Let it Go Already

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"I, yes I alone, will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again" - Isaiah 43:25
Who do you need to forgive? Is there someone that has done an unspeakable injustice to you or someone you love that makes it impossible to forgive them? If you are honest with yourself you are likely going to admit yes to these questions, and even now your feelings of anger are resurfacing. Is there a part of you that is actually saddened by the realization that you haven't gotten over it yet? If you are like most, the details may actually be a little bit fuzzy. Time does that. We go over the circumstance in our mind and sometimes the events become blurred and expanded beyond what really took place.

Now - who feels the same way about you? Is there someone out there that you know without a doubt, cannot forgive you for something done long ago? Most likely there is. To apply today's "Daily Thought"; what could you do to bring closure to this situation? Have you asked for forgiveness and apologized for your mistakes? It seems so simple on the surface, but when we try to execute on it, pride and arrogance often get in the way. This is simply a fact of living and associating with others. We are incapable of forgive and forget. This us where we need to take example from our Lord's word.

As we see in Isaiah's 43rd chapter God is the only one capable of truly forgetting our transgressions. How often do we continue to condemn ourselves for our past and convince ourselves that if we can't forgive ourselves - how could God ever forgive us. Here again we are faced with a very clear example of why we are not God, and why He is. But, catch the end of this scripture, "will never think about them again." Wow!! Think of the most hideous thing you've done in your life. We are comforted to realize that the blood of Jesus Christ was shed as redemption for even that sin.

Through acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are promised God's forgiveness as detailed in Isaiah. Let's be clear though, it is only available to those with a real faith in Jesus, and not the individual's denying His deity. I for one am unbelievably grateful that Gods grace will cover all of my sins. I have hurt others over my 47 years; some intentionally, most unintentional. Still, I need to do everything I can to reconcile these sins with the individuals I have hurt. I take comfort in knowing that whether they forgive me or not; God does. Keeping an eternal perspective is important when balancing the ebb and flow of your life. Quit thinking about your fears and failures of today, and allow God to fill you with His loving grace and forgiveness.

Heavenly Father,
You are an amazing God.  Filled with love, mercy and grace for Your children despite our transgressions and unrighteousness.  Your forgiveness is unparalleled in this world and the depth of Your love is unwavering.  Falling before You, I lift my hands and give You all praise and honor.  Help me Lord, to forgive those who have wronged me.  Guide my lips with sincerity and purpose to those who I have wronged, that I might be reconciled with them.  Clear my heart of unrighteousness and fill it with Your purpose and Your love.  In Jesus name we pray – Amen.
© Sondove Enterprises, 2011
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The Time Has Come

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”      - 1 John 5:4-5

What are you going to do with this scripture verse?

Do you believe it to be true?  Do you honestly believe that God in all of His incredible awesome power and authority is going to limit heaven only to those that believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son?

Awful close minded of us Christians, to think that our way is the only way.  Where is the love for all mankind, and the acceptance of all people – you know that whole love others as you would have them love you.  If God is so loving, why wouldn’t He just accept anyone into heaven?

You’ve heard all of this before I’m sure.  People struggle with the rigidness and being told you must do it this way.  God’s plan of salvation is available to all of mankind, but you know and realize that many will not accept, acknowledge and believe this as the only way.  I have heard so many times that so and so is a nice person, loving and kind to everyone.  They go out of their way to help the less fortunate and homeless and spend countless hours in nursing homes with the elderly and confined.  Yet they do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  Perhaps they believe in Buddha, John Smith, Ghandi or just plain good karma for all I know.  The fact that they are kind and loving to others does not fulfill fundamental principal for salvation.  This scripture addresses it straight on though.

“Whatever is born of God…”
“he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Evangelism happens one person at a time.  Although many times there are multiple people listening, it is God’s use of His children to propagate His message and live out the Great Commission.  Taking the truths of God’s word and sharing His love and His truth with another individual.  Perhaps that person is your son or daughter, perhaps it is your spouse, your parents and/or other family members.  Who is it in your life that is denying the truth of 1 John 5:5?  Are you afraid of becoming one of the “Jesus freaks” or a “Holy roller”?  Is your pride getting in the way of you sharing the most important information you have ever learned?

If you knew a bridge on a back country road was damaged and impassable, and your daughter was going to be driving out that way tonight, wouldn’t you tell her about the bridge?  You would do everything you could to keep her safe and far from harms way.  Yet, have you sat and had a discussion with your daughter about the truth of Jesus Christ, and the evil in the world today?  You love your child enough to warn them about dangers in the roadways around your city, but not enough to ensure that their name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. 

