I Want to Know You

“Then they asked him, "Where is your father?" "You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also."”  – John 8:19

 

Her eyes are brown.  She loves the hiking in the mountains and reading a good book while hanging out at the beach. She is a mother of 5 and “Mi-Mi” of 5.  If she could save one beautiful little girl in Haiti, she would do everything should could to make that happen.  She likes to sleep in, yet she’s up at early in the morning to help get her 3 children ready for school and take them.  She runs the school, a non-profit Parent-partner school for 82 home schooled children in and around the Woodlands.  She enjoys her coffee with lots of Pepperment Mocha cream, or a caramel macchiato from Starbucks.  She loves Jesus Christ with everything in her heart and goes out of her way to help others each and every single day.  She has led bible studies, mother’s of pre-school groups and been the teacher of our 3 home-school children.  She wears the hat of a nurse, a chauffeur, school administrator, teacher, coach, and a banker.  She likes Moscado, White Zinfandel from Australia or the Napa Valley and an occasional beer, but most of the time would rather have a tall glass of sweet ice tea.  Her favorite restaurant is Saltgrass Steakhouse, where she likes her steak well done with no pink in the middle.  She also loves baked ziti from Olive Garden if the mood for Italian strikes her.  I love it when she laughs, and I can tell when she is going to cry.  She loves everyone with the same unconditional, what you see is what you get, love.  The incredible woman I refer to is my wife of 31 years - Lisa.  This is the woman I love and I know her very well (or so I think).

We all have relationships with others that can be described in deep details.  You know your spouses, family and friends very well.  You know what makes them laugh and what makes them cry.  You could tell any person you meet on the street how special these individuals are to you.  We spend time with them, learn about their idiosyncrasies and habits.  We are willing to invest in a certain few individuals because we care about them and we want to know them more.  I’m sure you will agree with me in this matter as you look back at those in your life and begin to think about the deep details you know about each of them.

So, I have established that we are all capable of knowing someone if we chose to.  It takes work and effort and a desire to know them.  It takes time, not just studying about them, but spending time with them and learning first hand.  So, with this in mind I can honestly stand here and say with full sincerity; I don’t know God?  Don’t get me wrong.  I know He is my Lord and King and has provided me salvation by His grace through His Son Jesus Christ.  Now, having acknowledged that, I continue to struggle daily with wanting to know Him more.  Accepting God is a statement of faith, trust and belief; but knowing God takes work.  Just as in any relationship, the more you put into it the more you will get out of it. 

If I put 1 spend 3 hours a day with my kids and 3 additional hours a day with my beautiful wife, 2 hours commuting to/from work and 10 hours at the office with my co-workers and try to get at least 5 hours sleep each night that leaves 1 hour a day with my Creator.  Plus add Sunday church service and the occasional Wednesday or Saturday night and I am getting somewhere south of 500 hours a year with God almighty.  We are given 8,760 hours in a given year.  This means I am spending less than 6% of my time getting to know the Lord.  That just doesn’t seem like a plan to build a relationship now does it.

I have the desire to know Him more, but has it become important enough to actually do something about it?  That is the question that is posed for all of us to address.  I propose that the majority of us are in this same boat.  We get swallowed up in the busyness of the day and all of a sudden God is getting our leftovers rather than our first and best.  Today we have homework.  I would like to ask you to take an index card or a piece of paper and write down everything you know about God.  Put it somewhere in a prominent place that you will see everyday.  This will remind you daily of who it is that you serve.  Now, try to add to that list each day.  Can you spend enough time in the Word each day or on the internet learning about God and strengthening your relationship with Him to add one item a day.  I promise you as you learn more about Him your relationship will become stronger, because you see He’s already done His part of the assignment and knows everything about you.  The gap in this relationship rests on your shoulders, not His.



Prayer:
Almighty God,
We want to know You and serve You.  Please forgive our busyness as we allow the daily tasks to steal from our time with You.  Strengthen us Lord, to see You in a more fruitful manner and learn more from You and about You daily throughout this year.  Help each of us become more aware of our relationship and focus our attention on You, for it through You that we are given life.  In Your name we pray – Amen



© Sondove Enterprises, 2019
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What About Me?



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""Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." – Matthew 7:21

  If someone says to you, "Hey Joe, your father __________ __________ _______" (fill in the blank) How would you know if that person were lying to you or if what they were saying was legitimate? It wouldn't be that difficult, would it? You know your father well enough to know if the action was within his character or moral compass, right? What about a brother, sister or child or spouse? Likewise, your relationship with them is intimate enough that without question you would be able to assess the situation as truthful or not.

