Such a Big Boy

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  How precious to me are your thoughts, God!  How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
Psalm 139: 13-18

When the day had finally come, it seemed surreal.  My second child was having a child.  As a grandfather of four beautiful, sweet and adorable little girls; this one was a little bit different.  For you see this time it was a little young man.  This precious boy in my arms on that Spring morning, came into the world full of life and wonder.

I recall walking into the room and seeing my little girl.  Exhausted, glistening and radiant at the same time.  Her face and neck were flush, as a smile crossed her face.  I wiped a tear away as I came in close to her for a hug.  I held her hand and whispered words of love into her ear.  For you see, as much as I realized the new born baby in the room that day was the star of the show, I could never have been more proud of my own child.  She had endured a long, difficult pregnancy which required surgeries mid-way through and extended hospital stays.  She had done everything possible to ensure that this young boy was protected in every manner.  She realized the gift that God had given her and took seriously her role in carrying and delivering His masterpiece into the world.

Turning from her bed, my wife of nearly 30 years at that time handed me my first Grandson, Jonathan Richard (J R) Kidd.  In my typical manner, I leaned in close and whispered a loving blessing into his tender ear and then lifted him in my best Lion King pose.  He was our latest gift from God the Father.  This young child is going to do amazing things for the Kingdom throughout his life.  He will be a change-agent for the Lord and bring thousands if not tens of thousands to the Lord through his love and humble heart of serving God.

As we learned from Psalm 139 – God is with our children in the womb.  When the heart is formed, when the eyes, the ears, the nose, the lungs, the brain, the mouth and every other part is formed from the original fertilized cell of creation.  This child is not the result of randomness, but a perfectly formed system of cells, nerves, bone, tendon, intelligence and love.  Because in the womb, God formed him perfectly by design, as only He can.  I do not know if the Holy Spirit dwells in the hiding place of gestation, but I do know that God’s sovereign hand was on this child, long before any of us met him.

JR is one year old today.  An amazing young man, filled with laughter, joy, love and an unbelievable digestive track.  He is loved by everyone that meets him, because he is innocent to a fault.  He has not learned of the sinful nature of humanity, nor how to be evil in thought or deed.  Yet we, as mature onlookers, know that in this life that will change.  For we are all sinful by nature, yes all of us, even little man – JR.  He walks, he giggles, he laughs, he cries.  He has a few teeth and will bite, because he doesn’t know any better.  He babbles a few words and through body language can tell you exactly what is going on and when he wants his Momma or Daddy.  I am so very fortunate to enjoy time with him each week after church or for a bar-b-que at the house, and I’ve watched him grow so amazingly.

I reflect back in my mind of the small bundle of joy I held up a year ago today and see the incredible things God has already done in his life, and I ask myself one thing.  “What is impossible for this boy to do in his life, if he chooses to follow God?”  You see, at some point JR is going to have to make that choice.  His Momma made that choice, his Daddy made that choice, his aunts and uncles have made that choice and his grandparents have made that choice; but you see we can’t do it for him.  We’ve helped him learn to crawl and then walk, to feed himself and to drink.  We will all help him learn to run and play, and climb trees and ride a bike.  We’ll help him understand love and pain, suffering and empathy and how to help others and how to be kind.  What we can’t do for him though is Save him from eternal Hell.  That he must do on his own.  We are responsible to help him understand the Lord’s goodness, His love and His grace.  We are responsible to teach him of his Savior, Jesus Christ, and what He did on that cross.  But JR will have to accept Christ as his own Savior.  Our works, our words, our pleadings can’t save JR, he will have to come to that relationship with Christ on his own.

My prayer over JR in the hospital room last year is still the same today. 

Lord, I pray for JR to find you, to long for you, to love you and to serve you with all of his heart, mind and soul.  And I pray that through JR your word is passed on to thousands and tens of thousands.  In Jesus name, Amen.

 

JR (Ritchie), Pops loves you so very much.  I know you don’t understand it today, but you have such an amazing family around you to love you, care for you and support you.  We will always be there for you, with arms open and a hug ready, when you are afraid, hurt or just need one.   Someday, I’ll introduce you to Michigan football, and Houston Astros baseball, and how to drive a nail into a piece of wood.  We’ll do so many things together with your Daddy, your Grandpa Jon, your uncles as you grow up.  Boys stuff.  Hang on to your joy lil’ one and always remember from whence you came – you are a creation of God the Father.

