Trust the Process

" And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."  - Romans 8:28

What is the purpose of life?

The question on the minds of every human being at some point in their life.  Why am I here?, What am I supposed to do with my life?  We all struggle at times with wanting something greather than we can see in our current state of life.  Even those deemed great by man's standards, fell inadequate at times, and long for more.  No more as in wealth, or status, or position, but more as in purpose.  

Bill Gates at one time was the richest man on earth.  He was worth $68 billion ahead of the Prince of United Arab Emerates at $64 billion.  This was long before the modern age of billionaires, where as today, in that circle, his $68 billion would be considered petty.  His name doesn't even appear in the top 15 in the Statista report from 2025.  So when man put's his purpose in wealth on this earth, it will never be enough.  In the height of his wealth, Bill Gates was quoted as saying, "One thing is for sure. I won’t leave a lot of money to my heirs because I don’t think it would be good for them."  His reality was that money is a burden if not used for the betterment of mankind.  This philosophy is rare amongst the elite billionaires of the world.  His purpose in gaining wealth was philanthropic in nature and intent on helping others with what he had accumulated.  He was also quoted as saying, "I intend on spending the rest of my life giving away the wealth, rather than leaving it for my children."  

For many, wealth seems to be the goal, the purpose for living, but in reality, we will all die one day.  There is no remedy for that forecasted conclusion.  It is inevitable and undeniable that life has a beginning and an end, and it is also certain that there is nothing accumulated in this world that can be taken with us.  So, how is accumulating wealth and material possessions and fame a purpose for life.  Wealth does not bring God closer, but it can be used to help others.

This world is full of good and evil in all aspects of life.  The scriptures are clear though, evil comes from Satan.  God is the conduit, the catalyst for good in the world.  If we want to be part of the good in this world, we must become focused on fulfilling His purpose in our life.  Every aspect of God's purpose though is to lift up and expand His glory and His Kingdom.  It has nothing to do with our financial well being, prosperity, or material possessions.  Serving Him is everyone's calling.  Yes, prosperity can come from that as God sees fit, but not the other way around.  You will find your purpose when you are able to deny yourself and draw closer to Him.  In this manner, even those things that are painful or look bad on the surface have the ability to enhance His Kingdom and glory, because we are serving Him.  

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Bible Study – James (day 5)

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“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” –James 1:13-15

Weakness, we all have them.  My brother runs a program in Michigan for men of addiction, and helping them recover and become restored in society.  One of the important points that I have learned in the few opportunities I have had to visit and meet with him and the men in the Mission is that we all have addictions.  Some are addicted to work, some to food, some to money, some to sex, and then there are the more commonly thought of addictions to drugs, alcohol and violence.  There is something in each of our lives that fills a void, an emptiness or weakness that should be filled by our love for God.  Often this is driven by the desire to control that aspect of our life, yet in reality it is truly controlling us, we are just unable to see the stronghold it has on us, through our biased blindness.

So many times people are asking why evil things to happen to us or why we continue to be tempted even after we have given our life to Christ.  Some even look to blame God for the bad things that happen in our lives.  I’ve seen people justify unethical decisions with a Robin Hood mentality and truly believe these actions are acceptable in God’s eyes.  We try to rationalize and make excuses for our unrighteousness, as if God can be persuaded to accept our actions.  Let’s be very clear about this; God does not change, He demands perfection from us and will accept nothing less.  The evil actions that inhabit your mind, body and soul are worldly, not heavenly.  There is no unrighteous thought, action, of word that comes from our Father in Heaven. 

I’m sure most of you have heard the story of Albert Einstein challenging his professor on good vs. evil and the existence of God.  There are video clips here, which you can see the entire representation.  But for the sake of brevity, I will summarize it here for you.  The professor one day challenges the student with the hypothesis to prove that if there is a God than God is evil. 

Prof: Do you agree that God created all things?  Student: Yes. 
Prof: Do you agree that evil exists in the world?  Student: Yes. 
Prof:  Therefore God must have created evil.  Why would God create evil to happen in our lives if He loves us?

The greatest part of this story though is that the student stands up for God with the following rebuttal. 

