Proof that He Loves You

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“Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens.”– Genesis 19:24

The cities were filled with sin.  Man slept with man and woman with woman.  Rape, incest, murder, evil thoughts and actions were pervasive throughout the population of the city.  The corruptness had become the norm and righteousness was hard to find.  The pleas of Abraham had been for the Lord to show mercy if only 10 righteous people could be found in the entire city.  It was not to be and we know the rest of the story.  In an instant the Lord destroyed the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as no righteousness could be found within their walls, except Lot and his family.  Was the Lord justified in destroying these cities?  How can you answer anything but yes when you are contemplating the actions of the Lord.  He is justified in every action ever taken by His own hand.  He is the designer, creator and author of life, death and all that is in between.  Who can tell Him that He is wrong in His actions?

Who is pleading with the Lord on our behalf today?  For I propose to you that the society in which we live, the acceptance of our culture has become so complacent and accepting that unrighteousness once again abounds within the walls of each city.  Should we be looking heavenward for the streaking flares of sulfur raining down upon our cities any day now?  Are you convinced that the population of Sodom and Gomorrah were much worse than the cities of our 21^st century?  Certainly, there are more than 10 righteous people inside of your city walls, and you are likely one of them.  Is this what keeps the Lord from pouring out His wrath upon our very existence?

There is a significant reason that God has not destroyed the earth again, despite the evil, corruption, sadistic and deplorable sinful lives of mankind.  That reason is the one we call Jesus Christ.  For you see, the wrath of our Lord; which was poured out on Sodom, it was poured out on the Philistines, it was poured out on the Egyptians, it was poured out on the entire world in the flood of Genesis 6; was also poured out on the very flesh of God’s own Son.  Take that in for just a moment.  We are no better than those of Sodom and Gomorrah, or those of Egypt, or those that ridiculed Noah.  We as a society in general have turned our back on serving the Lord with everything we have, and we have chosen to pursue the pleasures of the world instead.  The wrath of God that you and I so rightfully deserve for our thoughts, our actions and our sinful nature would be death, devastation and destruction of catastrophic proportion.  This overwhelming wrath of the Lord, the pain and suffering we deserve, was delivered to one man who did live perfectly righteous in every way.

The sacrificial lamb for our sins was slaughtered because you and I deserved to die for what we have done, not because of anything He did.  Jesus Christ bore the extreme wrath of God, something we cannot begin to fathom, so you and I would not have to.  When you read John 3:16; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe in Him will have eternal life.”; the words are almost cliché, because we have watered them down to our view of love.  I want you to realize the severity of God’s wrath that He poured out onto His only Son, based on the perspective of His wrath that He poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, and the world in the Old Testament.  This extreme wrath was poured out on this One man, so that you and I would be exempt from this punishment in our lifetime.  He loves us that much.  Not a little bit as you and I love each other and our families; but His love was so intense that He chose to destroy His own Son, literally and figuratively, so that we can enter eternity one day.

Is God’s wrath still alive today?  Yes, but we are shielded from that wrath because of the lamb that paid the price for our deplorable sinful nature.  One day, God’s wrath will once again be released upon this earth, for those who have chosen to deny His sacrificial offering.  This wrath will make Sodom and Gomorrah look like a walk in the park on Sunday afternoon.  The fire and sulfur that rained from the sky on these cities will be nothing compared to the depths of Hell that await mankind for their denial of Jesus Christ, and God the Father.  Don’t question the reality of it.  God has given you plenty of warning.  Jesus has pleaded with Him on your behalf and taken your punishment already.  The next step will be utter destruction of this earth as we know it and you won’t be able to avoid His wrath without accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  Don’t blame it on God, for He provided a path for your escape, just as He did for Lot and his family to escape from Sodom on that night as recorded in Genesis.  Are you telling your friends?  Are you telling your family?  Do you care enough about their salvation to ensure that they are not exposed to God’s wrath one day?  If not, ask yourself why not.  Why is that not the most important thing you have to do today?


             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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Who Turned Out the Light

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 “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:7

As the door opens, your hand moves to the familiar place on the wall to flip the switch “on”, your eyes take in the sheer and utter darkness.  Deep blackness consumes your arm as your pupils expand to seek out a glimmer of light in the small area.  Flipping the switch does nothing and the light from the hallway illuminates only a small path into the room.  You step into the darkness, your hands are stretched out in front of you as you try to recall the obstacles that might be in your way, as you gingerly take another step.  In the small swath of light from the hallway your pupils begin to take in shapes and forms in the darkness as your quest for the object continues.  Your foot kicks something and moving it to another spot it lands on something pointed causing you to more your foot once again and gently place it on the floor next to a box, barely visible.  Slowly you make your way into the room, small step by small step, trying to remember your pathway so you can exit along the same path.  Finding the object finally, you turn to face the open door and the light from the hallway.  Your eyes adjust to the fading light, but there is a sense of relief as the path to the door is visible when looking back toward the light.  You take a few steps over and around a few obstacles and you are back at the door, with prize in hand.  You make a mental note to change the lightbulb in the store-room before someone gets hurt.

You’ve all been there at one point in your life.  Having to walk in the darkness because a light bulb was burned out or for one reason or another you could not turn the light on at that moment.  Perhaps in the middle of the night, you couldn’t turn on the light because it might awaken others.  I’ve personally been there many times as I get up a few hours before anyone else in the house and often find myself walking through the hallways and rooms with my hands extended, feeling my way rather than seeing my way.  Countless times my feet have landed upon a small toy or kicked the leg of a chair or tripped over something in the dark of the night.  It’s amazing how the smallest amount of light can change an environment from a danger zone into a simple walk through the house.