37 Days – Discouragement Must Fall

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble. But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired. Isaiah 40:29-31

January 28^th  Prayer:

Lord, I thank You today that You renew my courage when I’m running low. You refresh my faith when I’m faith-fatigued. Lord I believe. Help my unbelief. Thank You that You don’t shame me for getting tired and weary. You renew my strength like an eagle and give me fresh courage for discouragement. I will wait upon You in worship today as You renew my hope, faith and courage. . . in Jesus’ name!

(Name the areas where you feel discouraged today.)

My thoughts:

One of my favorite scriptures as a younger man trying to press on in life.  To do lists, work projects, bills, family time, social time and staying on top of my Christian walk – it all adds up and often times becomes overwhelming. 

When I visited Israel for the first time back in 2001 (summer before 9-11) I recall driving through the countryside near Gilgal and En Gedi.  Our tour guide, Avi, motioned out into the mountainside to observe the rock formation rising from the parched land.  These rocks were in the perfect shape of Eagles wings, creating a perfect shadow in the shape of a soaring eagle covered the caves etched into the side of the mountain.  Can you imagine the time that David hid in those caves of En Gedi?  He had to be tired, weary and questioning his strength to carry on.  Saul was on the hunt for him, and he was on the run.  Yet, he found strength in the Lord to rise from that cave and sneak into Saul’s camp one night, and while Saul slept, David tore a piece from his clothing.  He then used this to demonstrate to Saul that he had no intention of harming him, for he could have the night before while he slept.

The Lord will provide the strength and lift you up when you think you can’t stand again.  An eagle can soar up to 2 miles in the air, (highest known flight), with grace, beauty and power.  When Isaiah mentions soaring on wings of eagles, he is bringing this image into the hearts of those who are struggling in their walk of faith.  Today we can be filled with this image as well, the image of a strong, confident, powerful and graceful eagle soaring through the sky without tiring and rising to heights that the Lord brings us to.

Be Blessed,

Rich

Join us on Facebook @ 10 Minute Reader Daily Thoughts or on Twitter @Sondove
If you would like to be added to the email distribution, please send an email here.
More information on The Crossing Church can be found here: FB: @thecrossing.cc; www.thecrossing.cc

37 Days – Take A Step: Pray

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. James 5:13-15

January 21^st Prayer:

To the God who answers prayer—I repent of my lack of prayer. I ask forgiveness of You for losing confidence that You even hear my prayer. You have called me to pray and I am committing to pray. I will pray for healing— pray for provision—pray for the lost—pray for family—pray for direction and guidance. Father, I am excited today to renew my faith in You. You would not call me to pray if it had no value. You are going to hear a lot from me in 2018 . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

Her spine was deformed at birth, but unknown to her mother and me.  When she was 2 she fell and through an MRI at the emergency room the deformity was discovered.  There was one neurosurgeon specialist in the US who could perform the surgery, and he was booked solid for months into the future.  We hit our knees, we went to the church and prayed with our pastors, we reached out to our friends and family for prayers.  Within a few days we received a call from the assistant to this skilled neurosurgeon, and they wanted to see her the next week.  Was it a co-incidence?  No, I believe it was an answered prayer.

She went through 18 months of many visits back and forth to this doctor 900 miles away.  After several visits, she was 3 years old, when the Doctor came into the room after seeing results of that visit and gave us the news that she would need surgery within the next few weeks.  We had drained our savings, we arrived home that week in panic of how to make it back in 2 weeks.  Again, we kit our knees, we went to our church.  Prayers were lifted up, Pastor Randy laid hands upon our little girl and prayed for her healing and successful surgery.  Within a single day we received a call from a close Pastor friend at another local church with a word that our travel was completely paid for.  

That week, we received an invitation for coffee with the parents of a 17 year old friend of our oldest daughter, who had been to this exact same neurosurgeon with the same problem when she was a young child.  Again – could it just be a co-incidence that this girl lived in the same city as us, and was friends with our daughter, and had the same problem and the same surgery that our daughter was going to endure.  No; it was not a co-incidence, it was an answer to prayer.  We left that coffee table fully informed and much more prepared for what lie ahead and comfort that our little girl was going to be okay.

We arrived the day before the surgery, and our family came in from Michigan and met us there.  We were wrapped in love and strength in this trying time.  The morning of surgery the doctor prepared us for what to expect.  A metal brace and halo would be mounted to her head to extend the spine for surgery.  This would then remain attached for 4 to 6 months while she recovered.  As the doors closed and her gurney was wheeled down the hallway, we turned away as broken parents.  If you’ve been in a similar situation you know the emptiness that is felt inside, knowing you are helpless to solve your child’s problem.  The next 8 hours were spent in prayer, in fear and in quiet with our family around us.  The doctor came out and called the two of us into a room.  They were 80% through the surgery and the surgeon’s exact quote was, “..I’ve done thousands of these surgeries and never had one this successful.  She is doing absolutely wonderful, and we will be able remove the metal brace and halo.”  Four hours later he emerged with a huge smile on his face and the wonderful news that the surgery went perfect.  2 weeks later we took our sweet little girl home.