Student: Professor, you’re wrong.  Can you tell me is there such a thing as cold? 
Prof: Of course. 
Student: No, it is merely the absence of heat.  Can you tell me is there such a thing as dark? 
Prof: Of course, every night. 
Student: Again, you’re mistaken.  Dark is simply the absence of light.  (at this time the professor is frustrated)  You see professor, evil exists only in the absence of good.  God did not create evil, He created good.  It is our lack of acceptance of His good that has resulted in evil in this world.

As we are tempted daily by evil, we must learn to turn to God for strength, courage and confidence to overcome these temptations and addictions.  It is only through God that we are able to fill the void in our life, with something that is wholesome, pure, good and righteous.

ACTIONs for Growth: What are you addicted to?  Don’t minimize the importance of this question.  What is it in your life that draws you away from God?  What are you relying on instead of relying and trusting in the power of the Almighty?  Do you expect that God is going to bend or break His principles and requirements for eternity based on your excuse for your unrighteousness?  Think again.  He is immutable and never changing.  Your unrighteousness is forgiven and you are provided acceptance into heaven based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not because God has reduced the requirements.  Put a plan in place to remove these addictions and replace them with God’s love and strength.   

    





© Sondove Enterprises, 2019
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Be Fruitful and Multiply

Click Here: Read Luke 6

““No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers.” – Luke 6:43-44


One of the greatest opportunities you will have this year to evangelize is the next 3 weeks.  This is the time of year when our eyes are focused on the real meaning of the season, the Christ child, the Son of God.  You have an open door to share your belief with others, without abandon or fear of rejection.  The majority of the people in your sphere of influence realize the Christian reason for celebrating Christmas.  But, they may have never heard the true story of what happened to that baby in the manger, when He grew up.

“It is a personal thing.” I have heard this statement so many times in my life, from those that wanted to avoid their Christianity becoming a beacon for the world to see.  So many people fall into this camp of accepting Christ as their Savior and then quietly going about their business for the rest of their life without ever taking up the mantle of telling others.  What I don’t understand is why?  What is it that causes them to light their candle (so to speak) and then put it under a bushel basket?  The gift that one receives in salvation is not meant to be a checkbox item.  It is intended to be a change from unrighteousness to righteousness and to then live by the spirit of the Lord.  One’s life will bear fruit in one way or another.  Either the fruit is rich in spreading the Good News or it is not, there is no other choice.

Somewhat of a morbid question, but if you were to die today, would there be any doubt in the minds of those around you that you loved the Lord and served Him in your life?  Do those around you know that you are a Christian and are you living a life that represents Jesus Christ to them?  Every day millions of people die in this world, how many do you think go to heaven?  Perhaps 70%, maybe 60%, surely more than 50%. What if the answer were less than 35%?  According to a recent poll, 32% of the world’s 7.1 billion people claim to be Christian.  There is no statistical fact check on the percentage of those that claim to be Christian that have actually accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord.  For the sake of argument, let’s just assume that by stating they are Christian this group of 2.2 billion will receive eternity with God one day.  That still leaves 4.9 billion people who will not.

You are influencing people all around you with your actions, your words, and your attitude every single day.  They will either see Jesus in your actions or they won’t.  That is truly dependent upon you and your acceptance of His calling on your life.  Your faith is a private matter in that it is a personal decision to follow Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  It is not a private matter though in that it was intended to be shared with others.  Those around you may or may not come to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ themselves, based on your actions.  If you choose to keep your salvation and your faith concealed, who might be missing out on eternal life as a result? 

Likewise, those around you may or may not have accepted Jesus Christ, and how will you know without seeing it in their life, or asking them about it?  You parents, your children, your siblings, your spouse, your best friend – are they saved?  Do you know, or are you assuming because they are nice, help others and have never stolen or killed someone, they must be a Christian.  If one of them were to die today, could you stand at their funeral and know without a doubt that they are dancing with Jesus today, or is there that voice of uncertainty.  If the later, than have the discussion immediately and share with them the glory of God’s love, His grace and His eternal peace.  Starting with those closest to you and then working your way out to impact others in the community and eventually the world, is the call upon each of us that have accepted Christ.  Let your fruit be rich in His glory and righteousness.  Make this a joyous Christmas with the confidence that those you love are destined for the eternity Jesus came and gave His life to provide. 



