved to die for what we have done, not because of anything He did.  Jesus Christ bore the extreme wrath of God, something we cannot begin to fathom, so you and I would not have to.  When you read John 3:16; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe in Him will have eternal life.”; the words are almost cliché, because we have watered them down to our view of love.  I want you to realize the severity of God’s wrath that He poured out onto His only Son, based on the perspective of His wrath that He poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, and the world in the Old Testament.  This extreme wrath was poured out on this one man, so that you and I would be exempt from this punishment in our lifetime.  He loves us that much.  Not a little bit as you and I love each other and our families; but His love was so intense that He chose to destroy His own Son, literally and figuratively, so that we can enter eternity one day.

Is God’s wrath still alive today?  Yes, but we are shielded from that wrath because of the lamb that paid the price for our deplorable sinful nature.  One day, God’s wrath will once again be released upon this earth, for those who have chosen to deny His sacrificial offering.  This wrath will make Sodom and Gomorrah look like a walk in the park on Sunday afternoon.  The fire and sulfur that rained from the sky on these cities will be nothing compared to the depths of Hell that await mankind for their denial of Jesus Christ, and God the Father.  Don’t question the reality of it.  God has given you plenty of warning.  Jesus has pleaded with Him on your behalf and taken your punishment already.  The next step will be utter destruction of this earth as we know it and you won’t be able to avoid His wrath without accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  Don’t blame it on God, for He provided a path for your escape, just as He did for Lot and his family to escape from Sodom on that night as recorded in Genesis.  Are you telling your friends?  Are you telling your family?  Do you care enough about their salvation to ensure that they are not exposed to God’s wrath one day?  If not, ask yourself why not.  Why is that not the most important thing you have to do today?

Who is pleading with the Lord on our behalf today?


© Sondove Enterprises, 2019

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The Unseen Evidence

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“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”  – Psalm 91:11-12

I want the favor of God on my life, and the protection of God over my family.  I believe we all would say the same thing given the opportunity.  We watch as the corruptness in society closes in on our front porch, and threatens our daily walk.  We see the horrible tragedies that take place each day around the globe and often times wonder “Where is God’s protection?”  Less and less frequently are we hearing the miracles of God’s hand in today’s world.  The good news is drowned out by the stories of war, drugs, sex and financial disarray.  It leads us to believe that God isn’t moving, and working in the lives of His children anymore.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.

I recall a story of a friend and I’m sure there are many that can relate with similar stories of your own.  My friend was driving to work one morning.  As he went through the drive through lane of a fast-food restaurant for breakfast, the coffee spilled and splattered all over his white shirt and tie.  Although it angered him and he knew he would be late for his first meeting, he left the restaurant and rather than turning right to go to work, he turned left to head home and change.  Just as he crossed the lanes of traffic, he saw two cars coming at extremely high speed on the other side of the road, heading towards his work.  He heard the tires squealing and saw the smoke of burning rubber on pavement just before he heard the most horrendous crash ever.  Looking in his rearview mirror, he saw those two cars had crashed into the cars that were waiting at the stop light.  The cars they had hit were crushed and damaged beyond recognition with the high speed collision.

My friend turned his car around and returned to the scene of the accident to help out.  The cars were actually piled on top of each other.  Both drivers of the vehicles that were stopped at the light were killed instantly, and the drivers of the speeding cars were seriously injured.  Other cars at the light were also damaged and drivers/passengers were injured.  The ambulance and police arrived shortly and using the jaws of life were able to cut the mangled sheet metal away and extract a few survivors from the wreckage.  My friend returned to his car and proceeded to head back to his house to change.  As he pulled away from the scene he was overcome with the realization that God had just saved his life.  Had he pulled out of the restaurant and headed toward work, he would have been in one of the two cars at the back of the line waiting at that stoplight.  His story didn’t make the headlines or the 6 o’clock news.  But, a simple thing like a coffee spill changed the entire future of his life, and he lives to tell the story.

So many days we are protected and don’t even realize it.  With our limited perspective on daily events, it’s very easy to miss the miracles that happen around us.  God’s promise to David in Psalm 91 is just as true today.  He watches over our coming and our going, our rest and our action and guards our front and our rear from the enemies attacks.  This does not meant that we will not face trials and hardships, but by our faith in Him we will come through these trials stronger and prepared to testify for His glory.  Each day, you need to stop and thank God for His unseen protection and grace.  Trust that He is watching over His children, just as you watch over yours.  Be blessed today.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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Bible Study – James (day 6)

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“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” –James 1:16-17

In any given day, a person might be fortunate to find me in a state of loving kindness, generosity and patient in all things.  This state of being is a daily goal of mine and I often lift up these words in my morning prayers that the Lord would be kind and strengthen these characteristics in me each day.  The problem comes from the fact that this is not who I am most of the time and it is something I must work for each day.  I often find myself worrying about life, about the problems that I face each day and the struggles that our family might be going through at any given moment.  I’ve allowed myself to become consumed at times, with my own internal perspective and self-pity that I have failed to see the needs of my brother and sister, and ignored my ability to help them as the Lord would have me do.  There are times where my own arrogance and self righteousness will play on my mind and convince me that I am responsible for the things I have been blessed with.  As I look around and observe my possessions and my family, I find it easy to boast about the things I have done to achieve all of this.  Perhaps you find yourself in this position now and then.  Well, let us step back and realize together the error of our thinking and the cause of this self centeredness.