So tell me, does God answer prayer?  Do prayers for healing work?  In total there were seventeen miracles/answered prayers in this 2 ½ year journey.  God answered our prayers then and today our beautiful miracle baby is 14 years old, incredibly smart, playing sports and following the Lord, Jesus Christ.  Her medical records have been logged in Science and Medical Journals as an exceptional case of spinal stenosis surgery.  God is our provider, our healer and our salvation.

Be Blessed,

Rich

Join us on Facebook @ 10 Minute Reader Daily Thoughts or on Twitter @Sondove
If you would like to be added to the email distribution, please send an email here

37 Days – He Will Do It

Those of you familiar with my writings in the past, I start out each year with the 37 Days of Prayer.  This program comes from Pastor Randy Harvey, of The Crossing Church in the Woodlands, Texas.  Each year Pastor Randy starts us off with 37 Days (10% of the year) in fasting, quiet time and focused prayer.  For the next 34 Days I will be posting his devotional and my journal entries and I encourage all of you to follow suit.  Read through Pastor Randy’s devotional and then capture your thoughts in a journal, on a notepad or on your digital device.  This will help center your mind, thoughts and heart for the year ahead.  You can also follow along (or jump ahead if you’d like by going directly to https://www.thecrossing.cc/37-days ). I hope you will find this invigorating and challenging to help strengthen your walk with Jesus Christ in 2018.



This weeks devotion from Pastor Randy:

Our Inheritance Awaits

Joshua and Caleb, members of the scouting party, ripped their clothes and addressed the assembled people of Israel: “The land we walked through and scouted out is a very good land—very good indeed. If God is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land that flows, as they say, with milk and honey. And he’ll give it to us. Just don’t rebel against God! And don’t be afraid of those people. Why, we’ll have them for lunch! They have no protection and God is on our side. Don’t be afraid of them!” Numbers 14:12

We also stand at the shores of our inheritance from the Lord—2018, the coming year with all its potential and possibilities. God’s promises await us. His provision is right here in front of us. It’s ours for the taking. However, He left giants on the land of inheritance to assure that only a people of faith in Him would possess it. As surely as you and I move toward the promises of God this year, giants will rise to attempt to keep us from our inheritance. Fear will surely leap in our hearts momentarily and voices—convincing voices—will speak to discourage us from believing our God.

Be strong and very courageous! The God who promised is faithful! He will give us the land and release His inheritance to us.

Israel never fully took all the land originally provided by the Lord. We too have outstanding promises we have not received. Let’s go get our inheritance! A promise remains and it’s ours for the taking.

“Let’s go up and take the land—now.”
“We can do it!”

This week, we will stir our courage and faith in God’s promises as we pray His Word over ourselves and our inheritance in 2018!

January 3^rd Prayer

“Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.”  - Psalm 37:4-5

Father God, I delight myself in You today! I find my joy, hope, encouragement, and faith in You. Today, I release the desires of my heart and ask You to give me Your desires. You are gracious to give me Your desires so that my prayer and focus is in sync with You. And, thank You! The burden is not on me to accomplish all the things You have placed in my heart. Your Word says You will do it. I believe that You will do it . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

We’ve all been there a time or two.  That place where the challenge ahead seems daunting and impossible to overcome.  Where there is no visible solution to our problem, and every step we take seems to push us farther away from our objective or create additional complexities that prevent us from tasting the sweetness of victory.  It’s funny, those of us who claim to believe in the all powerful Creator of the Universe, Lord of Lords and King of Kings, look to our own knowledge to try and solve life’s challenges.  We are willing to accept, by faith and hope, that He will save our souls, but not willing to accept that He actually will help us achieve success and accomplish the desires of our heart.

Perhaps it’s because many times the desires of our heart are not aligned with His desires for your life, and therefore we realize that we are on our own in those situations.  If we reach out to Him in thoughtful prayer and humility, seeking the desires He has for our life, He promises to give them to us and to help us accomplish them.  Do you truly believe that your plan for your life is greater than His?  You believe that in your limited wisdom from your life experiences, you can plot out a better path than the Omnipotent, Omniscient Creator of the Universe?