© Sondove Enterprises, 2018
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Evil Exists – So What (There is a God- Pt 6 of 7)

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”  – John 14:15

My Thoughts:
All of you must be able to see that we live in a fallen world.  The violence, bloodshed, abuse and anger that so many are experiencing today is far greater than any other time in our history.  A day doesn’t go by when we are not hearing another story of someone being shot, or multi-person murder, or violent protesting in the streets and casting insults upon one another.  Daily there are drive by shootings in neighborhoods around major metropolitan cities across America.  It’s not all gun-violence, but certainly we hear about these more so than other violent crimes.  Horror stories of sex-trafficking, child-pornography, suicides and school shootings grace the crevice of our ears almost weekly now.  Mankind has fallen and it’s almost becoming blasé and less of a shock to the average person.

What causes individuals to believe that they have the right to walk into an establishment, wave a pistol and begin shooting?  What makes a person think he is justified in kidnapping a 14 year old girl while she waits for a school bus, drug her, take her away to a foreign country and sell her for unthinkable purpose?  What differentiates their thought process from mine or yours (as you read this)? 

God created this world, mankind, and all that is in it.  The evil in this world has perverted it.  God’s word tells us of His character as perfect, righteous and holy.  When someone chooses to live outside of God’s character it is expected that they are living outside of these traits as well.  But, those of us living within God’s character, it is expected that we abide by His laws and the teaching of His Son Jesus Christ.  (John 14:21)

I’ve spoken to and listened to several atheists on this topic.  Their entire premise is that Christians need God as a crutch and Satan to blame, to avoid dealing with these difficult issues in life.  Their statements were ground in the belief that there is no supreme being, we are here for a period of time and then we are gone.  Often times they’ve read the bible cover to cover, even multiple times, and have a very thorough understanding of the message that we, “Christians”, believe.  They simply choose not to, as is their prerogative.  To them the bible is a compilation of fantasy stories told from generation to generation to appease mankind’s fear of the unknown.  At the basis, though, is a predominant feeling of self-righteousness.  Without a supreme being, a higher power, there is no one for them to answer too.  They answer only to themselves and their opinion of right vs. wrong as their guideline for life.

To this I wonder though; where does the foundation of this right and wrong come from?  Where did they learn that it is wrong to kill, to steal, or to bring harm upon another?  Where did this internal judgment complex come from?  There must be a foundation of right and wrong for them to compare their opinion against in order for them to claim that someone is doing something wrong.  What they will not admit to you is that they don’t know.  Certainly man’s laws are crafted in a manner to keep the peace between individuals, and could be claimed as the foundation of their choices and decisions. We are all obligated to uphold and live by these laws.  Dig a little deeper and ask the basic questions of where those laws were founded?  What is the premise of the laws that govern your country, county and city?  After peeling back layer after layer of the onion, most will fall back to early manuscripts which quote the 10 Commandments as a basis.

God has ingrained in every single human born an innate knowledge and sense of right vs. wrong.  Because we are made in His image, we are filled with His presence and love as our foundation during the development stages before birth.  Once born, the world begins influencing decisions and laying the second, third and fourth layer upon an individual’s character.  Life’s situations, environment and culture have much to do with an individual’s outlook on right vs wrong when we become adults.  The inability to recognize God is a learned trait, something that was taught and accepted rather than something that is believed through faith.  The most fundamental difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is our faith in something we have never seen and cannot be proven. 

We trust in the scriptures as God’s holy word and the single point of truth in the world today.  This lighthouse keeps us focused on right vs wrong in the eyes of the Lord.  When we are living by His standard of goodness, there is nothing in this world that can declare it as wrongdoing.  

Be Blessed,

Rich

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Are You Capable to Judge?

Who is strong enough to actually be a judge in today’s world?  We all judge every single day, whether we intentionally do it or not.  Let’s look at this from a pragmatic point of view.

