Still Valid Today

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Thousands of years have come and gone since the time when men put the quill to the parchment and captured the thoughts of God for mankind.  Written mainly in Hebrew (with some Aramaic and Greek), the scriptures have led men and women toward righteousness for generations and generations.  The words of God Almighty were captured by scribes, prophets, and priests over centuries.  The likes of Moses, David, Ezra, the Prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others; Peter, Paul, John, Mark, and Luke have captured the inspirations, teachings, and words from God to us.  In a place called Qumran, in the Southeast corner of Israel, there is an ongoing archeological project to uncover the city, homes, and history of the scribes who lived here and spent their days writing.  In the hills just outside of Qumran are the caves, where in the 1950’s, over 900 scrolls were found with references to nearly every book of the Old Testament. Keep in mind that scriptures were numbered and outlined as our modern-day texts are, with books, chapters, and verses.  It was a steady stream of written text copied by a scribe from the mouth of those inspired by God to speak His word.

More copies of the Holy Bible have been printed than any other book in the history of the world.  Certainly, translations from Hebrew and Greek to English and to nearly every other language may have watered down the original; the word of God remains rich and pure to all mankind.  We often question what God wants from us, what our purpose is, why certain things happen, and what His plan is for the future.  The reality is that if we spent time in His word every day, and truly studied it for the richness that comes alive on the pages, we would have a better understanding. 

Most of us live in a “Cliff Notes” world, though, and want the answers without putting in the work of reading, studying, and learning.  Many get lost in the heaviness of the scriptures, and others can’t seem to put it into perspective in their own life.  I have found that spending an hour in the morning reading His word and then taking mental notes of what it means in my life has continually strengthened my outlook on life.  Every time I open the scriptures, I am learning something I didn’t know before.  There is no shortcut.  It takes time, effort, and commitment to grow closer to God, His word, and His purpose.  You have to put in the hard work, and you have to seek Him, for He is not going anywhere.  He is, has always been, and will always be exactly the same. 

The words inscribed on the pages of our Holy Bible are translated from God Almighty and are unchanging.  What He inspired in the heroes of our faith is still just as important today as it was 4000 years ago.  Many will say that the “Old writings” don’t pertain to today’s world.  I say they are very wrong.  The law passed down from God to Moses for mankind has not changed and will not.

1.      Thou shalt have no other gods before me
2.      Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
3.      Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
4.      Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
5.      Honor thy father and thy mother
6.      Thou shalt not kill
7.      Thou shalt not commit adultery
8.      Thou shalt not steal
9.      Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
10.  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's belongings

Why then do we have such a hard time following His word as the truth?  Why are we so inclined to attempt to conform His truth to our way of life, rather than conforming our life to abide by His truth?  If we all took a stand to live by the truth revealed to us through the scriptures, we could solve 90% of the problems in the world today.  In Paul's letter to Timothy he continues in Ch 4 to say, "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and turn away from listening to the truth..."  This is happening across the church today.  The Holy Word of God is being morphed from The Truth, to man's version of the truth, based on our own desire and intent.  The real problem we face is that people want the scriptures to support their lifestyle and choices, rather than God's intent.  As long as there is pride, ego, and selfishness in this world, I fear the scriptures will remain a distant record of history rather than a tool for our daily life. 

What a Throw

Make 2014 a year of Sharing

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.”  – Isaiah 53:3a

He was running through the hills as any young boy would do in that day.  He and his cousin were climbing and rough housing, throwing stones at the small stray goats on the ledge above him and watching as they scampered over the hill.  Being raised in the hills of Southern Israel, he was quite familiar with the footings and careful where he placed his foot as he moved about.  Looking over the edge of the hill, he sees another goat, picking up a stone, he tosses it in that direction.  He is immediately surprised when he hears a crashing noise.  A stone upon other rock or sand would not crash, and if he had hit the goat it would have been a thump.  As the two boys climbed over the edge of the hill, they discovered a cave in the side of the cliff. 