  What if someone made a comment about a distant relative - an aunt, uncle, cousin or grand-parent. I'm sure you would still feel that you knew enough about them to discern truth from fiction, right? Now, what if we were talking about a close or best friend or someone you've worked with for 20 years, a pastor at your church or a mentor/teacher? If you are like most people, the assessment gets a little more fuzzy and you may find yourself questioning a statement with uncertainty. Face it the farther your intimate relationship is from someone, the less you really know about them as a person, and what they are or are not capable of doing.

  It is no different with the Lord. The closer relationship you have with Him the more you come to trust in His truth and righteousness. If you want to know the will of the Father, you need to the one to begin. He is not holding out on you, but rather you are holding out on Him by chasing your own vision for your life. Get closer to God through daily reading of His scripture, prayer for His wisdom and purpose and daily quiet time of reflection on your relationship. Is there any relationship you have today that should be in front of your relationship with Christ? No. Even your marriage, your relationship with children and your relationship with your parents should all come behind your relationship with God. If you could answer the questions at the top with ease; because of the intimacy of your relationship with your father (mother, sister, brother, etc.) then why can't you answer those questions about God? Think about your priorities and realign them if necessary.

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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Consistently Reliable

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“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” – Proverbs 3:5

Who ever invented the personal computer wasn’t reliant upon it.  Have you ever experienced a hard disk crash on my computer?  If not, count your blessings, because all of a sudden you are left with this feeling of anxiety in the pit of your stomach and you’ll be questioning how you’ll ever get to the information and files that are stored there.  Those of you who have been there before know the frustration, aggravation, feeling of hopelessness and despair that accompany a computer failure.  As I sit here typing, my hard drive is making very unusual sounds, and has me quite concerned that it may not make it through the day.  I find it eye opening when this sort of thing happens, just how reliant we are on technology, and I can’t help but ask are we that reliant on the Lord?

I mean, are we coasting through each day taking the Lord for granted?  Has it become of secondary importance to connect with your heavenly Father each and every day?  So many times I find myself skipping a moment with the Lord because life catches up with me and time slips away to other pressing matters.  How can this ever be tolerated?  How can God ever be given second priority to anything else going on in my life?  I think it comes down to the comfort of knowing that He will always be there.  You see, God is like the air I breathe and the oceans, the mountains, the sun and the moon – He’s constant.

I never have the intent on prioritizing anything above God in my life, but it happens.  So what do we do when we’ve mistakenly put God on hold?  I believe that God deserves our reverence, respect and humility; He does not deserve our complacency, absent mindedness or leftovers. We must come to the realization that God is not going to hold a grudge and there is no punishment that he zaps you with because you missed an appointment.  Just like you cannot go for 2 days without food and when you happen to miss a meal, you simply eat more at your next sitting. 

God’s not going to leave you.  Unlike the technology we have become so addicted too, He is the only thing in life that is reliable, consistent and always available.  There are no connection fees, no membership dues, no routers, WiFI or DVR necessary.  It only takes an act of humility and an open seeking heart and mind to communicate with the Lord anytime, anywhere.  There are no guarantees on anything you own.  There is nothing to say that this “older” computer I am writing this devotional on, won’t unexplainably “blue screen” at any moment.  In the Lord, you have a guarantee.  You have His assurance that His grace is sufficient for the redemption of your sins.  You have His guarantee that He will return one day and call us home to join Him in heaven.  You have His guarantee of righteousness love and mercy through the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you.

 

So the next time you are feeling guilty because you missed your quiet time with the Lord, just remember, there is no time like the present to hit your knees, bow your head and tell Him your sorry.  Then get on with building that relationship.

PRAYER:
Almighty Father,
You are worthy of our love, devotion and honor.  Forgive us for our weakness and complacency at times.  Lord, help us to continually prioritize our relationship with You above all other things in this life.  We seek Your wisdom in our words and Your counsel in our decisions.  We ask these things in Your holy name - Amen
             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com

Shhhhhh, Just Listen

 “Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.” Joel 2:23

 

I love the Fall.  There is something magical, magnificent and inspiring to watch the leaves change and feel the crisp, cool morning air as I step out onto the porch.  There is a smell in the air of leaves burning and hotdog roasts which tell us all that the little things in life need to be cherished.  We race through life trying to stay on our schedule, because Lord knows if we get behind that our day-timer is unforgiving.  Lisa asks me periodically to think about this one question: “In 2 years will any of your busyness mean anything.”  This is not to say that the decisions we make in our work, school and life aren’t important, they are for the moment.  What she is reminding me of is that we must constantly be evaluating the long term benefit of spending quality time with each other and those important to us enjoying life’s simple pleasures, and get away from the stressful day to day churn in the office.