Is there such a thing as good and evil?  If one were to say yes, of course.  Then we must follow up with the question – What constitutes goodness and what constitutes evil?  An individual will give a subjective response to this question, but then again who’s to say that a person standing next to them or a person down the street would have a very different response to this same question.  Then we must ask, in the circumstance that their responses are different, who is correct when they both face the same moral situation.

Example: if a person hits another person across the face, is it right or wrong?  Frank might say that it is right based on the words that the person had said prior to being slapped.  Jack might say it is never right to hit another person and therefore the person doing the hitting should receive a just consequence.  Two opinions on the same situation, both somewhat justified in their perspective.  Who’s the better judge?  In answering this question, you are also putting forth your opinion in one direction over the other, so what makes you correct over others reading this that would put forth the opposing opinion?

Judging is not simple by any means, and to be honest we are not equipped mentally or spiritually to take on that role in even the most basic situations.  In life there are extremely difficult situations that we are facing daily that require us to make a judgement on right/wrong or good/evil.  Abortion, rape, gun control, drugs, pornography, racism, parenting, work, school, church, discipline, finances, and so on and so on. 

We make decisions based on an evaluation of the outcome and how it impacts us and those around us at any given moment.  Once the decision has been made, we move on and take on the next decision.  We use our views on good/evil, right and wrong to make these decisions; but who established within our own moral compass the definitions of these perspectives.  What is the moral foundation for our determinism, and does it ever change?

Have you ever made a determination if something is good or evil only to come back at a later time with a change of heart or a different opinion on the matter?  Have you ever been wrong in determining that something is evil when in reality it may have been circumstantial and actually had a longer good or positive result?  We are all quick to judge others based on our moral compass without fully understanding the details of a situation or action.  Yet, we are so unbelievably limited in our ability to fully perceive the completeness of any situation from a macro point of view.  We use the knowledge and experiences of our own life to judge others against those experiences and knowledge basis.  Do we truly have such a high opinion of ourselves and our wisdom to think that we have the right to actually judge another for any of their actions?

Come on seriously.  You believe you can judge others, and that you have that right to do so?  Fine, judge me in the comments section below.

Based on your knowledge, wisdom and experiences with me in this life answer the following:

1.      Am I ever wrong about my views on society?

2.      Do I work hard for the money I make?

3.      If I told you I have a gun, am I right in that decision?

4.      If I discipline my children, am I a child abuser?

5.      If I lose my temper, is that verbal abuse?

6.      If I stole something as a young man, am I a criminal, and should I be sentenced?

7.      Am I wrong to drink a beer when I watch football on Saturdays?

8.      Should I be punished for not spending more time with my family and working long hours?

9.      If I lie about a specific action or topic, and mislead you, am I still a friend?

10.   I love helping out at church, but it means I’m not with my wife in the pews, is this wrong?

How did I do in your eyes?  This is a very simple, non-offensive list to most, but represents the fact that we all would look at this list of 10 things, and I assure you, none of us would have the exact same response to the entire list.  Each of us are unique in our thought process and determination on what constitutes right and wrong. Therefore, I posit that you and I are not qualified to judge others in anything, if we cannot agree on the simple things. 

We were not designed to judge each other.  In our humanity, we cannot see the exponential scale of every decision made by others, and therefore we are incapable of determining right from wrong.  We have a single point of reference though, and that is Jesus Christ.  For He alone, according to the scriptures, lived a perfect, sin-free life and now sits at the right hand of the Father.  He alone has given all that our iniquities can be erased and forgiven.  It is this grace, this love from Him that we hold as truth and authentic righteousness, and any judgement or opinion outside of this is flawed from it’s base.  Because we are not perfect and sinless, we have not ability to judge others for their imperfectness and sins.  So let God be God, and learn to love others simply because they are imperfect just like you.

Get Out of the Valley

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“Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” – 1 Kings 18:21

  As my eyes looked over the fullness and rich landscape, my mind was captured in a battle between the greatness of history and the promise of the future.  It’s mind numbing when you realize that your feet have walked the paths, the trails and the steps that men of such great stature have also walked.  There is a pseudo connection between the past and the present that creates an image in your mind of what it must have been like in those days, despite the fact that millions if not billions have also place their foot in that same spot.