Looking down into the cave they see in the shadows a broken vessel, laying amongst a half dozen other vessels (each standing upright).  Scaling down into the cave, the boys retrieve several scrolls, written upon animal hide and papyrus, written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.  They return to their camp in the lower lands with their treasures.  What they didn’t realize in 1947, was that they held in their hands, the “Great Isaiah Scroll”, which is the complete written word of God as captured in Isaiah 53.  It has been carbon dated by multiple experts to be from the era 200 – 300 years BC.  The single oldest fully complete manuscript found in all of time.  Over the next several years segments from every Old Testament book of the bible (with the exception of Esther) have been discovered in the caves around the Dead Sea city of Qumran. 

The Dead Sea Scrolls have provided a point of reference to the authenticity of the Old Testament.  By looking more closely at the writings though, we find the prophetic messages of Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Zachariah and Malachi amongst others.  These writings that describe in such detail the life that Jesus Christ would live some 400 years later, were written as if they were a newspaper article post tense.  God’s Holy scriptures were captured on scrolls, written with a simple feather quill, and provided to the Jewish population of the time in order to prepare them for the coming Messiah.  When the Messiah did come, He was not accepted by most for a multitude of reasons. 

Today we have God’s Word which clearly tells us about the return of Jesus Christ and the end of times.  It’s not a story, it is prophetic and intended to prepare us for these days.  If you are looking at the Bible as just another novel on the bookshelf, I implore you to take another look.  History has been played out through the pages and the future will play out just as God has told us through Revelations.  There is no better means of encouragement when we look at the news of this day and age, than to know that our Savior is returning one day and we will be taken home. 

© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
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More Than That

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It with your friends

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD” – Isaiah 55:8

  Some will say that the Bible is a book filled with stories of adventures, wars, trials, temptations, rules and guidelines, love, peace and mercy. Some of these individuals might even make the comment that the Holy Bible is not pertinent in today's world. Even that the context for these stories were appropriate in ancient times, but we are so much more knowledgeable and intelligent today. I mean seriously, look at the technology of our modern day: iPAD, iPHone, Wireless Internet, Space Shuttles, Airbus A380 and of course the toaster. It is often stated, “they needed the scriptures in Moses day, they had no other way to communicate but the written word. We know so much more today, these ancient writings just don't apply.”

  You've heard the arguments, right? If not this, than something very similar, in an attempt to obfuscate the holiness and righteousness of God's word. In my opinion that's what it comes down to. People today do not believe there is a need for God's daily involvement. Oh sure, He's great when they’re in a pickle or facing life/death situations, but most people feel pretty comfortable that they're in control of the day to day activities. Such short sightedness on behalf of humanity.

  The Holy Bible is not a checklist or a novel, although many have attempted to market it as such. They weren't bad because of their intentions, just plain wrong. God doesn't need marketing genius' to push His word to the world, He needs His people to carry it one by one if necessary. The scriptures are there for our education, sanctification and relationship with Him. The depth of information contained inside of the 1,189 chapters of the Bible give us a foundation of truth, regardless of the timeframe in which we live. We learn from the Old Testament the very moral code that has existed for mankind for thousands of years. Of course, the knowledge and relationship baseline that is established in the New Testament sets in place the future of all man-kind, both here on earth and in eternity.

  Get past the “thus” and “beget” and “maketh” and “thou” to discover who God is. Read each day about His mercy, grace and examples of righteousness. To build a relationship with Christ, being in the word daily is essential. Through the scriptures we learn who He is, why He came and where He will take us. One of the most important things you will learn in studying the bible though is how to bring His message to the masses. We are told to take the Word to the world, and in order to do so, we must have a comfort level in what we believe and know. God tells us that "...His ways are not our ways...", so do not become complacent in waiting until you know enough, God will use the little bit you do know and change the world with it. Just keep learning, one day at a time. Those around you will begin to see the difference when you begin acting and living in accordance with what you are learning. He's proven in the past He's capable of speaking through a donkey, so what makes you think He can't speak through you? You need to be willing, that's it.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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The Mark

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“This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.  That number is 666.”  –Revelations 13:18

 I must admit I am as superstitious as the next person.  There is something about the number 666 that makes me stop and think about the situation every time.  For example, if I’m purchasing something and the total comes to $666, I’m going to add a pack of gum or a bottle of water so the total price changes.  If I’m traveling and the hotel room they give me is 666, I’m asking for a different room.  Some will say it’s silly, and to some degree their right, but there is no way I want to be associated in any way with that number.