I used to have a boss that once told me, “If I hear others complaining about how much of a pain you are, I know you are doing your job.  It’s when I don’t hear anything that I wonder if you are truly pushing the envelope and pressing hard enough.”  If people are uncomfortable with what the Good News is saying, than you know you are speaking to someone who needs to hear it.  Take up your sword (the Word of God) and get into the fray.  There is no room for benchwarmers in this war.  Sitting on the sidelines might have been okay when you were younger, but this world needs to hear the truth of God in a big way, and we are the chosen to communicate that message.  I hope someone calls you a “Jesus freak”, that just means you’re pushing the envelope.  Preach on my friend. 

PRAYER:Heavenly Father,We take up our position in your great plan and yield the mighty sword of righteousness (Your Word) before all those we come in contact with.  Help the right words to be on our lips at the right time, so we might help spread Your love and awareness to the world.  Use me Lord to be Your eyes and feet on the street.  In Jesus name I pray – Amen

© Sondove Enterprises, 2010

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The Coming Flood

"The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." -Romans 13:12

As I listen to the news of the world recently, I struggle to find God in it. People are angry, afraid and worried about what their future holds.  The economy, the weather, the politics come up in nearly every conversation I have with people I meet as I travel. It’s easy to see a sense of apathy and to some degree helplessness wash over them as they think of the complexities of this world, and how small they feel next to it all.  But, I see little sense of urgency to help solve the problems we are living with in today’s society. This is caused by the sheer magnitude and global reach of every decision, which minimizes the impact of any single person. As a result we resort back to the things we can control - checking account, mortgage, education, food and our immediate family.

I want to share a word picture that has stuck with me over the years.
Imagine that you are in an indoor sports facility (domed baseball field) which might seat 50,000 people. Now imagine that you are taken to the very top row, right next to the glass roof and hand-cuffed to a chair. If someone were to drop a single drop of water into the center of the field, and then dropped a doubled amount every minute (1-2-4-8-16...) until the stadium were filled . How long would you have before you'd drown?

A few months? Maybe a few weeks? At least a few days, right? What if I said you would only have 49 minutes before you were overtaken by the pool of water. Even more surprising is at 44 minutes the stadium would only be 7% full. The sheer volume that overtakes a person happens in the last 5 minutes.

So, what does this have to do with God. For years you have heard corner preachers screaming, "Repent, His time is at hand" and yet we continue about our busy life. The bible is very clear, that Christ will come as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2) and we will not know when. Very much like the person chained to the top of the stadium, you know eventually the water will get here, but it doesn't seem obvious when there's only a few drops on the field. Now just imagine how much you can do for God's Kingdom if you shed off the apathetic, helpless garb earlier and put on the armour of God well before the waters closed in. If 90% (44 min) of the time has elapsed before you begin to worry, that last 10% (5 min) will happen like a flash in the night. There is much to do and the clock isn't slowing down. If you have a thought on how to spread God's word and help others, by all means take a stand now my friend, for the world is in need of a Savior and you have the answer.
© Sondove Enterprises, 2009
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It’s Quite a Mess We’ve Made

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” – Psalm 56:3-4

(c) CNN, 10-15-2011

Darkness envelopes the sea of concrete and glass
Thousands will sleep on the grass
Their words are filled with rage and pride
Anger that’s been bottled up inside
Some say justified and long overdue
Some say they’re lazy and don’t have a clue
Some say where there’s pain, people need rescue
So what then say you?

There is no quick answer to the mess that we have gotten into in this world.  People feel cheated, yet are blessed beyond comprehension when compared to those of years gone by.  The rise of dependence upon the greed of society has caused the fall of the desire to trust in God.  In America, we print it on every dollar bill and stamp it on every coin; yet few actually believe it as it passes through our fingers like water.  “In God We Trust” was first stamped onto the 2 cent coin in 1864, but didn’t become the national motto for the United States of America until 1956 by the US Congress.  Now think about the changes in America and the world in the last 55 years.  In one generation, we have gone from trusting in God, to removing Him from schools, government buildings, parks and public areas.

We have become addicted to our own self interests.  I speak generally of course, but look carefully at your priority list in life.  At what point does “Live for God and Follow Him” show up on your list?  Let me ask you this; if tomorrow, everything you had was gone – house, car, clothes, food and even family; would you still love God?  Are you dependent on your lifestyle and your control of the outcome more than you are on what He wants for you in life?  I am guilty as charged, as most of you likely are.  You see, we wake up in the morning with prayers to God, and go to sleep with God in our prayers; but the in the time between we are pushing hard to do everything we can to make a living, put food on the table and pay the bills.  That’s like asking God to accept the life we have chosen, and His answers going to be “No”.