  I recall as a young boy coming through the tunnel, and then stepping onto the turf at the University of Michigan football stadium “The Big House”.  Walking to the center of the field and seeing my foot on the yellow (maze) paint of the big block “M” is something that immediately brought forth a flood of memories while at the same time painted a dream of one day actually playing on that field.  It filled me with the desire to dream big, to set high goals and visualize the stadium filled with 105,000 screaming fans.  The day dream ended all to quickly as the coaches at the football camp barked out their instructions for us to begin the daily football drills.

  But something was different when I stood on Mt. Carmel and looked down over the Jezreel Valley and the Valley of Megiddo.  The history was not something I had watched on Saturday afternoon’s with my dad and my brother, but something I had only read about and without pictures.  Elijah called down fire from heaven on this mountain, as he put his faith and trust in the Lord Almighty to battle those who worshiped Baal.  Was it possible that I stood in the exact spot, who knows, but the reality of His presence fell upon me as I read from 1 Kings 18 that day.  The realization that our God is so big, omnipotent and glorious; the emotions welled up inside of me as I journeyed in this place.  

  Many believe the Megiddo valley (Valley of Jezreel) is the location of this final battle between the King of Kings and the armies of the Beast.  In Revelations 14 we read of a river of blood flowing “..as deep as the bits of horses for 180 miles” through the Israel in that day.   Looking out over the valley once again, my mind saw the picture painted by John in the book of Revelations 19.  I picture the Lord of Lords coming down with an army from heaven and destroying evil once and for all on the earth.  Standing on the top of Mt. Carmel, one can see clearly Mt. Tabor, Mt. Gilboa and the Kishon river that passes through the valley, near Jezreel.  Today the Israeli Air Force landing strip is here, but one day I picture millions of bodies covering the land, while birds eat of their flesh (Rev. 19:17-18), and the river is filled with blood.

  God’s wrath will pour out upon the evil of this world in this very valley (I believe).  It saddens me that people can see the history of this place, read the factual accounts from thousands of years ago, and still choose not to believe that the future picture is just as real.  You don’t need to visit Mt. Carmel or the Jezreel Valley to understand that the end is coming and there will be a final battle of good vs. evil.  God will once again reign down from heaven and destroy that which chooses to refuse Him.  He demonstrated it through Elijah on this very mountain in 1 Kings 18 and 2 Kings 1; we need not look too far to realize He will do it again.    

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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Finding the Light

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“. . .and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.” – Revelation 2:3

  We stood and watched as the black clouds rolled over the horizon.  It seemed as if almost immediately the 9AM bright blue sky became as midnight.  Street lights began illuminating and the highway was filled with headlights and taillights.  Ominous could have been a word describing the rolling clouds, as the very thought that this could be big stretched across the brain matter of each person standing there with me.  Yet through the pitch there was a silver ray, a beam upon the distant horizon.  It was faint at first but then began widening and bringing with it hope and a comforting acceptance that the end was not upon us, but just a passing expression of the darkness of the world.  Within the span of 1 revolution of the large hand upon the clock, we were in the much taken for granted beautiful blue skies of Southeastern Texas once again and the storm had passed.

  Much like life, storms will come and go upon your daily walk with the Lord.  There will be times when you are fearful, tired, and distraught with uncertainty and the uncomfortableness of the darkness that has settled around you.  When we look upon these spectacles as if we are without hope it can often be overwhelming.  It’s easy to become lost in the worries and fears of this world and forget that we are the children of the most powerful King and Creator of all things. 

  The problem is we have a hard time finding the horizon or we grow weary as we wait for the sliver of light to appear.  Often times we expect that our hardships, our struggles and our worries will be swept away instantly at our request, without considering the sovereignty, authority and power of the Lord.  The strong will look at the horizon continuously seeking the Light, knowing that the evil of this world is only temporary.  We seek Him that brings peace, comfort, confidence and protection.  The Light is always there, though often hidden by the pitch and filth of the world.  His promise was that He will be with us always, even to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:20).  You must ask yourself if you trust His word and believe that He can be trusted.  Do not grow weary in your quest, for He has given all for your salvation.  He will see you through the storms and valleys of this life and bring you to the calm and peace of His loving embrace.