Seek His wisdom, His counsel and His desires and He will give you the purpose and plan that is best designed for you.  Then trust that He loves you, and will accomplish great things through you.

Be Blessed,

Rich

Join us on Facebook @ 10 Minute Reader Daily Thoughts or on Twitter @Sondove
If you would like to be added to the email distribution, please send an email here.

He Hears You

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”  – Ephesians 6:18

When most people think about armor they think about the protective pieces that cover our body and defend against the attack of another.  I am here to tell you that the strongest element of armor you have at your disposal is prayer.  The communication between you and the Father is the strength from within that conquers all that mankind can put in front of you.  God knows what is upon your heart and mind, for He is omniscient (all-knowing).  The prayer lifted up to God is our recognition of dependence upon Him, it’s not to educate Him on what is happening in our life and what He should do.  He already knows what He should do, I mean, He is God and I’m pretty sure He doesn’t need our advice.

So many of us lift a prayer with the expectation that our desires and interests will be met.  What we often fail to grasp is that our desires and interests are not the deciding factor in whether a prayer is answered or not.  I propose that God has a plan for your life, a desire for who He wants you to become and an interest in what is best for you.  We do not have the full picture when we lift our prayers to the Lord of all creation, some might say our perspective is myopic.  Before the thought enters our mind, and the words leave our lips, the Lord has already recognized the need and whether it is in line with His plan for your life.  There are those times that prayers are lifted which are in perfect alignment with His plan, He was simply waiting for you to acknowledge it.  These tend to be the times when we recognize prayers answered quickly.  There are those times that prayers are lifted which are not necessarily in line with God’s plans and we find that they are not answered in a manner we would like.  Either case though, the Lord is hearing your prayers.  The bible assures us that Holy Spirit will intercede on our behalf; Romans 8:26 tells us “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”  The Holy Spirit is God within you, and therefore He knows what you need even when you don’t.

It was December 2003, we had just come back from Michigan after attending my Grandmother’s funeral.  That night my daughter and I were involved in a car accident.  We both walked away okay, a little bruised and scraped, but no serious injuries.  I had glanced away from the road for nothing more than a second and a car pulled out in front of me.  I was doing 50 mph at the time and ran straight into the backend of their car.  It was determined that I was at fault for not controlling my speed, even though I wasn’t speeding (per se’).  We thought everything was going to be okay, up until a week or so later.  The owner of the other vehicle had chosen to sue us for liability, which is within their right in the state of Texas.  We believed that our car insurance would handle it though, so it didn’t worry us at first.  Then came the notification that our insurance premiums, due the week before while we were in Michigan, had not been paid and our insurance could not cover the claim. 

Imagine our shock and dismay looking at a pending lawsuit for medical care, time off work, transportation and grievances in the area of over a hundred thousand dollars, with no insurance.  In speaking with the insurance company to reinstate our insurance we were told that they could reinstate it but could not cover this claim.  There computer systems would not allow for it to happen.  The first time our agent put the data through it kicked it back out and denied the claim just as she said it would. 

Do you notice that in most dire cases we turn to the Lord in prayer, and I did that day as well.  I was an emotional wreck, having, only weeks prior, attended my Grandmother’s funeral, then to have this happen, fears had formed in my mind of the worst possible case.  Could they take our house?  What if we couldn’t pay?  Where could I ever get that kind of money in a short time frame?  None of this was from the Lord mind you.  Recognize that all of my thoughts were fearful by nature and when I knelt to pray I had no idea what to pray for.  Through my mumbling and quiet whispers of love for the Lord and trust in Him that He would see us through this, I started to regain my composure.

No less than 15 minutes later my wife, Lisa, walked in.  After speaking to the insurance agency, climbing the ranks from supervisor to supervisor, she had been receiving the same answer, “There’s nothing we can do, the computer and software do not allow us to override the dates in the policy.”  But with persistence, Lisa had convinced the agent to re-enter the claim one more time.  When they put the claim through the system accepted it and we were covered with the exception of our deductible.  Some may claim coincidence, but Lisa and I both know that God answered my unrecognizable prayers at the very moment I was crying out to Him.

The world will pose trouble, trials, temptations and evil every day; but God promises that He will be with you to overcome these things.  Prayer is unbelievably powerful, and when coupled with the armor of God provided in Ephesians 6:13-18 you are more prepared for battle with the enemy than you can ever imagine.  God is good, and nothing in this world can separate us from His love and peace.

It's not About You

The self interest that is within each of us drives our decisions, our reactions and our choices in any given situation. It's inherent in our human nature to want the best for ourselves and our families and in most cases we are willing to go to battle for those things when confronted. 

