A Solid Investment

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“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”  – Matthew 4:4
 
What is more important than God?
 

We have created a comfortable life in which God often times is pushed to the backburner in many of our daily interactions.  Think about your daily habits, it might look something like this. 
Every morning you wake up and you start with habitual actions. 

• Go to the bathroomBrush your teethBet a cup of coffeePerhaps have your first cigarette of the dayLet the dog outPull out your smartphone to see who sent you messages or what they posted in Facebook or Twitter or Instagram since you last checked at midnight when you went to bedCheck your email to see if your boss sent you anything criticalCheck your daytimer / calendar to see the meetings ahead of youShower, shave, get dressed for the dayTake the same route to the same office for another day of work
• 
  This is typical of a very large percentage of the population, regardless of where you are at.  We don’t think about whether we should brush our teeth, or go to the bathroom, or let the dog out, we just do it.  These things have become second nature in life, almost like breathing or blinking.  We are creatures of habit and are comforted by repetition in life.
  
  Scientists have said that repetition of an act for 2 weeks straight will create the beginnings of a habit.  Continuing that act for an additional 2 weeks and the habit is engrained in the human psyche.  If you are looking to deepen your relationship with Christ, creating a habit of reading and studying His word will help you in this area.
  
  Think about your strongest relationship, your spouse, your parents, your children.  You know so much about them because you have engaged with them and learned from and about them over years.  Yet, many of you believe you can go to a church building once a week and have a deep relationship with the Creator of the world.  In all honesty, your relationship with Christ should be the strongest relationship you have.  Stronger than your spouse, parents or children relationships.
  
  This relationship has eternal implications, as well as joy, comfort, peace and fulfillment here on this earth.  Every other relationship you have is terminal and will end at some given point.  Investing in a relationship with God the Father should be your focus every single day, and soon enough, you won’t even have to remind yourself to do it, it will just happen.

 
 
 
© Sondove Enterprises, 2019
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Here I am to Worship

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“And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you give your bodies to God, give your whole life to God because of all He has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind that He will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship Him.“ – Romans 12:1

So many people today are seeking purpose, the most common question on the minds of our youth is “Why am I here?”  The reality of man’s purpose on this spinning orb in the Milky Way galaxy has caused many to stop living life aimlessly and become invigorated to pursue life with a passion.  Have you ever taken the time to ponder the possibilities in life beyond the next corner?  Or, are you like most of us and just trying to make it through one more day?

Face it, busyness has enveloped our daily lives and as so often happens, our focus becomes centered around our worries, our concerns and our problems rather than on the One who should be receiving more of our time, not less.  Jesus did not look at Peter and John and say, “Hey, if you’re not too busy, do you want to follow me?”  What did he say in Matthew 4:19 or to Matthew in Matthew 9:9?  “Come, Follow Me.”  It wasn’t a question, it wasn’t a suggestion, it was a command.  They did.

Why are you any different?

Come on, this was Peter, John and Matthew.  They were the original disciples and Jesus was standing in their midst.  Of course they followed Him.  They gave everything they had to follow Him though.  Everything.  This is the 21^st century, times have changed, life’s not as simple, there are bills to pay, kids need to go to school and so on and so on, right?  Have we chosen that our own life dreams, goals and ambitions are more important than following His call?  I look at my life and realize just that. 

We are called to follow Him and this will not be reduced to a second priority.  The choice we have to make comes down to our desire to pursue our worldly success in life or to pursue His eternal plan.  We must get past the acceptance that it is okay to “dabble” in following Christ.  It’s all in or it’s not.  We look for our purpose in life as if it is going to make us feel complete.  Worshipping God the Father is our purpose in life.  Lifting praise and worship to Him draws us closer to realizing why we are here.  At some point today, we all need to stop and find a quiet moment to simply tell God how much we love Him and worship Him in whatever way you can.