He didn’t send His Son to die on a cross, so you could have the life you wanted.  He sent His Son to die to reconcile for the iniquities in the life you have chosen and bring you into the life He has chosen for you.  We have to stop looking to others to solve our problems in life, and begin asking ourselves, am I really focused on living for God or living for me.  Trust in the plan God has for your life and in His word and perhaps we can actually make a difference in this world once and for all.

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the blessings You have poured out upon me.  Thank You for offering Your Son to die that I might have life with You.  Forgive me Lord, for selfishly focusing on my goals in life and my comfort without trusting You.  I long to be as strong as King David and be wholly committed to You and You alone.  I struggle to remove my desires of this world and live for You as You deserve.  Help me Lord, to put aside my desires and focus only on the desires of Your heart.  In Jesus name we pray – Amen.
© Sondove Enterprises, 2011
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Can I have a Mulligan?

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
- 2 Corinthians 5:17

It was an incredibly beautiful Fall day. I gathered with a few friends for 5 hours of pure frustration and tirelessly chasing little white balls around the beautiful green turf of the local golf-course. As for me I would spend more time in the tall brown weeds lining the sides of the fairways than on the green turf though. There's always that moment at the very beginning when you are 20 yards away from the club-house and you know there are people on the putting greens and in the bar watching. It's as close as I'll ever have to actually golfing in front of a gallery of people. There is a tradition in golf to of flipping a tee to determine who hits first. Knowing that I am on the low end of the talent pool, my simple prayer at that moment was that someone else go first. I watched as the tee flipped and spun through the air and landed on the grass. The pointed end was pointing straight at me, which meant I had to hit first.

The butterflies begin as I step up to the tee-box and set the ball upon the tee in the ground. Just for show, I stretch a little, and then wiggle my club around behind the ball as if I were coming to a balanced position. With a smooth backswing and shifting my weight back and then forward, I pull the golf club down on a collision path with the Titelist 4. It sounds awesome and I breath a sigh of relief, until I look up to see the ball on a trajectory directly sideways toward the 18th hole green. The jeers and laughs are audible from those around the tee-box and putting green as I stepped away from the tee, leaving it in the ground. Looking up at the group of guys with me, all holding back their humorous comments, "I'm gonna need a mulligan guys." A mulligan is a "do-over", a second chance and as tradition would have it in friendly games of golf you're typically entitled to one mulligan per 18 holes. It stinks to use it on the very first hole, but sometimes it's necessary. The key is to ensure you don't screw up the do-over as well. On this particular day, I was fortunate and hit the ball long and straight down the middle on my second shot.

When you have accepted Christ in your life though, life off the golf course follows the same principles. Sin abounds in each of us. The next time you are in a crowded room, look to your left and then to your right. Those individuals are also struggling with sin. But there are times when the spotlight shines on our sins though and it is at these times when others are watching to see how you handle it. Those on the putting greens of life are watching you, to see how you react. Just as in golf, the important thing is that you learn from your mistakes and seek redemption through the one who can give you a mulligan. The great thing about our Savior is the fact that He will actually tee up the new ball for you and give you the ability, determination and confidence to stand in front of that audience and hit the next one straight down the middle.

I'm not much of a golfer, my friends can attest to that, but I'm even worse at dealing with the temptations, trials and pain of life. The greatest thing though is that I know the designer of the game of life and He's a great coach.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2010
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Do Not be Decieved

“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” – John 14:2

It’s the natural lifecycle: conception, birth, life and then death.  There are those that would believe there is nothing beyond the last breath that you take.  Some will stand firmly on their belief that this life is it, this is all we have and that once the dirt hits the casket wood, there is no more.  If this were true then what is the purpose for order in life and where does that come from?  What does righteousness look like in that world?  Who determines what is right and what is wrong, and who says they are right in their proclamation?  For if it has no meaning and then one day you just die – why even get up in the morning?    

If we set the expectation for goodness based on whether I am better than the person next to me, isn’t that truly a very self-centered, egotistical and prideful societal order?  Who owns the official hierarchy of goodness for mankind to be compared against in this type of a world?  It breeds chaos, uncertainty, rebellion and a world of injustice.  Some individuals are actually driven by this carelessness.  They’re not accountable to anyone but themselves for their actions.  Certainly there are laws put in place to keep the order, but if the supreme authority is the government of this world, then right and wrong comes down to their opinion the individual.  Each person could become the supreme authority, the god of this world.  It would truly be nothing more than a glorified game of King of the Mountain that we played as kids.  There would always be a battle for authority at the top of this hierarchy and there would always be a struggle for relevance at the bottom.  What a hopeless world that would be. 

