“But God said to him, ‘You
fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get
what you have prepared for yourself?’ – Luke 12:20
These days
will draw to an end, to this there is no doubt.
We are not guaranteed tomorrow or the next day or the day after that,
for it is not within our power to determine when the sun will no longer rise or
the mountains will tremble. Can any one
of us cause the sun to fall from the sky?
Does this power exist amongst mortal men? Example after example could be given
demonstrating the immediacy of death upon us in a manner by which it is,
without a doubt, outside of our control.
The people of the world have been shaken of late with natural disasters,
rioting in the streets and terrorism at it’s finest. A boy walking to class is struck by a stray
bullet in the streets of Chicago. A
woman just finishing her grocery shopping steps out of the store and is crushed
by the debris from buildings collapsing around her. An elderly couple are struck in the side of
their car as they drive through an intersection, one is taken, the other is
not. A young man with a bandana around
his head and fist raised high is trampled as hundreds of thousands storm the
gates of the capital building. Let’s
face it, as we step into the world each and every day, we only have so much
control over the events in our life.
Certainly we can live cautiously and watch every step we take to ensure
that we return home safely at the end of the day, but in this day and age a
simple walk to the curb could lead to a tragic ending.
Sadly, some chose the method of their death by self infliction. This desperate move represents a person’s
loss of hope in those around them, and in God.
When a person’s judgment is clouded by the obstacles in life rather than
the opportunities, life can look hopeless.
It is easy to look at the strife, anguish and helplessness of people in
the world today and begin to lose hope that there is a way out. I, myself, have looked at the utter chaos
within the world and asked, “Can it ever be completed?” Can the peace, love and hope of the Lord ever
reach the masses in a way that draws them nearer to His bosom?
Many are driven by the moment. This is
no different today than in the biblical days of old. As new and fresh as people believe it is
today, the same lack of respect of our Lord has existed since time began. The only difference is the scale by which it
is measured. Instantaneous pleasure,
selfishness and shameless addictions are a part of the lives of the majority
today. We are all addicted to one thing
or another and in most cases, it’s sad to say, it is not God’s will in our
life. As much planning and preparation
we do to ensure that our future retirement and lifestyle is secure, is all for
naught when the winds blow or the earth shakes tomorrow. How valuable is our possession when it is
buried under 30 feet of rubble after an earthquake, or 20 feet of water after a
hurricane.
We are taught to store up our treasure in heaven, where it is secure and
ever-lasting (Matthew
6:20). Not to be taken
literally, but to be understood that the things we treasure, the things of this
world are meaningless in the Kingdom of heaven.
This very day your life could be taken from you. This is not a threat, but a fact that we all
must deal with. The choices we make each
and every day as to how to spend our time, our money and use our talents will
go to benefit one of two masters. Either
we are investing in our future eternity or we are investing in our temporary
comfort and pleasure. Don’t complicate
it more than that, because it’s not.
Prayer:
Father,
We come before You this day filled with hope.
Hope in Your truth and justice to oversee our life and give us purpose
each day. We pray for the safety of Your
children in the war torn regions of the world and those places of unrest. Be with them and guide them to Your side that
they might draw wisdom and strength from You, their Creator. We pray for Your children in those areas of
the world struck by natural disasters.
Bring them peace, hope and courage to rebuild and renew their strength
in You. Bless us this day with confidence
to face the challenges in our path. In
Your name we pray – Amen
© Sondove
Enterprises, 2019
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
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Thoughts
“Be very careful, then, how
you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity,
because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the
Lord’s will is.” -Ephesians 5:15-17
What a year
2018 has been. New relationships have begun, old ones have come to an end. Dear Loved ones have been lost and new life
has begun. As it draws to a close are
you looking back with amazement as to how the Lord has blessed you, or are you
looking back with relief that it is finally over? You sat 365 days ago
planning for all of the things you expected to accomplish in 2018. How did
that go for you? Were you able to make progress on your resolutions for
the year, and improve upon this one and only life you have been given? As
you plan for the coming year, I’m sure you are thinking about family, friends,
vacations, work, school and your own personal goals for finances and
health. Where is the Lord’s plan fitting into your planning?
Starting on Tuesday, January 1st, you will have 1 year, 365 days, 8760 hours,
525,600 minutes or 31,536,000 seconds in the calendar year of 2019. What
if the world ends this year and you knew for a fact that Jesus Christ was
returning at 12:12 AM (GMT) on March 12, 2019? Would your plans for the
year be different? Would you focus on achieving your bucket list, making
millions of dollars, getting that promotion, losing weight or reducing your
cholesterol? You could create a countdown chart on your wall with the
exact number of days and live in a constant mode of rushing to accomplish
everything before it got to zero.
According to the Psalmist in Psalm 39:4 – “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end &
the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life” But even then, the Lord does not promise you
even one more day. In Luke 12:20, Jesus tells us; “But God said to him,
'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will
get what you have prepared for yourself?” There are no guarantees to have
tomorrow, so do not live in such naivety as to think you can control the number
of days you have left.
I propose that you take this day to outline your plans for 2019 as if it were
the last year before Jesus Christ returns. March 12, 2019 is no more
likely than any other day to be the day that Jesus Christ returns, but we should
be living as if we knew He were coming back any moment. Prepare a plan for
the year focusing on these 5 areas:
1. Write out your testimony. How did you come to know Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord?
2. Commit to a quiet time of praying with the Lord every day regardless of your
time schedule and busyness. A few minutes or an hour, commit to giving the Lord
time each day
3. Make of list of 25 people you will pray for throughout the year. Pray
for each person every day, or rotate through the list as you are led by the
Holy Spirit.
4. Take the initiative to have an open discussion about your faith with at
least 10 people that you are unsure have a relationship with Christ.
5. Tithe to your local church. If you aren’t attending a church, you
should. Fellowship with other believers makes one’s faith stronger
Of all of the promises in the Bible, the promise of Jesus Christ to His
disciples to return and bring them to heaven with Him, is the one I am holding
true to this year. I do not propose to have any knowledge or prediction of
when Jesus will return, but I do have His promise. My goals for 2019 will
be centered around expanding His kingdom one person at a time or one hundred if
it is within His will. Through DailyThoughts, one on one discussions, social media, and public speaking
events; I intend on spreading the word of Jesus Christ as far as the Lord will
allow. Won’t you find a way to celebrate the Lord and spread His good news
this year as well. Think about it. If every Christian were to take
this task seriously and successfully reach out to one unbeliever this year, the
multiplicity principal would effectively double the size of God’s Kingdom in
one year. It all starts with you taking your part and following the Lord’s
lead. I promise, if you are willing to step out and spread His message, He
will ensure that you are used in accordance with His plans.
Prayer:
Loving Father,
You have
promised in Your word to return and bring us home in Your timing. We are
not guaranteed another day in this world, therefore work within each of us to
prepare our hearts, mind and soul for that day. Help us to be evangelists
for You this year. Help us and give us confidence to take every opportunity
as it unfolds to share Your gospel with others. In Your name we pray –
Amen
© Sondove Enterprises, 2018
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
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distribution please click here: Daily
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