We need to take a look at the bigger picture though. Just because we believe something is best for our family, doesn't mean that it is. We have limited knowledge and as such we are constrained in our ability to see what may ultimately come from these decisions. Who might get hurt, what dynamics around us are impacted because of decisions we make? 

God is all-knowing and all-seeing. He alone has a perspective that can see the end before the beginning. What we must learn to do is rely on His knowledge, wisdom and guidance; and put aside our own desires and interests. 

God is not a Santa Claus though and just because we want something doesn't mean it will come to pass. He alone knows what is good and righteous and kingdom building. We are often found taking the blessings provided by God and using them to satisfy our own needs without expanding His kingdom at all. 

Can you imagine that if everyone who prayed to win the LOTTO actually won. The payout would be only slightly more than the cost of the ticket. God's hand is not in the LOTTO drawing. God is into blessing those that will share that blessing with others, and become a stronger servant as a result of doing so. 

Few men have this characteristic, mind you, and often those that do are quiet in the shadows, unknown to you and I. A braggart is doing nothing but trying to draw attention to themselves. Focus on going to the Lord with sincerity in your heart and asking to be blessed, that you might share that blessing with others, all the while giving Him the glory.

" What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:1-3

You’re not the First

October 23, 2014

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” –James 1:5-6

Within the confines of my mind a war is raging.  Every thought, emotion, worry, concern and joy is held captive to the inherent sinful nature of my being.  I’ve heard so many times that the flesh is weak and as often as I hear it, it continues to challenge my walk each day.  The problem is that in my complete unrighteousness I am struggling to glorify God in my words and actions.  A wise man once said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” (Socrates) 

Who is the first person you call when you are having a problem in life?  Your spouse, your sibling, your best friend, your parent or another close acquaintance are going to give you another humanistic opinion on a subject.  Granted, they may have more experience in a specific matter, but they do not have the answer to finding wisdom.  We, as humans, have a natural tendency to solve problems ourselves.  We research the problem, discuss it with others and fret over it time and time again.  When confronted with difficult choices we generally look to our own wisdom, experiences and worldly view for the answer, when we have the power and authority of the Creator available to us.

God’s promises throughout scripture that He will be there for me.  He will be my strength, my comfort, my courage and my provider.  I have nothing in this life that I have not received because of His loving grace and blessing in my life.  When I am in the word and studying my eyes are opened to all that He has given me and all that He has for me in the future.  My problems don’t go away, but my mind is enlightened with the reality of where my persistence and strength will come from. 

Often times we question if God is really interested in my trivial daily problems.  The answer is a resounding yes.  The Creator of the universe, created the sperm and the egg that in turn created you.  He formed and multiplied your cells to the point you became a baby in your mother’s womb.  He gave you your first breath and He will give you your last.  There is not one aspect of your life He isn’t intimately familiar with.  What problem are you facing that God has never seen before?  Is there something in your life that will take God by surprise?  You can rely on friends and families for advice, but rely on God’s word for answers to life’s questions.  Seek Him and you shall find Him.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
If you would like to be added to the email distribution please click here: Daily Thoughts

Forever - Amen

Make 2014 a year for sharing

“For thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and ever.  Amen” – Matthew 6:13b

This verse has been debated because it is not found in some of the early Greek manuscripts of Jesus prayer.  It was likely added by the early Christian church as this was a common doxology, or benediction, to early church gatherings and scripture readings.  It also has roots in 1 Chronicles 29:11, where David speaks of the Lord’s power, glory, greatness and kingdom.

Do not get hung up on whether this verse was or was not part of Jesus actual prayer.  The verse speaks of the truth of the Father and is a respectful, humble way to close a prayer.  For thine = “God”; is the Kingdom = “it is all His, heavens and earth”; and the power = “God is all powerful, all knowing and sovereign over all things”; and the glory = “God deserves all glory, honor and praise”; forever and ever = “eternity is infinite, forever, without end”. 

Over this last week we have looked at the fundamentals of praying to the Father as taught by Jesus Christ himself.  Secular men will claim that prayers are futile and a waste of time.  I strongly recommend that you heed warning to avoid their counsel.  Prayer is a foundational element to building a stronger relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  Do not let the world tell you that it is worthless and pursue God through a daily moment.  Let your words be true and just as you lift them to your Father in heaven.  Because even in the 21st century – God answers prayers, within His will to do so.