In this society, where does the baseline of love come from when the only benchmark or example of love is what we see in those around us?  What would it mean to love another person?  Respect them, honor them, cherish them and sacrifice for them.  All of which take humility and selflessness, which is completely contradictory to the world of “me first”.   In this society, why would we even love one another?  Why would we care about those around us?  If we are all here for an average of 80 years (2.516 billion seconds), why should we care what happens today, tomorrow or any other day? 

In reality, the order of our world and the benchmarks for righteousness, love and goodness are all set in place by the Creator, the One and only God Almighty.  His very breath started the wheels in motion.  He created man and realized the need for companionship – He created woman.  Perfect as the world was, our human interest in control took over and in disobedience Adam and Eve cast mankind into an eternal battle, having to choose sides between the righteousness of God or the self centered and prideful life with the deceiver.  Remember that Satan was cast out of heaven for his intent to rise above the Holy One.  There is only One God and He is above all things, now and forever more.

How about you, what are your feelings and thoughts about life and death?  You can’t be undecided on this one.  There are only two options to the question – there is an afterlife or there is not.  If you choose the latter, than carefully examine your motives and ask yourself just how and why it all came to be.


Heavenly Father,
You are wonderful and mighty, set above all things in this world and below it.  We trust that You are with us, every step of every day.  We acknowledge Your sovereignty and Your power to rule over us and give us guidance toward righteousness and love.  Thank you for Your mercy and salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Help us to share this love with others that they may also come to an understanding of Your grace and plans for eternity.  In Jesus name we pray – Amen.
© Sondove Enterprises, 2011
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All About Love

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“What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar.” – Proverbs 19:22

What does it mean to love someone unconditionally?  Does it mean that you can never get angry with someone for their actions?  Does it imply that everything they do is okay even if someone else gets hurt?  Of course not.  There is very few that can say they love someone unconditionally.  Conditions exist on every relationship, every thought, emotion and reaction.  It is impossible to separate the emotion from the action in these circumstances, often times resulting in a circumstance where the love we might have for another person is altered and diminished.

We walk through this world with our guard up, constantly on the alert for those that might offend us in the slightest way.  Our hearts are made of stained glass and there are very large rocks that others carry with them everywhere they go.  Think of the last person that hurt you.  Think carefully about what that person did (or didn’t do) that caused your pain.  Was it an action, a word or worse yet something physical?  What do you believe was at the heart of that person when this happened?  Do you truly believe they were intending to hurt you and if so why?  Were they harboring their own hurt feelings from something you or someone you know may have done to them in the past?

You see, one action begets another action, which begets another and so on and so on and so on.  When it all comes down to it, we are a very reactive society and most of the time we are intent on getting even when our feelings are hurt.  It is human nature to look out for our own self interests in most situations, without consideration for what the other person(s) may be going through.

So how is it that God can love us regardless?  His love is a spiritual love – deeper than emotion, deeper than physical.  His love is at the heart and soul level.  He sees what is underneath the fleshy outer layer and the ego, pride and selfishness.  He understands very clearly who you are, because He created you.  No one, not even your momma knows you as intimately as God knows you.  He knows what is on your lips and tongue before the words even leave the mouth.  Just what is it that you can hide from Him?  The secret sin that no-one knows about, He does.  Those little lies you tell to make every else like you, He knows.  That lustful feeling you get every time that special someone walks by, He sees it.  You can’t get away from His righteousness, for it is from within – the Holy Spirit.

God loves you unconditionally.  There is nothing you can do to remove yourself from His love.  You can deny Him all you want, and miss out on receiving His love, but it doesn’t make Him love you less.  You can blaspheme the Holy Spirit, but He still loves you and pains over your decision and refusal to accept His love.  It cannot change, it is consistent and pure and available, but you must accept it to enjoy the rewards of eternity with the Creator.

Heavenly Father,
Your grace is representative of Your infallible and unconditional love for mankind.  You have given it all, provided the means, the plan and the guidelines for accepting Your love.  It is available for each man, woman and child to accept and thereby receive eternal life through our Lord’s sacrifice at Calvary.  Help us to forgive others as You do, and to love them like You do.  In Jesus name we pray – Amen.
© Sondove Enterprises, 2011
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