Watch Your Step

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“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”     – Ephesians 4:32

The cliché goes something like this, “Imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery.”  Most of you have likely heard this in one context or another, but did you realize that it’s origins came from ancient Rome.  It’s first captured in a 1708 biography of Marcus Aurelious, by Jermey Collier and Andre Dacier; “You should consider that imitation is the most acceptable part of Worship, and that the Gods had much rather mankind should resemble, than flatter them.”  We watch our children imitate us and we laugh at how cute it is.  They follow our actions, our mannerisms and our habits.  Their developing a personality formed by the parents, adults and caregivers in their lives, and if you watch carefully you will see yourself in their actions.

Part of leaving a legacy worthy of God’s precious name is to ensure that you are following in the footsteps and actions that were modeled for you, by the One who was sent by God.  This is the man Jesus Christ.  Our children will mimic all of our actions – good and bad.  They will speak as we speak, they will become angry as we become angry, they will show love and compassion as we have shown love and compassion and they will pray and grow in the Lord as they have seen you pray and grow.  Jesus was sent to this earth as the image of God the Father in man’s body.  Perfect in every action, pure in every thought, compassionate, loving and full of humility.  Yet, he was also full of anger towards the actions of mankind against God, and made no excuses for standing up for righteousness when necessary.

Follow this example in your life, of the One who was sent here originally to lead you back to the Father.  In doing so, the little eyes that are upon you every day will have a solid representation of the Lord’s love to mimic.  It matter’s not if they are 3, 4 5 or 21; they are watching you to see how they should react in life’s situations.  You need to be a representative of Jesus Christ to them in your actions, words and character; and then watch as the next generation grows into a mighty army for God.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, We come before you humble and weak, longing for Your love and compassion.  We stand here in the shadow of Your Son and seek Your wisdom, Your counsel and Your guidance in our lives.  Teach us oh Lord, to love You and to serve You with all of our heart and lives.  Help us to grow in our understanding of who You made us to be, that we might in turn share it with those who look to us.  Forgive us for our unrighteousness and help us be strong in our repentance.  In Your name I pray – Amen.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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Pass It On

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“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”    – Deuteronomy 4:9

 

They trust you.  Over time you have shown them through examples in life what it means to live with integrity, ethics and moral values.  Since they were able to walk, they have followed you and learned from you how to make it in this world.  There have been times when you had to be firm, and set them back on the path of life with a better direction in mind.  There have been times when you had to discipline them, and help them understand the error of their ways in hopes that they would learn from the lesson and become stronger because of it.  Then there are the times when you have had to help them heal from the hurt and pain caused in this world.  When they needed to know that they were loved, cherished and accepted; regardless of the circumstances.  You were the shoulder they cried on, and the strong embrace of comfort when the time of grieving came into the family at the loss of a loved one. 

As the temples started to grey and the stride of your step became slower, their needs changed and you stepped up.  They needed advice, guidance and counseling, and your experience in life, passed on from generation to generation, helped start them on their own journey.  Strength, courage and sound principals on raising a family and balancing a budget became your contribution in the less frequent visits.  The times were shorter, but rich in love and wisdom, as a new generation comes upon the scene. 

When you are a father, you have the responsibility of creating the future of this world.  The children of yesterday will become the Dad’s of tomorrow and will carry the torch in the way they have been taught.  Your role is to ensure that they are grounded in Christ and the grace of God as they pick up the mantle.  You see, since the beginning of time, God has demonstrated the art of being a Father and provided numerous examples of what it means to lead a family.  You have to accept the role given to you as the Spiritual leader of your house, as it has been granted to you from God the Father.  You will build a legacy that will last beyond your days, but that legacy must be filled with God’s love, righteousness and an understanding of His purpose. You are given the opportunity to model the compassion, humility, grace and principals of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.  Be proud that you have been chosen to represent God created to the future generations, and be the Father that your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will carry forward beyond your days.

Happy Father’s Day to you, Men of God.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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Experiencing Peace in the Chaos

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”                                                                    – John 14:27

Where do you go to find peace in this hectic, busy life?  Psychologists would say, “Find your happy place.”  We are overwhelmed daily with news of tragedies all around the globe: mass slayings in the middle east, corruption in governments, increase in violent crimes, economic collapse, job loss, war in many countries and natural disasters just to name a few from the headlines this week alone.  One could easily become depressed and filled with worry over the future of our families, our children and our earth if we allowed it to consume us.  So when your mind is filled with the news of the day, where do you go for peace, for rest, for comfort from the madness?