Prayer:

Our Father,

Who art in heaven.  Hallowed be thy name.
They Kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For thine is the Kingdom and the power and glory forever and ever. - Amen

© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
If you would like to be added to the email distribution please click here: Daily Thoughts

The Lord's Prayer: There's Only One

Make 2014 a year for sharing

"Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name.” – Matthew 6:9

Taught in Sunday schools all over the world, The Lord’s Prayer, contains the core essence of how to pray.  Let’s face it, there are mornings and evenings when your prayer seems hollow and transparent almost.  If you, like me, struggle with praying now and then, realize that you’re not alone.  Over the next few days let’s look at the breakdown of this wonderful blessing provided by Jesus for our education.

Jesus is teaching the disciples on the importance of prayer, the fact that it is essential to building a strong, healthy and lasting relationship with the Father.  Leading up to the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus has rebuked those that pray for the glory and admiration that it brings them and instructs His disciples that prayers should be between you and God, so that all of the glory is given to Him.  It’s important that we recognize everything we do should be giving glory back to God, for everything we have comes from Him.  Our knowledge, our spirit, our character, our prosperity, our health down to our every breath; all come from the Creator of the Universe.

The first stanza of the prayer brings glory to God.  Acknowledge right up front that He is sovereign, holy and above all things.  His name must be kept holy in everything we do and say.   “Hallowed” is certainly not a term that is used in our daily conversations around the water cooler, but how many times are we willing to stand around and quietly listen while God’s name is used in vain.  I’m not just referring to cursing as some might think.  I’m referring to those that refuse to acknowledge His superiority, His oneness, and for all intensive purposes are blaspheming His name on a daily basis.  The antonym to the word hallowed is desecrated.  If we are not lifting up God’s name, we are desecrating His name. 

Your prayers should first and always lift up God as the Lord of Lord’s, King of King’s and Supreme authority over all things.  He is perfectly holy and righteous and we need to acknowledge that first.

 Prayer:
Almighty God,
You are holy and righteous and we bow down before You.  Forgive us for our not defending Your holiness when we hear it in our daily walk.  Forgive us for not lifting You up above all things in our own actions and giving You the glory for all that we have.  I pray that we are convicted by the Holy Spirit in these moments from here forward, and that we are bold enough to stand for You.  I give You the glory in all of my ways, in Your name we pray – Amen

© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
If you would like to be added to the email distribution please click here: Daily Thoughts

Tune It Out

Make 2014 a year for sharing

“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””– Matthew 4:4

Absolutely quiet.  Have you ever sat in a place and there was no sound at all?  No birds, no cars, no television or cellphone – just the sheer absence of sound.  In this day and age it is often beyond our ability to get to a point where there is peace and quiet.  I’ve found that even when the opportunity, to achieve complete silence, arrives I often cloud the moment with thoughts, worries and my own distractions in life.

If you find yourself silently, watching nature and the world around you, do you realize that there are thousands of radio waves moving past you.  We don’t see these sound waves and voices moving from one radio tower to another, yet they exist none the less.  How do we know they exist?   It’s simple.  Enable a receiver and an antenna and the sounds will be captured.  Connect a speaker and the sounds will be heard.  Cell phones, wireless internet traffic and radio signals are all examples of invisible sound waves that move between a transmitter on one end and a receiver on the other end.  Without the proper hardware on both ends the sounds are not heard.

I’ve heard people say to me, “God doesn’t speak to me.” or “I’ve never heard God.”  What we all must realize is that it’s the same principal.  We must have the appropriate receptor on our end in order to hear the word of God.  Most of us are looking for God to speak to us on our terms, when it’s convenient for us.  God is omnipresent, always with us, and always communicating with us.  He is not a Genie in the bottle that we call upon when we need help.  His desire is to be part of every thought, every moment of our life.  As we wake, as we live, as we speak and as we sleep; His love and mercy should be upon our lips.

God communicates with us through the Word – the Holy Bible.  Every word is captured at the hands of a scribe writing on God’s behalf.  Rich in depth, content and revelations which are as alive in the 21st century as the day they were captured, thousands of years ago.  Secondly, God communicates through the Holy Spirit, dwelling within each of us.  Jesus tells us in John 14:15-17, that God the Father will send us the Holy Spirit to dwell with us and counsel us, comfort us and guide us in the ways of Jesus Christ.  The key is to receive the Holy Spirit though.  It’s one thing to acknowledge His existence; it’s something completely different to develop a relationship with Him to be your mentor and comforter.  Righteousness, humility, love and compassion for others – these are all characteristics of the Holy Spirit within you.