As usual she’s right on the money.  God has blessed you with unbelievable beauty and miraculous events each and every day.  The problem is that most of us are moving too fast to actually recognize them when they happen.  Have you ever thought that your busyness is simply a result of you trying to solve your problems without God’s intervention, rather than seeking the One who created it all for direction and help.  I have discovered that the more often I align my daily calendar with God in the morning how much easier my day flows, and the more I get accomplished.  If you think He isn’t interested in what you are doing throughout your day at the home, at work or in school, you are completely mistaken.  Scriptures tell us that He knows every hair on our head, every thought in our mind, every desire of our heart and every word before it’s spoken.  He knew you before you were born and placed a dream and a purpose in your heart.  For you to believe that any of that is true and not believe that He is interested in your daily decisions and actions doesn’t align.

If you keep a day-timer or scheduler on your phone or tablet, I recommend you schedule a recurring meeting with God every morning for the first 15 minutes of your day.  Prepare for that meeting just like you would prepare for other meetings or events in your day and come prepared with an action list for the day.  Share this list with God and ask that He bless your decisions throughout the day and that your day be filled with opportunities to share His love and glory with others.  Then take a few minutes and rest in the peace of His presence.  Listen to Him, hear what it is that He wants for you to do with each and every day.  We often get so preoccupied with our own schedule that we don’t leave time for God to provide us direction on what He wants us to do each day.   Perhaps we should prioritize His actions first and then figure out what to do with the rest.  Just give it a try for a week.  I guarantee it’s better than flying by the seat of your pants each day.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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You Have to Work at It

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“But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia.”    – Galatians 1:15-17

When I was a boy I loved the game of football.  It was a deep passion of mine to play the game and excel at it.  All through my elementary years it came easy for me.  The older I got though, the more difficult the sport became.  The plays became more extravagant and the other boys seemed to be bigger, faster and more prepared.  Then at age 14, came the summer that I was old enough to go to football camp.  To learn, practice and to play with the best players at the collegiate level introduced me to an entirely new perspective on the game.  Once again my confidence was restored and I left knowing so much more about the game, simply because I spent dedicated time learning football and nothing else.  Alas, a month after camp, I blew out a knee and my football days were over; but the passion and education I received have never left.

So it is with God’s grace and the acceptance of the Holy Spirit in your life.  After Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, he spent some time with Ananias where he received the Holy Spirit.  Paul began preaching the “good news” all around Damascus as the message of grace filled his heart and overflowed.  His passion was beyond control and it became everything he wanted and needed in his life.  He then went away to Arabia to study, learn and to get closer to the Holy Spirit.  He did not turn to the other disciples or apostles of the time.  He drew what he could from Ananias, but realized that to be the best for his Lord, he needed to get away from other mankind.

We don’t know how long Paul was in Arabia or where exactly he went.  We do know that he was an extremely knowledgeable man before his conversion and he knew that to excel at anything one must put everything they have into it.  We read the scriptures and stand amazed at the depth of knowledge that Paul shares through his writings.  The other disciples – Peter, John, Luke, Mark, Matthew . . .  all spent daily time with Jesus Christ for the better part of 3 years.  They learned from Him daily as they walked along the roads and mountainsides of Israel.  Paul, on the other hand, realized that he needed that alone time with His Savior to truly understand his mission and purpose in life.

You are just like Paul if you think about it.  At one point in your life you questioned Jesus Christ, God and the whole Christian church.  Then there was an unveiling in your life, when your eyes were opened to see the grace, love and mercy of the Savior.  At that moment, when you accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, your heart was overflowing with passion and purpose and desire to tell everyone you knew.  If this is not nurtured and strengthened, over time your life returns to it’s pre-salvation state of seeking something more.  Many Christians fall into this trap.  After accepting Christ the fire burns out and they fall back into their sinful ways.  Many look at this and challenge the salvation from our Lord and then look elsewhere for something with meaning.

The real message to learn from Galatians 1 above is that discovering your purpose and living for the Lord takes work on our part.  It is not something that can be coasted through.  Choosing to live for Jesus Christ, takes commitment, time and persistence to continued learning.  This is done through daily quiet times.  Get away from your life, those around you and the busyness of each day to spend quality time with the Holy Spirit.  Dedicate the time each day to focus on learning from God directly.  No man can make you a stronger Christian or help you identify your purpose.  That must come from the One who created you as a Christian.  You don’t have to go to Arabia, but you do need to get away to be with the Lord one on one.

Prayer:Almighty God,
Thank you for Your wisdom and knowledge, shared through the scriptures and the Holy Spirit.  Help us to find You each day to expand our faith, trust and confidence in Your truth.  Teach us Lord through a daily quiet time to walk in Your footsteps.  Rejuvenate our souls to the point of overflowing such that we must share Your good news with all that we meet.  Help us to accept the responsibility of apostleship with You and the challenge of expanding our purpose through Your will for our life.  In Your precious name I pray - Amen
© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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