The communication and media community have created a window into the global unrest of today’s society.  Sitting in Houston, Texas I am informed of those things taking place in Syria, Libya, Kenya, Russia, Israel, China, Germany, France, Greece, the UK, Brazil, Poland, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan on a daily basis.  How much information is considered information overload though?  It’s important to understand the climate of unrest around the globe as we are all interconnected in one way or another.  Through the biased perspective we are given, our knowledge is being controlled through the lens of those in the communication business.  The mass media outlets have become our source for insight into the world with a lens of their choosing.  The real question becomes, how much of it is a full representation verse how much of it is a controlled message?  Do you truly believe that CNN, Fox, Wall Street Journal, Yahoo.Com, Facebook and other news agencies are giving you a non-biased truthful representation of what is going on in the world?

You will not find peace from the world’s perspective.  There are issues with trust, truth, justice, freedom and control that must be overcome.  You must be able to see and hear, but not become overwhelmed with the information you receive.  We serve the God who created it all, and will end it all one day.  He is the only representation and existence of truth in this world.  The truth that you can count on will not be found in the 24 hour daily news that we consume, it is found in His Holy Word, and through your personal relationship with His Son – Jesus Christ.  The gospel tells us that a comforter has come to live within us and to guide us through this life.  The Holy Spirit is where we find the peace that is discussed in the words of Christ.  We long for Christ’s return but fail to realize that the Holy Spirit is with you daily, here on behalf of the Son and the Father. 

Find peace through knowing that mankind is not in control but that the God you serve, the God of the Universe. is.  This knowledge and acceptance is the only way to find peace, despite all of the self-help books on the shelf in your local bookstore.   Turn to the Holy Spirit within you for your daily guidance, not to the media sources.  Create a dependence on Him and discover the peace that Christ has promised until we are once again joined with Him in eternity.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father – I come before you today, asking that you fill my heart with your love and peace.  Help me to embrace the message of your Son and the Holy Spirit and to sift through the noise from the world.  I align my brokenness to the One who can heal and bring me peace.  I give You control of my life, my desires and my problems.  I trust that through your promises I am covered and through your grace I am redeemed.  In your name I pray – Amen.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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It’s Already Done

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“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.”  
                                                                       – 1 John 5:1

Can you fathom the depth of God’s love?  I mean, truly understand how unconditional and full it is.  It is my belief that we are incapable of grasping the love of the Father because we are carrying the burden of living in a sin filled world.  Let me ask you a few questions; is there an end to the universe?  Will we ever run out of water?  Can the grains of sand or dirt be measured?  Will the earth’s supply of oxygen, contained within our atmosphere, expire in your lifetime? 

   We grasp the unlimited infinite concept of space, land and water, yet we cannot accept that God’s love is also limitless.  We chose to put limitations on Him based on our own limitations as to how we perceive love.  Loving one another is bound by emotions and our current state of mind, more so than by the pureness of accepting each other in the eyes of the Lord.  You see, we are all wrought with sin.  Every single one of us.  I don’t care how pure, righteous and holy you think you are, or you perceive that other person to be, sin lives within their flesh.

God sent Jesus Christ (χριστὸς in Greek, meaning the Messiah) to die as a sacrifice for our sins.  He didn’t die for my sins alone, but for the entirety of man-kind.  The scriptures tell us, that if we can embrace this one truth, and accept this path of redemption, that we are accepted as children of God.  We are given eternal life, because He made a way for us, not because of anything we did to deserve it.  If it were dependent upon your actions to become righteous enough to enter into heaven, we would all perish in the eternal fires of hell. 

Now, if Jesus’ blood can cover my sins and unrighteousness, but cannot cover the worst embodiment of evil on the face of the earth, it is meaningless and unworthy of any redemption.  Many will discount their opportunity at God’s grace because of the sinful acts in their past.  I’ve heard the words, “He won’t forgive me for this.” come from the lips of someone who couldn’t grasp God’s love from their worldly optics.  When we limit God’s love by our ability to love there is no way we can fully accept the redemptive grace that He has provided.  So many struggle with this problem of accepting God’s love for them, that I fear they deny Christ all together and give up on eternity.  The complacency and apathy some have towards life is a direct result of denying that God truly loves us enough to forgive all of our sins. 

The truth that they must come to accept is that His act of sacrificing His Son on that cross was the only act necessary to redeem their souls.  The problem is we are taught throughout life that we are in control of our own destiny and we spend our lives trying to solve this most basic problem of eternal life.  All we need to do is accept that He has already solved it, through this one called Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Prayer:
Loving Father, You have provided a path of salvation.  You have given us grace and mercy and forgiveness, so that we might be joined with You in heaven one day.  Remove the scales from our eyes and the callous from our hearts so that we might embrace the redemption you have offered.  Forgive our desire for control and our denial of Your Son.  Shape my life to be a living picture of Your love to those I meet, so that they may see through me, the love of the Father.  In Your name I pray – Amen.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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