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In a Nanosecond

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“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness” – 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5

Tell me how long is a nanosecond?  Do you even know what a nanosecond is?

From our youth we learned that the speed of light is 186,282 miles per second.  That is an enormous, nearly unmanageable data point when considering a photon of light actually traveling in a guided path around the world 7 times in one second.  We cannot fathom the distance that light travels in miles, because we don’t see light for miles away, we see it for much shorter distances.   A typical room might be 12 feet wide, the headlights of a car coming at us can be seen from ½ mile away (2640 feet).  At the speed of light a single photon will travel approximately one foot (30 cm) in one nanosecond, or one billionth of a second. So when you enter a dark room, you turn on the light switch and the room is immediately filled with light, this time is measured in nanoseconds.  I imagine that the time it takes for the light photons to fill a room is not something you have considered before, because it seems instantaneous, but it’s not.  It is just so incredibly fast that your eyes cannot comprehend the difference in a manner fast enough for your brain to realize that time has passed.

As I shared yesterday, darkness exists in the absence of light.  The world is in absolute darkness, except for the light of the sun, the stars, the moon reflecting the sun’s light and the manmade electronic version of light. As you think of the light within you though, it is the same philosophy.  We are born into sin, unrighteousness and darkness, by the nature of mankind’s rebellion against God.  This stems all the way to Adam and Eve, and their rebellion in the Garden of Eden.  Inherently then, we carry this same proclivity to rebel and sin.  So, with a hardened heart and darkness that consumes our being, we are unable to be in the presence of God’s holiness and perfection.  Heaven is not attainable in our human state of sin.  This is why God took it upon Himself to make a way.  That way being Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God and the Light of the World.  He came that we might find salvation and redemption for our sinful actions, and enter into heaven washed clean of our transgressions and sin.  We must first embrace the light of salvation and accept that we are incapable of achieving this perfection and sinlessness on our own.  We must be filled with the light of the Son of Man to overcome the darkness of the word, and only then are we able to share that light with others. 

Just as when your neighbor turns on his porch light the light waves flow within nanoseconds to your pupils, others will see the light of Christ coming from you after you have embraced it.  There is nothing you need to do to perfect this light, for it is already perfect.  You must simply let His love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, peace, servant heart and grace flow through you.  Others will then be attracted to the light as well, giving you the perfect opportunity to encourage them with goodness and love as the light comes from you. 
             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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Become the News

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"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than receive." – Acts 20:35


The days are long and the nights are too short.  The ticking of the clock on the wall echoes through the emptiness and vacancy of the room.  It’s quiet at 4 AM.  More so than any other time of day.  It’s the time I wake to spend with the Lord in quiet reflection, before the busyness of another day overwhelms me once again.  Have you recognized that the more we try to cram into a single 24 hour period the more stressed our life becomes?  This 21st century life we have created is filled with nonsense and frivolous banter about meaningless rhetoric.  I’m bored with the nightly news – they call it journalism; I call it the televised version of the Enquirer.  We are bombarded with cultural icons and propaganda that is supposed to make our life meaningful, when in reality it stupefies and shifts our focus from the important issues in life.

I awoke this morning somewhat lost in my fear for the ones bound by the world’s authority and power.  Helpless to overcome their own knowledge and understanding of the things beyond their grasp.  There is a false sense of confidence and control in knowing all things, and a tolerance for any action regardless of justice.  For in the eyes of the non-believer justice is something that is enacted by man upon one another.  In their eyes, the very essence of right and wrong, good and evil come from the interpretation of laws set in place by other individuals and held as truth and justice for all.  But is it truly just?  For you see, without a sovereign authority over mankind, it becomes a game of survival of the fittest – a Hunger Game if you will.  If this is the case and all mankind are on this planet to survive the onslaught of others; be it mental, physical or emotional; then what differentiates one evil act from another. 