© Sondove Enterprises, 2019
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No Promises

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about everything we take for granted in this world.  People, money, furniture, cars, our job, internet, telephones, texting, education, food, water, health, vision, hearing, taste, oxygen, sunlight – just to name a few.  We blow through each day, and seldom stop to think about or focus on these things.  No, we just use them and move along.  Have you ever imagined waking up one day and some of these were unavailable to you?  I’ve heard of people going on a “purge” of electronics for 24 hours.  You arrive at a hotel and upon check in they confiscate your cell phone, your ipad, your laptop, your ipod (if you still have one) and any other devices you happen to be carrying with you.  They give you the key to your room (an old skeleton key) and as you walk in, there is no TV, no radio, no telephone.  One the table are board games, cards, books, magazines, etc. intended to be your entertainment for the next 24 hours.

I must say, as much as I think this is a shocker, I am almost tempted to do it.  We waste so much time online and socializing on the net that could be used doing something constructive.  Who, like me, actually longs for the days before we were all tethered to our devices?  If we are only given 86,400 seconds in a day (1,440 minutes) are we making the best use of the time we have to expand His kingdom.  After all, isn’t that the reason we are all here?  If there is something more important, please let me know, for I know of nothing that even comes close.

Our time is given to us each and every day as a gift from above.  It is not a guarantee or promise that there will be another one tomorrow.  We take it for granted that we are going to go to sleep and wake up in the morning, but show me a scripture that promises that.  The scriptures I find relative to this subject all state that time is limited and valuable, so be busy about the work of the Lord.  James 4:14 states: “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away”  In the Old Testament, Colossians 4:5-6 tells us, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person”

We are called to live life to it’s fullest.  That means each and every day, rediscover what it is that the Lord has for you that day.  Your breath is a gift, your sight is a gift, your hearing, your voice, your home, your car, your job, your friends.  Everything you have is a gift from the Lord to be used for His purpose and to glorify His Kingdom.  Stop wasting the resources He has given to you, and start using them for Him.  As Isaiah said in Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”  Be a ready and willing servant, rather than a checkbox Christian.  So many of us went to church, checked the salvation box and then went on living in the world, but the worlds standards and values.  That is not a relationship with Jesus Christ, that is an insurance policy against Hell.

Paul told the church of Ephesus in Ephesians 5:16-17, “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  He was teaching them how to imitate Christ, and we should all follow that teaching.  Christ walked this earth as our perfect example of what God wanted from mankind.  Our goal each and every day is to become more like Him, until that day He takes us home.  Be the good and faithful servant that you so desire to be, and give it more than lip service, get up and go out to the world with His message.v

Finding Me - Day 20

October 6, 2014

What is the most important thing in the world to you?   If you had to choose one thing, therefore not a group of people, or all-encompassing object (water, air, world peace or happiness).  What would you say?  What do you think most people on the streets of America would say?  Setting priorities in life is difficult.  There are so many things we value and lift up in this world; including our family, friends, material objects and positions of status.  I think we would all be surprised if we asked this question to the masses, that most of them would indicate some person of importance in their life (parent, spouse, child).  Still others might indicate the most important thing to them is money or time.  But, how many would say that the most important thing is Jesus Christ and their eternal salvation?

I would like to believe that is how I would answer that question.  My wife knows I love her dearly, and would do anything in the world for her; so do my children, Grand-children and family.  My friends know how much I care for them as well do the people at my work.  But, they all know that Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my world.  I often find myself guilty of elevating ‘things’ above Him and must remind myself that it is all His, and I am nothing but a steward.
    

Day 20: Prioritizing Life
“He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.” – John 3:31

How could there be something more important in life, more valuable, more treasured than the love and acceptance of the Creator Himself?  Tell me, who has done more for you than He?  Who has given up more for you than He?  Who else can give you eternal life, but He?  For without God’s grace and promise for eternal life we have nothing to look forward to, we have no hope for a future, no reason for life.  Take a moment today and carefully think through those things which stand between you and your relationship with God.  Yes, it will include people, material things and desires or dreams.  Now ask yourself one question; “Are you willing to walk away from all of those things to love and serve God?”  Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, and the others did.  When Jesus said “Follow Me” they left everything and followed him.