Life is no different.  We wake each morning and venture into a day that is going to be filled with darkness, evil and unrighteousness.  As much as we feel confident in knowing what is coming our way, there is no way to fully understand everything that lies in your path today.  Circumstances way beyond your control will come into play and present obstacles for your walk that seem impossible to overcome, as you see them.  Introducing the light of the world into your day though will create a clarity, strength and confidence to take on these problems that appear.  You walk through the day with courage and wisdom that is far beyond your own capabilities when you have started the day with Jesus by your side.  There is a saying from Albert Einstein that goes something like this, “There is no such thing as darkness, there is only the absence of light”

Think about that for a moment.  What would this world be like without the sun, the moon, the stars or electricity?  If you have a moment to go into an inner room in your home without windows or any external access, go in shut the door and turn the light off, and make sure the light outside of the room is off as well (so it isn’t visible under the door).  Close your eyes, count to 100 and now walk across this room.  You’ll soon realize what complete darkness is.  This is the world without light.  God sent His Son, Jesus, to be the light of the world, so that regardless of your surroundings you would not be blind in the darkness.  Whatever you are struggling with today, whatever sin or temptation darkens your spirit, Jesus can overcome it.  You just need to reach out your hand and call upon His name.  He will guide you to safety.

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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You Don’t Deserve It

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““Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.  So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’” – Matthew 22:8-9

It’s highly debatable because many will believe that their goodness has proven that their heart is righteous, and they are worthy of salvation.  Yet, others will argue that even the unrighteous perform works of goodness, shall they also be saved?  The reality of it all is that not one of you, no not one, is worthy of salvation.  I break it down into 6 steps:

1. God created mankind perfect in accordance to His plan.  Perfect to fellowship with Him in paradise.
   
2. Satan tempted mankind and succeeded in convincing him that God was not sovereign and Lord of all.  His lies caused man to look within for his purpose and authority.  The fall of mankind.
   
3. Over centuries man became less dependent on God and more self-righteous, and drawn to the sinful nature established in the original sin of Adam.
   
   
4. God is immutable though and requires perfection in order to fellowship with mankind.  With a sin filled heart and mind we are not capable of ever achieving this perfection.  There is a chasm between you and God, that any amount of good, or great works, can close.  You cannot remove the sin from your life, it’s impossible and God knows this.
   
5. God sent Jesus Christ, created not by the seed of a man, but by the Holy Spirit.  He created Him perfectly to be born in a world of sin and to redeem those sins through His death.  Jesus lived a life of perfection, within the will of the Father, unlike Adam; and in dying a sacrificial death redeemed the sins of mankind.  Upon His resurrection, He has defeated Satan’s hold on mankind and opened a door for all to be forgiven and redeemed to the Father. 
   
6. He alone has defeated Satan, you do not need to.  Because you were born of man, you are inherently sinful and unrighteous.  You could not defeat Satan if you tried, for sin is in your very nature.  
   
   

You don’t deserve heaven.  Your life is unrighteous by God’s standards and you cannot purify or sanctify yourself, regardless of how many good works you do.  There is only one scale for judging the righteous and unrighteous.  You could pile all of the good works and love and charity and boastful kindness you want on one side of the scale, and place your inherent sin on the other and sin will win every time.  Yet, if you were to place one drop of Jesus Christ redeeming blood on one side of the scale and the sin of mankind on the other, Christ’ blood is victorious. 

God’s grace is in the fact that even though you and I don’t deserve fellowship and eternity with Him in heaven, He has allowed it to those who accept the redeeming sacrifice of His Son – Jesus Christ.  By no other means can you achieve perfection enough to be in God’s presence.  Jesus Christ is the mediator and stands before God on your behalf to cover your sinful nature.  He alone can stand at the Father’s side and plead your case. 

Choose this day to accept His grace and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He lived, He died and rose again on the third day so that you may one day stand in God’s presence. Amen

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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I’m Not Worthy

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Pass it on, so the world may know that He is God.

“Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”?” – Proverbs 20:9

“Well, at least I’ve never done that.”  I heard the young man say as he and his friends were debating the character of another classmate.  How often have you’ve been found comparing yourself to those around you?  It is not uncommon for mankind to look at his/her own life and conclude that “I’m not so bad” based on their unrighteousness compared to the unrighteousness of others around them. 

Hypocrisy is alive and well in the Christian community.  We are all guilty of looking down upon another’s transgressions without taking our own shortcomings into consideration.  1 John 1:8 tells us “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”  It’s much easier to look upon another’s life and see the sin that comes from their words and actions then it is to look in the mirror every morning and realize that we ought to be on bended knee asking the Lord’s forgiveness. 

If we were truly held accountable for our unrighteousness there is not one of us that would be worthy of God’s glory.  For you see, even in our most holy moment, filled with the Holy Spirit and love of the Lord, we are still unworthy of the requirements to enter God’s perfect and Holy eternity.  Paul tells us in Romans 3:10 – “There is no one righteous, not even one.”  Accepting the fact that we are incapable of living a righteous, truthful and pure life opens the door for the reality of God’s grace.

Knowing you are incapable of perfection and holiness, He sent His Son as the mediator between you and Him.  With an acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we receive God’s blessings, not because we are worthy or deserve it, but because Jesus in all of His perfection and glory stands before God on our behalf.  When judgment day comes and you stand before the throne of God Almighty, all the good works, loving actions, kindness, knowledge and wealth you bring with you will mean nothing when it comes to your salvation.  Only the declaration of your unworthiness and profession of Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior will be adequate to receive God’s grace and mercy.  Take this moment to get right with God and receive His grace, not because of anything you have done, but because He has given it.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
For additional Daily Thoughts, please visit: http://www.10minutereader.com