People die every day from malnutrition and the simple fact is - we, as a society, are not focused on helping our fellow man survive.  We choose to let people die of starvation and dehydration and children die from abortion because we do not want to get involved.  By making this choice we knowingly acknowledge that their life is less valuable and not worth saving.  Similarly, if a man chooses to drive through a shopping center parking lot at high speed and hits a group of individuals crossing the street.  He knowingly acknowledges by his actions that their life is less valuable than his.  In both cases the individual’s choice and actions have resulted in the loss of life.  Now tell me, of those that died – whose life is more valuable in the world’s eyes - the homeless person that died in the alley without food for the night or the person who died while carrying their packages from the mall to their car?

Life is given by God Almighty without classification.  Every person born on this earth in history and forever more (accept one – Jesus Christ) was born with the exact same status in God’s eyes.  Each is a precious soul born with the intent purpose to praise and worship the creator of all things.  The life we live from the moment of birth until the last breath we take is a journey of discovering God and living for Him.  The grace, mercy and love of the Father is not socialistic or established by the economic class of individual or size of a person’s bank account.  It is not destined only for those that live in developed countries and attend church every Sunday.  It is not uniquely defined for those that have read the bible or those that have attended seminary.  No, the grace of God is available to every human being willing to acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  That means you, and the person sitting next to you and your neighbor and the cashier at the grocery store and the person that cut you off in traffic and the children in Africa or Haiti and the Government officials trying to make this world better.  There is not one individual that did not have the opportunity of God’s grace available to them.  It is the choice that matters in life, and then what you do with it after accepting it is the news of the day.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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This Little Light of Mine

“For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”  – Matthew 24:27

What is the speed of dark?  This was a science question on one of my final exams many years ago.  You cans search all through the internet and find many different hypothesis and theories, but no proven fact that darkness has speed.  We all know that light has the speed of 186,000 miles per second, therefore the speed of dark must be the inverse of the speed of light or 1/186,000 miles per second.  When you see light you are seeing the absence of darkness, for darkness is all around you until a light source is introduced in one manner or another.  The stars, the moon and even the street lamps give off light during the night hours, so we are never fully engrossed in complete darkness. 

Even when you have entered an inner room in your home (with no windows) close the door and turn the lights off.  You will notice that you still see some traces of light.  Around the door frame, and even emitting from your shirt (if it’s white) or the sink or mirror perhaps.  Light is reflected from many things and therefore absorbed as a part of the process.  This allows light to continue to be emitted from these things even in the absence of a light source.  The longer these items are away from the light source the dimmer they will become though.  Last week, I was privileged to here David Fleming from the UK speak at our church, and he gave a sermon on the properties of darkness.  Light and darkness are direct opposites of each other.  They cannot co-exist.  Darkness is incapable of overcoming light.  When the two are brought together light will displace darkness, not the other way around.  All the way down to the very smallest of particles, light is either reflected or not depending completely on the strength of the light source and the molecular structure of the object. 

If you, like me, feel that there is more unrighteousness and evil in the world today, it is not because darkness became stronger.  No, it is because the light has become weaker.  The scriptures tell us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world.  In John 8:12, He claims to be “the light in the world…”  Jesus came that we all might have light in our darkness and be saved from the darkness.  For darkness is of this world, and light comes from righteousness which is not of this world.  In order to press back the darkness we need to enhance the visibility and strength of God’s message to the world.  There will come a day when we no longer need lamps, candles or lights for we will be in the ever present company of God himself.  As it was predicted in 2 Samuel 22:29 and fulfilled in Revelation 21:21 tells us that Jesus Christ will be our lamp in that day.  Do not hide His light under a bushel or keep it to yourself.  It is intended to grow stronger by sharing it with others.  You all remember the children’s song, “This little light of mine,  I’m gonna let it shine.  This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”  Choose this day to share the light with those you meet.

Prayer:
Loving Father,
You are the light of the world, and in You there is no darkness.  We are blessed to be in Your presence, and to reflect Your light to the world.  In this world there is darkness and we accept our role to bring light into the darkness, so that others may be able to see You more clearly.  Help us and direct our feet along the path of righteousness, in Your name we pray – Amen

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©Sondove Enterprises, 2011