If you want to hear words from the mouth of God, you must be willing to enter into a full relationship with Him.  This includes receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life, and receiving the Holy Spirit into your life as your counselor, mentor and guide.  The next step is to follow His teachings and directions in your life, with the understanding that God is in control and we are here to serve Him and His needs.  So many times I get caught up in the things I want to do for the Lord that I often forget to ask, “God, what will You have me to do today?”  Hearing from God daily requires tuning into His station and picking up on His message.  This is what sustains life, not the possessions of this world.


© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
If you would like to be added to the email distribution please click here: Daily Thoughts

One Day at a Time

Make 2014 a year for sharing

“Give us today our daily bread.” – Matthew 6:11

Did today look different when you woke up, or was it just another alarm clock morning of getting ready for work, school or the busyness of the day?  Ask the folks in Hugo, Colorado if their morning looks different after tornadoes ripped through their community yesterday, or the people of the Ukraine after all the violence in the last 5 months or the citizens of Maiduguri, Nigeria after the Boko Haram Terrorists slaughtered over 200 people on Monday.  It often takes things of significant proportion for us to wake up and realize what we take for granted each and every day.  Most of us live monotonous lives.  We go through the same cyclical events each day because it is something we know, not because we lack the desire to be spontaneous or adventurous.  

God calls us each day to join forces with Him and take on the opportunities in each day to share His love with others.  The Lord’s Prayer (found in Matthew 6) references our daily bread.  Daily we need nourishment and sustenance to make it through the day’s activities.  This nourishment though is more than just food; it includes spiritual nourishment and the merciful grace of God sufficient for this one period of time.  Every single day, though similar in appearance, holds a unique opportunity to celebrate His love and share it with those around you.  In Matthew 26:26, Jesus refers to the bread as a symbol of His body and His purpose.  For, to eat of this bread, we are committing to remember Him in our actions, words and experiences throughout the day. 

This is why I take the time each and every morning to spend quietly reflecting on what God has in store for me this day.  Not to request things from Him, but to hear from Him what He will have for me.  Some days this is 5 minutes, some days it is 45 minutes.  This daily bread from God provides the nourishment I need for today, and brings a freshness and newness to each day I am blessed to put my feet on the ground.  So many times we enter into prayer asking God for things, rather than seeking His purpose for the day.  I encourage you to find a moment each day to quiet yourself, calm your breathing, close your eyes and simply ask the Lord, “God – how might I serve you today.” Then comes the important part – take the action to fulfill what has been asked.

Heavenly Father,

I seek Your will in my life.  I commit to serve You and to bring Your love, grace and mercy to others as You have placed them in my life.  Feed my soul with Your daily bread of life, that I might be filled with the Holy Spirit throughout this day.  Holy Spirit guide my steps and actions.  How might I serve You today?  In Your name I pray – Amen

© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
If you would like to be added to the email distribution please click here: Daily Thoughts

Help is Here

Make 2014 a year for sharing

“"For nothing will be impossible with God."”  – Luke 1:37

When I talk with people about problems they are having today – financial, marital, relationship, addictions, fear and happiness – the general feeling is that these problems aren't new.  They are cyclical and have been going on for generations and generations.  I propose that since the beginning of time people have had similar problems.  Granted they are much more elaborate today, and well celebrated; but not necessarily new.

There is nothing you could bring to the table of God today that He has not seen before.  Seriously, is there anything you can think of that God hasn’t seen or dealt with at some other point in the existence of the world?  Try it.  Try to think of the biggest problem you are facing right now.  Many of you are likely thinking of paying a bill or many; or mending a relationship that has forever been damaged; or dealing with the loss of a loved one.  Who are you turning to for help today?  Friends and family can go a long way to provide comfort, some financial help and good advice, but most of the time they haven’t had your exact problem before.

Do you truly believe that God is omnipotent and all powerful, or are these just words that are easy to say at the right time?  For you see, God created the stars in the sky.  You cannot count them.  To fully understand His magnificence, think about this.  When you look into the sky on a crystal clear night, regardless of your hemisphere, you might be able to see 1000 stars with the naked eye.  The closest start to the earth is 4.24 light years away.  There are over 5.8 trillion miles in one light year, so that star is nearly 25 trillion miles away.  Now, consider that there are actually millions if not billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy, which spans 70,000 light years and I’m not even going to do that math.  Did you know that in 1999 the Hubble telescope discovered that there are somewhere around 125 billion galaxies.  How unimaginable is the size of one galaxy, yet alone 125.  Each filled with millions if not billions of stars.  All of this created for you and I as a night light (Genesis 1:17) for the earth.  He created the universe that is unbelievably large, and He created the super-particles that make up the smallest elements of science.  He created your DNA from atoms, unlike any other creature He has ever created. 