Is it the number or the fact that it is specifically called out in God’s holy word.  The original in Greek was χξϛ which translated is (chi xi sigma or χ (chi) = 600; ξ (xi)=60; and ϛ (sigma)=6).  It is not something to be taken lightly.  When God tells us that the number 666 is the number of the beast it is worth taking note of.  The real question comes down to this do you accept God’s holy word as truth?  That means every verse, every word, every letter as the true manifestation of God’s word written by mankind.

We believe the stories of creation, or Moses crossing the Red Sea, or David killing Goliath, or Daniel living through the night in the lion’s den and that Christ lived, died and rose again.  Why, then do we come to passages like this and try to claim symbolism, or state that it’s not to be taken literally.  Either the entirety of the Holy Bible is God ordained or none of it is.  I believe the Bible is God’s word for us.  It is not intended to confuse us, or misguide us, or cause us to question Him.  We often times try to take the pieces of the Bible that pertain to us and accept those, but throw other parts out as not relevant to our lives.  You can’t have it both ways.  It’s either; all true and applicable to you or it’s not. 

Am I justified in my superstition of the number 666?  No, probably not.  It’s just a number, a combination of digits pieced together to fit in a linear numerical scale after 665 and before 667.  But, I believe the word of God and if His word tells me that this is the number of the beast and it will come to pass that all people will be forced to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. (Rev. 13:16-17)  I am going to avoid any situation where I am associated with that number.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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Where are the Instructions?

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 “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.”  – Psalm 119:1

Opening the cardboard box, there were at least 50 pieces inside, along with a bag filled with screws, bolts, nuts and washers of various sizes.  This was supposed to be a 20 minute job, but looking at the pieces now spread out on the floor in front of me, it looked more like a 20 day job.  As I moved the pieces around it became obvious that there was one thing that was missing – the instruction sheet(s) on how to assemble it.  Oh well, I had built plenty of toys, how hard could it be?

Frustration ensued about 2 hours into the job as my daughter waited impatiently for her new doll house.  I had built it and taken it apart twice because a piece didn’t fit, or was backwards or I had used the wrong screw.  All the while she remained confident in my ability to build it for her.  She was playing with her dolls on the couch while I struggled to finish the balcony and staircase just right.  Then came that moment when I turned the screwdriver one last time and my bag of bolts was empty.  Looking at the doll house in it’s finished state a sense of pride, joy and relief washed over me.  After nearly 3 hours of work on what should have taken 20 minutes, I slid the doll house back and told Emma, “It’s ready “.  There is nothing like seeing the joy in your children’s eyes when they have received a gift they truly cherish.  She ran across the room, arms filled with Barbie dolls and accessories and went straight to work, setting up the house exactly the way she wanted it.

All of the frustration could have been avoided and she could have been playing with her doll house much earlier had I only stopped and looked around a few more minutes before starting on this adventure.  For you see, the instruction sheets had slid under the couch in the family room as I opened the box.  Six simple pages of well documented diagrams, warnings and instructions on what went where and what not to do.  I couldn’t help but laugh at myself and my lack of patience and arrogance in thinking that I knew what to do.

We are the same way with God.  He has given you the perfect instruction manual – His Holy Word.  Within it’s pages are wisdom, knowledge and instructions on how to handle life’s pressures with patience, integrity, truthfulness and joy.  We often look at the problems we face in life and use our own life experiences to quickly attack the situation.  I propose that there is another alternative and that is to take the problem to the Lord first and listen to His advice.  Understand that the Bible is filled with answers to life’s questions if we were only willing to pursue it. 

Just like the way I struggled to put Emma’s doll house together, we can get to the final result on our own but more often than not it will be much more difficult than had we followed the Father’s word.  We know right from wrong, good from evil and the expected righteousness of God.  The key is to use this knowledge, coupled with the living testimony of Jesus Christ in our lives and the examples given from His walk on this earth to take on the challenges we face each day.  This is why spending time in His Word and in quiet reflection is so important each day.  The more we study and remain in Him, the easier it becomes to follow His instructions in life.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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