Prayer:
Father,
You alone are above all things.  You are seated upon the throne and we all bow before Your glory.  We are but servants to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Let us serve You unashamedly, without abandon and fear of rejection.  Let us be stewards of all that You have given us, and use it for Your Kingdom.  My hope is in You and Your promises for eternal life, which helps me overcome all fear from mankind.  Strengthen me with courage to stand for what is right and pure in Your eyes.   – Amen

Sondove Enterprises ©, 2014
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You Have One Life, Use it Wisely

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“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” – Romans 3:11

The day was drawing to an end and the lack of sleep was taking a toll on his body.  His eyelids seemed heavy as he drove home that night, he could almost feel the smooth cotton and warmth of his sheets.  He couldn’t wait to get home, change and call it a day.  He rolled the window down to let the cool breeze invigorate his sense to try and keep his eyes open, he had to make it just a few more miles.  He started thinking about the day’s activities.  How did life get this busy and what would he ever do to turn it back around.  This is certainly not what he had planned on when he was a young executive.  Somewhere he thought that success at work meant life would be easier and more manageable, but there certainly was no evidence of that.  His wife and children had suffered the brunt of his busyness and lack of participation in family events.  As he came around the S-curve, there standing in the middle of the road was a doe and her 2 fawns.  There eyes widened as his headlights shone upon them, and he swerved to avoid hitting them.  The doe ran right in front of his car as the fawns ran the opposite direction.  He just missed hitting the doe, but felt his left wheel sliding off the side of the road and within a split second his car had turned completely sideways. 

Just then the headlights of an oncoming car were seen coming around the curve.  There was nothing he could do, so he braced and closed his eyes for impact.  The sound of a horn and screeching of tires ripped through the quiet night.  Then his car came to a stop.  As he opened his eyes, amazed that he was still alive, all he saw were the taillights of the other car fading away around the other part of the S curve.  His car was idling, sideways on a back country road in the darkness of night, and somehow he was not dead.  Wide awake, he straightened his car and drove the remaining 4 or 5 miles home that night, grateful to be alive and questioning why his life had been spared.  This could be one of those events that is written off as dumb luck, or it could be a catalyst for change in the life he was living. 

In this gentlemen’s case, he woke up the next morning feeling challenged and reinvigorated.  Challenged to do something with the life he had been given, challenged to take this opportunity to help others and give back.  In his mind, if he spent more time at the nursing home or volunteering at the food shelter, then he could repay God for not taking his life that night.  He made the calls, set his schedule and planned out his day-timer to allow him to serve a few nights a week.  That should make God happy, that should be enough to show God how grateful he was.

What the gentlemen failed to realize is that we are not judged by our works or our kindness to others.  In Romans 3:23 it tells us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the grace of God.”  We are here to worship and bring glory to God.  Doing good things for other people is honorable and kind and compassionate, but if we aren’t giving glory to God in those things we are wasting our time.  A relationship with God is not through impressing him with works, but through af fundamental acceptance and acknowledgement that Jesus Christ lived and died for our sins.  Once this is understood the works that follow will exemplify His heart and love. 

When we do good things to impress others, or feel more self-righteous and less guilty about our contribution to society, we are living on man’s terms and not God’s.  The essence of seeking God will draw you to the place where you are serving because those receiving are seeing God through you.  Life is short and we can spend our entire time staying busy with our agenda, or we can decide to use our time to share His love and grace with as many as we can.  So, what is it you are seeking?  You want to know God more, we all do; but what are you doing about it and who are you sharing Him with?

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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Clearing the To-Do List

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"Tell those who are rich in this age not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. " – 1 Timothy 6:17 {Read 1 Timothy 6}

Today’s TO-DO list contains all of the things that will vie for my attention in the next 24 hours.  Typically there are 10 to 15 things on that list each day, and by the end of the day when the lights get turned out I have focused on 7 or 8 of them with any level of earnest effort.  We all prioritize events in our lives with the confidence that if we focus enough time and effort on these things we can create some level of breathing room and find some rest from this hectic lifecycle we have created.  The real struggle though is as we are taking things off of this list, those around us are putting more things on this list. 