At my work there are a group of engineers whose job it is to “root cause” problems that our customers are having with our computer systems.  There are hundreds of things that can go wrong with a computer at any given time, and troubleshooting the problem to the root cause is essential to ensure that they are solving the real issue and not just a symptom of the problem.  Often times, there is a belief that the problem is caused because of this or because of that, only to discover that indeed there is a deeper reason for that symptom as well.  These individuals are extremely good at cascading through the problem scenarios and getting to root cause successfully in almost every circumstance.  But, every now and then there is a problem that leaves them with more questions than answers.  As they work through the problems symptoms, the problem goes away, but might return later under a different set of circumstances.  These shifting problems are near impossible to root cause, because they are so intermittent.

If we investigate the root cause of our feelings, our thinking and our actions, often times we will discover that underneath all unrighteousness is the symptom of selfishness or pride or personal gratification.  James tells us clearly that everything we have been blessed with has come from the Lord.  I emphasize everything, because you could look at anything you have obtained and trace the path of achievement all the way back to something God has provided for you.  Your intelligence, your physical abilities, your personality, your love or your patience are often times at the root of anything you have achieved in life.  This achievement in life has given you the ability to create a lifestyle that is demonstrative of success and blessings.  Unlike the symptoms that cause unrighteousness, the root cause for righteousness and love are never changing.

God is immutable, never changing.  He loves humanity today exactly that way He loved Abraham and Sarah, Moses, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Nehemiah, Job, John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, Mark and so on and so on.  His love is consistent.  His grace is never ending and available to all of us.  His intent in our lives has never changed.  There is nothing you can do that will separate you from His love for you.  Again, I say there is nothing.  As unrighteous as you are feeling, and regardless of the sinful act that you feel guilty about, they are all covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.  God makes no exception to His rules and is not going to look the other way on your sinful acts, while holding the other 6.3 billion people on earth accountable.  He will not change His requirements for eternity and heaven.  That requirement is perfection and you can’t achieve it.

But, by the grace of the Lord, He has provided a way and that is through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Who, by his life, death and resurrection has created redemption for our sins and a way for us to stand before the Lord perfect and worthy of heaven.  Without the intercession of Jesus Christ on our behalf, we stand before the Lord alone, destined for eternal separation from our Creator.  Overcome your self-centeredness and accept the unchanging salvation that is available to you through Jesus Christ.

ACTION: God is never changing.  His will is consistent and His grace is available to all mankind.  Do a spiritual inventory today.  Analyze where you are in your walk with Christ.  Are you representing the love, patience, kindness and humility that He created you for?  If not, think through the underlying root cause of your problems, your attitude, and your personality to understand what is at the heart of your actions that separate you from Christ’s work.  This takes an honest approach and evaluation, but will bring to the surface the very things you need to work on to better serve in the manner the Lord has created you for.     

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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He Loves Me More

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"He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. " – Mark 4:39

The moon was high in the Eastern sky as the sounds of a busy day began to soften.  Sure, there were still the general sounds from the busy street, but the 10 foot high seawall dampened most of those.  It was a warm night despite the lateness in the Summer, maybe there was something to be said of global warming.  Looking out over the darkness, I could see the lights in the distance of the ferry boats and cargo ships, using the lights upon the land as a beacon en route to their destination.  The two of us sat there on the quiet beach, isolated; as if we were the only two individuals left on this incredible earth.  Then the wave hit, and our toes were suddenly covered.  Before we had the chance to rise from the sand a second larger wave rolled up onto the beach and we were knee deep in the foamy surf.  Have you ever tried to run through rolling waves at night, it’s easier said than done.

As the waves got bigger and bigger we moved closer and closer to the seawall, until finally we had actually left the sand all together and were standing on the deck looking down at a disappearing beach.  Water now covered the 40 to 50 feet of beach property we were enjoying not 5 minutes prior.  I had watched the tides roll in before, but this was different, and to be honest, we were very concerned.  As we made our way back to the hotel we immediately realized we weren’t alone at all.  Everywhere the people were out and about removing paintings from the walls, and tying down the furniture along the pool decks.  In the lobby of the hotel were warning signs, complete with evacuation routes and strong suggestions to stay in our room.  Hurricane Henriette was expected to come ashore the following morning. 

There is nothing like a hurricane or a tornado or an earthquake to make you stop and realize that we are powerless against the natural elements of this world.  The scriptures tell us that Jesus stood up in the boat and rebuked the wind, the disciples had to have been astonished.  Imagine, if you were in a hurricane or tornado, and suddenly the man standing next to you raised his arms and told the wind to stop; and it did!  Immediately, you would know that there was something special about this man. 

God created the heavens and earth and everything in it.  The wind, the sea and every grain of sand on every shore around this amazing earth were created by His very breath.  No other has ever known the formula to stop an earthquake, tsunami or hurricane except the One who created them.  We take it all for granted as we walk along the beach and look out over the ocean.  We rarely stop and take in the awesomeness of God’s creation.  Pause a moment today and praise Him for His majesty and His power and realize that with all of this authority, He loves you more than anything else on earth. 

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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