So, if you believe in God; and you believe that God indeed created the universe as well as the atom and the particles that make up an atom; then why do you not believe He can solve your problem?  The obvious answer is that He can.  The very next question should be, “Then why doesn’t He?”  To that, there is only one answer, because He is God and I’m not.  God does the miraculous every day in parts all over the world.  We generally have preconceived notions on how a problem should be solved.  Often times my prayers to the Lord are for Him to solve my problem in the manner that I have determined to be the most effective and easiest to implement.  In hind sight I sit back and laugh at myself though.  Do I truly believe that God, who created the universe and everything in it, needs my advice on how to solve a problem?  We have to be willing to seek out His answer for the problem and it may not line up with our thoughts at all.

Finally, I believe we are to acknowledge that we trust God’s answer to our prayers regardless of the outcome.  God has no obligation to answer our prayer in the manner we would like.  If I pray for something and it doesn’t come to fruition, will I still love God?  If my problems get worse and more challenging, can I stand up and still thank God and trust that He knows the reason why and it is for my own good?  These are much easier to write about than to implement, but that is what trust comes down to.  Understanding that God can do anything He wants to do, for nothing is impossible for Him.  He chooses to answer our prayers and solve our problems in the way that best aligns with His plans for the kingdom.

Prayer:

Almighty God,

We are in awe of Your magnificence and never ending love for us.  We look to the sky and see the wonder of Your creation.  We look to the earth and see the smallest insect and marvel at Your intricate detailed design.  You have created us for a purpose and we trust the You are loving, merciful and true.  Your promise is for our salvation and redemption; in this we hold true.  Lord, feel our pain and hear our cries.  Work within each of us to give us Your will in our lives and bring peace to our problems.  Our faith is not shaken as we wait upon the Lord.  In Your name we pray – Amen

© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
If you would like to be added to the email distribution please click here: Daily Thoughts

Who are you talking too?

Make 2014 a year for sharing

“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”” – Matthew 26:39

He looked down and saw his son lying on the ground crying out for help, pleading for an answer to help him overcome the pain that lie before him.  “Father, take this cup from me.”  And God looking down from His throne in heaven, seeing the anguish on His Son’s face, says “No”.  Again Jesus, looks toward heaven, I imagine trembling in His fear, He gathers all of His strength and asks again, “Father, is there no other way.  Let Your will be done.”  I imagine in heaven, Michael, Gabriel and the angels are standing at alert and ready to charge in and help, but the Father, with the immense love for all of us, looked at His Son and said, “No, my Son.  This is my will.  You must endure the pain and suffer the sacrifice so they can all be saved from the wicked one”.

Do you fully comprehend the significance of this act?
Do you seriously understand that God the Father loves you so much, that He was willing to crush His own Son in order that you might have life.  Jesus came to the world for one purpose and that was to be the sacrifice for your sins, and to provide the redemption so that you can spend eternity with His Father in heaven.

When you stop to lift words to the Father, are you considering the unbelievable privilege you are given?  Do you consider who it is you are praying too?  The Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and the Omega, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  You have the audacity and nerve to kneel and seek counsel from the Holy God?  You believe you have the right to be in His presence?  By what means?  What gives you the right to even mention His name, for it is above Holy and Righteous. 

The answer is yes.  You have the right to be in His presence, through the blood of Jesus Christ, and by no other means.  God, in His sovereignty and perfect wisdom, provided a means for you to come into His presence, of your own free will.  To bring your heart before the Creator, to bear your soul to the Maker and to seek His wisdom and righteousness.  Through your mediator, Jesus Christ, who stands before the Lord in your place, you are seen as righteous, perfect and holy, despite your filth and sin-filled being.

Forget not whom you are in the presence of when you kneel to pray.  The God of the Universe shall be revered as such and held as Holy, Holy, Holy; above all things.  When you lift your heart, be earnest and reverent in seeking Him, truthful in your confession and quick to listen rather than ramble.  He has a plan for your life, do not fill your mind with your worries, but hear His answers.  The Lord is with you, in the Holy Spirit, and as such knows your heart and mind before the utterance of words.   Do not hide from Him but seek Him and lay bare your fears and your sins.  Trust in His loving sufficient grace and forgiveness, for He denied His Son’s pleas in the Garden of Gethsemane because He knew you would kneel before Him today.  Remember this when you pray.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
If you would like to be added to the email distribution please click here: Daily Thoughts