Let me ask you, what’s the first thing on your list today?

Is it Quiet Time with God?  If not, why not?

Starting each day focused on the Creator of Life centers our being on the most important aspect of life – our Spirituality and Eternal direction.  I propose that if we continue to attempt to handle life’s challenges on our own without His loving support we are destined to failure in our attempts.  God is not going to solve your problems for you and make your problems go away, but a dedicated, committed focus on Him and His direction for your life each day, center your perspective on the important things.

You and I are both going to die one day.  Martin Luther King Jr. stated it well one day in a eulogy speech at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama after the death of 3 children standing up for freedom: “Death comes to every individual.  There is an amazing democracy about death… Kings die and beggars die; rich men and poor men; old people die and young people die.  Death comes to the innocent and it comes to the guilty.  Death is the irreducible common denominator for all men.”  (MLK, Sept. 1963)  The validity of his statements are that nothing you do can prevent this event from happening in your life.  Collecting wealth, treasures on earth, solving the days biggest problems or clearing off your To-Do list is not going to prevent the inevitable.  Starting each day with a more in depth understanding of God’s purpose in your life and His path for your life is going to store up fruit for you for eternity.

One day you will see what comes after this life is complete.  For those following the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, our destiny has been established.  It is eternity with God the Father.  That is what we need to be preparing for each day.  So I highly suggest that you put that at the top of your To-Do list today and every day.  When that is working the rest will begin to sort itself out in your mind and you’ll find it is much easier to prioritize the requirements for each day with a new perspective

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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We Need to Focus

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“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” – Proverbs 19:21

Working late, again.  Time is precious and they are only little for a few years.  The day will come when they walk out the front door, get in their car and drive off to their own life.  We all realize the consequence of spending less time with our children and more time on the job, yet we still keep doing it.  There was a song in the 70’s from Harry Chapin title “Cats in the Cradle” about a man who was too busy to spend time with his son and then loses the opportunity when his son grows up.  Casting Crowns wrote a few years back titled, “American Dreams” about a man who pursues his own dreams with the excuse of providing for his family; and all the while his family crumbles around him.

We have allowed our life to become so busy that it becomes secondary to try and squeeze the kids in somewhere along the way.  Time management has become a major challenge in life because we aren’t willing to put our own plans aside to focus on the important things in life that align with God’s purpose. Have we truly become too preoccupied for the most important job we have in life ? – raising our children to love God. 

God has laid out a plan for your life that is centered around loving Him and sharing His love with others, including your spouse and children.  There are 86,200 seconds in a day and we can’t have more, regardless of how many times we ask.  Think about the fact that a good nights sleep should be 7 to 8 hours (25,200 to 28,800 seconds) and we work for 11 hours (including commute ~ 39,600 seconds) we have 5 to 6 hours left to share with the family.  This model hasn’t changed in hundreds if not thousands of years.  How we spend these precious 5 to 6 hours has though.

Bills, errands, kids activities, shopping, television, the internet, email and even working when we get home have become the norm for these few hours we have to spend with our family.  What are we prioritizing?  It’s time to look inward and ask if we are truly focusing on the most important things in life, or are we just going through the paces.  Don’t get caught up in the pressure of living to the world’s expectations for you, and start living to God’s expectations.  Peace is possible if you are willing to make some difficult time management decisions.  It’s your life, not theirs and God wants your focus on His plans.  What will you choose?

Heavenly Father,
Forgive me Lord for allowing my time to be consumed by the world’s choices.  You have outlined the purpose and plan for my life before I was even conceived.  Holy Spirit, I call upon You to help me focus on God’s plan and live within peace in knowing that I am prioritizing the right things to expand His kingdom.  Help me to realize what is wasteful and live to bring my family and loved ones closer to You.  I trust in Your plan for my life and look to live with a bigger purpose.  Thank You.  In Jesus name I pray – Amen.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2011
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